Cheztainya Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In British Columbia, Cheztainya Lake belongs to Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako. Elevation runs to 754 metres. At about 73 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Bank access stretches around 4.5 km in total. 118 km away sits Smithers, the nearest town. For a city, Kamloops is 672 km off. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Cheztainya Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako records list sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, Chinook salmon and pink salmon among the fish reported. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Fish Cheztainya Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -14°C in January up to 14°C in July. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. It sets the rhythm of the year at Cheztainya Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Diver Lake at 13 km is the nearest alternative. Check the position on Cheztainya Lake before loading the car.