British Columbia

Tunkwa Lake

British Columbia·Thompson-Nicola·50.61° N, 120.86° W

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About Tunkwa Lake

Tunkwa is a shallow, rich irrigation lake on the Thompson Plateau, about 1,130 m (3,710 ft) up in Tunkwa Provincial Park between Logan Lake and Savona. It covers about 155 ha (380 acres), and its deepest water is only about 5 m (17 ft). Water that shallow and fertile grows chironomids, bloodworms, scuds and leeches in huge numbers, and the rainbows grow fast on them. The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC stocks Pennask rainbow yearlings every spring, some wild fish spawn in the inlet creeks, and rainbows are the only fish in the lake. Most of what you catch weighs 0.5 to 1 kg (1 to 2 lb), and fish over 50 cm (20") turn up every season.

This is chironomid water. After ice-off in mid to late April, fish cruise the shallow bays for leeches, scuds and small chironomids close to shore. The big hatches come in May and June, size 16 up to size 12 and bigger, and the usual method is a floating line, a long leader and a pupa or bloodworm under an indicator about 30 cm (1 ft) off the bottom. BC allows only one fly on the line, so leave the dropper rig at home. Damsels swim to the bulrushes in June, and cinnamon caddis and callibaetis fill the early summer evenings. By July and August the surface reaches 18 to 22 °C (64 to 72 °F), and the fish drop to the 4 to 5 m (13 to 17 ft) flats in the middle, where anglers anchor and hang bloodworms just off the mud. The lake has no deep, cold water, so a hot, calm week can slow it right down. Fall brings the fish back into the weeds for water boatmen, scuds and leeches until the lake freezes, usually in the third week of November.

Tunkwa is easy to reach, and it is busy. Paved road runs 16 km from Logan Lake or 24 km from Savona, BC Parks runs big campgrounds on the east shore, and Tunkwa Lake Resort sits on the southeast shore with cabins, campsites, docks and rental boats. May and June weekends fill early, and the lake carries a lot of boats. Engines are limited to 7.5 kW (10 hp). Spring afternoons are often windy, and summer brings warm water and, in most years, algae. Ice fishing is legal, and the bays are usually safe to walk on by mid-December. If Tunkwa is crowded or slow, Leighton Lake is a short walk north in the same park.

Species

Rainbow Trout
Abundant · Late Apr-Jun, Sep-Nov · 30-50 cm (12-20"), some larger
Pennask-strain rainbows stocked by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC each spring, about 25,000 to 40,000 yearlings a year, most of them all-female and some all-female triploids. Wild rainbows also spawn in the feeder creeks. They grow fast on chironomids and bloodworms, jump hard, and often run back into the weeds when hooked, so a strong tippet saves fish. Only one trout over 50 cm may be kept.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Rainbow Trout	Abundant	Late Apr-Jun, Sep-Nov	30-50 cm (12-20"), some larger

Areas

6 areas

North Bay

Shore & BoatIntermediateRainbow Trout

The shallow north end, with weed beds along the shore and soft bottom out to about 3.5 m (12 ft). Spring wind piles the last ice here, so it opens last, but by summer it is the warmest water in the lake. Big chironomid hatches come off the north weed bed in 2 to 3.5 m (6 to 12 ft) of water, and rainbow trout follow them. Ice forms late and thin up here, so stay off it early in winter.

Best for: Chironomids in 2 to 3.5 m in May and June, damsels in the weeds in June, rainbow trout cruising the weed edge

Provincial campground shore

Shore & BoatBeginnerRainbow Trout

The east shore along Tunkwa Campground, from the park boat launch north past the island that sits just off the campground. A weed bed runs along this shore, and BC Parks keeps the strip of lakeshore between the boat launch and the cliffs open to everyone for walking and fishing. Rainbow trout hold off the weed edge and around the island.

Best for: Shore fishing and float tubes from the campground, leeches and scuds off the weed edge, chironomids around the island

The deep flats

BoatIntermediateRainbow Trout

The open middle of the lake, a broad mud and marl bottom at 4 to 5 m (13 to 17 ft), the deepest water Tunkwa has. When the shallows warm in July and August, rainbow trout school here and feed on bloodworms and chironomid pupae coming off the bottom. Anchor fore and aft, find the depth with a sounder or a forceps on the line, and hang the fly 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12") off the mud.

Best for: Bloodworms and chironomids at anchor in July and August, bigger rainbow trout in summer

Campers Bay

Shore & BoatBeginnerRainbow Trout

The narrow, sheltered bay in front of Tunkwa Lake Resort, with the resort docks and campsites along its east shore. It is one of the first places to lose its ice in April and one of the first to freeze safe in December. Rainbow trout move in to feed in the evenings, and worm and float anglers fish it from the docks.

Best for: Ice-off leeches and small chironomids, evening rises, shore fishing and early ice fishing near the resort

South bays

Shore & BoatBeginnerRainbow Trout

The shallow, weedy bays along the south shore, with a small island near the south shore and the mouth of Tunkwa Creek, the main inlet. They warm first in spring, and rainbow trout feed in 1 to 1.5 m (3 to 5 ft) of water here right after ice-off. In winter these bays carry the safest early ice, reached from the south day-use area. The inlet creek is a stream, so it is closed to fishing January 1 to June 30.

Best for: Ice-off rainbow trout in the shallows on leeches, scuds and water boatmen, ice fishing in December and January

West shore islands

BoatIntermediateRainbow Trout

The long island off the west shore and the small island east of it, with a shallow arm behind them. The bottom steps down from weed flats to the deep middle here, and the island edges give rainbow trout a drop-off to cruise. The west shore has no road, so this side is quieter than the east shore.

Best for: Chironomids and leeches along the island drop-offs, callibaetis and caddis in early summer

Access

Tunkwa Campground boat launchBoat ramp
BC Parks launch at the south end of Tunkwa Campground. Engines are limited to 7.5 kW (10 hp). The park road is not plowed in winter.
Tunkwa CampgroundCampground
BC Parks campground on the east shore, with a day-use area at its north end and corrals for horse campers. Camp at least 10 m back from the water on the shore strip between the boat launch and the cliffs. Full-service season about May to mid-October. Fills early on spring weekends.
South day-use areaShore access
Day use only, no camping. Shore access to the south bays, and the usual starting point for ice anglers walking onto the south end. The road in can need four-wheel drive in winter.
Tunkwa Lake ResortMarina
Private resort on Campers Bay with docks, rental boats with small outboards, kayaks and paddleboards, and a store with flies, tackle and worms. Book by phone. The resort charges a day-use fee for people who are not staying there.

At a glance

Ideal water temp: 10–17°C

Best seasons

Ice-off, usually mid to late April and sometimes early April after a mild winter, through June is prime: fish are shallow first, then the big chironomid hatches run through May and damsels come in June. September and October are the second season, once the surface cools under about 16 °C (61 °F) and fish move back into the weeds and onto the flats. July and August fish best early and late, deep on the flats. The lake freezes from about the third week of November to April. Ice fishing is allowed, but the Fish Index treats ice as the limit in those months. Calm, overcast days after a warm spell bring the best hatches, and a hard wind after a hot week can mix the lake and turn the fish back on.

Regulations

Tunkwa Lake is open all year, including ice fishing, under the Region 3 (Thompson-Nicola) rules. Its own entry in the synopsis sets an engine power limit of 7.5 kW (10 hp). The Region 3 trout quota is 5 a day, with no more than 1 over 50 cm. Bait and barbed hooks are legal on the lake, but only one hook or one fly may be on the line.

Tunkwa Lake (Management Unit 3-18): engine power restriction 7.5 kW (10 hp).
Open all year. The lake has no closed season, no gear restriction and no ice fishing ban in the synopsis.
Region 3 daily quota for trout and char: 5, but no more than 1 over 50 cm. Possession quota is 2 daily quotas.
All steelhead must be released. Bass and yellow perch are closed to fishing in Region 3.
Province-wide: one line with one hook, one lure or one fly. Dropper flies are not allowed. A person alone in a boat on a lake may fish two lines.
Barbed hooks are legal in lakes unless a water's entry says otherwise. Tunkwa's entry does not.
Ice fishing: one line with one lure, fly or other attractor. You must warn people of your ice hole and take your ice hut off before break-up.
Region 3 streams are closed January 1 to June 30, and every Region 3 stream needs a single barbless hook all year. That includes Tunkwa's inlet creeks, where the rainbows spawn in spring.
Do not keep fish alive on stringers or in livewells, and never move live fish between waters.
Tunkwa is not classified water. A basic BC freshwater licence is all you need. From April 1, 2026, licences are sold through the province's WILD system, which needs a free Fish and Wildlife ID (FWID). An annual basic licence costs $41.15 for BC residents, $62.87 for other Canadians and $91.44 for non-residents of Canada, plus tax. One-day and eight-day licences are also sold.

The lake is in a provincial park, so the Park Act applies too: BC Parks has no fish cleaning station here and asks you to clean fish out on the lake, and high-speed boating is discouraged because of the number of small fishing craft. Leighton Lake next door has its own rule: no fishing within 100 m of the Tunkwa Creek outlet from May 1 to November 30. Check the in-season changes on the BC freshwater fishing regulations page before you go.

Source: BC Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis 2025–2027, Region 3 (Thompson-Nicola) and provincial regulations. Regulations change annually. Verify before fishing.

Getting there

Logan Lake, BC

About 20 min from Logan Lake, 1 hr from Kamloops via Savona or Logan Lake, 1 hr from Merritt, and 3.5 to 4 hrs from Vancouver via the Coquihalla (Highway 5) and the Logan Lake exit

Camping: BC Parks runs Tunkwa Campground on the east shore and two more campgrounds at Leighton Lake, with corrals for horse campers. The park operator runs them, they fill on spring weekends, and the full-service season runs roughly May to mid-October. Tunkwa Lake Resort on the southeast shore has rustic and log cabins, RV and tent sites, showers and a small store with flies, tackle and worms. Logan Lake, about 20 minutes away, has groceries, fuel and a municipal campground.

The park boat launch is at the south end of Tunkwa Campground. Tunkwa Lake Resort has docks and rents 14 ft boats and flat-bottomed jon boats with small four-stroke outboards, plus kayaks and paddleboards. A day-use area on the south shore gives shore and ice access. The last kilometre into the resort is gravel. Park roads are not plowed in winter, and the resort has advised a four-wheel-drive vehicle for the campground and south day-use roads then. ATVs must stay on designated trails, and two areas of the park are foot access only. Cell service is spotty.

Tunkwa Lake

British Columbia·Thompson-Nicola·50.61° N, 120.86° W

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Fishing: Slow
Wind: 14km/h E; Gusts 35 km/h
Water temp: About3°C; Estimated surface
Level: —

What: Strong and damaging gusty southerly winds.

Wind warning · South Thompson · through Wed 5:00 PM · Environment and Climate Change Canada

What this means

A warning is Environment Canada's most urgent level. The event is happening or about to happen in this area.

Damaging winds are expected.

Where: South Thompson – Western sections from Spences Bridge to Cache Creek, including Ashcroft, and the Thompson Highlands including Logan Lake, Fraser Canyon - south including Lytton

When: Wednesday.

Additional Information: A strong and slow moving Pacific frontal system will lie across central B.C. tonight through Wednesday. Southerly winds of 50 km/h gusting up to 80 to 90 will develop Wednesday morning and last into afternoon.

Wind will ease to light through Wednesday evening.

Local utility outages are possible.

Secure loose objects. Stay away from fallen power lines.

Wind warnings are issued when there is a significant risk of damaging winds.

Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to BCstorm@ec.gc.ca or post reports on social media using #BCStorm.

Read the full product from Environment and Climate Change Canada

Solunar · next 7 days

See the full conditions on Tunkwa Lake

Flow and temperature charts for every station, the weather, and the days ahead. Free, with an email.

A free account also gets you

5-day Fish Index forecastSee how each of the next 5 days rates on every river and lake, from the flow or wind, water temperature, weather and moon forecasts.
A dashboard for your watersSave your rivers and lakes and compare them on one board, with the last week and the days ahead.
A logbook that fills in the conditionsLog outings and trips with photos, even with no signal in the app. Troutline adds the flow, water temperature and weather for each day.
Your angler profileSee other anglers' public outings, and share yours.

Already have an account?

Want history, unlimited alerts and more? , with the first 14 days free for new members.

About Tunkwa Lake

Species

Rainbow Trout
Abundant · Late Apr-Jun, Sep-Nov · 30-50 cm (12-20"), some larger
Pennask-strain rainbows stocked by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC each spring, about 25,000 to 40,000 yearlings a year, most of them all-female and some all-female triploids. Wild rainbows also spawn in the feeder creeks. They grow fast on chironomids and bloodworms, jump hard, and often run back into the weeds when hooked, so a strong tippet saves fish. Only one trout over 50 cm may be kept.

Species	Abundance	Best Season	Size
Rainbow Trout	Abundant	Late Apr-Jun, Sep-Nov	30-50 cm (12-20"), some larger