Stony Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Stony Lake lies within the bounds of Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia. The surface lies 924 metres up. At 8.78 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. Some 22 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Size puts it in the front rank of our Cariboo Regional District list. Supplies mean a trip to Quesnel, 64 km off. Kamloops is the closest city, 324 km away. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Stony Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Public occurrence data for Cariboo Regional District names sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon, bull trout, Coho salmon and longnose sucker. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. The near bank of Stony Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 13°C in July and bottoms out near -9°C in January. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Plan around that when you fish Stony Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is a campsite 1 km from the water. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Rond Lake is 4.7 km off. Check the position at Stony Lake before loading the car.