Ross Lake Fishing in Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine, British Columbia

• Overview

  Look for Ross Lake in Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine, British Columbia. Height above sea level is 404 metres. It runs to roughly 33 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Roughly 3.0 km of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. The nearest place of any size is Smithers, 58 km away. The nearest city of size is Kamloops, 702 km away. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Ross Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine cover pink salmon, Chum salmon, Coho salmon, sockeye salmon and Chinook salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. The near bank of Ross Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 14°C and January near -8°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. On Ross Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Ross Lake Provincial Park covers ground next to the water; its rules will apply on that side. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Rossvale Lake at 2.7 km is the sensible second choice. Where Ross Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.