Pennie Lake in Thompson-Nicola Regional District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Pennie Lake lies in Thompson-Nicola Regional District, in British Columbia. The water sits 921 metres up. It runs to roughly 27 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The whole outline is near 3.4 km, and most of it is walkable. Head to Ashcroft, 15 km away, for anything you forgot. The nearest city of size is Kamloops, 53 km away. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Pennie Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Thompson-Nicola Regional District records list Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon and Coho salmon among the fish reported. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Take Pennie Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 16°C in August and bottoms out near -7°C in January. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The lid usually goes in early April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Expect the water usable from around early April until roughly late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Plan around that when you fish Pennie Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. 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. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Nesbitt Lake, 3.3 km out. Check the position at Pennie Lake before loading the car.