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Rating depth structure for rainbow trout.
Recent public catches load as you reach this section.
1,761-acre lake in Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District, British Columbia. The lake tops out around 65 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Traced from the shoreline, Skidegate Lake runs 1,761 acres with 15.6 miles of edge. The 2.7 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. Roughly 33% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 6.4 mi long by 1.3 mi wide at the broadest reach. The water lies in Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Mosquito Lake, 7 mi southwest of here.
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.
Spring puts coho salmon in skinny water — 3 to 25 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 20 to 65 ft, wintering in 20 to 60 ft. Summer coho salmon concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 55 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline covers the summer program.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 20 to 65 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (55 ft) | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Deep basin (55 ft) | Small spoon, slow troll |
Spring cutthroat trout on Skidegate Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 15 ft. They move out to 10 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 40 ft. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 29 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (29 ft) | Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Casting spoon, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | dawn | Break off the point (29 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig |
Early season steelhead use the shallows, holding in 3 to 20 ft. Summer is a 5 to 45 ft game here, winter a 4 to 15 ft one. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 55 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on an orange dodger + fly high in the column or a thin spoon off boards and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Small spoon or spinner at the mouths, Jig + waxworm under float |
| Summer | 5 to 45 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (55 ft) | Orange dodger + fly high in the column, Thin spoon off boards |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (29 ft) | Spinner (silver/blue), Casting spoon |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | open water | Float jig (black/purple), Bead rig |
Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 8 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Break off the point, a drop-off in the 29 ft range, prime in winter. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. 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 | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (29 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Break off the point (29 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Start shallow in spring: chum salmon sit in 9 to 65 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 4 to 65 ft covers summer, 16 to 65 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 55 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a chartreuse or pink hoochie or a bright spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 9 to 65 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (55 ft) | Chrome spoon, Compact baitfish jig |
| Summer | 4 to 65 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Chartreuse or pink hoochie, Bright spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Bright spinner, Pink or chartreuse jig |
| Winter | 16 to 65 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 100 ft | midday | Deep basin (55 ft) | Compact vertical jig |
Early season dolly varden use the shallows, holding in 1 to 30 ft. Expect a summer slide to 2 to 40 ft, then a winter hold in 8 to 45 ft. Put Main-lake point first on the milk run — a point near 16 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small chrome spoon or a baitfish streamer and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 30 ft | dawn & midday | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Small silver spoon, Inline spinner |
| Summer | 2 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Small chrome spoon, Baitfish streamer |
| Fall | 1 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (16 ft) | Small spinner, Egg or fry pattern |
| Winter | 8 to 45 ft | midday | Break off the point (29 ft) | Small slow spoon, Weighted baitfish fly |
6 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 55 ft, is the deepest of them.
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 Skidegate Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official British Columbia fishing regulations →
Skidegate Lake is about 65 ft (20 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 coho salmon, cutthroat trout, steelhead, rainbow trout, chum salmon, dolly varden on Skidegate Lake.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 55 ft of water that rates prime for coho salmon in summer. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For coho salmon, 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 Skidegate 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.
Mosquito Lake 7 mi · Mathers Lake 10 mi · Skidegate Inlet 12 mi · Yakoun Lake 21 mi · Sheila Lake 31 mi · Marie Lake 31 mi · Peter Lake 32 mi · Pam Lake 32 mi · Mayer Lake 41 mi · Port Clements - Masset Inlet 42 mi · Awun Lake 43 mi · Mercer Lake 50 mi
See how Skidegate Lake stacks up: best rainbow trout lakes in British Columbia · best coho salmon lakes in British Columbia · best steelhead lakes in British Columbia · best cutthroat trout lakes in British Columbia
More water nearby: Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District fishing maps (46 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.