Canada Fly Guide
Rivers & Lakes · Stocked Stillwater

Monroe Lake

A stocked stillwater in the St. Mary River watershed, W of N end Moyie Lake, S of Cranbrook, ~54.3 ha surface area, carrying Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout and topped up by the provincial stocking program.
Updated July 31, 2026

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Monroe Lake is a stocked stillwater in the St. Mary River watershed, W of N end Moyie Lake, S of Cranbrook. ~54.3 ha surface area.

The water

Monroe Lake lies W of N end Moyie Lake, S of Cranbrook; in the St. Mary River watershed. It covers ~54.3 ha surface area. The lake survey puts it at max 30.8 m, mean 12.8 m, which sets the depth you fish.

Stocking

For an angler judging whether the fishing is worth the drive, the stocking record is the fishing report. Monroe Lake is a put-and-take angling fishery, stocked with catchable game fish: 21 recorded releases totalling 54,530 fish (Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout), last stocked 2025-05-20.

It is still stocked (most recent release 2025-05-20), so it fishes as a put-grow water: this season's fish come from the latest cohorts, topped up to keep it going. The chart below shows the release history by year and species.

The fishing

Monroe Lake fishes as a put-grow stillwater: work chironomids under an indicator over the shoals in spring, then leech and attractor retrieves along the drop-offs as the shallows warm. The stocking record below is the truest read on the size and cohort of fish you will find.

waves
Stocked Stillwater
St. Mary River watershed
straighten
54.3 ha
surface area
water
max 30.8 m, mean 12.8 m
lake survey
egg
Stocked
put-and-take

Conditions

  • Depth: max 30.8 m, mean 12.8 m (BC lake survey 1960-07-29).
  • Water-health signal: excellent (health index 38), 5 species over 155 observations.

Access & the rules

Confirm the launch, parking and any motor/float or seasonal restrictions for Monroe Lake locally before you commit a day; the map shows where the lake sits in its drainage.

gavel

Before you fish

Confirm the current BC freshwater fishing regulations (Region 4 – Kootenay) before you go. Official synopsis: gov.bc.ca fishing regulations.