Fishing Shelton Lake in Regional District of Nanaimo, British Columbia

• Overview

  In British Columbia, Shelton Lake falls inside Regional District of Nanaimo. The country here is farm and woodlot. It runs to roughly 38 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Around 3.2 km of margin, front to back. Size puts it in the front rank of our Regional District of Nanaimo list. 19 km away sits Nanoose Bay, the nearest town. Coombs is 21 km and Parksville 22 km. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Shelton Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Regional District of Nanaimo list rainbow trout, Coho salmon, Chum salmon and Chinook salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Shelton Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give August about 15°C and December about 1°C. The swings are modest, so patterns change slowly. Hard water here is never dependable, so check for yourself before stepping out. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Plan any trip to Shelton Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Healy Lake at 1.9 km is the sensible second choice. Check the current arrangement for Shelton Lake.