Fishing Cooper Lake in Strathcona Regional District, British Columbia

• Overview

  Cooper Lake lies in Strathcona Regional District, in British Columbia. It sits in farm and woodlot country. It runs to roughly 10 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. There is roughly 1.7 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. The nearest place of any size is Gold River, 40 km away. It is 214 km to Vancouver, the nearest city. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Cooper Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Species logged across Strathcona Regional District include sockeye salmon, Chum salmon, pink salmon and Coho salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Cooper Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, August reads 15°C and December reads 0°C. Mild ends to the year keep the season long. In milder years the edges alone go, and the middle never sets. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Time your trip to Cooper Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, Bootfrog Lake is 3.5 km distant. Rules at Cooper Lake are worth checking on the day.