Hahas Lake near Kimberley: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Hahas Lake is one of the Regional District of East Kootenay listings for British Columbia. Beyond the shoreline you have mixed forest. At about 55 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The edge covers about 6.1 km, enough to hold several distinct areas. Few waters listed in Regional District of East Kootenay are bigger. Some 14 km away sits Kimberley, the nearest settlement. Beyond it, Cranbrook at 28 km and Fernie at 61 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Hahas Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Regional District of East Kootenay, recorded fish include rainbow trout, mountain whitefish, sockeye salmon and bull trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Hahas Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 18°C; the cold one sits at -8°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Look for the thaw near late March; the fishing lifts straight after. From about late March to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Anyone fishing Hahas Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A campsite is mapped about 300 m away, which makes an early start easier. Hahas Lake Recreation Site takes in this water; protected-area rules will apply. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Wasa Lake, 7.3 km out. For Hahas Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.