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Jim Smith Lake

MU 4-20, Kootenays
49.4800° N, 115.8483° W

Map of Jim Smith Lake: the shoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, the roads round it from the BC Digital Road Atlas and the traced road in.115°51.8′W115°51.5′W115°51.2′W115°51′W115°50.8′W115°50.5′W49°28.8′N49°29′NJim Smith Lake0125250 mNMap of Jim Smith Lake: the shoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, the roads round it from the BC Digital Road Atlas and the traced road in.115°51′W49°28.8′N49°29′N0250 mN
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
23.8ha
Maximum depth
7.3m
24 ft. Province survey, 1961
Elevation
1,057m

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

Jim Smith Lake at a glance

Region
Kootenays
Management unit
MU 4-20
Species
Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass, Brook Trout, Kokanee, Burbot, Yellow Perch, Cutthroat/Rainbow cross (last recorded 1939), Redside Shiner (last recorded 1983)The newest of these fish records is from 2026.Species from the province's fish observation records.
Lake size
Small Water (< 50 ha)
Ice fishing
Open to ice fishing, confirmed
Coordinates
49.48, -115.8483

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Fish on record at Jim Smith Lake

Species in the Province's fish observation records
SpeciesFirst recordedLast recordedRecords
Rainbow Trout1923202693
Largemouth Bass199020032
Brook Trout1965199619
Kokanee201720269
Burbot200320031
Yellow Perch200320031
Cutthroat/Rainbow cross193819392
Redside Shiner198319831

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

How to fish Jim Smith Lake

Best times of year at Jim Smith Lake

  • May - June
  • September - October

Jim Smith Lake fishing regulations

Bass daily quota = unlimited; yellow perch daily quota = unlimited; no powered boats. Source: Province of British Columbia

Getting to Jim Smith Lake

5.0 km of traced road to the shore by way of picnic area and Jim Smith Lake Rd. The road at the end is a loose surface. It stops 160 m short of the shore.

The road route traced to Lake shore at Jim Smith Lake, 5.0 km.Start of the traceLake shore1 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: 49.48, -115.8483

Depth chart for Jim Smith Lake

7.3 mdeepest4.9 mmean

Jim Smith Lake runs to 7.3 m (24 ft) at its deepest, by the Province survey, 1961.

The mean of 4.9 m (16 ft) is read off the same chart, surveyed in February 1961.

The Province sounded Jim Smith Lake and published the depth chart surveyed in 1961.

The ice year at Jim Smith Lake, modelled

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

In the model Jim Smith Lake froze in 65 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 1 November and 15 November, and ice-off between 18 April and 11 May. The median winter freezes on 7 November and opens on 28 April.

Modelled ice season at Jim Smith Lake: freeze-up most winters between 1 November and 15 November, ice-off between 18 April and 11 May.OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunFreeze-upIce-offabout 174 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 19 November 2024 to 1 April 2025, 133 days.

Jim Smith 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.

Jim Smith Lake climate, 1960 to 2025

Averaged over a year, the air above Jim Smith Lake is 1.2 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.

  • +1.2 Csince the 1960s
  • 5.9 Caverage year now
  • 4.7 Caverage year then
  • -13 daysbelow freezing, change
Average year at Jim Smith Lakedegrees C, yearly mean
3 C5 C8 C1960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

Days below freezingdays a year averaging under 0 C
581101631960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

This week at Jim Smith 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.

DaySkyHigh / lowWindRainPressure
Tue 20 OctPartly cloudy13° / -1°10 km/hdrySteady
Wed 21 OctOvercast19° / 4°12 km/hdryFalling (-4.1 hPa)
Thu 22 OctModerate drizzle17° / 5°11 km/h1 mmFalling (-4.8 hPa)
Fri 23 OctSlight rain9° / 5°8 km/h, gusts 159 mmRising (+2.9 hPa)
Sat 24 OctOvercast10° / 1°9 km/hdryRising (+14.3 hPa)
Sun 25 OctLight drizzle4° / -3°8 km/h2 mmRising (+5.3 hPa)
Mon 26 OctClear sky6° / -5°7 km/hdryRising (+1.1 hPa)

Open Jim Smith Lake in the app

Jim Smith Lake, in brief

What fish are in Jim Smith Lake?

Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass, Brook Trout, Kokanee, Burbot, Yellow Perch, Cutthroat/Rainbow cross (last recorded 1939). Species from the province's fish observation records.

Which management unit is Jim Smith Lake in?

Jim Smith Lake is in MU 4-20, in the Kootenays. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.

Trout lakes near Jim Smith Lake

All 162 lakes in the Kootenays, with today's conditions on each.

Reading the water