Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake)

MU 1-4, Vancouver Island
48.8747° N, 124.2597° W

WaterTraced road inRoadRough surface roadRec siteShoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, roads from the BC Digital Road Atlas, under the Open Government Licence, British Columbia. Rec site position from BC Recreation Sites and Trails, checked 11 September 2026. The lake's depth is not drawn on this map.

Surface area: 54ha
Elevation: 163m
Campsites: 60; At Pine Point Site rec site

Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake) sits in the Vancouver Island region, a medium lake (50 - 500 ha) with access typical of the region. Use the map view for exact coordinates and turn-by-turn directions.

Open Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake) in the appThe 7-day forecast, max depth and wildfire smoke check, on the lake's own coordinate.

Trophy fish at Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake)

Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake) is known for trophy Rainbow trout to 8 lb.

Cutthroat trout to 6 lb
Rainbow trout to 8 lb
Dolly Varden to 6 lb

Trophy sizes this lake is known for, not a typical catch. They are historical records from our own big fish list, with no date on file, not recent catches.

Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake) at a glance

Region: Vancouver Island
Management unit: MU 1-4
Species: Coastal Cutthroat Trout (last recorded 1992), Rainbow Trout (last recorded 1993), Dolly Varden (last recorded 1995), Kokanee, Smallmouth Bass (last recorded 1995), Brown Trout (last recorded 1993), Bull Trout (last recorded 1992), Anadromous Bull Trout (last recorded 1950), Cutthroat/Rainbow cross (last recorded 1932), Brook Trout (last recorded 1921), Coho Salmon, Steelhead (last recorded 1993), Chinook Salmon (last recorded 1993), Atlantic Salmon (last recorded 1934), Threespine Stickleback, Lake Lamprey, Western Brook Lamprey (last recorded 1995), Lamprey (General) (last recorded 1995), Brown Catfish (formerly Brown Bullhead) (last recorded 1993), Pacific Lamprey (last recorded 1993), Prickly Sculpin (last recorded 1993), Western Pearlshell Mussel (last recorded 1960)The newest of these fish records is from 2021.Species from the province's fish observation records.
Lake size: Medium Lake (50 - 500 ha)
Ice fishing: Open to ice fishing, confirmed
Coordinates: 48.8747, -124.2597

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Fish on record at Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake)

Species in the Province's fish observation records
Species	First recorded	Last recorded	Records
Rainbow Trout	1919	1993	20
Dolly Varden	1950	1995	2
Kokanee			1
Smallmouth Bass	1995	1995	1
Brown Trout	1935	1993	2
Bull Trout	1992	1992	1
Anadromous Bull Trout	1950	1950	1
Cutthroat/Rainbow cross	1930	1932	2
Brook Trout	1908	1921	2
Coho Salmon	2001	2001	1
Steelhead	1927	1993	11
Chinook Salmon	1993	1993	1
Atlantic Salmon	1912	1934	16
Threespine Stickleback	1953	2021	4
Lake Lamprey	1998	2019	3
Western Brook Lamprey	1953	1995	2
Lamprey (General)	1995	1995	1
Brown Catfish (formerly Brown Bullhead)	1953	1993	2
Pacific Lamprey	1953	1993	2
Prickly Sculpin	1953	1993	2
Western Pearlshell Mussel	1960	1960	1

A year is when the Province last recorded the fish here, not a statement that it is caught today.

How to fish Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake)

Best times of year at Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake)

May - June
September - October

Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake) fishing regulations

Cutthroat trout daily quota = 2 (none over 50 cm); bait ban and single barbless hook, Nov 15-Apr 15; Speed restriction on parts (8 km/h), plus overall 10 km/h speed restriction within 60 m of shore. Source: Province of British Columbia

Getting to Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake)

3.4 km of traced road to the campground by way of Youbou Rd. The road at the end is a loose surface. It stops 90 m short of the campground.

The route traced over the BC Digital Road Atlas. A trace is a line on a map, not a report on the road: check conditions before you drive it.

Coordinates: 48.8747, -124.2597

Camping and rec sites at Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake)

Pine Point Site
Campsites
60 designated
To the shore
107 m

Access: From Duncan, head north on the Island Highway and turn west onto the Cowichan Valley Highway. After approx. 26 km, continue onto Youbou Road. Travel approx. 18 km on Youbou Road, through Youbou and on to the gravel. Pine Point Recreation Site is on the lake side of the road.
Coordinates: 48.88799, -124.261227
The site on Recreation Sites and Trails BC

The ice year at Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake), modelled

Modelled from air temperature, not an ice report. It says nothing about whether ice will hold you.

In the model Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake) froze in 45 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 15 December and 11 January, and ice-off between 4 January and 7 February. The median winter freezes on 27 December and opens on 18 January.

the middle half of modelled winters the median ice cover in the median winter

Winter 2024-25 in the model: frozen from 2 February 2025 to 20 February 2025, 18 days.

Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake) is open to ice fishing under the regulations on file.

Whether a lake is open to ice fishing says nothing about whether its ice will hold you. Ice conditions vary year to year and across a single lake. Check locally before going out, every time.

Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake) climate, 1960 to 2025

Averaged over a year, the air above Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake) is 0.5 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.

+0.5 Csince the 1960s
6.1 Caverage year now
5.6 Caverage year then
-11 daysbelow freezing, change

Average year at Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake)degrees C, yearly mean

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

Days below freezingdays a year averaging under 0 C

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

This week at Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake)

The forecast on this lake's own coordinate, refreshed through the day. The app reads these seven days for fishing and scores each one.

Day	Sky	High / low	Wind	Rain	Pressure
Tue 20 Oct	Mainly clear	18° / 7°	10 km/h, gusts 17	dry	Steady
Wed 21 Oct	Overcast	18° / 11°	10 km/h	dry	Falling (-4.9 hPa)
Thu 22 Oct	Overcast	16° / 7°	7 km/h	dry	Steady
Fri 23 Oct	Overcast	15° / 4°	6 km/h	dry	Rising (+10.2 hPa)
Sat 24 Oct	Overcast	15° / 5°	7 km/h	dry	Rising (+2.4 hPa)
Sun 25 Oct	Overcast	18° / 7°	7 km/h	dry	Falling (-1.4 hPa)
Mon 26 Oct	Overcast	18° / 8°	6 km/h	dry	Steady

Open Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake) in the app

Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake), in brief

What fish are in Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake)?

Coastal Cutthroat Trout (last recorded 1992), Rainbow Trout (last recorded 1993), Dolly Varden (last recorded 1995), Kokanee, Smallmouth Bass (last recorded 1995), Brown Trout (last recorded 1993), Bull Trout (last recorded 1992), Anadromous Bull Trout (last recorded 1950), Cutthroat/Rainbow cross (last recorded 1932), Brook Trout (last recorded 1921), Coho Salmon, Steelhead (last recorded 1993), Chinook Salmon (last recorded 1993), Atlantic Salmon (last recorded 1934). Species from the province's fish observation records.

Which management unit is Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake) in?

Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake) is in MU 1-4, on Vancouver Island. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.

Trout lakes near Cowichan Lake (Including Bear Lake)

Cowichan Lake under 1 km away
Bear Lake 12 km away
Dimple Lake 23 km away
Mayo Lake 24 km away
Nanaimo Lakes 25 km away

All 193 lakes on Vancouver Island, with today's conditions on each.