Thirteen Mile Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  British Columbia holds Thirteen Mile Lake, in Cariboo Regional District. It stands 890 metres above sea level. About 5 hectares of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Cariboo Regional District. For a base, Quesnel sits 13 km out. The nearest city of size is Kamloops, 296 km away. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Thirteen Mile Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Cariboo Regional District records list sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon, bull trout, Coho salmon and longnose sucker among the fish reported. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Work Thirteen Mile Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about -9°C and July at about 15°C, the water has a wide range to work through. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Ice-out usually falls in early April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up sits around early April on average, with the water closing again about late November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. At Thirteen Mile Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. 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. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Black Lake sits 2.6 km off and takes the overflow. Treat Thirteen Mile Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.