Finnie Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Finnie Lake is listed under Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, British Columbia. The country here is mixed forest. At about 64 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The bank runs about 3.7 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. For supplies, Vanderhoof is 59 km out. Fort St. James is 101 km away, with Burns Lake at 115 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Finnie Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. County-wide records name sockeye salmon, Coho salmon and Chinook salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Read Finnie Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 13°C and January about -12°C. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. Climate averages put the opening at about late April and the closing near mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Time your trip to Finnie Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. 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. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Bostrom Lake is 1.1 km off. Treat Finnie Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.