Murtle Lake Fishing in Thompson-Nicola Regional District, British Columbia

• Overview

  Set in Thompson-Nicola Regional District, British Columbia, this is Murtle Lake. It lies 1,065 metres above sea level. Around 76.36 sq km of open water: conditions change from one end to the other. Bays run back a long way, and the fish move between them with the season. Clearwater at 62 km is the nearest place to stop. The big place round here is Kamloops, 170 km distant. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Murtle Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Thompson-Nicola Regional District include Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, rainbow trout and pink salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Murtle Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put August at about 14°C and January near -9°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late April until roughly late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. That shapes the year on Murtle Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is a campsite 1.3 km from the water. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Strait Lake at 6.3 km is the nearest alternative. What applies at Murtle Lake may have changed since it was mapped.