Lees Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  You will find Lees Lake in Regional District of North Okanagan, British Columbia. Country round the bank runs to mixed forest. At about 13 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. A shoreline of some 1.5 km keeps the choices simple. It sits higher than most water we list in British Columbia. Lumby sits 24 km from the bank. Then Coldstream, 28 km, and Ellison, 33 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Lees Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Regional District of North Okanagan records list Coho salmon, sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon, rainbow trout and brook trout among the fish reported. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. At Lees Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 12°C, the coldest about -8°C. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Break-up comes around early May, and the run that follows is short and strong. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about early November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. That is the shape of the year on Lees Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Thelma Lake sits 6.9 km off and takes the overflow. Rules at Lees Lake are worth checking on the day.