Canada Fly Guide
Rivers & Lakes · Stocked Stillwater

Yankee Lake

A stocked stillwater in the Bull River watershed, E of Premier Lake, N of Fort Steele, ~7.3 ha surface area, carrying Rainbow Trout and topped up by the provincial stocking program.
Updated July 31, 2026

Wildfire & Access

BC Wildfire Service · live around Yankee Lake
connecting… Live feed

Checking wildfire conditions…

Live on refresh · BC Wildfire Service map · EmergencyInfoBC — always confirm orders and bans before travelling.

Yankee Lake is a stocked stillwater in the Bull River watershed, E of Premier Lake, N of Fort Steele. ~7.3 ha surface area.

The water

Yankee Lake lies E of Premier Lake, N of Fort Steele; in the Bull River watershed. It covers ~7.3 ha surface area.

Stocking

For an angler judging whether the fishing is worth the drive, the stocking record is the fishing report. Yankee Lake is a put-and-take angling fishery, stocked with catchable game fish: 78 recorded releases totalling 298,388 fish (Rainbow Trout, Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout, Brook Trout), last stocked 2025-10-22.

Stocking record

Canuck Lake — 298,388 fish stocked, 1929–2025

Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Brook Trout. Source: Province of BC — FIDQ / FISS Fish Releases via the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.

YearRainbow TroutCutthroat TroutBrook Trout
20251,000··
20241,000··
20231,000··
20221,000··
20211,000··
20201,000··
20191,000··
20181,000··
20171,000··
20161,000··
20141,000··
20131,000··
20121,000··
20111,000··
20101,000··
20091,000··
20081,000··
20071,000··
20061,000··
20051,000··
20041,000··
20031,000··
20021,000··
20011,000··
20001,000··
19981,000··
19971,000··
19961,000··
19951,000··
19941,000··
19931,000··
19921,000··
19911,000··
19901,000··
1989500··
1988500··
19873,000··
19861,000··
19852,000··
19842,000··
19832,000··
19821,500··
19793,000··
19783,000··
19773,000··
19755,000··
197010,000··
196910,000··
19685,000··
1957·8,968·
1955·9,000·
195416,16015,000·
195311,585··
195218,000··
19516,000··
19505,000··
19495,000··
19486,000··
19475,000··
19465,000··
19455,000·10,000
19443,000··
19433,500··
19425,000·20,000
19413,175·20,000
19403,500·15,000
19395,000··
19384,000··
1933·3,000·
19292,000··

It is still stocked (most recent release 2025-10-22), 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

Yankee 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
Bull River watershed
straighten
7.3 ha
surface area
egg
Stocked
put-and-take

Conditions

  • Water-health signal: poor (health index 8), 1 species over 45 observations.

Access & the rules

Confirm the launch, parking and any motor/float or seasonal restrictions for Yankee 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.