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Rating depth structure for smallmouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
279-acre lake in Nanaimo Regional District, British Columbia. The lake tops out around 24 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
The drawn water covers 279 acres wrapped in 11.1 miles of bank, with a single island in the mix. With a shoreline index of 4.7, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. 88% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. Figure 2 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.9 mi at the beam. It sits in Nanaimo Regional District. Its nearest charted neighbour, Greenway Lake, is 1 mi to the northeast.
In spring, cutthroat trout run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 7 to 24 ft before dropping to 6 to 24 ft for winter. Fall cutthroat trout concentrate at Main-lake point, a prime-rated point around 8 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon |
| Summer | 7 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner |
| Fall | 5 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Casting spoon, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 6 to 24 ft | dawn | Deep basin (20 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig |
Start shallow in spring: pumpkinseed sit in 1 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 2 to 10 ft, and winter fish settle into 6 to 18 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for pumpkinseed in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. Throw a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 6 to 18 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
When the water first warms, smallmouth bass slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 7 to 24 ft game here, winter a 7 to 24 ft one. Start at Main-lake point. It's a point holding about 8 ft of water and rates prime come fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 7 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 7 to 24 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Deep basin (20 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Spring rainbow trout on Quennell Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 6 to 24 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 24 ft. The chart's best answer is Main-lake point — point, 8 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in 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 | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 6 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 7 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 5 to 24 ft | dawn | Deep basin (20 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Structure-wise the chart holds 5 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 20 ft.
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 Quennell Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official British Columbia fishing regulations →
Quennell 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.
Anglers target cutthroat trout, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, rainbow trout on Quennell Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for pumpkinseed in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For cutthroat 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.
Fishing on Quennell 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.
Greenway Lake 1 mi · Holden Lake 2 mi · Michael Lake 2 mi · Priest Lake 2 mi · Beck Lake 4 mi · Blind Lake 6 mi · Timberland Lake 6 mi · Degnen Bay 6 mi · Mckay Lake 7 mi · Nanaimo Harbour 7 mi · Stocking Lake 8 mi · Holland Lake 9 mi
See how Quennell Lake stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in British Columbia · best rainbow trout lakes in British Columbia · best cutthroat trout lakes in British Columbia · best pumpkinseed lakes in British Columbia
More water nearby: Nanaimo Regional District fishing maps (33 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.