Quesnel Lake
MU 5-15, Cariboo
52.5081° N, 120.9386° W
- Surface area
- 27170.9ha
- Maximum depth
- 511m
- 1677 ft
- Elevation
- 728m
- Campsites
- 3
- At Quesnel Lake Public Landing rec site
Open Quesnel Lake in the appThe 7-day forecast, max depth and wildfire smoke check, on the lake's own coordinate.
Trophy fish at Quesnel Lake
Quesnel Lake is known for trophy Lake trout to 30 lb.
- Rainbow trout to 20 lb
- Lake trout to 30 lb
- Bull trout to 12 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.
Quesnel Lake at a glance
- Region
- Cariboo
- Management unit
- MU 5-15
- Species
- Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Bull Trout, Burbot, Mountain Whitefish, Kokanee, Sockeye Salmon, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Salmon (General), Northern Pikeminnow, Peamouth Chub, Largescale Sucker, Redside Shiner, Longnose Sucker, Longnose Dace, Minnow (General), Sucker (General)The newest of these fish records is from 2022.Species from the province's fish observation records.
- Lake size
- Large Water (> 500 ha)
- Ice fishing
- Open to ice fishing, confirmed
- Coordinates
- 52.5081, -120.9386
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Gear for lake trout
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Fish on record at Quesnel Lake
| Species | First recorded | Last recorded | Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow Trout | 1957 | 2022 | 32 |
| Lake Trout | 1985 | 2022 | 41 |
| Bull Trout | 1985 | 2022 | 7 |
| Burbot | 1985 | 2022 | 44 |
| Mountain Whitefish | 1985 | 2022 | 39 |
| Kokanee | 1984 | 2022 | 38 |
| Sockeye Salmon | 1989 | 2022 | 35 |
| Chinook Salmon | 1995 | 2016 | 2 |
| Coho Salmon | 1995 | 2016 | 2 |
| Salmon (General) | 2016 | 2016 | 2 |
| Northern Pikeminnow | 1996 | 2022 | 65 |
| Peamouth Chub | 1996 | 2022 | 65 |
| Largescale Sucker | 2012 | 2022 | 63 |
| Redside Shiner | 1996 | 2022 | 31 |
| Longnose Sucker | 2012 | 2022 | 21 |
| Longnose Dace | 1996 | 2016 | 8 |
| Minnow (General) | 1996 | 1996 | 1 |
| Sucker (General) | 1996 | 1996 | 1 |
A year is when the Province last recorded the fish here, not a statement that it is caught today.
How to fish Quesnel Lake
Best times of year at Quesnel Lake
- May - June
- September - October
Quesnel Lake fishing regulations
No Fishing southwest of a line between fishing boundary signs on opposite shores of Horsefly Bay, Mar 1-May 31; No Fishing in North Arm, north of a line between Watt and Service Creeks, Mar 1-May 31; Lake trout daily quota = 5 (any size); rainbow trout daily quota = 2 (none over 50 cm); bull trout catch and release; Bait ban, barbless hook. Source: Province of British Columbia
Getting to Quesnel Lake
There are many resorts, marinas and BCFS campsites around the lake. All services and facilities can also be found in Likely and Horsefly.
38.8 km of traced road to the campground by way of Marshall Creek Rd, Haggens Point Rd, Hatchery Rd and Horsefly Lake Rd. The road at the end is a loose surface.
Coordinates: 52.5081, -120.9386
Camping and rec sites at Quesnel Lake
- Quesnel Lake Public Landing
- Campsites
- 3 designated
- To the shore
- 103 m
Coordinates: 52.518364, -121.098422
How deep Quesnel Lake is
511 mdeepest
Quesnel Lake runs to 511 m (1677 ft) at its deepest.
The ice year at Quesnel Lake, modelled
Modelled from air temperature, not an ice report. It says nothing about whether ice will hold you.
The model treats Quesnel Lake as too large and deep to freeze over, so it gives no freeze-up or ice-off dates. On air temperature alone it would have frozen in 65 of 65 winters since 1960.
Quesnel 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.
Quesnel Lake climate, 1960 to 2025
Averaged over a year, the air above Quesnel Lake is 1.0 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.
- +1.0 Csince the 1960s
- 4.7 Caverage year now
- 3.7 Caverage year then
- -11 daysbelow freezing, change
each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025
each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025
This week at Quesnel 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 | Partly cloudy | 12° / 2° | 6 km/h, gusts 17 | dry | Steady |
| Wed 21 Oct | Overcast | 16° / 3° | 6 km/h, gusts 17 | dry | Falling (-10.1 hPa) |
| Thu 22 Oct | Moderate drizzle | 7° / 3° | 7 km/h, gusts 19 | 2 mm | Rising (+2.5 hPa) |
| Fri 23 Oct | Light drizzle | 7° / 2° | 5 km/h, gusts 17 | 0 mm | Rising (+12.7 hPa) |
| Sat 24 Oct | Overcast | 9° / 3° | 4 km/h, gusts 16 | dry | Falling (-2.2 hPa) |
| Sun 25 Oct | Clear sky | 10° / 2° | 4 km/h, gusts 13 | dry | Rising (+5.0 hPa) |
| Mon 26 Oct | Partly cloudy | 10° / 2° | 4 km/h, gusts 13 | dry | Falling (-2.6 hPa) |
Quesnel Lake, in brief
What fish are in Quesnel Lake?
Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout, Bull Trout, Burbot, Mountain Whitefish, Kokanee, Sockeye Salmon, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Salmon (General). Species from the province's fish observation records.
Which management unit is Quesnel Lake in?
Quesnel Lake is in MU 5-15, in the Cariboo. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.
Trout lakes near Quesnel Lake
- Hen Ingram Lake 8 km away
- Horsefly Lake 8 km away
- Klinne Lake 13 km away
- Tasse Lake 13 km away
- Keno Lake 13 km away
All 328 lakes in the Cariboo, with today's conditions on each.