Crystal Lake Fishing near Vanderhoof, British Columbia

• Overview

  Out in Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, British Columbia, sits Crystal Lake. Height above sea level is 1,138 metres. At about 86 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Shoreline length is close to 7.1 km, and each section fishes a little differently. Vanderhoof at 47 km is the nearest place to stop. For a city, Kamloops is 444 km off. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Crystal Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Across Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, recorded fish include sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, Chinook salmon and pink salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Read Crystal Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 12°C; by January the average is down near -11°C. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. The season between ice runs from about late April to mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Crystal Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A pier 660 m from here gives a platform over deeper water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Boomerang Lake is 4.6 km off. None of that is settled for Crystal Lake in what we hold.