Cat Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  British Columbia holds Cat Lake, in Regional District of Fraser-Fort George. It lies 783 metres above sea level. At about 20 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The full circuit measures close to 2.9 km on foot. Head to Mackenzie, 72 km away, for anything you forgot. Kamloops is the closest city, 480 km away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Cat Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across Regional District of Fraser-Fort George include Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon and mountain whitefish. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Read Cat Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 14°C and January reads -10°C. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It holds true on Cat Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is camping recorded roughly 150 m off. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Should this one be busy, Hambone Lake is 2.4 km off. Check the current arrangement for Cat Lake.