Motase Lake in Stikine Region: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within Stikine Region, British Columbia, you have Motase Lake. Height above sea level is 983 metres. Surface area runs to roughly 4.05 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. With 18 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. It ranks high for size among our Stikine Region listings. Smithers sits 140 km from here and is the nearest stop. Telkwa follows at 149 km, then Houston at 183 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Motase Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Stikine Region records list Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, mountain whitefish and Arctic grayling among the fish reported. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Read Motase Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 12°C and January at -13°C. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early May. On average, early May opens the water and early November closes it again. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Plan any trip to Motase Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. 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. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Onerka Lake is 7.3 km distant. Nothing on Motase Lake should be assumed from this page alone.