Kokanee Lake
MU 4-18, Kootenays
49.7475° N, 117.1750° W
- Surface area
- 17.9ha
- Elevation
- 1,965m
This hike-in lake may be accessed via the Kaslo and Joker Mill-Keen Creek roads or by the Kokanee Creek Road southwest of Balfour on Highway 3A. The lake is located in the Kokanee Glacier Park and is at an
Open Kokanee Lake in the appThe 7-day forecast, max depth and wildfire smoke check, on the lake's own coordinate.
Kokanee Lake at a glance
- Region
- Kootenays
- Management unit
- MU 4-18
- Species
- Cutthroat Trout (last recorded 1924), Rainbow Trout (last recorded 1915), Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout (last recorded 1995)The newest of these fish records is from 1995.Species from the province's fish observation records.
- Lake size
- Small Water (< 50 ha)
- Ice fishing
- No ice fishing closure on file
- Coordinates
- 49.7475, -117.175
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Fish on record at Kokanee Lake
| Species | First recorded | Last recorded | Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutthroat Trout | 1924 | 1924 | 1 |
| Rainbow Trout | 1915 | 1915 | 1 |
| Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout | 1924 | 1995 | 14 |
A year is when the Province last recorded the fish here, not a statement that it is caught today.
How to fish Kokanee Lake
Best times of year at Kokanee Lake
- May - June
- September - October
Kokanee Lake fishing regulations
We have no lake specific regulations on file for Kokanee Lake yet.
Getting to Kokanee Lake
Coordinates: 49.7475, -117.175
The ice year at Kokanee Lake, modelled
Modelled from air temperature, not an ice report. It says nothing about whether ice will hold you.
In the model Kokanee Lake froze in 65 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 8 October and 24 October, and ice-off between 17 June and 4 July. The median winter freezes on 17 October and opens on 26 June.
the middle half of modelled winters the median ice cover in the median winter
Winter 2024-25 in the model: frozen from 28 October 2024 to 9 June 2025, 224 days.
No ice fishing closure is recorded for Kokanee Lake, so the general regional regulations apply.
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.
Kokanee Lake climate, 1960 to 2025
Averaged over a year, the air above Kokanee Lake is 0.8 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.
- +0.8 Csince the 1960s
- 1.6 Caverage year now
- 0.8 Caverage year then
- -2 daysbelow freezing, change
each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025
each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025
This week at Kokanee 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 | 6° / -1° | 19 km/h, gusts 28 | dry | Steady |
| Wed 21 Oct | Overcast | 10° / 4° | 22 km/h, gusts 38 | dry | Falling (-4.4 hPa) |
| Thu 22 Oct | Overcast | 12° / 0° | 23 km/h, gusts 34 | dry | Falling (-4.6 hPa) |
| Fri 23 Oct | Overcast | 5° / -4° | 13 km/h | dry | Rising (+7.1 hPa) |
| Sat 24 Oct | Overcast | 4° / -5° | 7 km/h | dry | Rising (+11.5 hPa) |
| Sun 25 Oct | Overcast | 2° / -6° | 6 km/h | dry | Rising (+2.6 hPa) |
| Mon 26 Oct | Partly cloudy | 5° / -7° | 5 km/h | dry | Steady |
Kokanee Lake, in brief
What fish are in Kokanee Lake?
Cutthroat Trout (last recorded 1924), Rainbow Trout (last recorded 1915), Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout (last recorded 1995). Species from the province's fish observation records.
Which management unit is Kokanee Lake in?
Kokanee Lake is in MU 4-18, in the Kootenays. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.
Trout lakes near Kokanee Lake
- Whitelady Lake 10 km away
- Sasquatch Lake 11 km away
- Six Mile Lakes 12 km away
- Fishermaiden Lake 15 km away
- Fletcher Lake 18 km away
All 162 lakes in the Kootenays, with today's conditions on each.