Ripley Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, Ripley Lake is a British Columbia water. It sits at 922 metres above sea level. It covers about 7 hectares, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Nearest town is Oliver, 8.8 km off. The big place round here is Kelowna, 72 km distant. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Ripley Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Reported across Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen: sockeye salmon, rainbow trout, Coho salmon and common carp. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. The shape of Ripley Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical August readings run about 18°C; by January the average is down near -5°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Ice-out usually falls in late March, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late March until roughly late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. The season on Ripley Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. A jetty or pier is mapped about 240 m from here. Overnight stays are possible about 280 m out, where camping is mapped. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Madden Lake sits 1.4 km off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish Ripley Lake.