The Field Journal
Rivers & Lakes · Stocked Stillwater

Chain

A stocked stillwater in the Bull River watershed, surface area not recorded, carrying Brook Trout and topped up by the provincial stocking program.

Chain #2 is a stocked stillwater in the Bull River watershed. Surface area not recorded.

The water

Chain #2 sits in the Bull River watershed, covering surface area not recorded.

Stocking

For an angler judging whether the fishing is worth the drive, the stocking record is the fishing report. Chain #2 is a put-and-take angling fishery, stocked with catchable game fish: 42 recorded releases totalling 160,790 fish (Brook Trout), last stocked 2021-06-24.

Stocking record

Chain #2 — 160,790 fish stocked, 1982–2021

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

YearBrook Trout
20216,000
20206,000
20184,000
20174,000
20164,000
20154,000
20144,000
20134,000
20124,000
20114,000
201010,000
20094,000
20084,000
20074,000
20068,000
20054,000
20044,000
20034,000
20027,440
20014,000
20006,850
19994,000
19984,000
19973,000
19964,000
19954,000
19944,000
19934,000
19924,000
19914,000
19904,000
19892,000
19884,000
19872,000
19862,000
19852,500
19842,500
19822,500

Stocking appears to have wound down after 2021. Confirm whether it is still topped up or now fishes as a residual, wild population. The chart below shows the full release history.

The fishing

Chain #2 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
egg
Stocked
put-and-take

Access & the rules

Confirm the launch, parking and any motor/float or seasonal restrictions for Chain #2 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.