Palmer Lake Fishing Guide, Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia

• Overview

  Palmer Lake is one of the Cariboo Regional District waters in British Columbia. The country round it is pine and birch from end to end. About 2.00 sq km, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. The edge covers about 9.8 km, enough to hold several distinct areas. It ranks high for size among our Cariboo Regional District listings. 50 km away sits Hanceville, the nearest town. Williams Lake is 79 km and Quesnel 86 km. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Palmer Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Open biodiversity records for Cariboo Regional District list sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon and bull trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Palmer Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 13°C at the top of summer and -11°C at the bottom of winter. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about mid November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Plan any trip to Palmer Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Mackill Lake is 4.4 km off. Treat Palmer Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.