Ellen Lake Fishing in Thompson-Nicola Regional District, British Columbia

• Overview

  Ellen Lake lies in Thompson-Nicola Regional District, in British Columbia. The surface lies 1,396 metres up. At about 26 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Shoreline comes to about 2.9 km, small enough to learn in a day. You are 30 km from Glenrosa. After that come Peachland at 31 km and Smith Creek at 32 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Ellen Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Reported across Thompson-Nicola Regional District: Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon and Coho salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Read Ellen Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, August reads 13°C and December reads -8°C. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Anyone fishing Ellen Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Rat Lake sits 1.5 km off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish Ellen Lake.