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Spectacle Lake

MU 1-2, Vancouver Island
48.5783° N, 123.5708° W

Map of Spectacle Lake: the shoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, the roads round it from the BC Digital Road Atlas and the traced road in.123°35′W123°34.8′W123°34.5′W123°34.2′W123°34′W48°34.8′NSpectacle Lake0100200 mNMap of Spectacle Lake: the shoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, the roads round it from the BC Digital Road Atlas and the traced road in.123°34.5′W123°34.2′W123°34′W48°34.5′N48°34.8′N0200 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
17ha
Elevation
370m

This small lake is located 30 km (19 mi) northwest of Victoria near the Shawnigan Lake turnoff from the Island Highway.

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

Spectacle Lake at a glance

Region
Vancouver Island
Management unit
MU 1-2
Species
Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Brook Trout, Steelhead (last recorded 1922)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
No ice fishing closure on file
Coordinates
48.5783, -123.5708

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Fish on record at Spectacle Lake

Species in the Province's fish observation records
SpeciesFirst recordedLast recordedRecords
Rainbow Trout1923202690
Smallmouth Bass200220021
Brook Trout1912200218
Steelhead192219221

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

How to fish Spectacle Lake

Best times of year at Spectacle Lake

  • May - June
  • September - October

Spectacle Lake fishing regulations

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

Getting to Spectacle Lake

Fully facilitated campgrounds are located nearby. A car top boat launch is available.

1.8 km of traced road to the shore by way of Spectacle Lake Access and Whittaker Rd. The road at the end is a rough surface. It stops 120 m short of the shore.

The road route traced to Lake shore at Spectacle Lake, 1.8 km.Start of the traceLake shore250 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: 48.5783, -123.5708

Camping and rec sites at Spectacle Lake

  • Spectacle Lake Provincial Park
    Day-use provincial park, cartop boat launch, fishing dock, trails (No overnight camping)
    Facilities: Cartop Launch, Fishing Dock, Pit Toilets, Picnic Area, Trails
    Access: Spectacle Lake Road off Trans-Canada Hwy 1 (Malahat)

    The site on Recreation Sites and Trails BC

The ice year at Spectacle Lake, modelled

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

In the model Spectacle Lake froze in 43 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 19 December and 12 January, and ice-off between 10 January and 10 February. The median winter freezes on 30 December and opens on 20 January.

Modelled ice season at Spectacle Lake: freeze-up most winters between 19 December and 12 January, ice-off between 10 January and 10 February.OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunFreeze-upIce-off

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

Winter 2024-25 in the model: frozen from 1 February 2025 to 20 February 2025, 19 days.

No ice fishing closure is recorded for Spectacle Lake, so the general regional regulations apply.

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.

Spectacle Lake climate, 1960 to 2025

Averaged over a year, the air above Spectacle Lake is 0.8 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.

  • +0.8 Csince the 1960s
  • 9.5 Caverage year now
  • 8.7 Caverage year then
  • -3 daysbelow freezing, change
Average year at Spectacle Lakedegrees C, yearly mean
7 C9 C11 C1960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

Days below freezingdays a year averaging under 0 C
-615371960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

This week at Spectacle 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° / 7°23 km/h, gusts 37drySteady
Wed 21 OctOvercast18° / 11°12 km/hdryFalling (-5.1 hPa)
Thu 22 OctOvercast13° / 6°10 km/hdrySteady
Fri 23 OctOvercast13° / 3°7 km/hdryRising (+10.2 hPa)
Sat 24 OctOvercast11° / 3°10 km/h, gusts 15dryRising (+2.5 hPa)
Sun 25 OctOvercast13° / 4°10 km/h, gusts 20dryFalling (-1.4 hPa)
Mon 26 OctOvercast13° / 5°7 km/h, gusts 17drySteady

Open Spectacle Lake in the app

Spectacle Lake, in brief

What fish are in Spectacle Lake?

Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Brook Trout, Steelhead (last recorded 1922). Species from the province's fish observation records.

Which management unit is Spectacle Lake in?

Spectacle 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 Spectacle Lake

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

Reading the water