Lois Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  British Columbia holds Lois Lake, in Regional District of Alberni-Clayoquot. Farm and woodlot runs right down to the water. The water covers some 11 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The bank runs about 1.5 km all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. For supplies, Cumberland is 23 km out. Vancouver sits 147 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lois Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Reported across Regional District of Alberni-Clayoquot: Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon and Chum salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. The shape of Lois Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 1°C to 16°C. Most months fish reasonably, given the right weather. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. That is the shape of the year on Lois Lake. Early and late in the day beat the middle for most of the year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is McLaughlin Lake, 1.2 km out. Confirm before you fish Lois Lake.