Roche Lake

MU 3-20, Thompson-Nicola
50.4719° N, 120.1525° W

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: 161.8ha
Maximum depth: 21.3m; 70 ft
Elevation: 1,130m

One of BC's premier trophy rainbow trout lakes, producing hard-fighting Kamloops-strain rainbows up to 8+ lbs.

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

Trophy fish at Roche Lake

Roche Lake is known for trophy Rainbow trout to 8 lb.

Rainbow trout to 8 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.

Roche Lake at a glance

Region: Thompson-Nicola
Management unit: MU 3-20
Species: Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Northern Pikeminnow (last recorded 1958), Peamouth Chub (last recorded 1958), Sucker (General) (last recorded 1958), Redside Shiner (last recorded 1958)The newest of these fish records is from 2026.Species from the province's fish observation records.
Lake size: Medium Lake (50 - 500 ha)
Catch and release: Yes
Ice fishing: Closed to ice fishing
Coordinates: 50.4719, -120.1525

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What people catch at Roche Lake

Rainbow trout, all of them stocked. You can expect fish up to 6 lb. The current synopsis closes it to ice fishing, allows two rainbows a day on a single hook, and restricts motors over part of the lake.

Rainbow Trout Stocked
Typically up to 6 lb
A heavily fished lake with a resort on it, so expect company in season.
Source: Tourism Kamloops

The rule that shapes it. No Ice Fishing; rainbow trout daily quota = 2; single hook; Electric motor only - max 7.5 kW, south of a line bearing true 244° from a point on the southern tip of the largest island in the south arm of Roche Lake to the westerly shoreline and conversely 64° to the easterly shoreline. Source: Province of British Columbia

Fish on record at Roche Lake

Species in the Province's fish observation records
Species	First recorded	Last recorded	Records
Rainbow Trout	1952	2026	554
Brook Trout	2000	2000	1
Northern Pikeminnow	1958	1958	2
Peamouth Chub	1958	1958	2
Sucker (General)	1958	1958	2
Redside Shiner	1958	1958	1

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

How to fish Roche Lake

Deep chironomid fishing under indicator (15-25ft), micro-leeches on intermediate sink line, sedges at dusk.

Best times of year at Roche Lake

May - June (Chironomids)
Sept - Oct (Fall Leech/Sedge)

Roche Lake fishing regulations

No Ice Fishing; rainbow trout daily quota = 2; single hook; Electric motor only - max 7.5 kW, south of a line bearing true 244° from a point on the southern tip of the largest island in the south arm of Roche Lake to the westerly shoreline and conversely 64° to the easterly shoreline. Source: Province of British Columbia

Getting to Roche Lake

Paved/good gravel road via Roche Lake Prov. Park. Concrete boat launch, campground & resort.

9.9 km of traced road to the shore by way of campground access and Roche Lake Rd. The road at the end is a paved surface. It stops 470 m short of the shore.

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: 50.4719, -120.1525

Camping and rec sites at Roche Lake

Roche Lake Provincial Park (West Campground)
22 vehicle campsites, concrete boat ramp, dock, right beside Roche Lake Resort
Facilities: Concrete Boat Launch, Dock, Pit Toilets, Fire Rings, Tables
Access: Maintained Gravel FSR off Old Hwy 5A (2WD)
The site on Recreation Sites and Trails BC
Roche Lake Provincial Park (North Campground)
16 rustic vehicle campsites, gravel boat launch, quiet forested setting
Facilities: Gravel Boat Launch, Pit Toilets, Fire Rings, Tables
Access: Maintained Gravel FSR off Old Hwy 5A (2WD)
The site on Recreation Sites and Trails BC

Depth chart for Roche Lake

21.3 mdeepest

Roche Lake runs to 21.3 m (70 ft) at its deepest.

The Province sounded Roche Lake and published the depth chart surveyed in 1959.

Depth chart (PDF)

The ice year at Roche Lake, modelled

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

In the model Roche Lake froze in 65 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 1 November and 12 November, and ice-off between 27 April and 18 May. The median winter freezes on 7 November and opens on 9 May.

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

Winter 2024-25 in the model: frozen from 18 November 2024 to 11 April 2025, 144 days.

Roche Lake is closed to ice fishing.

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.

Winterkill at Roche Lake

Winter 2022-23Winterkill confirmedAn outcome reported the spring after. Winterkill Update: Spring 2023, Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.
Winter 2025-26Rated low riskA rating from late-winter oxygen profiles, not a definitive result. Winterkill Update: Spring 2026, Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.

Roche Lake climate, 1960 to 2025

Averaged over a year, the air above Roche Lake is 1.5 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.

+1.5 Csince the 1960s
6.0 Caverage year now
4.5 Caverage year then
-18 daysbelow freezing, change

Average year at Roche 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 Roche 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° / -2°	11 km/h	dry	Steady
Wed 21 Oct	Overcast	16° / 4°	15 km/h, gusts 30	dry	Falling (-7.2 hPa)
Thu 22 Oct	Overcast	11° / 2°	13 km/h, gusts 34	dry	Falling (-1.2 hPa)
Fri 23 Oct	Overcast	6° / -2°	21 km/h, gusts 36	dry	Rising (+12.4 hPa)
Sat 24 Oct	Overcast	5° / -4°	10 km/h	dry	Rising (+6.8 hPa)
Sun 25 Oct	Partly cloudy	5° / -6°	8 km/h	dry	Rising (+2.5 hPa)
Mon 26 Oct	Overcast	8° / -5°	7 km/h	dry	Falling (-1.6 hPa)

Open Roche Lake in the app

Roche Lake, in brief

What fish are in Roche Lake?

Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout. Species from the province's fish observation records.

Which management unit is Roche Lake in?

Roche 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 Roche Lake

John Frank Lake 1 km away
Frisken Lake 1 km away
Horseshoe Lake 1 km away
Tulip Lake 2 km away
Bulman Lake 3 km away

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