Sweeney Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In British Columbia, Sweeney Lake falls inside Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine. Everything around it is pine and birch. About 2.81 sq km, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. The outline measures near 9.5 km, so local knowledge counts. Houston is the closest town at 84 km. Further out sit Kitimat (102 km) and Telkwa (110 km). No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Sweeney Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Survey and observation records for Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine include pink salmon, Chum salmon, Coho salmon and sockeye salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Sweeney Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 12°C at the top of summer and -8°C at the bottom of winter. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. Open water usually runs from late April until about mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. The season on Sweeney Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. A campsite is mapped about 600 m away, which makes an early start easier. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Twinkle Lake is 15 km off. Signs at Sweeney Lake carry more weight than any list.