Tugulnuit Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (BC)

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Lake depth chart

Tugulnuit Lake, BC

Max 27 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 here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Tugulnuit Lake

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Fishing Tugulnuit Lake: what the data says

116-acre lake in Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District, British Columbia. The lake tops out around 27 ft. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.

Traced from the shoreline, Tugulnuit Lake runs 116 acres with 2 miles of edge. Nearly circular (index 1.3), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. All of it is shallow-zone water — under ~15 ft across the entire basin, so the food chain has the run of the place. The basin spans about 0.7 mi end to end and 0.4 mi across at its widest. You'll find it in Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Gallagher Lake, 3 mi north of here.

Burbot fishing at Tugulnuit Lake

In spring, burbot run shallow here, mostly 8 to 27 ft. Summer keeps them at 8 to 27 ft, and they winter in 7 to 27 ft. Spring burbot concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 16 ft. Fish it in after dark and midday and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a heavy jig + cut bait most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	8 to 27 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (16 ft)	Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark)
Summer	8 to 27 ft	night & midday	Deep basin (16 ft)	Heavy jig + cut bait
Fall	8 to 27 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (16 ft)	Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow)
Winter	7 to 27 ft	night & dusk	Deep basin (16 ft)	Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head

Largemouth Bass fishing at Tugulnuit Lake

Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 8 to 27 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 1 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	8 to 27 ft	midday	Deep basin (16 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Smallmouth Bass fishing at Tugulnuit Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: smallmouth bass in 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 27 ft before dropping to 8 to 27 ft for winter. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 16 ft of water that rates good for smallmouth bass in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Ned rig, Tube jig
Summer	8 to 27 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (1 ft)	Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig
Fall	8 to 25 ft	midday & dawn	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Jerkbait, Blade bait
Winter	8 to 27 ft	midday	Deep basin (16 ft)	Blade bait, Hair jig

Rainbow Trout fishing at Tugulnuit Lake

In spring, rainbow trout run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 7 to 27 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 27 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 16 ft, rated prime for winter rainbow trout. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Main-lake point (1 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	7 to 27 ft	dawn & dusk	Deep basin (16 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	8 to 27 ft	dawn & dusk	Deep basin (16 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	5 to 27 ft	dawn	Deep basin (16 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Walleye fishing at Tugulnuit Lake

When the water first warms, walleye slide up into 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 27 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 27 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 16 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Keep a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	4 to 15 ft	dusk & dawn	Main-lake point (1 ft)	1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig
Summer	8 to 27 ft	dusk & dawn	Deep basin (16 ft)	Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled)
Fall	8 to 27 ft	dusk & night	Deep basin (16 ft)	Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow
Winter	8 to 27 ft	dusk & dawn	Deep basin (16 ft)	Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait

Lake Whitefish fishing at Tugulnuit Lake

Spring lake whitefish on Tugulnuit Lake hold shallow, usually 8 to 27 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 8 to 27 ft in summer, 8 to 27 ft once it turns cold. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 16 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning. The summer box starts with a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	8 to 27 ft	midday & dawn	Break off the point (1 ft)	Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small)
Summer	8 to 27 ft	dawn	Deep basin (16 ft)	Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon
Fall	7 to 27 ft	dusk	Break off the point (1 ft)	Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva
Winter	8 to 27 ft	midday & dawn	Deep basin (16 ft)	Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie

Notable structure

Tugulnuit Lake carries 6 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 16 ft down.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 16 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 1 ft
Secondary point: point, around 1 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 1 ft

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

Check the official British Columbia fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Tugulnuit Lake?

Tugulnuit Lake is about 27 ft (8 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Tugulnuit Lake?

Anglers target burbot, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, walleye, lake whitefish on Tugulnuit Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Tugulnuit Lake?

Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 16 ft of water that rates prime for burbot in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.

When is the best time to fish Tugulnuit Lake?

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.

What are the fishing regulations for Tugulnuit Lake?

Fishing on Tugulnuit 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

Gallagher Lake 3 mi · Burnell Lake 3 mi · Madden Lake 4 mi · Ripley Lake 5 mi · Vaseux Lake 6 mi · Mahoney Lake 7 mi · Green Lake 7 mi · Prather Lake 11 mi · Kilpoola Lake 12 mi · Frank Lake 13 mi · Osoyoos Lake 13 mi, BC/WA · Yellow Lake 14 mi

See how Tugulnuit Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in British Columbia · best smallmouth bass lakes in British Columbia · best walleye lakes in British Columbia · best rainbow trout lakes in British Columbia

More water nearby: Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District fishing maps (47 charts). Browse all British Columbia fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry: published agency survey data. 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.