Sheard Lake in Stikine Region: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Stikine Region, British Columbia, this is Sheard Lake. Elevation runs to 774 metres. Roughly 34 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. About 2.8 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. On size it sits at the modest end of our Stikine Region list. The closest town, Skagway, is 115 km away. Further out sit Haines (120 km) and Juneau (121 km). No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Sheard Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. County-wide records name Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon and Coho salmon. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Sheard Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 12°C, the coldest about -13°C. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Once it clears, about early May, the fishing comes on quickly. Averages suggest open water from about early May through to roughly early November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Plan any trip to Sheard Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Sort the permit out before you load the car. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Should this one be busy, Pike Lake is 3.8 km off. For Sheard Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.