Wapiti Lake is a small stillwater tucked east of Lake Koocanusa, the reservoir behind Libby Dam on the Kootenay River, just northwest of Jaffray and southeast of Cranbrook. It carries no natural fish run of its own; everything swimming in it arrived by hatchery truck.
The water
Provincial lake survey data puts Wapiti at roughly 15 hectares, with a maximum depth of 9.8 m and a mean depth of 4.2 m. That is small and shallow enough that most of the lake sits within casting range of a shoal or drop-off, with no deep, cold refuge to speak of once the surface warms.
The fishing
Every fish here is stocked. The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC has logged 116 releases into Wapiti Lake since 1955, and it currently runs as a mixed brook trout and rainbow trout put-and-take fishery, with both species going in most years. The most recent release, in April 2026, was 1,000 Aylmer-strain brook trout fingerlings; a batch of Fraser Valley-strain rainbow followed the same week. On a lake this shallow, the standard small East Kootenay stillwater approach applies: a chironomid under an indicator worked over the shoals, and leeches or attractor nymphs along the drop-offs once the water warms.
Confirm before you go
Stocking
Wapiti Lake is managed as a mixed brook trout and rainbow trout put-and-take stillwater. Every recorded release, coloured by species, is charted below, from the Province of BC (FIDQ / FISS Fish Releases) via the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.
Wapiti Lake — 827,101 fish stocked, 1955–2026
Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout. Source: Province of BC — FIDQ / FISS Fish Releases via the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.
| Year | Rainbow Trout | Brook Trout |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 250 | 1,000 |
| 2025 | 250 | 1,000 |
| 2024 | 250 | 1,000 |
| 2023 | 250 | 1,000 |
| 2022 | 250 | 1,000 |
| 2021 | 250 | 1,000 |
| 2020 | 250 | 1,000 |
| 2019 | 250 | 1,000 |
| 2018 | · | 846 |
| 2017 | 250 | 1,000 |
| 2016 | 250 | 1,000 |
| 2015 | 250 | 1,000 |
| 2014 | 250 | 1,000 |
| 2013 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 2012 | 1,000 | 1,600 |
| 2011 | 1,000 | 1,500 |
| 2010 | 1,000 | · |
| 2009 | 1,000 | · |
| 2008 | 1,000 | · |
| 2007 | 1,000 | · |
| 2006 | 1,000 | · |
| 2005 | 1,000 | · |
| 2004 | 1,000 | · |
| 2003 | 1,000 | · |
| 2002 | 1,000 | · |
| 2001 | 1,500 | · |
| 2000 | 1,500 | · |
| 1999 | 2,000 | · |
| 1998 | 4,000 | · |
| 1997 | 3,000 | · |
| 1996 | 4,000 | · |
| 1995 | 4,800 | · |
| 1994 | 1,000 | · |
| 1993 | 3,000 | 4,000 |
| 1992 | 3,145 | 4,000 |
| 1991 | 3,000 | 4,000 |
| 1990 | 3,000 | 4,000 |
| 1989 | 3,000 | 4,000 |
| 1988 | 3,000 | 4,000 |
| 1987 | 3,000 | 4,000 |
| 1986 | 3,000 | 4,000 |
| 1985 | 2,000 | 4,000 |
| 1984 | 3,000 | 4,000 |
| 1983 | 5,000 | 4,000 |
| 1982 | 5,000 | 4,000 |
| 1981 | 4,000 | 2,000 |
| 1980 | 5,000 | 3,000 |
| 1979 | 4,000 | 2,000 |
| 1978 | 3,000 | 2,000 |
| 1977 | 3,000 | 4,350 |
| 1976 | 6,000 | 8,075 |
| 1975 | 5,000 | 700 |
| 1974 | 5,000 | 8,800 |
| 1973 | 5,000 | · |
| 1972 | · | 10,000 |
| 1971 | · | 7,600 |
| 1970 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
| 1969 | 8,000 | 15,000 |
| 1968 | 6,000 | 20,000 |
| 1967 | · | 16,500 |
| 1966 | 8,800 | 25,000 |
| 1965 | 5,000 | 25,000 |
| 1964 | 10,000 | 25,800 |
| 1963 | · | 50,050 |
| 1962 | · | 54,975 |
| 1961 | · | 57,960 |
| 1960 | · | 160,000 |
| 1959 | · | 15,500 |
| 1958 | · | 30,000 |
| 1957 | · | 30,600 |
| 1955 | 13,500 | · |
Conditions
- Bathymetry: max depth 9.8 m, mean depth 4.2 m, small (about 15 ha), so there is little deep, cool-water refuge once the shallows warm through summer. Shoal and drop-off structure is close to shore across most of the lake.
- Stocking: 116 releases on record since 1955, brook trout and rainbow trout in most recent years, most recently 1,000 Aylmer-strain brook trout fingerlings and a batch of Fraser Valley-strain rainbow in April 2026.
Access and the rules
Wapiti Lake sits east of Lake Koocanusa near Jaffray, off the Highway 93/95 corridor between Cranbrook and the reservoir, but no boat launch, trailhead or parking area has been confirmed for it. Region 4's general bait, boat and seasonal-closure rules apply to stocked stillwaters in the area; confirm the current synopsis and local access conditions before planning a trip.
