The Field Journal
Rivers & Lakes · Stocked Stillwater

Mite

A stocked stillwater in the Elk River watershed, surface area not recorded, carrying Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout and topped up by the provincial stocking program.

Mite is a stocked stillwater in the Elk River watershed. Surface area not recorded.

The water

Mite sits in the Elk 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. Mite is a put-and-take angling fishery, stocked with catchable game fish: 9 recorded releases totalling 9,125 fish (Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout), last stocked 2012-10-02.

Stocking record

Mite — 9,125 fish stocked, 1985–2012

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

YearCutthroat Trout
2012500
2010500
2008500
2004500
2002500
1996625
19921,000
19893,000
19852,000

Stocking appears to have wound down after 2012. 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

Mite 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
Elk River watershed
egg
Stocked
put-and-take

Access & the rules

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