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4,814-acre lake in British Columbia. The lake tops out around 150 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Drawn out, this is 4,804 acres of water rimmed by 26.1 miles of bank. With a shoreline index of 2.7, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Roughly 11% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 9.3 mi long by 1.8 mi wide at the broadest reach. You'll find it in Columbia-Shuswap Regional District. For a second option, Gardom Lake lies 14 mi southwest.
These fish are listed in an exact-water agency record as forage or ecological context. They are not target-species profiles and do not affect DepthScout's Prime, Good, or Fair spot ratings.
Official exact-water fish record. The listing documents source-recorded presence, not present abundance or guaranteed catchability.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: burbot in 25 to 70 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 50 to 120 ft before dropping to 15 to 60 ft for winter. The spot to know is Offshore hump, an offshore hump in about 19 ft of water that rates prime for burbot in winter. Plan around after dark and midday in the warm months. Summer baits: a heavy jig + cut bait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 25 to 70 ft | night & dusk | Break off the point (68 ft) | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | night & midday | Deep basin (128 ft) | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 30 to 80 ft | night & dusk | Break off the point (68 ft) | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 15 to 60 ft | night & dusk | Offshore hump (19 ft) | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
Start shallow in spring: chinook salmon sit in 5 to 40 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 50 to 120 ft; cold water stacks them in 30 to 90 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 128 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (16 ft) | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (128 ft) | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (16 ft) | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 30 to 90 ft | midday | Break off the point (68 ft) | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
Spring puts coho salmon in skinny water — 3 to 25 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 30 to 70 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 60 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 68 ft, rated prime for summer coho salmon. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (16 ft) | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (68 ft) | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (38 ft) | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Sharp break (16 ft) | Small spoon, slow troll |
Start shallow in spring: common carp sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 30 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a feeding flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for common carp in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday | open water |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: kokanee in 10 to 30 ft. As the season builds they drop to 30 to 70 ft, wintering in 20 to 80 ft. Top water on the chart: Sharp break, a drop-off in the 16 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning. Summer baits: a dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Sharp break (16 ft) | Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn | Break off the point (68 ft) | Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn |
| Fall | 5 to 40 ft | dawn | Sharp break (16 ft) | Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (19 ft) | Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: lake trout in 10 to 40 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 50 to 120 ft before dropping to 20 to 80 ft for winter. The spot to know is Rock reef, a rock pile in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for lake trout in fall. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (38 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | Deep basin (128 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (9 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (19 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Mara Lake also holds rainbow trout (8 to 30 ft in summer), lake whitefish (40 to 90 ft in summer), sockeye salmon (3 to 80 ft in summer), bull trout (30 to 90 ft in summer), dolly varden (2 to 40 ft in summer), pink salmon (3 to 70 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Mara Lake carries 9 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 128 ft down.
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 Mara Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official British Columbia fishing regulations →
Mara Lake is about 150 ft (46 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.
Anglers target burbot, chinook salmon, coho salmon, common carp, kokanee, lake trout, rainbow trout, lake whitefish, sockeye salmon, bull trout, dolly varden, pink salmon on Mara Lake.
Offshore hump is the top-rated area: an offshore hump in about 19 ft of water that rates prime for burbot in winter. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
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.
Fishing on Mara 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.
Gardom Lake 14 mi · White Lake 14 mi · Little White Lake 15 mi · Hidden Lake 16 mi · Shuswap Lake 17 mi · Kidney Lake 17 mi · Skimikin Lake 19 mi · Mabel Lake 19 mi · Wallensteen Lake 21 mi · Kernaghan Lake 22 mi · Bryden Lake 23 mi · Phillips Lake 23 mi
See how Mara Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in British Columbia · best common carp lakes in British Columbia · best chinook salmon lakes in British Columbia · best coho salmon lakes in British Columbia
More water nearby: Columbia-Shuswap Regional District fishing maps (49 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.