Cottingham Lake near Cumberland: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  You will find Cottingham Lake in Comox Valley Regional District, British Columbia. Country round the bank runs to rolling hill. This is a pocket water of some 5 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Cumberland lies 25 km from the water. Vancouver sits 165 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Cottingham Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Comox Valley Regional District, recorded fish include Coho salmon, sockeye salmon, rainbow trout and Chum salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. At Cottingham Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put August at about 11°C and December near -2°C. A long season, with weather mattering more than the month. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. Anyone fishing Cottingham Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Esther Lake at 2.6 km is the nearest alternative. Check the position at Cottingham Lake before loading the car.