Sugar Lake
MU 8-23, Okanagan
50.3997° N, 118.5181° W
- Surface area
- 2174.9ha
- Maximum depth
- 82.9m
- 272 ft
- Elevation
- 598m
- Campsites
- 23
- At Sugar Creek rec site
Located northeast of the city of Vernon . From Vernon travel east on Hwy. #6 to the small community of Cherryville. Turn north at Cherryville on the road to Brenda Falls, and travel for about 17 km. (10.5 mi.) to the south end of Sugar Lake.
Open Sugar Lake in the appThe 7-day forecast, max depth and wildfire smoke check, on the lake's own coordinate.
Trophy fish at Sugar Lake
Sugar Lake is known for trophy Rainbow trout to 8 lb.
- Rainbow trout to 8 lb
- Bull 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.
Sugar Lake at a glance
- Region
- Okanagan
- Management unit
- MU 8-23
- Species
- Rainbow Trout (last recorded 1995), Bull Trout (last recorded 1995), Kokanee (last recorded 1995), Dolly Varden (last recorded 1995), Burbot (last recorded 1995), Mountain Whitefish (last recorded 1995), Cutthroat Trout (last recorded 1995), Whitefish (General) (last recorded 1990), Largescale Sucker (last recorded 1995), Longnose Sucker (last recorded 1995), Redside Shiner (last recorded 1995), Dace (General) (last recorded 1980), Northern Pikeminnow (last recorded 1980), Peamouth Chub (last recorded 1980), Sucker (General) (last recorded 1952)The newest of these fish records is from 1995.Species from the province's fish observation records.
- Lake size
- Large Water (> 500 ha)
- Ice fishing
- Open to ice fishing, confirmed
- Coordinates
- 50.3997, -118.5181
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Gear for rainbow trout
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Fish on record at Sugar Lake
| Species | First recorded | Last recorded | Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow Trout | 1946 | 1995 | 361 |
| Bull Trout | 1995 | 1995 | 1 |
| Kokanee | 1952 | 1995 | 754 |
| Dolly Varden | 1952 | 1995 | 132 |
| Burbot | 1969 | 1995 | 7 |
| Mountain Whitefish | 1952 | 1995 | 5 |
| Cutthroat Trout | 1995 | 1995 | 1 |
| Whitefish (General) | 1990 | 1990 | 6 |
| Largescale Sucker | 1969 | 1995 | 3 |
| Longnose Sucker | 1969 | 1995 | 3 |
| Redside Shiner | 1969 | 1995 | 3 |
| Dace (General) | 1980 | 1980 | 1 |
| Northern Pikeminnow | 1980 | 1980 | 1 |
| Peamouth Chub | 1980 | 1980 | 1 |
| Sucker (General) | 1952 | 1952 | 1 |
A year is when the Province last recorded the fish here, not a statement that it is caught today.
How to fish Sugar Lake
Best times of year at Sugar Lake
- May - June
- September - October
Sugar Lake fishing regulations
Bull trout/Dolly Varden daily quota = 1 (none under 50 cm); single barbless hook. Source: Province of British Columbia
Getting to Sugar Lake
1 resort with housekeeping cabins, store, campsites, and boat rentals. In addition to the resort there are 5 BCFS campsites located around the lake with boat launching. These sites range in size from small 3 vehicle sites to a very large 40 vehicle campsite.
31.4 km of traced road to the campground by way of Kate Creek FSR, Sugar Lake Rd, Aumond Rd, North Fork Rd and Specht Rd. The road at the end is a loose surface.
Coordinates: 50.3997, -118.5181
Camping and rec sites at Sugar Lake
- Sugar Creek
- Campsites
- 23 designated
- To the shore
- 69 m
Access: Follow Hwy 6 to Cherryville turn onto Sugar Lake Road and turn onto Kate Creek FSR. Set odometer to 0. At 2km cross over Outlet Creek Bridge. At 2.6km stay left. At 3.6km stay left at Vidler Rd. At 11.4km cross over Sitcom River Bridge. Road is narrow from here, go slow and be cautious of oncoming traffic. At 14.4km stay right. At 14.7km take lower left fork road (Weyco Transfer). At 16.7km turn left at Sugar Creek Recreation Site before bridge. At 17.3km, you have arrived at the Host Site.
Coordinates: 50.407168, -118.492053 - Sugar Lake 1 Mile
- Campsites
- 2 designated
- To the shore
- 55 m
Coordinates: 50.362158, -118.533145 - Sugar Lake 3 Mile
- Campsites
- 2 designated
- To the shore
- 24 m
Coordinates: 50.398144, -118.541285 - Sugar Lake 2 Mile
- Campsites
- 62 designated
- To the shore
- 46 m
Coordinates: 50.376315, -118.528369
Depth chart for Sugar Lake
82.9 mdeepest
Sugar Lake runs to 82.9 m (272 ft) at its deepest.
The Province sounded Sugar Lake and published the depth chart surveyed in 1969. It runs to 2 sheets.
The ice year at Sugar Lake, modelled
Modelled from air temperature, not an ice report. It says nothing about whether ice will hold you.
In the model Sugar Lake froze in 65 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 20 November and 12 December, and ice-off between 5 March and 2 April. The median winter freezes on 1 December and opens on 22 March.
the middle half of modelled winters the median ice cover in the median winter
Winter 2024-25 in the model: frozen from 17 January 2025 to 2 March 2025, 44 days.
Sugar 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.
Sugar Lake climate, 1960 to 2025
Averaged over a year, the air above Sugar Lake is 0.7 C warmer than it was in the 1960s. That is 66 years of daily readings, not a forecast.
- +0.7 Csince the 1960s
- 2.5 Caverage year now
- 1.9 Caverage year then
- -2 daysbelow freezing, change
each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025
each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025
This week at Sugar 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 | Mainly clear | 13° / 3° | 8 km/h | dry | Steady |
| Wed 21 Oct | Overcast | 18° / 9° | 13 km/h | dry | Falling (-5.8 hPa) |
| Thu 22 Oct | Overcast | 19° / 7° | 14 km/h | dry | Falling (-3.5 hPa) |
| Fri 23 Oct | Overcast | 9° / 2° | 9 km/h | dry | Rising (+11.0 hPa) |
| Sat 24 Oct | Overcast | 9° / 1° | 7 km/h | dry | Rising (+8.8 hPa) |
| Sun 25 Oct | Mainly clear | 10° / 0° | 7 km/h | dry | Rising (+2.5 hPa) |
| Mon 26 Oct | Overcast | 13° / 1° | 8 km/h | dry | Steady |
Sugar Lake, in brief
What fish are in Sugar Lake?
Rainbow Trout (last recorded 1995), Bull Trout (last recorded 1995), Kokanee (last recorded 1995), Dolly Varden (last recorded 1995), Burbot (last recorded 1995), Mountain Whitefish (last recorded 1995), Cutthroat Trout (last recorded 1995), Whitefish (General) (last recorded 1990). Species from the province's fish observation records.
Which management unit is Sugar Lake in?
Sugar Lake is in MU 8-23, in the Okanagan. The BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis is organised by management unit; check it before you go.
Trout lakes near Sugar Lake
- Sigalet Lake 9 km away
- Haggkvist Lake 10 km away
- Kate Lake 10 km away
- Holstein Lake 14 km away
- Rottacker Lake 14 km away
All 212 lakes in the Okanagan, with today's conditions on each.