BC Bass Fishing Lakes
Theres basically tons of really good bass fishing lakes in BC. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass are an invasive species in British Columbia. That point aside bass fishing is one of the most thrilling aspects of angling. If you are in British Columbia or looking to go bass fishing while visiting you may want to consider the lakes below.Here I’ve listed a number of them starting from the east and working west through the south end of the province.
Duck Lake
Duck lake is located in the Kootenays near Creston, BC just below Kootenay Lake. It has a good reputation as a great largemouth bass venue. There is a permit required to fish here available from Creston Valley Wildlife Management. This is in addition to the provincial license you can find more info here . This page also has a link to a bathymetric map of duck lake. Access can be rough muddy roads in the spring, if its dry there are just large ruts.
Your best option here is boat fishing. There are no motorized boats allowed here. There is a boat launch on the west side of the lake. A better idea is to bring an easy to hand launch boat. When I went we just parked on the causeway and hand launched our 14 foot aluminum row boat. Passing is pretty tight along this road but, there are a few spots where you can park.
Duck Lake Shore Fishing for Bass
Shore fishing is possible but be aware this is a shallow weedy lake so you may have to search for a while. The best option I saw was off the causeway the water drops off to 5 or so feet pretty fast. There were several people spin casting for bass and perch right from shore when I went. The weeds here in July are insane so bring those weedless bass rigs. Waders are also a good option if the lake bed isn’t too muddy.
Christina Lake
This is another great bass fishing lake. Located about 150 km from Osoyoos the town of Christina Lake is at the south end of the lake. This lake is home to both largemouth and smallmouth bass. There are however a fair amount of sunfish so bear this in mind if using smaller presentations. They will rob you and/or annoy the heck out of you.
The south end of the lake is very good for targeting bass. Although the north end has less people so it’s a trade off.
Christina lake marina has a boat launch as does Gladstone provincial park. The launch in the park also has docks you can fish off of. Additionally you can use the launch at schulli resort for a fee. There are also multiple beaches for lots of shore fishing opportunities here.
Osoyoos Lake
Another very warm lake, like many other Okanagan lakes it is perfect bass habitat. Osoyoos lake straddles the US Canada border, between BC and the state of Washington.
Smallmouth bass here run in the 3 to 6 lb range. There are decent sized Largemouth bass also.
Where to Shore Fish in Osoyoos Lake
For shore fishing on Osoyoos lake here are a few easy options the Highway 3 bridge is quite popular for access. There is also good fishing off of Haynes Point (Swiws) provincial park .The provincial park also has 41 campsites available. You can roll out of bed and go fishing. If you fly fish for bass the Provincial Park is probably a good bet also. Although there are a fair number of trees there are enough open spots and shallows we can cast a fly without getting tangled. If you have a boat fly fishing with woolly buggers off the south arm of the provincial park can be great.
Osoyoos lake has a maximum depth of 63 meters (around 200 feet). With over 50 Kilometers of Shoreline. Is approximately 10 km long and a couple of kilometers wide in the widest point.
If you’re heading from the big city Osoyoos is approximately 400 km from Vancouver BC .
Vaseux Lake
Vaseux lake is located approximately 15 minutes south of Lake Okanagan Along Highway 97. There is a channel that goes through Skaha Lake from Lake Okanagan down to Vaseux Lake.
This is a very small Lake being only approximately 3 km long and not even a kilometer wide.
This Lake offers very good largemouth bass fishing up to 10 lb and plenty of smallmouth bass around the 3 lb mark. the west side of the lake offers less pressured fishing as you have to row all the way over there. this lake has no motorized boats allowed on it this includes electric motors.
for Access there is a small Provincial Park on the east side of the lake. this Provincial Park also has a campground with 12 camping spots. as of 2019 these were very inexpensive at $18 per night. There is additional parking just north of the Provincial park at the bird sanctuary.
Skaha Lake
Just above Vaseux lake is Skaha Lake the last Okanagan Lake i’m going to talk about. Again this is fed by a channel from Okanagan Lake. This is another great spot for smallmouth bass. It is a lot busier than Vaseux lake .In the summer time you’ll want to steer clear of the North End of the lake if you want to get any fishing done.
Luckily for us Anglers the better fishing for smallmouth bass is at the South End of the lake. Eastern Shore also has very good bass habitat. Spinnerbaits or Surface poppers are a good choice of liquor here. plus of course the old standby soft baits.
Skaha lake is another fairly deep lake with a Maximum Depth of 55 m (180 feet).It is over 11 Kilometers long and 2 kilometers wide. There are plenty of shallows around the south end of the lake. So this is your best spot to Target for bass fishing.
Skaha Lake Boat Launches
On the North End you have Scott Hobb marina and Okanagan marina as places to launch boats. he’s May apply and these spots can be quite crowded and the summer
Pioneer Park boat launch on the west side not too far off the 97 Highway Unlike the North End of the lake there is plenty of parking here
Bass Fishing BC Lower Mainland
There are tons of options for bass fishing in the lower mainland below are three lakes you can start with.
Mill Lake Abbotsford
Largemouth bass can be up to 7 lbs. Urban setting right in the middle of Abbotsford.
There is a boat launch and dock on the north shore. This is a good lake for foot access due to a path that goes all the way around. So you have plenty of options for shore fishing here.
Pitt-Addington Marsh
Largemouth bass are present in Pitt-Addington Marsh. There is no boat launch, so hand launch only. This marsh may require a fair bit of walking to get to a decent spot for either shore fishing or dropping your boat in the water.
Deer Lake Burnaby
Deer lake is home to Largemouth bass. There is a boat launch on the eastern shore. Although boats are allowed there are no powered boats permitted.(paddle, kayak, canoe only). There is fairly limited shore fishing due to weeds but, a fishing dock is available on the eastern shore.
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