Tizgay Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, British Columbia, this is Tizgay Lake. The bank gives way to pine and birch. At about 59 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Some 5.4 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. 79 km away sits Fort St. James, the nearest town. Further out sit Mackenzie (80 km) and Vanderhoof (129 km). No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Tizgay Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, recorded fish include sockeye salmon, Coho salmon and Chinook salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Take Tizgay Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 14°C and January at -12°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Ice clears near late April and comes back about early November in a typical year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. At Tizgay Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. A platform or pier sits within 800 m. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Should this one be busy, Webberly Lake is 3.5 km off. Where Tizgay Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.