Ella Lake in Cariboo Regional District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Ella Lake stands in Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia. The water sits 1,506 metres up. The whole thing is a single swim; walk it in a minute. It is a small entry by Cariboo Regional District standards. Quesnel lies 61 km from the water. The big place round here is Kamloops, 277 km distant. Also on the doorstep: Brough Lake about 2.2 km, Groundhog Lake (3.2 km), Tucker Lake about 5.5 km, Jack of Clubs Lake (6.8 km) and Weldon Lake about 9.1 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Ella Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Cariboo Regional District cover sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon, bull trout, Coho salmon and longnose sucker. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Anyone new to Ella Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 11°C; the cold one sits at -9°C. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early May until roughly early November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That shapes the year on Ella Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. If the gate is shut, Brough Lake at 2.2 km is the nearest alternative. Nothing here settles the position at Ella Lake for certain.