Mehan Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Mehan Lake lies within the bounds of Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine, British Columbia. The setting is lake country bush on every side. Roughly 46 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Shoreline comes to about 3.4 km, small enough to learn in a day. Nearest town is Wrangell, 162 km off. Kamloops sits 916 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 Mehan Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Public occurrence data for Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine names pink salmon, Chum salmon and Coho salmon. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. On Mehan Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -9°C in January and 13°C in July. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. It holds true on Mehan Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Public toilets are recorded roughly 530 m off. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. For a change of water, Shirlaw Lake is 1.3 km distant. Treat Mehan Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.