Buckingham Lake Fishing Guide, Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia

• Overview

  The Cariboo Regional District entry here is Buckingham Lake, in British Columbia. The setting is lake country bush. The water covers some 47 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The edge runs 4.7 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. The town to know is 108 Mile Ranch, 98 km out. It is 210 km to Kamloops, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Buckingham Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Cariboo Regional District list sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon, bull trout, Coho salmon and longnose sucker. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Buckingham Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -7°C to 14°C. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about late November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Time your trip to Buckingham Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Warttig Lake at 11 km is the sensible second choice. Where Buckingham Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.