Paddle Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Out in Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, British Columbia, sits Paddle Lake. Height above sea level is 1,133 metres. At about 86 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The nearest place of any size is Vanderhoof, 43 km away. Kamloops is the closest city, 440 km away. Alternatives close at hand: Home Lake at 2.3 km, Crystal Lake some 6.7 km off, Boomerang Lake at 7.1 km, Johnson Lake some 8.3 km off and Harlow Lake at 10 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Paddle Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako cover sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, Chinook salmon, pink salmon and Chum salmon. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Paddle Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 12°C, the coldest about -11°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Paddle Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Home Lake, 2.3 km away, makes the obvious fallback. The position on Paddle Lake is worth confirming on the day.