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St. Mary Lake

MU 1-1, Vancouver Island
48.8914° N, 123.5453° W

Map of St. Mary Lake: the shoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, the roads round it from the BC Digital Road Atlas and the traced road in.123°36′W123°35′W123°34′W123°33′W123°32′W48°52.5′N48°53′N48°53.5′N48°54′NSt. Mary Lake05001 kmNMap of St. Mary Lake: the shoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, the roads round it from the BC Digital Road Atlas and the traced road in.123°33′W123°32′W48°52.5′N48°53′N48°53.5′N48°54′N01 kmN
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
178.5ha
Maximum depth
16.7m
55 ft
Elevation
42m

St. Mary Lake is located on Saltspring Island in the BC Gulf Islands . Regular ferry service to the island is available from Schwartz Bay on Vancouver Island to Fulford Harbour, Duncan on Vancouver Island to Vesuvius Bay and Tsawassen south of Vancouver, BC to Long Harbour. St. Mary Lake is found 3.

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

Trophy fish at St. Mary Lake

St. Mary Lake is known for trophy Smallmouth bass to 6 lb.

  • Smallmouth bass to 6 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.

St. Mary Lake at a glance

Region
Vancouver Island
Management unit
MU 1-1
Species
Smallmouth Bass, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Perch (General), Cutthroat Trout (Anadromous) (last recorded 1990), Steelhead, Threespine Stickleback (last recorded 1995), Stickleback (General) (last recorded 1972), Bass/Sunfish (General) (last recorded 1920)The newest of these fish records is from 2026.Species from the province's fish observation records.
Lake size
Medium Lake (50 - 500 ha)
Ice fishing
No ice fishing closure on file
Coordinates
48.8914, -123.5453

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Fish on record at St. Mary Lake

Species in the Province's fish observation records
SpeciesFirst recordedLast recordedRecords
Smallmouth Bass195220174
Cutthroat Trout1954202659
Rainbow Trout1995202636
Perch (General)201720171
Cutthroat Trout (Anadromous)195219902
Steelhead1984200216
Threespine Stickleback199519951
Stickleback (General)197219721
Bass/Sunfish (General)192019202

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

How to fish St. Mary Lake

Best times of year at St. Mary Lake

  • May - June
  • September - October

St. Mary Lake fishing regulations

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

Getting to St. Mary Lake

Camping and resort accommodations are available at St. Mary Lake on Saltspring Island. Cartop boat launches are provided.

1.8 km of traced road to the shore by way of Tripp Rd. The road at the end is a loose surface. It stops 200 m short of the shore.

The road route traced to Lake shore at St. Mary Lake, 1.8 km.Start of the traceLake shore500 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: 48.8914, -123.5453

Depth chart for St. Mary Lake

16.7 mdeepest

St. Mary Lake runs to 16.7 m (55 ft) at its deepest.

The Province sounded St. Mary Lake and published the depth chart surveyed in 1991. It runs to 2 sheets.

The ice year at St. Mary Lake, modelled

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

In the model St. Mary Lake froze in only 29 of the 65 winters since 1960, too few to give it usual dates.

No ice fishing closure is recorded for St. Mary 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.

St. Mary Lake climate, 1960 to 2025

Averaged over a year, the air above St. Mary Lake is 0.6 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.

  • +0.6 Csince the 1960s
  • 11.3 Caverage year now
  • 10.7 Caverage year then
  • -7 daysbelow freezing, change
Average year at St. Mary Lakedegrees C, yearly mean
9 C11 C14 C1960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

Days below freezingdays a year averaging under 0 C
-514331960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

This week at St. Mary 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 sky13° / 12°20 km/h, gusts 33drySteady
Wed 21 OctFog14° / 9°20 km/hdryFalling (-3.1 hPa)
Thu 22 OctSlight rain14° / 9°42 km/hdryRising (+1.1 hPa)
Fri 23 OctPartly cloudy11° / 9°41 km/h, gusts 47dryRising (+8.9 hPa)
Sat 24 OctOvercast11° / 7°23 km/h, gusts 600 mmSteady
Sun 25 OctOvercast13° / 11°22 km/h, gusts 48dryFalling (-1.4 hPa)
Mon 26 OctOvercast14° / 11°6 km/h, gusts 25drySteady

Open St. Mary Lake in the app

St. Mary Lake, in brief

What fish are in St. Mary Lake?

Smallmouth Bass, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Perch (General), Cutthroat Trout (Anadromous) (last recorded 1990), Steelhead. Species from the province's fish observation records.

Which management unit is St. Mary Lake in?

St. Mary Lake is in MU 1-1, on Vancouver Island. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.

Trout lakes near St. Mary Lake

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

Reading the water