Cheslatta Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In British Columbia, Cheslatta Lake falls inside Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako. The surface lies 766 metres up. Surface area runs to some 41.13 sq km, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. The bank runs about 93 km in total, split between open shore and sheltered corners. Few waters listed in Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako are bigger. The nearest town is Burns Lake, 60 km away. Kamloops is the closest city, 485 km away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Cheslatta Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako cover sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, Chinook salmon, pink salmon and Chum salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. At Cheslatta Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -10°C to 13°C. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Plan around that when you fish Cheslatta Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. 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. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Chaoborus Lake, 7.4 km away, makes the obvious fallback. For Cheslatta Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.