Totem Pole Lake near Burns Lake: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Totem Pole Lake sits within Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako in British Columbia. Land around it is lake country bush. With some 26 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge runs 2.3 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Burns Lake lies 32 km from the water. The nearest city of size is Kamloops, 530 km away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Totem Pole Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. County-wide records name sockeye salmon, Coho salmon and Chinook salmon. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. On Totem Pole Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 14°C; the cold one sits at -10°C. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. Open water usually runs from mid April until about mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. On Totem Pole Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Jack Weekes Lake, 1.8 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Ask locally about Totem Pole Lake if anything is unclear.