Genevieve Lake Fishing near Quesnel, British Columbia

• Overview

  Genevieve Lake is a Cariboo Regional District water, British Columbia side. Pine and birch runs right down to the water. It measures some 1.33 sq km, and wind has room to build across it. Some 5.7 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Some 33 km away sits Quesnel, the nearest settlement. After that come Prince George at 80 km and Williams Lake at 124 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Genevieve Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Cariboo Regional District records list sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon, bull trout, Coho salmon and longnose sucker among the fish reported. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Genevieve Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 15°C and January about -9°C. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Genevieve Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Overnight stays are possible 960 m away. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Neck Lake at 4.6 km is the sensible second choice. Nothing here settles the position at Genevieve Lake for certain.