Fountain Lake near Vanderhoof: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Fountain Lake is a Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako water, in British Columbia. Height above sea level is 824 metres. At about 35 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The edge runs 2.6 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Start from Vanderhoof, 17 km down the road. It is 464 km to Kamloops, the nearest city. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Fountain Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. 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. 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. Fountain Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -11°C to 14°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. The season between ice runs from about mid April to mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. The season on Fountain Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Wonder Lake is 0.9 km off. Nothing here settles the position at Fountain Lake for certain.