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Fishing Jim Smith Lake: what the data says
59-acre lake near British Columbia. The lake tops out around 24 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Brook Trout fishing at Jim Smith Lake
In spring, brook trout run shallow here, mostly 2 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 7 to 24 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 20 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for brook trout in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 7 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Burbot fishing at Jim Smith Lake
Spring burbot on Jim Smith Lake hold shallow, usually 7 to 24 ft. Summer fish stay in 7 to 24 ft, and winter fish hold in 6 to 24 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 20 ft, rated prime for spring burbot. Plan around after dark and midday in the warm months. A heavy jig + cut bait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 7 to 24 ft | night & dusk | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 7 to 24 ft | night & midday | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 7 to 24 ft | night & dusk | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 6 to 24 ft | night & dusk | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
Kokanee fishing at Jim Smith Lake
Start shallow in spring: kokanee sit in 7 to 24 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 7 to 24 ft, and winter fish hold in 6 to 24 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 20 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 7 to 24 ft | dawn | Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn |
| Summer | 7 to 24 ft | dawn | Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn |
| Fall | 3 to 24 ft | dawn | Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon |
| Winter | 6 to 24 ft | dawn | Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Jim Smith Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Jim Smith Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 24 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Jim Smith Lake
Spring rainbow trout on Jim Smith Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 6 to 24 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 24 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 6 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 7 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 5 to 24 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Yellow Perch fishing at Jim Smith Lake
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 7 to 24 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 24 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 7 to 24 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 20 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is Jim Smith Lake?
Jim Smith Lake is about 24 ft (7 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 Jim Smith Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, rainbow trout, yellow perch, brook trout, kokanee, burbot on Jim Smith Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Jim Smith Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for burbot in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Jim Smith Lake?
For brook trout, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Hiawatha Lake · Monroe Lake · Mineral Lake · Moyie Lake · Hahas Lake · Wasa Lake
See how Jim Smith Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in British Columbia · best rainbow trout lakes in British Columbia · best yellow perch lakes in British Columbia · best brook trout lakes in British Columbia
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