Clarkston Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In British Columbia, Clarkston Lake falls inside Regional District of Fraser-Fort George. The country round it is pine and birch from end to end. At about 62 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The full circuit measures close to 4.7 km on foot. Some 53 km away sits Fort St. James, the nearest settlement. Kamloops sits 499 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Clarkston Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Survey and observation records for Regional District of Fraser-Fort George include Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon and mountain whitefish. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. The near bank of Clarkston Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 14°C, the coldest about -12°C. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Plan around that when you fish Clarkston Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. A campsite lies 530 m away for anyone staying over. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Old Man Lake is 2.2 km distant. Where Clarkston Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.