MacDonald Lake Fishing near Burns Lake, British Columbia

• Overview

  MacDonald Lake stands in Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, British Columbia. It lies 881 metres above sea level. About 1.9 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Our Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako list holds plenty of bigger water. The town to know is Burns Lake, 52 km out. Vanderhoof follows at 67 km, then Fort St. James at 69 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on MacDonald Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako records list sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, Chinook salmon, pink salmon and Chum salmon among the fish reported. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Read MacDonald Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 14°C for July and -11°C for January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly mid November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. MacDonald Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• 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. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Casey Lake is 1.9 km distant. Nothing here settles the position at MacDonald Lake for certain.