Fishing at Fourth Lake, Cowichan Valley Regional District, British Columbia

• Overview

  Fourth Lake is a Cowichan Valley Regional District water, in British Columbia. What surrounds it is open valley. This is sizeable water at about 2.00 sq km, and a boat opens up most of it. You are looking at roughly 8.8 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. It ranks high for size among our Cowichan Valley Regional District listings. You are 27 km from Youbou. Further out sit Coombs (27 km) and Nanoose Bay (29 km). The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Fourth Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Cowichan Valley Regional District records list Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon and Coho salmon among the fish reported. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Fourth Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August near 14°C and December near 0°C on the long-run figures. A long season, with weather mattering more than the month. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. February into May fishes hardest as the water warms. Fourth Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. This is a reservoir by origin, with the deepest water near the dam. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Failing this one, try Shaw Lake, 4.9 km away. Confirm before you fish Fourth Lake.