Cartmel Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Cartmel Lake lies in Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine, British Columbia. Around the bank it is lake country bush. It runs to roughly 47 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The bank runs about 3.8 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Wrangell sits 229 km from here and is the nearest stop. After that come Petersburg at 238 km and Watson Lake at 261 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Cartmel Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Reported across Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine: pink salmon, Chum salmon and Coho salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Fish Cartmel Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 9°C, the coldest about -13°C. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late May. From about late May to around late October, expect open water on the long-run figures. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. The season on Cartmel Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. If the gate is shut, Tsargoss Lake at 11 km is the nearest alternative. Treat access at Cartmel Lake as something to verify.