Deserted Lake near Golden: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  You will find Deserted Lake in Columbia-Shuswap Regional District, British Columbia. The water sits 1,102 metres up. At 4 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. On size it sits at the modest end of our Columbia-Shuswap Regional District list. Golden lies 9 km from the water. Calgary sits 211 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 Deserted Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Columbia-Shuswap Regional District cover sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, bull trout and brook trout. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. On Deserted Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 16°C and January near -10°C on the long-run figures. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early April. Averages suggest open water from about early April through to roughly mid November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Deserted Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Cabin Lake, 1.5 km out. Rules at Deserted Lake are worth checking on the day.