Thompson Lake near Campbell River: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Thompson Lake is a Strathcona Regional District water, British Columbia side. Salt water lies 0.8 km off. With some 18 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Shoreline comes to about 2.6 km, small enough to learn in a day. It is low-lying compared with other British Columbia water we list. Supplies mean a trip to Campbell River, 31 km off. It is 160 km to Vancouver, the nearest city. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Thompson Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Strathcona Regional District, recorded fish include sockeye salmon, Chum salmon and pink salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Read Thompson Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 17°C; the cold one sits at 3°C. The season runs year-round, with the peak either side of summer. October and November give a second good stretch as it cools. Late winter often fishes better here than midsummer does. The season on Thompson Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. 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. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Black Lake at 4.5 km is the sensible second choice. None of that is settled for Thompson Lake in what we hold.