East Barriere Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (BC)

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Lake depth chart

East Barriere Lake, BC

Max 328 ft

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Where to start

Chironomids (stillwater midges) window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Chironomids (stillwater midges)Active window

Typical here: Sep 1 – Oct 31 · the smaller fall second season — hatches continue on mild afternoons

nymphearly morning, start of the day — fish the bloodworm ON the bottom — 4–6 inches off the mud before the emergence starts
pupathe cool morning hours are prime — as the emergence builds, slide the pupa up to 12–15 inches off bottom under the indicator; a little wind chop does the jigging

Concentrates by DEPTH BAND and mud type, not a fixed spot: roughly 20–25 ft in spring, deeper midsummer, in against the feeder creeks in summer heat, 5–25 ft in fall. Match the band.

This one translates almost perfectly: a slip float with a 1/64–1/100 oz midge-pattern jig set 4–15 inches off bottom over a mud flat, dead-sticked with the chop doing the work. Depth control is everything — no moving lure imitates a hanging pupa; the float rig IS the technique.

The event happens over open mud flats alongside weedlines, channels and basin edges; feeder-creek mouths in summer heat

Water boatman fall flightsActive window

Typical here: Sep 1 – Oct 31 · fall mating flights on calm sunny days — 'raindrops hitting the water'; a smaller spring flight is documented right after ice-off

adultmiddday-ish on calm, sunny fall days — the fishable moment is the splashdown: boatmen dive in headfirst trailing an air bubble and make repeated trips back to the surface — a fly or lure that dives nose-first on the drop imitates exactly this

Takes are seldom subtle — trout ravage boatmen as they hit the water and during their subsurface runs.

Tailor-made for hardware: a small 1/16 oz silver-bellied spoon or jig cast AT the rings of a splashdown sinks headfirst exactly like the natural — twitch-pause it back through the top few feet. On flight days fan-cast the shallow weed margins.

The event happens over near-shore shallows, weed beds and shoal margins on calm sunny fall afternoons

Scuds (Gammarus shrimp)Active window

Typical here: Jan 1 – Dec 31 · year-round — the biomass behind the Kamloops fishery's growth rates; most important early spring and again in fall as dying weed cover exposes them

adultall day, year-round — best when weed cover is thin (early spring, late fall) — quick 1-inch 'shrimpy' strips along the weed beds and marl; in fall a subtle slow retrieve just off the bottom

Not an event — the pantry. Scud water is why these lakes grow big rainbows; fish them when nothing is hatching.

No hardware imitates a half-inch freshwater shrimp well — this is a jig game: a small olive/tan micro-jig under a slip float worked along the weed edges, or fished just off bottom in fall. Otherwise treat scud water as the signal that the lake grows big fish.

The event happens over weed beds, chara and marl flats and shoal-zone debris in calcium-rich lakes

Leeches (stillwater staple)Active window

Typical here: Jan 1 – Dec 31 · year-round — the go-to at ice-off before the chironomids start, and again through fall

adultany hour; low light and the cool ends of the season fish best — slow steady hand-twist or 2–3 inch pulls — in fall a slow steady pull outfishes a fast strip — or hang a balanced leech under an indicator

Baseline food, not an event — the honest 'nothing is hatching' answer on every interior lake, bracketing the season at ice-off and late fall.

The most spin-friendly item on the menu, with agency-documented tactics: slow-troll a Worden's Triple Teazer or Panther Martin along the drop-offs (the BC agency's own recommendation), or fish a black or olive marabou jig under a slip float over the shoal edge.

The event happens over shoal-zone vegetation, woody debris and rock, sliding to the drop-offs by day

Next on this water

Callibaetis (Speckled Dun) · mayflyApr 15 – Jul 31 · in ~6 months

Damselfly migration · forageJun 1 – Jul 31 · in ~8 months

Traveling sedge (giant lake caddis) · caddisJun 10 – Aug 15 · in ~8 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours on this water are approximations. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Depth · ft

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Recent catches at East Barriere Lake

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Fishing East Barriere Lake: what the data says

2,607-acre lake in Thompson-Nicola Regional District, British Columbia. The lake tops out around 328 ft. Contours on this water are modeled from its actual shoreline and max depth. Good for finding likely water, never for navigation. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.

The outline encloses 2,519 acres, worked by 16.8 miles of shoreline. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 2.4) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 0% of this chart, as modeled. Tip to tip the water measures near 6.6 mi with a 1.6-mi widest point. Thompson-Nicola Regional District claims this one. If the bite dies, North Barriere Lake is 4 mi to the northwest.

Burbot fishing at East Barriere Lake

When the water first warms, burbot slide up into 25 to 70 ft. Summer is a 50 to 120 ft game here, winter a 15 to 60 ft one. Start at Offshore hump. It's an offshore hump holding about 41 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run after dark and midday. Keep a heavy jig + cut bait rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	25 to 70 ft	night & dusk	Offshore hump (41 ft)	Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark)
Summer	50 to 120 ft	night & midday	Offshore hump (76 ft)	Heavy jig + cut bait
Fall	30 to 80 ft	night & dusk	Offshore hump (41 ft)	Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow)
Winter	15 to 60 ft	night & dusk	Offshore hump (41 ft)	Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head

Kokanee fishing at East Barriere Lake

Early season kokanee use the shallows, holding in 10 to 30 ft. Summer is a 30 to 70 ft game here, winter a 20 to 80 ft one. The chart's best answer is Offshore hump — offshore hump, 41 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Offshore hump (32 ft)	Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn
Summer	30 to 70 ft	dawn	Offshore hump (41 ft)	Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn
Fall	5 to 40 ft	dawn	open water	Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon
Winter	20 to 80 ft	dawn	Offshore hump (41 ft)	Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon

Rainbow Trout fishing at East Barriere Lake

Spring rainbow trout on East Barriere Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 40 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a feeding flat near 6 ft that grades good for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (6 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	8 to 40 ft	dawn	open water	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Lake Whitefish fishing at East Barriere Lake

Start shallow in spring: lake whitefish sit in 15 to 45 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 40 to 90 ft; cold water stacks them in 25 to 70 ft. Top water on the chart: Offshore hump, an offshore hump in the 41 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	15 to 45 ft	midday & dawn	Offshore hump (41 ft)	Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small)
Summer	40 to 90 ft	dawn	Offshore hump (41 ft)	Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon
Fall	8 to 30 ft	dusk	Offshore hump (32 ft)	Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva
Winter	25 to 70 ft	midday & dawn	Offshore hump (41 ft)	Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie

Bull Trout fishing at East Barriere Lake

Come spring, look for bull trout tight to the bank in 10 to 40 ft. They move out to 30 to 90 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 70 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 82 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A trolled plug on downrigger or a heavy jigging spoon is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	10 to 40 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Large jointed plug, 6" swimbait (kokanee/trout pattern)
Summer	30 to 90 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (82 ft)	Trolled plug on downrigger, Heavy jigging spoon
Fall	5 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Large glide bait, Jointed plug
Winter	20 to 70 ft	dawn	Main-lake point (82 ft)	Heavy spoon (slow lift), Large soft swimbait

Dolly Varden fishing at East Barriere Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: dolly varden in 1 to 30 ft. As the season builds they drop to 2 to 40 ft, wintering in 8 to 45 ft. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small chrome spoon or a baitfish streamer gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 30 ft	dawn & midday	open water	Small silver spoon, Inline spinner
Summer	2 to 40 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Small chrome spoon, Baitfish streamer
Fall	1 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	open water	Small spinner, Egg or fry pattern
Winter	8 to 45 ft	midday	open water	Small slow spoon, Weighted baitfish fly

Notable structure

The chart marks 9 structure features on East Barriere Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 279 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 279 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 82 ft
Secondary point: point, around 82 ft
Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 76 ft
Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 41 ft
Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 32 ft
Shallow bay flat: feeding flat, around 6 ft
Back-bay flat: feeding flat, around 6 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 0 ft

Public access & boat ramps

East Barriere Lake — ramp (boat launch - concrete)

Access data: British Columbia Recreation Sites and Trails - Recreation Sites Subset; Government of British Columbia - Dual-Verified Provincial Crown Land Shoreline; Government of British Columbia - Dual-Verified Provincial Crown Land Shoreline. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

East Barriere Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for British Columbia waters are set by the BC freshwater fishing synopsis — and special regulations can apply to East Barriere Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official British Columbia fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is East Barriere Lake?

East Barriere Lake is about 328 ft (100 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.

What fish are in East Barriere Lake?

Anglers target burbot, kokanee, rainbow trout, lake whitefish, bull trout, dolly varden on East Barriere Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on East Barriere Lake?

Offshore hump is the top-rated area: an offshore hump in about 41 ft of water that rates prime for burbot in winter. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish East Barriere Lake?

For burbot, the summer bite is best in after dark and midday. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.

What are the fishing regulations for East Barriere Lake?

Fishing on East Barriere Lake is regulated by the BC freshwater fishing synopsis. Check the official British Columbia regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

North Barriere Lake 4 mi · South Barriere Lake 5 mi · Upper South Barriere Lake 6 mi · Johnson Lake 8 mi · Saskum Lake 10 mi · Adams Lake 11 mi · Forest Lake 14 mi · Genier Lakes 15 mi · Mctaggart Lakes 16 mi · Pisima Lake 17 mi · Nikwikwaia Lakes 17 mi · Dunn Lake 18 mi

See how East Barriere Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in British Columbia · best kokanee lakes in British Columbia · best lake whitefish lakes in British Columbia · best burbot lakes in British Columbia

More water nearby: Thompson-Nicola Regional District fishing maps (322 charts). Browse all British Columbia fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.