Lisbon Lake is a small stocked stillwater in the St. Mary River watershed, East Kootenay, held almost entirely by Brook Trout since fisheries crews first planted it in 1963.
The water
The lake sits in the drainage of Lisbon Creek, which flows into Perry Creek before Perry Creek joins the St. Mary River east of Cranbrook. Its recorded point is 49.5699, -115.99987, drawn from the provincial fish-release data rather than the BC gazetteer, so treat the exact shoreline and size as unconfirmed. No surface area, depth survey or boat launch has been documented for Lisbon Lake, which makes it a scouting trip rather than a mapped destination for now.
The fishing
Lisbon Lake has run almost entirely as a Brook Trout fishery: 41 of its 43 recorded releases were Brook Trout on the Aylmer strain, planted as fry or fingerlings in most years from 1963 through 2017. Fisheries staff tried Westslope Cutthroat fall fry on the Connor strain twice, in 2002 and 2004, before reverting to Brook Trout alone for the program's final decade. That history points to a small put-grow stillwater: work a chironomid under an indicator over the shoals, and swing a Woolly Bugger or balanced leech along any drop-off you find, on the same lines as other small East Kootenay stillwaters.
Two seasons of cutthroat, then back to Brook Trout
Stocking
For an angler judging whether the fishing is worth the drive, the stocking record is the fishing report. Lisbon Lake is a put-grow angling fishery: 43 recorded releases totalling 130,430 fish between 1963 and 2017, almost all Brook Trout (Aylmer strain), with two seasons of Westslope Cutthroat mixed in. The most recent release was 1,500 Brook Trout fingerlings (Aylmer strain) on June 6, 2017. The chart below shows the full release history.
Lisbon — 130,430 fish stocked, 1963–2017
Cutthroat Trout, Brook Trout. Source: Province of BC — FIDQ / FISS Fish Releases via the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.
| Year | Cutthroat Trout | Brook Trout |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | · | 1,500 |
| 2016 | · | 1,500 |
| 2015 | · | 1,500 |
| 2014 | · | 1,500 |
| 2013 | · | 1,500 |
| 2012 | · | 1,500 |
| 2011 | · | 1,000 |
| 2010 | · | 1,500 |
| 2009 | · | 1,500 |
| 2008 | · | 1,500 |
| 2007 | · | 1,500 |
| 2006 | · | 1,500 |
| 2005 | · | 1,500 |
| 2004 | 2,000 | · |
| 2002 | 2,000 | · |
| 2001 | · | 3,000 |
| 2000 | · | 3,000 |
| 1999 | · | 3,000 |
| 1998 | · | 3,000 |
| 1996 | · | 3,000 |
| 1995 | · | 3,000 |
| 1994 | · | 3,000 |
| 1993 | · | 3,000 |
| 1992 | · | 3,000 |
| 1991 | · | 3,000 |
| 1990 | · | 3,000 |
| 1988 | · | 3,000 |
| 1987 | · | 3,000 |
| 1986 | · | 3,000 |
| 1985 | · | 3,000 |
| 1983 | · | 3,000 |
| 1981 | · | 2,130 |
| 1980 | · | 3,000 |
| 1979 | · | 3,000 |
| 1978 | · | 3,000 |
| 1977 | · | 4,000 |
| 1976 | · | 4,000 |
| 1975 | · | 4,000 |
| 1974 | · | 4,000 |
| 1972 | · | 4,000 |
| 1970 | · | 12,000 |
| 1969 | · | 5,300 |
| 1963 | · | 11,000 |
Confirm locally whether the lake is still being topped up; nothing has been recorded since that 2017 release.
Conditions
- Stocking: put-grow Brook Trout program (Aylmer strain), 43 releases totalling 130,430 fish between 1963 and 2017, with two seasons of Westslope Cutthroat (Connor strain) fall fry mixed in; none recorded since 2017.
Access & the rules
Confirm the launch, parking, lake size and any motor or ice-fishing restrictions for Lisbon Lake locally before you commit a day. It sits in the Perry Creek drainage of the St. Mary River system, in Region 4.
