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Fishing Shawnigan Lake: what the data says
1,355-acre lake near British Columbia. The lake tops out around 198 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 Shawnigan Lake
Start shallow in spring: brook trout sit in 2 to 15 ft that time of year. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 20 ft. Shawnigan Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring brook trout. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | 10 to 30 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 |
Brown Bullhead fishing at Shawnigan Lake
Start shallow in spring: brown bullhead sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 12 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring brown bullhead. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday |
Cutthroat Trout fishing at Shawnigan Lake
Spring cutthroat trout on Shawnigan Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 40 ft. Shawnigan Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring cutthroat trout. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A trolled spoon (small) or a inline spinner covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig |
Kokanee fishing at Shawnigan Lake
In spring, kokanee run shallow here, mostly 10 to 30 ft. By summer they slide out to 30 to 70 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 80 ft. Shawnigan Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for fall kokanee. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn | Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn |
| Fall | 5 to 40 ft | dawn | Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon |
Pumpkinseed fishing at Shawnigan Lake
Start shallow in spring: pumpkinseed sit in 1 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 2 to 10 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 18 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring pumpkinseed. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Tie on a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | midday & dusk | Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dusk & dawn | Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 6 to 18 ft | dawn | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Shawnigan Lake
Spring smallmouth bass on Shawnigan Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. Shawnigan Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring smallmouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Shawnigan Lake also holds rainbow trout (8 to 30 ft in summer), lake whitefish (40 to 90 ft in summer), yellow perch (10 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 168 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 99 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 89 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 50 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 50 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 10 ft
- Shawnigan Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 8 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Common questions
How deep is Shawnigan Lake?
Shawnigan Lake is about 198 ft 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 Shawnigan Lake?
Anglers target smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, yellow perch, brook trout, kokanee, lake whitefish, cutthroat trout, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Shawnigan Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Shawnigan Lake?
Shawnigan Creek inflow is the top-rated area: a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for brook trout in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Shawnigan 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.