Fishing McDonald Lake in Stikine Region, British Columbia

• Overview

  McDonald Lake is one of the Stikine Region listings for British Columbia. Land around it is taiga. At some 1.22 sq km it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. With 6.4 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Skagway is the closest place, 102 km off. Haines lies 118 km off, Whitehorse another 138 km. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on McDonald Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Stikine Region cover Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, Coho salmon and mountain whitefish. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. On McDonald Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -16°C in January up to 11°C in July. This is a two-season water: locked, then wide open. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from mid May. Ice usually gives way near mid May, and forms again about late October. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. On McDonald Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is camping recorded roughly 760 m off. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Lower McDonald Lake at 2.1 km is the nearest alternative. For McDonald Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.