Onerka Lake Fishing Guide, Stikine Region, British Columbia

• Overview

  Onerka Lake lies in Stikine Region, in British Columbia. It sits in pine and birch. Around 39 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. The shoreline runs about 6.1 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Smithers at 133 km is the nearest place to stop. Telkwa is 142 km and Houston 176 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Onerka Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Stikine Region records list Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, mountain whitefish and Arctic grayling among the fish reported. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Treat Onerka Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -13°C in January and 11°C in July. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Count the season from break-up, usually early May. Break-up sits around early May on average, with the water closing again about early November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. The season on Onerka Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Failing this one, try Motase Lake, 7.3 km away. For Onerka Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.