Dragon Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In British Columbia, Dragon Lake belongs to Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine. Tidal water begins 37 km from here. Roughly 2.26 sq km of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. You are looking at roughly 6.4 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. The nearest place of any size is Terrace, 93 km away. Smithers lies 128 km off, Telkwa another 139 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Dragon Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Survey and observation records for Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine include pink salmon, Chum salmon, Coho salmon and sockeye salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Dragon Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 14°C in July and bottom out at -6°C in January. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early April. Average temperatures cross freezing around early April in spring and again near late November in autumn. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Plan any trip to Dragon Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Overnight stays are possible 600 m away. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Hoodoo Lake is 7.9 km off. None of that is settled for Dragon Lake in what we hold.