Fishing at Sandpile Lakes, Stikine Region, British Columbia

• Overview

  Out in Stikine Region, British Columbia, sits Sandpile Lakes. The water sits 990 metres up. The water covers around 1.13 sq km, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. Around 6.3 km of bank, which is a long day on foot. The closest town, Watson Lake, is 119 km distant. For a city, Kamloops is 1056 km off. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Sandpile Lakes

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Fish documented in Stikine Region include Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, mountain whitefish and Arctic grayling. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Sandpile Lakes repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 11°C and January near -18°C. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid May. Break-up near mid May, freeze-up near late October: that is the shape of an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. The season on Sandpile Lakes rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Burnt Rose Lake sits 12 km off and takes the overflow. What applies at Sandpile Lakes may have changed since it was mapped.