Irish Lake

MU 5-1, Cariboo
51.5481° N, 121.1706° 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 9 September 2026. The lake's depth is not drawn on this map.

Surface area: 35.4ha
Maximum depth: 8m; 26 ft
Elevation: 1,170m
Campsites: 1; At Irish Lake rec site

At 93 Mile, turn east off Hwy 97 onto Hwy 24. Travel to the town of Lone Butte (approx. 11 miles). Continue east on Hwy 24 for another 3.2 km (2 miles). Some anglers gain access through the BC Rail property on the west side of the lake, however, BC Rail forbids trespassing on their property.

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

Trophy fish at Irish Lake

Irish Lake is known for trophy Rainbow trout to 2 lb.

Rainbow trout to 2 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.

Irish Lake at a glance

Region: Cariboo
Management unit: MU 5-1
Species: Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout (last recorded 1968), Lake ChubThe newest of these fish records is from 2025.Species from the province's fish observation records.
Lake size: Small Water (< 50 ha)
Ice fishing: Open to ice fishing, confirmed
Coordinates: 51.5481, -121.1706

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Gear for rainbow trout

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Fish on record at Irish Lake

Species in the Province's fish observation records
Species	First recorded	Last recorded	Records
Rainbow Trout	1963	2025	105
Brook Trout	1966	1968	3
Lake Chub	2012	2015	2

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

How to fish Irish Lake

Best times of year at Irish Lake

May - June
September - October

Irish Lake fishing regulations

Electric motor only - max 7.5 kW; WARNING! Dangerous thin ice due to aeration! Source: Province of British Columbia

Getting to Irish Lake

None. Most of the shoreline is private property.

0.6 km of traced road to the campground. The road at the end is a loose surface.

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: 51.5481, -121.1706

Camping and rec sites at Irish Lake

Irish Lake
Campsites
1 designated
To the shore
29 m

Access: From 100 Mile House travel south on Hwy 97. Turn east onto Hwy 24 towards Lone Butte. Travel approximately 13.7 km along Hwy 24 (about 3 km past Lone Butte) and turn right to access Irish Lake. Travel 300 meters and turn right. Travel another 600 meters to the recreation site.
Coordinates: 51.546137, -121.165026
The site on Recreation Sites and Trails BC

Depth chart for Irish Lake

8 mdeepest

Irish Lake runs to 8 m (26 ft) at its deepest.

The Province sounded Irish Lake and published the depth chart surveyed in 1980.

Depth chart (PDF)

The ice year at Irish Lake, modelled

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

In the model Irish Lake froze in 65 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 31 October and 14 November, and ice-off between 27 April and 14 May. The median winter freezes on 6 November and opens on 6 May.

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 21 April 2025, 157 days.

Irish 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.

Irish Lake climate, 1960 to 2025

Averaged over a year, the air above Irish Lake 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
3.8 Caverage year now
2.7 Caverage year then
-11 daysbelow freezing, change

Average year at Irish Lakedegrees 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 Irish 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	Overcast	10° / -1°	13 km/h, gusts 24	dry	Steady
Wed 21 Oct	Overcast	13° / 1°	14 km/h, gusts 28	dry	Falling (-9.6 hPa)
Thu 22 Oct	Light drizzle	7° / -1°	18 km/h, gusts 40	dry	Rising (+2.9 hPa)
Fri 23 Oct	Overcast	5° / -3°	11 km/h, gusts 20	dry	Rising (+13.2 hPa)
Sat 24 Oct	Overcast	4° / 0°	6 km/h, gusts 12	dry	Falling (-1.7 hPa)
Sun 25 Oct	Mainly clear	5° / -3°	8 km/h, gusts 20	dry	Rising (+5.7 hPa)
Mon 26 Oct	Overcast	8° / -2°	8 km/h, gusts 17	dry	Falling (-2.9 hPa)

Open Irish Lake in the app

Irish Lake, in brief

What fish are in Irish Lake?

Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout (last recorded 1968). Species from the province's fish observation records.

Which management unit is Irish Lake in?

Irish Lake is in MU 5-1, in the Cariboo. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.

Trout lakes near Irish Lake

Earle Lake 10 km away
Little Horse Lake 11 km away
Watch Lake 11 km away
Fawn Lake 13 km away
Green Lake 14 km away

All 328 lakes in the Cariboo, with today's conditions on each.