Fishing at Leeches Lake, Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia

• Overview

  Set in Cariboo Regional District, Leeches Lake is a British Columbia water. The surface lies 895 metres up. At 3 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Our Cariboo Regional District list holds plenty of bigger water. Some 16 km away sits Williams Lake, the nearest settlement. Kamloops sits 206 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Leeches Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Cariboo Regional District, recorded fish include sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon and bull trout. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On Leeches Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -8°C in January and 17°C in July. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Winter locks it down, and early April brings it back. On average, early April opens the water and late November closes it again. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Time your trip to Leeches Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Failing this one, try Till Lake, 3.2 km away. None of that is settled for Leeches Lake in what we hold.