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Opatcho Lake

MU 7-9, Omineca
53.7464° N, 122.2886° W

Map of Opatcho Lake: the shoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, the roads round it from the BC Digital Road Atlas, the traced road in and the recreation site.122°18.8′W122°18.5′W122°18.2′W122°18′W122°17.8′W122°17.5′W122°17.2′W122°17′W122°16.8′W53°44.5′N53°44.8′N53°45′NOpatcho LakeOpatcho Lake rec site6 campsites, 57 m to shore0250500 mNMap of Opatcho Lake: the shoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, the roads round it from the BC Digital Road Atlas, the traced road in and the recreation site.122°17.5′W122°17′W53°44.2′N53°44.5′N53°44.8′N53°45′NOpatcho LakeOpatcho Lake rec site6 campsites, 57 m to shore0500 mN
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 11 September 2026. The lake's depth is not drawn on this map.
Surface area
39.7ha
Maximum depth
23.5m
77 ft
Elevation
881m
Campsites
6
At Opatcho Lake rec site

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

Trophy fish at Opatcho Lake

Opatcho Lake is known for trophy Rainbow trout to 3.3 lb.

  • Rainbow trout to 3.3 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.

Opatcho Lake at a glance

Region
Omineca
Management unit
MU 7-9
Species
Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Redside Shiner, Sucker (General) (last recorded 1988), Lake Chub (last recorded 1984), Longnose Sucker (last recorded 1984)
Lake size
Small Water (< 50 ha)
Ice fishing
Open to ice fishing, confirmed
Coordinates
53.7464, -122.2886

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Fish on record at Opatcho Lake

Species in the Province's fish observation records
SpeciesFirst recordedLast recordedRecords
Rainbow Trout1967202679
Redside Shiner200420041
Sucker (General)198819881
Lake Chub196819842
Longnose Sucker196819842

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

How to fish Opatcho Lake

Best times of year at Opatcho Lake

  • May - June
  • September - October

Opatcho Lake fishing regulations

We have no lake specific regulations on file for Opatcho Lake yet.

Getting to Opatcho Lake

22.0 km of traced road to the campground by way of Opatcho FSR, Willow Cale FSR, Willow-Coalmine FSR and Willow-North Buck FSR. The road at the end is a rough surface.

The road route traced to Campground at Opatcho Lake, 22.0 km.Start of the traceCampground2 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: 53.7464, -122.2886

Camping and rec sites at Opatcho Lake

  • Opatcho Lake
    Campsites
    6 designated
    To the shore
    57 m

    Access: Travel 17kms south of Prince George. Turn left on to the Willow Cale FSR (112.5km) and turn right at the T-Junction (121km). At 140.5km turn left on to the Opatcho lake road and drive in ~2.5kms. Turn on to the small access road, slightly to your left, which will lead in to the site.
    Coordinates: 53.747218, -122.278753

    The site on Recreation Sites and Trails BC

Depth chart for Opatcho Lake

23.5 mdeepest

Opatcho Lake runs to 23.5 m (77 ft) at its deepest.

The Province sounded Opatcho Lake and published the depth chart surveyed in 1968.

The ice year at Opatcho Lake, modelled

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

In the model Opatcho 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 24 April and 15 May. The median winter freezes on 7 November and opens on 4 May.

Modelled ice season at Opatcho Lake: freeze-up most winters between 31 October and 14 November, ice-off between 24 April and 15 May.OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunFreeze-upIce-offabout 180 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 17 November 2024 to 24 April 2025, 158 days.

Opatcho 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.

Opatcho Lake climate, 1960 to 2025

Averaged over a year, the air above Opatcho Lake is 0.9 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.

  • +0.9 Csince the 1960s
  • 4.2 Caverage year now
  • 3.3 Caverage year then
  • -8 daysbelow freezing, change
Average year at Opatcho Lakedegrees C, yearly mean
0 C4 C7 C1960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

Days below freezingdays a year averaging under 0 C
701201691960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

This week at Opatcho 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 OctMainly clear11° / -2°14 km/h, gusts 28drySteady
Wed 21 OctOvercast11° / 3°15 km/h, gusts 30dryFalling (-9.3 hPa)
Thu 22 OctLight drizzle6° / -2°11 km/h, gusts 272 mmRising (+6.1 hPa)
Fri 23 OctOvercast5° / -3°7 km/h, gusts 13dryRising (+11.9 hPa)
Sat 24 OctOvercast6° / -1°7 km/h, gusts 19drySteady
Sun 25 OctClear sky5° / -4°7 km/h, gusts 20dryRising (+5.6 hPa)
Mon 26 OctOvercast6° / -4°7 km/h, gusts 14dryFalling (-3.4 hPa)

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Trout lakes near Opatcho Lake

All 235 lakes in the Omineca, with today's conditions on each.

Reading the water