Top 12 Smallmouth & Largemouth Bass Lakes on Vancouver Island

A quick confession on my knowledge about bass in British Columbia… I didn’t know how strong of a bass fishery BC had until 2014. My dad’s family is all from Manitoba and they are all hardcore anglers and hunters, I’ve spent countless weeks out in Southeastern Manitoba chasing Smallmouth Bass, Pike, Perch and Walleye. So I’m no stranger to this type of fishing and it’s crazy that I never paid much attention to bass here in BC earlier.

All that to say, I think many anglers would be surprised to see how strong our bass fishery is here in British Columbia!

This article is focused on the best Bass Lakes on Vancouver Island. These lakes hold either Smallmouth and/or Largemouth bass. I hope you find it helpful. Cheers! Jesse

Lakes by Rank & Name

RatingLake
#1Elk Lake (including Beaver Lake)
#2Shawnigan Lake
#3Quennell Lake
#4Thetis Lakes
#5Prospect Lake
#6Spider Lake
#7Langford Lake
#8Long Lake
#9St Mary Lake (Saltspring island)
#10Glen Lake
#11Holden Lake
#12Matheson Lake

See the lake locations on the Google Map below.
Smallmouth Bass Jump

Elk & Beaver Lake

Elk & Beaver Lakes are located near Saanich and are only a few minutes from the Sydney Ferry Terminal. Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout & Common Carp are the most popular species in this lake. 

Shawnigan Lake

Shawnigan is a great bass lake on the island. Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout & Largemouth Bass are the most popular species in this lake.

Shawnigan Lake Smallmouth Bass

Shawnigan Lake Smallmouth Bass

Spider Lake

This lake has a good balance between Trout & Bass holding Rainbow Trout and Smallmouth Bass.

Quennell Lake

Smallmouth Bass, Pumpkinseed & Rainbow Trout are the most popular species in this lake. 

Holden Lake

Pumpkinseed & Smallmouth Bass are the most popular species in this lake. 

Long Lake

Pumpkinseed, Rainbow Trout & Smallmouth Bass are the most popular species in this lake. 

Matheson Lake

Located in Roche Cove Regional Park.

Langford Lake

Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass & Cutthroat Trout are the most popular species in this lake. 

Glen Lake

Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout & Pumpkinseed are the most popular species in this lake. 

Prospect Lake

Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout & Largemouth Bass are the most popular species in this lake. 

Thetis Lakes

The most popular species caught in Thetis Lake are Smallmouth bass, Rainbow Trout & Pumpkinseed.

St Mary Lake, Salt Spring Island

St Mary Lake on Salt Spring Island. Smallmouth bass and Rainbow trout are most popular species caught in this lake.

Bass Seasonal Activity

Understanding bass feeding habits and spawning times will help you target them year round. This Bass Seasonal Activity Tip outlines the bass activity throughout the year and also goes over some of my favorite bass lures.

bass seasonal feeding and best lures

Lower Mainland & Fraser Valley Largemouth Bass Lakes

This lakes tip page is similar to this tip but it focuses on Bass in the lower mainland & Fraser Valley Bass Lake locations. The lakes on this page only hold Largemouth bass.

bass seasonal feeding and best lures

The most popular Bass Rigs and Setup Diagrams

This Bass setups tip outlines the most popular rigs like the Texas Rig, Carolina Rig, Drop shot Rig & Wacky Rig. I’ve included videos and diagrams for all these setups. These are foundational bass rigs that should be known for bass fishing. For additional lure ideas check out our Top 6 Bass Baits page

bass seasonal feeding and best lures

Vancouver Island Bank Fishing Locations

For the bank anglers there are countless locations to fish all around Vancouver Island. These locations you can target migrating Salmon, Lingcod, Rockfish, Herring, Perch and many other ground fish. For some of the most popular Vancouver Island Bank Fishing Locations see this tip. 

Vancouver Island Bank Fishing Spots

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