Gidegingla Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako end of British Columbia holds Gidegingla Lake. The bank gives way to lake country bush. With some 43 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Roughly 4.4 km of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. The nearest town is Fort St. James, 73 km away. It is 559 km to Kamloops, the nearest city. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Gidegingla Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Open biodiversity records for Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako list sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, Chinook salmon, pink salmon and Chum salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On Gidegingla Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 14°C; by January the average is down near -12°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Winter locks it down, and late April brings it back. Ice clears near late April and comes back about early November in a typical year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. At Gidegingla Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Chichonajilh Lake at 4.3 km is the nearest alternative. Nothing on Gidegingla Lake should be assumed from this page alone.