Ross Lake in Cariboo Regional District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Ross Lake is listed under Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia. The bank gives way to mixed forest. It runs to roughly 14 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. About 1.8 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Cariboo Regional District. Start from Quesnel, 46 km down the road. Then Prince George, 82 km, and Williams Lake, 129 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Ross Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Cariboo Regional District cover sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon and bull trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Read Ross Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -9°C to 14°C. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. The season between ice runs from about mid April to mid November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. It holds true on Ross Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Failing this one, try Ahbau Lake, 4.6 km away. For Ross Lake in particular, ask before you travel.