McDonell Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  McDonell Lake is one of the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako waters in British Columbia. Country round the bank runs to pine and birch. At about 22 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. There is roughly 3.6 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Start from Burns Lake, 62 km down the road. The big place round here is Kamloops, 494 km distant. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on McDonell Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Species logged across Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako include sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, Chinook salmon and pink salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On McDonell Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 14°C in July and bottom out at -10°C in January. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. The season between ice runs from about mid April to mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. It sets the rhythm of the year at McDonell Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. If the gate is shut, Enz Lake at 2.4 km is the nearest alternative. Check the position on McDonell Lake before loading the car.