Lightning Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, Lightning Lake is a British Columbia water. The bank is 1,250 metres above sea level. Some 8.3 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. It ranks high for size among our Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen listings. Some 51 km away sits Princeton, the nearest settlement. The nearest city of size is Chilliwack, 82 km away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lightning Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen cover sockeye salmon, rainbow trout and Coho salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Read Lightning Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 13°C; the cold one sits at -7°C. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. It holds true on Lightning Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Recorded parking is 1.1 km off, far enough to travel light. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Look for a notice board at the entrance. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Flash Lake, 1.8 km out. Nothing on Lightning Lake should be assumed from this page alone.