Williamson Lake Fishing near Anahim Lake, British Columbia

• Overview

  Set in Cariboo Regional District, Williamson Lake is a British Columbia water. The water sits 1,083 metres up. About 1.43 sq km, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. With 8.8 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Supplies mean a trip to Anahim Lake, 70 km off. Kamloops sits 431 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Williamson Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Species logged across Cariboo Regional District include sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon and bull trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Take Williamson Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 12°C and January near -10°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. Climate figures give an open season running late April to mid November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. The season on Williamson Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Laidman Lake is 5.7 km off. For Williamson Lake in particular, ask before you travel.