Murtle Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (BC)

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Lake depth chart

Murtle Lake, BC

Max 1093 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 ~7 months

Damselfly migration · forageJun 1 – Jul 31 · in ~9 months

Traveling sedge (giant lake caddis) · caddisJun 10 – Aug 15 · in ~9 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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Fishing Murtle Lake: what the data says

18,860-acre lake in Thompson-Nicola Regional District, British Columbia. The lake tops out around 1093 ft. The contours come from a model of the real basin shape and its known max depth. Read them as probabilities, not soundings, and keep them out of navigation decisions. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.

Traced from the shoreline, Murtle Lake runs 18,860 acres with 62.1 miles of edge — 4 islands included. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 3.2) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. About 1% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Figure 12.6 mi of water from one end to the other, 10 mi at the beam. You'll find it in Thompson-Nicola Regional District. For a second option, Mcdougall Lake lies 9 mi northwest.

Kokanee fishing at Murtle Lake

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: Offshore hump, an offshore hump in the 26 ft range, prime in winter. 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	Offshore hump (26 ft)	Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn
Summer	30 to 70 ft	dawn	Offshore hump (28 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 (26 ft)	Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon

Rainbow Trout fishing at Murtle Lake

Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Shoreline point, a point in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in fall. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Shoreline point (20 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Shoreline point (20 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Shoreline point (20 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	8 to 40 ft	dawn	Break off the point (492 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Notable structure

13 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 929 ft, is the deepest of them.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 929 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 492 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 273 ft
Secondary point: point, around 273 ft
Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 169 ft
Shoreline point: point, around 48 ft
Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 28 ft
Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 26 ft
Shoreline point: point, around 20 ft
Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 20 ft
Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 20 ft
Shallow bay flat: feeding flat, around 6 ft
Back-bay flat: feeding flat, around 6 ft

Murtle 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 Murtle Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official British Columbia fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Murtle Lake?

Murtle Lake is about 1093 ft (333 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 Murtle Lake?

Anglers target kokanee, rainbow trout on Murtle Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Murtle Lake?

Shoreline point is the top-rated area: a point in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in fall. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.

When is the best time to fish Murtle Lake?

For kokanee, the summer bite is best in early morning. 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 Murtle Lake?

Fishing on Murtle 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

Mcdougall Lake 9 mi · Blue Lake 10 mi · Kostal Lake 10 mi · Stevens Lakes 12 mi · Stevens Lakes 15 mi · Ray Lake 15 mi · Eleanor Lake 18 mi · Zellers Lake 20 mi · Shadow Lake 20 mi · Alice Lake 20 mi · Mud Lake 21 mi · Clearwater Lake 22 mi

See how Murtle Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in British Columbia · best kokanee lakes in British Columbia

More water nearby: Thompson-Nicola Regional District fishing maps (322 charts). Browse all British Columbia fishing maps or 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.

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