McDonell Lake near Smithers: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  You will find McDonell Lake in Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, British Columbia. This is lake country bush country. At 2.23 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. The outline measures near 11 km, so local knowledge counts. Head to Smithers, 27 km away, for anything you forgot. Kamloops sits 670 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on McDonell Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, Chinook salmon and pink salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. At McDonell Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 12°C, the coldest about -8°C. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. From about late April to around mid November, expect open water on the long-run figures. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. It holds true on McDonell Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Failing this one, try Sandstone Lake, 6.2 km away. Treat McDonell Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.