Strong Lake Fishing near Port Hardy, British Columbia

• Overview

  Look for Strong Lake in Regional District of Mount Waddington, British Columbia. Salt water lies 6.5 km off. It runs to roughly 18 hectares — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Shoreline comes to about 1.9 km, small enough to learn in a day. It lies lower than most water we list in British Columbia. The nearest town is Port Hardy, 32 km away. After that come Port McNeill at 47 km and Bella Bella at 142 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Strong Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Regional District of Mount Waddington records list Coho salmon, rainbow trout and Chinook salmon among the fish reported. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Strong Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give August about 15°C and January about 2°C. Neither winter nor summer shuts things down for long. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. On Strong Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Bowman Lake at 2.9 km is the sensible second choice. For Strong Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.