Valerie Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia, this is Valerie Lake. It sits in mixed forest. At about 29 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Bank access stretches around 2.2 km in total. Williams Lake lies 44 km from the water. Quesnel is 52 km away, with Hanceville at 83 km. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Valerie Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Survey and observation records for Cariboo Regional District include sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon and bull trout. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Read Valerie Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 15°C, the coldest about -8°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Break-up comes around early April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Open water usually runs from early April until about late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. On Valerie Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Souran Lake is 1.6 km distant. Confirm before you fish Valerie Lake.