Plateau Lake

MU 3-20, Thompson-Nicola
50.3183° N, 120.2561° 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: 40.6ha
Elevation: 1,234m
Campsites: 6; At Plateau Lake rec site

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

Trophy fish at Plateau Lake

Plateau Lake is known for trophy Rainbow trout to 10 lb.

Rainbow trout to 10 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.

Plateau Lake at a glance

Region: Thompson-Nicola
Management unit: MU 3-20
Species: Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout (last recorded 1986)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: 50.3183, -120.2561

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Gear for rainbow trout

Lines, leaders, lures and flies for rainbow trout, searched on Amazon.ca.

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What people catch at Plateau Lake

A small high lake by Stump Lake. With no winterkill for several years it can produce rainbows up to 10 lb, says BC Adventure, though 3 to 4 lb is more the norm. Dry fly anglers do well during the hatch.

Rainbow Trout
Typically 3 to 4 lb
Bigger fish: up to 10 lb
Source: BC Adventure Network

Dry flies do very well when the hatch is on. Source: BC Adventure Network

The rule that shapes it. Electric motor only - max 7.5 kW. Source: Province of British Columbia

Fish on record at Plateau Lake

Species in the Province's fish observation records
Species	First recorded	Last recorded	Records
Rainbow Trout	1940	2026	66
Brook Trout	1986	1986	1

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

How to fish Plateau Lake

Best times of year at Plateau Lake

May - June
September - October

Plateau Lake fishing regulations

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

Getting to Plateau Lake

12.6 km of traced road to the campground by way of Fraser Rd and Old Kamloops Rd. The road at the end is a rough 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: 50.3183, -120.2561

Camping and rec sites at Plateau Lake

Plateau Lake
Campsites
6 designated
To the shore
59 m

Access: From Merritt take Hwy 5A NE out of town for 49 kms. Turn right onto Peter Hope Lake Rd. At 5.1 kms turn left onto Plateau Lake Rd. Follow for 4.4 kms and take a right. Follow this road for another 4.1 kms then take left down to the Lake. It is highly recommended to have a 4 wheel drive vehicle with high clearance to get into this lake.
Coordinates: 50.322541, -120.25576
The site on Recreation Sites and Trails BC

The ice year at Plateau Lake, modelled

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

In the model Plateau Lake froze in 65 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 31 October and 10 November, and ice-off between 2 May and 18 May. The median winter freezes on 6 November and opens on 11 May.

the middle half of modelled winters the median ice cover in the median winter

Winter 2024-25 in the model: frozen from 29 October 2024 to 1 May 2025, 184 days.

Plateau 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.

Plateau Lake climate, 1960 to 2025

Averaged over a year, the air above Plateau 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
3.9 Caverage year now
2.8 Caverage year then
-10 daysbelow freezing, change

Average year at Plateau 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 Plateau 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	Clear sky	10° / -1°	12 km/h	dry	Steady
Wed 21 Oct	Overcast	15° / 4°	16 km/h, gusts 33	dry	Falling (-7.0 hPa)
Thu 22 Oct	Overcast	10° / 2°	14 km/h, gusts 22	dry	Falling (-1.4 hPa)
Fri 23 Oct	Overcast	6° / -3°	19 km/h, gusts 29	dry	Rising (+12.6 hPa)
Sat 24 Oct	Overcast	5° / -6°	13 km/h, gusts 18	dry	Rising (+6.7 hPa)
Sun 25 Oct	Partly cloudy	5° / -6°	8 km/h	dry	Rising (+2.5 hPa)
Mon 26 Oct	Overcast	7° / -7°	8 km/h	dry	Falling (-1.5 hPa)

Open Plateau Lake in the app

Plateau Lake, in brief

What fish are in Plateau Lake?

Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout (last recorded 1986). Species from the province's fish observation records.

Which management unit is Plateau Lake in?

Plateau Lake is in MU 3-20, in the Thompson-Nicola. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.

Trout lakes near Plateau Lake

Peter Hope Lake 5 km away
Little Peter Hope Lake 6 km away
Blue Lake 7 km away
Glimpse Lake 8 km away
Dardanelles Lake 9 km away

All 342 lakes in the Thompson-Nicola, with today's conditions on each.