Cherry Lake Fishing in Regional District of East Kootenay, British Columbia

• Overview

  Regional District of East Kootenay in British Columbia is where Cherry Lake sits. Elevation runs to 1,203 metres. Roughly 40 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The full circuit measures close to 3.7 km on foot. On our Regional District of East Kootenay list it sits near the top for size. Start from Cranbrook, 39 km down the road. Eureka lies 49 km off, Fernie another 50 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Cherry Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Public occurrence data for Regional District of East Kootenay names rainbow trout, mountain whitefish, sockeye salmon, bull trout and longnose sucker. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On Cherry Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical August readings run about 15°C; by January the average is down near -8°C. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly mid April. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. That is the shape of the year on Cherry Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping shows a campsite some 680 m from the water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Ranger Lake at 7.3 km is the nearest alternative. What applies at Cherry Lake may have changed since it was mapped.