Region 4
Trout fishing in the Kootenays
The Kootenays are steep country with two kinds of water: the big cold lakes in the valleys, home to bull trout, Gerrard rainbows and kokanee, and the small mountain lakes above them that open late and fish hard for a short season.
Whiteswan Lake. Photo: Esce03, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.
162 lakes, 39 with live conditionsUpdated 11 September
Westslope cutthroat show up more here than anywhere else. Elevation decides everything: a lake at 1,500 m may still be iced in when the valley lake below it has been open for six weeks.
The Kootenays holds 162 of the 1,842 stillwaters on BC Trout Finder, the water most people mean when they search for trout fishing near Cranbrook, Nelson and Fernie. 29 of them are trophy class. 116 have a rec site or campground on the shore. Depths run from 1.8 m to 298.1 m.
- 162lakes on their own coordinates
- 116with a rec site or campground on the shore
- 29trophy waters
- 298.1 mthe deepest lake on record here
Open the live mapEvery lake in the Kootenays on one map, with the week ahead on each.
Fishing best in the Kootenays right now
Our 1 to 100 score on each lake's own coordinate, highest first. Rebuilt every morning.
- 96Lower Little Slocan Lake21° / 8° · wind 11
Best day Saturday, 98
- 96Erie Lake22° / 8° · wind 10
Best day Saturday, 100
- 96Snowshoe Lake21° / 7° · wind 11
Best day Saturday, 100
- 96Beaver Lake19° / 7° · wind 11
Best day Saturday, 99
- 96Box Lake20° / 7° · wind 9
Best day Saturday, 99
- 96Champion Lakes18° / 6° · wind 13
Best day Friday, 96
What is in the Kootenays
- 162 lakes mapped on their own coordinates
- 35 with a depth and a sourced regulation on file
- 29 trophy class waters, fish in the 5 lb and up range
- 116 have camping at a rec site or provincial park
- 75 open to ice fishing under the regulations on file
Best trophy trout lakes in the Kootenays
- Alces (Moose) Lake
- Arrow Lakes
The collective name for Upper and Lower Arrow Lake, the Columbia River reservoir system running from Revelstoke down to Castlegar. Big, deep, cold water fished mainly by trolling for rainbow and bull trout, with levels that move through the season as BC Hydro draws the reservoir down and refills it. See the individual Upper Arrow and Lower Arrow entries for access and conditions on each.
- Baynes Lake
- Cartwright Lake
- Cedar Lake (Near Golden)
- Champion Lakes
- Columbia Lake
- Kinbasket (Mcnaughton) Lake
Kinbasket (Mcnaughton) Lake is a large water (> 500 ha) in the Kootenays region, with access typical of the region. The map view has precise coordinates and driving directions.
- Koocanusa Reservoir
- Kootenay Lake
Historically home to the world's largest wild rainbow trout, with a 35.5 lb lake record from 1976. That fishery has since declined: the Gerrard rainbow population grew large enough to outstrip its kokanee forage, shrinking average size toward what's typical of ordinary BC lakes. An angler incentive program now pays anglers to harvest rainbow and bull trout to help the kokanee population recover. Bull trout remain a genuine trophy draw here, reported to 20 lbs.
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Every lake we cover in the Kootenays, with today's conditions
| Lake | Score | High / low | Wind | Max depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Procter Lake | 93 | 14° / 6° | 8 | Not surveyed |
| Caribou Lakes | 84 | 12° / 3° | 14 | Not surveyed |
| Phillipps Lake | 84 | 10° / 4° | 20 | Not surveyed |
| Lower Little Slocan Lake | 96 | 21° / 8° | 11 | 18.29 m |
| Moyie Lake | 58 | 20° / 7° | 22 | Not surveyed |
| Arrow Lakes | 95 | 21° / 7° | 10 | Not surveyed |
| Erie Lake | 96 | 22° / 8° | 10 | 14.3 m |
| Help Lake | 94 | 16° / 8° | 8 | 2.4 m |
| New Lake | 92 | 17° / 6° | 15 | Not surveyed |
| Snowshoe Lake | 89 | 15° / 7° | 13 | Not surveyed |
| Slocan Lake | 92 | 22° / 8° | 7 | 298.1 m |
| Whatshan Lake | 91 | 21° / 8° | 12 | 116.1 m |
| Connor Lake | − | 8° / 1° | 12 | Not surveyed |
| Edwards Lakes | 67 | 20° / 10° | 30 | 7.9 m |
| Fishermaiden Lake | 88 | 12° / 2° | 17 | Not surveyed |
| Garbutt Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Hahas Lake | 79 | 20° / 7° | 18 | 12.19 m |
| Hiawatha Lake | 93 | 20° / 7° | 12 | Not surveyed |
| Idlewild Lake | 91 | 18° / 7° | 19 | Not surveyed |
| Jim Smith Lake | 91 | 18° / 6° | 11 | 7.32 m |
| Lower Arrow Lake | 91 | 22° / 9° | 11 | Not surveyed |
| Snowshoe Lake | 96 | 21° / 7° | 11 | 19.81 m |
| Beaver Lake | 96 | 19° / 7° | 11 | 7.0 m |
| Box Lake | 96 | 20° / 7° | 9 | 7.3 m |
| Catherine Lake | 90 | 19° / 5° | 17 | 42.1 m |
| Chain Lake | 93 | 18° / 9° | 14 | 4.6 m |
| Champion Lakes | 96 | 18° / 6° | 13 | Not surveyed |
| Coursier Lake | 87 | 14° / 4° | 15 | 20.7 m |
| Hartley Lake | − | 13° / 4° | 12 | Not surveyed |
| Kokanee Lake | − | 9° / 0° | 17 | Not surveyed |
| Kootenay Lake | 55 | 21° / 10° | 22 | 150 m |
| Loon Lake | 74 | 20° / 10° | 30 | Not surveyed |
| Lost Lake | 88 | 12° / 2° | 13 | Not surveyed |
| Munroe Lake | − | 11° / 4° | 17 | Not surveyed |
| North Star Lake | 70 | 20° / 9° | 29 | 10.97 m |
| Premier Lake | 74 | 20° / 8° | 20 | 32.5 m |
| Suzanne Lake | 84 | 21° / 10° | 15 | Not surveyed |
| Whiteswan Lake | 83 | 17° / 5° | 15 | 19.3 m |
| Alces (Moose) Lake | 82 | 17° / 6° | 22 | Not surveyed |
| Beatrice Lake | − | − | − | 95 m |
| Blue Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Cameron Lake | − | − | − | 12.5 m |
| Cartwright Lake | − | − | − | 12.2 m |
| Cedar Lake (Near Golden) | − | − | − | 24.99 m |
| Cherry Lake | − | − | − | 13.0 m |
| Dorothy Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Echo Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Harris Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Johnson Lake | − | − | − | 6.5 m |
| Kinbasket (Mcnaughton) Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Koocanusa Reservoir | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Lake Enid | − | − | − | 8.2 m |
| Lakit Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Larchwood Lake | − | − | − | 10.06 m |
| Lazy Lake | − | − | − | 10.67 m |
| Little Mosquito Lake | − | − | − | 25.8 m |
| Little Wilson Lake | − | − | − | 23.2 m |
| Lomond Lake | − | − | − | 6.4 m |
| Lower Elk Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Lund Lake | − | − | − | 18.0 m |
| Nine Bay Lake | − | − | − | 11.0 m |
| Palmer Bar Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Plaid Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Revelstoke Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Rosebud Lake | − | − | − | 17.1 m |
| Sand Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Saugum Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| St. Mary Lake | − | − | − | 21.03 m |
| Staubert Lake | − | − | − | 25.6 m |
| Tie Lake | − | − | − | 4.88 m |
| Trout Lake (Lardeau) | − | − | − | 232 m |
| Upper Arrow Lake | − | − | − | 289 m |
| Upper Arrow Lake (Drawdown Area) | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Upper Elk Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Wapiti Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Whitetail Lake | − | − | − | 192.0 m |
| Wilbur Lake | − | − | − | 10.0 m |
| Wilson Lake | − | − | − | 85.04 m |
| Windermere Lake | − | − | − | 6.4 m |
| 7 Mile Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Arkansas Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Barrett Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Baynes Lake | − | − | − | 15.2 m |
| Bednorski Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Big Fish (Dunbar) Lake | − | − | − | 21 m |
| Bittern Lake | − | − | − | 12 m |
| Blackwater Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Botts Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Boundary Lake | − | − | − | 12.5 m |
| Bridal Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Cerulean Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Cleland Lake | − | − | − | 31.7 m |
| Columbia Lake | − | − | − | 5.2 m |
| Cooley Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Cottonwood Lake | − | − | − | 14.9 m |
| Cub Lake | − | − | − | 12.5 m |
| Curtis Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Diana Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Dogsleg Lake | − | − | − | 9.1 m |
| Duncan Lake | − | − | − | 117.3 m |
| Echoes Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Fenwick Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Fish Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Fletcher Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Fortress Lake | − | − | − | 67.0 m |
| Frozen Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Haha Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Halfway Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Hall Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Hall Lakes | − | − | − | 1.8 m |
| Hamling Lakes | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Horseshoe Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Horseshoe Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Jade Lake | − | − | − | 12.2 m |
| Kimbol Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Lake of the Hanging Glacier | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Larix Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Larson Lake | − | − | − | 3.4 m |
| Leadqueen Lake | − | − | − | 2.4 m |
| Lillian Lake | − | − | − | 11.6 m |
| Little Mitten Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Loon Lake | − | − | − | 9.1 m |
| Lower Halgrave Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Marion Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| McLean Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Mcclain Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Mcnaughton Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Milford Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Mineral Lake | − | − | − | 25 m |
| Monroe Lake | − | − | − | 30.78 m |
| Moose Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Mosquito Lake | − | − | − | 26.5 m |
| Nancy Greene (Sheep) Lake | − | − | − | 7.4 m |
| Norbury (Garbutt) Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Oliver Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Panther Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Peckhams Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Ritchie Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Rocky Point Lake | − | − | − | 14.6 m |
| Rykerts (Vic Mawson) Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Sam's Folly Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Sasquatch Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Shannon Lake | − | − | − | 70.0 m |
| Six Mile Lakes | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| South Caribou Lake | − | − | − | 17.7 m |
| Sowerby (Grundy) Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Steamboat Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Summer Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Summit Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Susan Lake | − | − | − | 31.09 m |
| Tamarack Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Three Island Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Topaz Lake | − | − | − | 5.5 m |
| Twin Lakes | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Upper Halgrave Lake | − | − | − | 10.7 m |
| Waldie Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Wasa Lake | − | − | − | 13.11 m |
| White Boar Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Whitelady Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Whitetail Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
| Wilmer Lake | − | − | − | 3.4 m |
| Wragge Lake | − | − | − | Not surveyed |
A dash means we have no observed forecast for that lake right now. We would rather leave it blank than fill it in.
Trout lakes near towns in the Kootenays
Reading the water
Other BC fishing regions
Data from the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, the BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis, and Sites and Trails BC.