GVA Stocked Lakes Trout Fishing
This tip page outlines the most popular stocked lakes in the greater Vancouver area and some of the Fraser Valley area. If you click the red indicator on each lake there is additional info like lake access, available species, dock information, etc. Additionally, this tip includes information on my favorite trout techniques and setups (linked tip page). I hope this is a helpful resource and gets you out fishing. Cheers! Jesse
Como Lake
Primary Fishing species: Rainbow Trout
Best Fishing Time: March to June, September to December
Boat Accessibility: Yes – Inflatables and small Aluminum’s
Wheelchair Accessible and 2 fishing docks
Lafarge Lake
Primary Fishing species: Rainbow Trout
Best Fishing Time: March to June, September to December
There are 2 fishing docks
Boat Accessibility: Yes – Inflatables and small Aluminum’s
Buntzen Lake
Fish Species: Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Dolly Varden
Best Fishing Time: March to June, September to November
Boat Accessibility: Yes – Inflatable, Aluminum Pram (recommend an Electric Motor because of lake size)
Other Accessibility: Trails around the lake and 3 fishing docks.
Sasamat Lake
Fish Species: Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout
Best Fishing Times: March to June, September to November
Boat Accessibility: Yes – Inflatable
Other Accessibility: Walking trails around the lake and 1 floating fishing dock.
Rice Lake
Fish Species: Rainbow Trout
Best Fishing Times: April to June, September to November
Boat Accessibility: No boats or inflatables allowed
Other Accessibility: Trail around the lake offers a number of fishing spots and there is 1 large fishing dock
Green Timbers Lake
Fish Species: Rainbow Trout
Best Fishing Times: March to June, September to December
Accessibility: The Willow Trail allows a number of access points around the lake.
Mike Lake
Fish Species: Rainbow Trout
Best Fishing Times: April to June, September to November
Boat Accessibility: Yes – Inflatable
Other Accessibility: There is one small dock and the lake is not easy to access by hiking around.
Mill Lake
Fish Species: Rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass & Sunfish
Best Fishing Times: March to June, September to December
Boat Accessibility: Yes -Inflatable
Other Accessibility: 1 Fishing dock and path that goes around the lake (on north east side of lake there the wooden path that goes over water and acts somewhat like a dock).
Rolley Lake
Fish Species: Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat trout and brown Bullhead
Best Fishing Times: March to June, September to December
Boat Accessibility: Yes – Inflatable
Other Accessibility: There is a trail to hike around the lake for a number of fishing access points.
Deer Lake
Fishing species: Rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass, Sunfish & Carp
Best Fishing Time: March to June, September to December
Boat Accessibility: Yes – Inflatables and small Aluminum’s
Other Accessibility: There are 2 fishing docks and a path that goes around the entire lake offering a number of fishing locations.
How to Setup your Fishing Gear
If you need some help rigging up the fishing gear or have no idea where to start, definitely start with our very popular tip page: Basic Lake and Pond Fishing Setups. This has a number of easy to follow diagrams and helpful breakdowns on how to fish for these stocked Rainbow trout.
Quick Fishing Tips to get you going
Here are a few quick tips to think about when fishing for these stocked Rainbow Trout:
- First light and last light are the best times to fish
- Look for fish activity on the water surface, if fishing are jumping or there is any activity on the water consider throwing spinners, spoons or a float with bait (not too deep). If you’re seeing very little fish activity on the water, consider using a bottom rig or float with bait (but fishing very deep).
- Favorite baits for these fish are worms, krill, chunks of shrimp/prawn and single salmon eggs. Try combining some of these baits if the fish are not cooperating, something different like that might trigger a bite.
- Best times of the year to fish these lakes are typically from March to June and September to November. In July & August with the heat the fish tend to go deeper and are harder to catch.
Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC
These local lakes are managed and stocked by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC (FFSBC). They are a great place to take the kids or for anyone who is looking for a bent rod. The FFSBC usually starts their stocking program in early Spring (mid-late March) and continue until late November. The stocked fish aren’t giants but can be eager biters and make for a lot of fun!
Where to buy your BC Fishing License for Lakes (non-tidal waters)
Non-Tidal Fishing Licenses are required to fish these local fresh water lakes. You can purchase the non-tidal fishing licenses on the BC Recreational Freshwater Fishing License page. The licenses go from April 1 to March 31, so if it’s the end of March you might want to wait until April 1st to buy. Lastly, please note that this license does not include tidal fishing (Ocean and tidal river sections). That is a completely different license provided by Fisheries & Oceans Canada.
Fishing Gear
Floats, Lines & Other Gear
Lures & Hooks
Rods & Reels
Fishing Rice Lake with a Bottom Setup
After checking out this video be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Additional Tips
