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Whitetail Lake

Kootenays
50.1833° N, 116.0333° W

Map of Whitetail Lake: the shoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, the roads round it from the BC Digital Road Atlas, the traced road in and the recreation site.116°06′W116°04′W116°02′W116°00′W50°10′N50°11′N50°12′N50°13′NWhitetail LakeWhitetail Lake rec site4646 m to shore012 kmNMap of Whitetail Lake: the shoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, the roads round it from the BC Digital Road Atlas, the traced road in and the recreation site.116°02′W116°00′W50°10′N50°11′N50°12′N50°13′NWhitetail Lake rec site4646 m to shore02 kmN
WaterTraced road inRoadRough surface roadRec siteShoreline from the BC Freshwater Atlas, roads from the BC Digital Road Atlas, under the Open Government Licence, British Columbia. Rec site position from BC Recreation Sites and Trails, checked 7 September 2026. The lake's depth is not drawn on this map.
Surface area
140ha
Elevation
1,619m

Featured on the cover of the BC Fishing Regulations Synopsis, Whitetail Lake is universally regarded as one of the finest trophy stillwaters in the Kootenays. Stocked with fast-growing Gerrard and Premier strains, it regularly produces rainbows over 5-8 lbs.

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

Trophy fish at Whitetail Lake

Whitetail Lake is known for trophy Rainbow trout to 9 lb.

  • Rainbow trout to 9 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.

Whitetail Lake at a glance

Region
Kootenays
Species
Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout
Lake size
Medium Lake (50 - 500 ha)
Ice fishing
Open to ice fishing, confirmed
Coordinates
50.1833, -116.0333

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Gear for rainbow trout

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How to fish Whitetail Lake

Indicator fishing with large chironomid pupae (#12/#14 Chromie, ASW, ice cream cone) along the 12-22 ft drop-offs. Strip balanced leeches, dragon nymphs, or freshwater shrimp on intermediate clear lines across the marl shoals.

Best times of year at Whitetail Lake

  • Spring (May-June)
  • Fall (Sept-Oct)

Whitetail Lake fishing regulations

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

Getting to Whitetail Lake

Maintained gravel Forest Service Road access from Canal Flats / Findlay Creek FSR.

24.0 km of traced road to the campground by way of Findlay-Whitetail FSR, Findlay Creek FSR and Findlay Creek Rd. The road at the end is a loose surface. It stops 70 m short of the campground.

The road route traced to Campground at Whitetail Lake, 24.0 km.Start of the traceCampground5 km
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: 50.1833, -116.0333

Camping and rec sites at Whitetail Lake

  • Whitetail Lake
    To the shore
    4646 m

    Forestry recreation site with 30+ campsites and concrete ramp
    Facilities: Boat Ramp, Campground, Toilets, Dock
    Access: Accessible by 2wd vehicle down 28km of dirt road. Active logging road, CB radio recommended. Access is 4.5km north Canal Flats and 44km south of Invermere. <br><br> From HWY 93/95 turn West onto Findlay Creek FSR (Radio controlled road use RR-1). Take the right hand fork just after the 15km marker onto Findlay-Whitetail FSR. Continue for 12.5 km, keeping right, turn right at 27.5 to Whitetail Lake Recreation Site. <br><br> Road can be rough at times.
    Coordinates: 50.213642, -116.031237

    The site on Recreation Sites and Trails BC

The ice year at Whitetail Lake, modelled

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

In the model Whitetail Lake froze in 65 of the 65 winters since 1960. Freeze-up falls most years between 18 October and 30 October, and ice-off between 23 May and 8 June. The median winter freezes on 27 October and opens on 31 May.

Modelled ice season at Whitetail Lake: freeze-up most winters between 18 October and 30 October, ice-off between 23 May and 8 June.OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunFreeze-upIce-offabout 218 days in the median winter

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

Winter 2024-25 in the model: frozen from 28 October 2024 to 27 May 2025, 211 days.

Whitetail 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.

Whitetail Lake climate, 1960 to 2025

Averaged over a year, the air above Whitetail 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
  • 1.7 Caverage year now
  • 1.0 Caverage year then
  • -4 daysbelow freezing, change
Average year at Whitetail Lakedegrees C, yearly mean
-1 C2 C4 C1960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

Days below freezingdays a year averaging under 0 C
1231682141960198020002020

each yearthe trend across 1960 to 2025

This week at Whitetail 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 OctPartly cloudy9° / -2°10 km/hdrySteady
Wed 21 OctOvercast14° / 4°13 km/h, gusts 25dryFalling (-4.5 hPa)
Thu 22 OctOvercast10° / 1°13 km/h, gusts 20dryFalling (-4.6 hPa)
Fri 23 OctSlight rain6° / 1°10 km/h, gusts 174 mmRising (+4.5 hPa)
Sat 24 OctOvercast3° / -3°10 km/h, gusts 20dryRising (+12.0 hPa)
Sun 25 OctModerate snow1° / -7°9 km/h6 mmRising (+6.4 hPa)
Mon 26 OctClear sky2° / -8°8 km/hdryRising (+1.3 hPa)

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Trout lakes near Whitetail Lake

All 162 lakes in the Kootenays, with today's conditions on each.

Reading the water