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Downton Lake (Reservoir)

MU 3-33, Thompson-Nicola
50.8444° N, 123.0083° W

Map of Downton Lake (Reservoir): the shoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, the roads round it from the BC Digital Road Atlas and the traced road in.123°20′W123°15′W123°10′W123°05′W123°00′W122°55′W122°50′W50°44′N50°46′N50°48′N50°50′N50°52′N50°54′N50°56′NDownton Lake (Reservoir)05 kmNMap of Downton Lake (Reservoir): the shoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, the roads round it from the BC Digital Road Atlas and the traced road in.123°10′W123°00′W122°50′W50°40′N50°45′N50°50′N50°55′N010 kmN
WaterTraced road inRoadRough surface roadShoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, roads from the BC Digital Road Atlas, under the Open Government Licence, British Columbia. The lake's depth is not drawn on this map.
Surface area
2242.3ha
Elevation
733m

Tucked into the Thompson-Nicola region at 733 m elevation, this is a large water (> 500 ha) reachable via the region's usual road and trail network. Tap through to the map for the exact route in.

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

Downton Lake (Reservoir) at a glance

Region
Thompson-Nicola
Management unit
MU 3-33
Species
Rainbow Trout, Bull Trout, Kokanee (last recorded 1994), Mountain Whitefish (last recorded 1976)The province's newest fish record here is from 2011.Species from the province's fish observation records and angling reports.
Lake size
Large Water (> 500 ha)
Ice fishing
Open to ice fishing, confirmed
Coordinates
50.8444, -123.0083

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Fish on record at Downton Lake (Reservoir)

Species in the Province's fish observation records
SpeciesFirst recordedLast recordedRecords
Rainbow Trout199420117
Kokanee199419941
Mountain Whitefish197619761

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

How to fish Downton Lake (Reservoir)

Best times of year at Downton Lake (Reservoir)

  • May - June
  • September - October

Downton Lake (Reservoir) fishing regulations

Bull trout catch and release. Source: Province of British Columbia

Getting to Downton Lake (Reservoir)

16.8 km of traced road to the shore by way of Bridge River FSR, Hurley River FSR, Gwyneth Lake Rd and Gun Lake Rd. The road at the end is a loose surface. It stops 710 m short of the shore.

The road route traced to Lake shore at Downton Lake (Reservoir), 16.8 km.Start of the traceLake shore5 km
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: 50.8444, -123.0083

The ice year at Downton Lake (Reservoir), modelled

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

In the model Downton Lake (Reservoir) froze in 65 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 7 November and 24 November, and ice-off between 18 April and 10 May. The median winter freezes on 15 November and opens on 28 April.

Modelled ice season at Downton Lake (Reservoir): freeze-up most winters between 7 November and 24 November, ice-off between 18 April and 10 May.OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunFreeze-upIce-offabout 169 days in the median winter

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

Winter 2024-25 in the model: frozen from 15 November 2024 to 18 April 2025, 154 days.

Downton Lake (Reservoir) 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.

Downton Lake (Reservoir) climate, 1960 to 2025

Averaged over a year, the air above Downton Lake (Reservoir) is 1.1 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.

  • +1.1 Csince the 1960s
  • -3.7 Caverage year now
  • -4.8 Caverage year then
  • -13 daysbelow freezing, change
Average year at Downton Lake (Reservoir)degrees C, yearly mean
-7 C-4 C-1 C1960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

Days below freezingdays a year averaging under 0 C
2082462851960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

This week at Downton Lake (Reservoir)

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

DaySkyHigh / lowWindRainPressure
Tue 20 OctOvercast14° / 3°2 km/h, gusts 15drySteady
Wed 21 OctLight drizzle15° / 4°4 km/h, gusts 26dryFalling (-8.6 hPa)
Thu 22 OctSlight snow showers12° / 4°8 km/h, gusts 364 mmRising (+2.4 hPa)
Fri 23 OctOvercast12° / 3°3 km/h, gusts 17dryRising (+11.4 hPa)
Sat 24 OctOvercast10° / 4°4 km/h, gusts 19dryFalling (-2.7 hPa)
Sun 25 OctPartly cloudy11° / 3°2 km/h, gusts 17dryRising (+5.6 hPa)
Mon 26 OctOvercast12° / 4°1 km/h, gusts 11drySteady

Open Downton Lake (Reservoir) in the app

Downton Lake (Reservoir), in brief

What fish are in Downton Lake (Reservoir)?

Rainbow Trout, Bull Trout, Kokanee (last recorded 1994), Mountain Whitefish (last recorded 1976). Species from the province's fish observation records and angling reports.

Which management unit is Downton Lake (Reservoir) in?

Downton Lake (Reservoir) is in MU 3-33, in the Thompson-Nicola. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.

Trout lakes near Downton Lake (Reservoir)

All 342 lakes in the Thompson-Nicola, with today's conditions on each.

Reading the water