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

• Overview

  Look for Grant Lake in the Cowichan Valley Regional District part of British Columbia. The land about it is open valley. It runs to roughly 54 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. There is roughly 4.3 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Supplies mean a trip to Shawnigan Lake, 9.5 km off. Mill Bay is 16 km away, with Cowichan Bay at 17 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Grant Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Cowichan Valley Regional District cover Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, Chum salmon and rainbow trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Fish Grant Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 1°C in December up to 15°C in August. Mild ends to the year keep the season long. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Plan any trip to Grant Lake around it. Spring fish sit shallower than most people expect.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Jarvis Lake is 3.9 km distant. Confirm before you fish Grant Lake.