Old Man Lake Fishing near Fort St. James, British Columbia

• Overview

  Old Man Lake lies within the bounds of Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, British Columbia. Country round the bank runs to rolling bush. Roughly 24 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The full circuit measures close to 3.0 km on foot. Fort St. James sits 52 km from the bank. For a city, Kamloops is 501 km off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Old Man Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Regional District of Fraser-Fort George: Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon and mountain whitefish. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. On Old Man Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 14°C at the top of summer and -12°C at the bottom of winter. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. The water is typically free of ice between late April and mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Old Man Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. A camping area sits within 240 m of here. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Clarkston Lake at 2.2 km is the sensible second choice. Treat access at Old Man Lake as something to verify.