Cow Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  You will find Cow Lake in Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia. The water sits 1,032 metres up. The water covers some 15 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline comes to about 1.6 km, small enough to learn in a day. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Cariboo Regional District. You are 31 km from Hanceville. The nearest city of size is Kamloops, 204 km away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Cow Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Fish documented in Cariboo Regional District include sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon, bull trout, Coho salmon and longnose sucker. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. At Cow Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 15°C, the coldest about -10°C. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early April. Climate figures give an open season running early April to late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Cow Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, Poison Lake is 9.5 km distant. Ask locally about Cow Lake if anything is unclear.