Patterson Lake Fishing Guide, Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia

• Overview

  This water sits in Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia. The bank gives way to rolling bush. Surface area runs to roughly 2.23 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. There is roughly 13 km of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Size puts it in the front rank of our Cariboo Regional District list. Anahim Lake is the closest place, 80 km off. It is 311 km to Vancouver, the nearest city. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Patterson Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Cariboo Regional District: sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon, bull trout and Coho salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Patterson Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 14°C; by January the average is down near -9°C. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. From about mid April to around mid November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Anyone fishing Patterson Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Suds Lake sits 3.4 km off and takes the overflow. What applies at Patterson Lake may have changed since it was mapped.