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

• Overview

  The Thompson-Nicola Regional District end of British Columbia holds Pothook Lake. The bank is 742 metres above sea level. Surface area runs to about 3 hectares — small enough to read in one session. Most waters listed here for Thompson-Nicola Regional District are larger. Nearest town is Dufferin, 8.1 km off. It is 13 km to Kamloops, the nearest city. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Pothook Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Thompson-Nicola Regional District cover Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, Coho salmon and rainbow trout. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. The near bank of Pothook Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -7°C in January and 17°C in July. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late March. Break-up sits around late March on average, with the water closing again about late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Pothook Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Ironmask Lake is 3.3 km off. Nothing here settles the position at Pothook Lake for certain.