Hidden Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Hidden Lake falls in Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, part of British Columbia. The ground around here is pine and birch. With some 21 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. With about 2.1 km of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Prince George lies 36 km from the water. Vanderhoof is 54 km away, with Fort St. James at 80 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Hidden Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. 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. County-wide records name Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon and mountain whitefish. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Hidden Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 15°C, the coldest about -10°C. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It holds true on Hidden Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Fire Lake, 1.6 km out. For Hidden Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.