Thorne Lake in Stikine Region: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Out in Stikine Region, British Columbia, sits Thorne Lake. Beyond the shoreline you have northern bush. At 1.32 sq km this is proper open water rather than a pond. The shoreline runs about 7.7 km, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Supplies mean a trip to Smithers, 231 km off. The big place round here is Kamloops, 804 km distant. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Thorne Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Stikine Region, recorded fish include Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, Coho salmon, mountain whitefish and Arctic grayling. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Thorne Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -15°C in January up to 11°C in July. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid May. Averages place the thaw at mid May and the freeze at late October. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Thorne Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. McConnell Lakes sits 13 km off and takes the overflow. Check the current arrangement for Thorne Lake.