Wapoose Lake Fishing near Chetwynd, British Columbia

• Overview

  Wapoose Lake is one of the Peace River Regional District listings for British Columbia. The surface lies 716 metres up. At 10 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. There is roughly 2.1 km of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. It is a small entry by Peace River Regional District standards. Start from Chetwynd, 60 km down the road. For a city, Edmonton is 620 km off. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Wapoose Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Peace River Regional District cover mountain whitefish, longnose sucker and largescale sucker. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Wapoose Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 15°C, while January sits near -13°C. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. On Wapoose Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Chunamun Lake, 10 km out. Rules at Wapoose Lake are worth checking on the day.