McPhee Lake near Puntledge: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Look for McPhee Lake in the Comox Valley Regional District part of British Columbia. Around the bank it is rolling hill. This is a pocket water of some 2 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Comox Valley Regional District. Start from Puntledge, 25 km down the road. After that come Oyster River at 25 km and Cumberland at 26 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on McPhee Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Across Comox Valley Regional District, recorded fish include Coho salmon, sockeye salmon and rainbow trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. McPhee Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  August runs about 12°C on average, December about -2°C. Neither winter nor summer shuts things down for long. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. That shapes the year on McPhee Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Overnight stays are possible 400 m away. There are picnic tables 340 m away. Mapping records toilets within 240 m. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Circlet Lake sits 0.7 km off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish McPhee Lake.