Bridie Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In British Columbia, Bridie Lake falls inside Regional District of Mount Waddington. Mixed woodland runs right down to the water. It covers about 5 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is a small entry by Regional District of Mount Waddington standards. The nearest place of any size is Port McNeill, 46 km away. Vancouver sits 289 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Bridie Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Species logged across Regional District of Mount Waddington include Coho salmon, rainbow trout, Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon and Chum salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Bridie Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 2°C to 15°C. Whether it freezes depends on the year. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. Bridie Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out. After a storm, the water clears from the edges inwards.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Loose Lake sits 6.9 km off and takes the overflow. For Bridie Lake in particular, ask before you travel.