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Matheson Lake

MU 1-2, Vancouver Island
48.3644° N, 123.6036° W

Map of Matheson Lake: the shoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, the roads round it from the BC Digital Road Atlas and the traced road in.123°37.2′W123°37′W123°36.8′W123°36.5′W123°36.2′W123°36′W123°35.8′W48°21.5′N48°21.8′N48°22′NMatheson Lake0250 mNMap of Matheson Lake: the shoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, the roads round it from the BC Digital Road Atlas and the traced road in.123°36.5′W123°36′W48°21.5′N48°21.8′N48°22′NMatheson Lake0500 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
22.3ha
Maximum depth
5m
16 ft
Elevation
20m

Located within Matheson Provincial Park which is 27 km (17 mi) southwest of Victoria by way of Rocky Point Road.

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

Trophy fish at Matheson Lake

Matheson Lake is known for trophy Smallmouth bass to 3 lb.

  • Smallmouth bass to 3 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.

Matheson Lake at a glance

Region
Vancouver Island
Management unit
MU 1-2
Species
Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Cutthroat Trout (Anadromous), Coho Salmon (last recorded 1995), Prickly Sculpin, Sculpin (General) (last recorded 1993), Threespine Stickleback (last recorded 1957)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
48.3644, -123.6036

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Gear for smallmouth bass

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Fish on record at Matheson Lake

Species in the Province's fish observation records
SpeciesFirst recordedLast recordedRecords
Smallmouth Bass199320042
Rainbow Trout1924202681
Cutthroat Trout1926200830
Cutthroat Trout (Anadromous)1
Coho Salmon199519951
Prickly Sculpin195720043
Sculpin (General)199319931
Threespine Stickleback195719571

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

How to fish Matheson Lake

Best times of year at Matheson Lake

  • May - June
  • September - October

Matheson Lake fishing regulations

Electric motor only - max 7.5 kW. Source: Province of British Columbia

Getting to Matheson Lake

Camping and boat launch are provided.

4.2 km of traced road to the shore by way of La Bonne Rd, Barrow Rd and Kangaroo Rd. The road at the end is a paved surface. It stops 650 m short of the shore.

The road route traced to Lake shore at Matheson Lake, 4.2 km.Start of the traceLake shore500 m
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: 48.3644, -123.6036

Depth chart for Matheson Lake

5 mdeepest2.7 mmean

Matheson Lake runs to 5 m (16 ft) at its deepest.

The mean of 2.7 m (9 ft) is read off the same chart, surveyed in January 1968.

The Province sounded Matheson Lake and published the depth chart surveyed in 1968. It runs to 2 sheets.

The ice year at Matheson Lake, modelled

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

In the model Matheson Lake froze in only 15 of the 65 winters since 1960, too few to give it usual dates.

Matheson 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.

Matheson Lake climate, 1960 to 2025

Averaged over a year, the air above Matheson Lake is 0.3 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.

  • +0.3 Csince the 1960s
  • 9.9 Caverage year now
  • 9.7 Caverage year then
  • -3 daysbelow freezing, change
Average year at Matheson Lakedegrees C, yearly mean
8 C10 C12 C1960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

Days below freezingdays a year averaging under 0 C
-39211960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

This week at Matheson 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 OctClear sky15° / 8°19 km/h, gusts 27drySteady
Wed 21 OctPartly cloudy16° / 7°28 km/hdryFalling (-3.4 hPa)
Thu 22 OctModerate rain showers13° / 3°30 km/h2 mmRising (+2.6 hPa)
Fri 23 OctFog13° / 3°13 km/h, gusts 27dryRising (+7.9 hPa)
Sat 24 OctOvercast11° / 5°10 km/h, gusts 390 mmFalling (-1.2 hPa)
Sun 25 OctOvercast15° / 6°12 km/h, gusts 28dryFalling (-1.6 hPa)
Mon 26 OctOvercast17° / 9°12 km/h, gusts 28drySteady

Open Matheson Lake in the app

Matheson Lake, in brief

What fish are in Matheson Lake?

Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Cutthroat Trout (Anadromous), Coho Salmon (last recorded 1995). Species from the province's fish observation records.

Which management unit is Matheson Lake in?

Matheson Lake is in MU 1-2, on Vancouver Island. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.

Trout lakes near Matheson Lake

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

Reading the water