Fishing at Pye Lake, Strathcona Regional District, British Columbia

• Overview

  British Columbia holds Pye Lake, in Strathcona Regional District. Land around it is mixed woodland. The water covers around 3.75 sq km, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. You are looking at roughly 13 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. On our Strathcona Regional District list it sits near the top for size. Nearest town is Campbell River, 39 km off. Then Oyster River, 57 km, and Gold River, 65 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Pye Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Strathcona Regional District, recorded fish include sockeye salmon, Chum salmon, pink salmon and Coho salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Pye Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 16°C; the cold one sits at 2°C. The freeze here is occasional rather than annual. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. November and March are the quiet, comfortable months to be out. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Pye Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. A campsite is mapped about 1 km away, which makes an early start easier. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Mackie Lake is 3.6 km distant. None of that is settled for Pye Lake in what we hold.