Fishing at Stuyvesant Lake, Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia

• Overview

  Out in Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia, sits Stuyvesant Lake. The country round it is pine and birch from end to end. Surface area runs to roughly 1.40 sq km, so plan for one area rather than the whole. There is roughly 7.9 km of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Start from Anahim Lake, 55 km down the road. After that come Bella Coola at 130 km and Vanderhoof at 138 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Stuyvesant Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Cariboo Regional District include sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon, bull trout, Coho salmon and longnose sucker. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Read Stuyvesant Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 12°C, while January sits near -11°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. It holds true on Stuyvesant Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Cluchuta Lake is 2.9 km off. Confirm access to Stuyvesant Lake locally before you travel.