The Field Journal
Rivers & Lakes · Stocked Stillwater

Wilimena

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.

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

The water

Wilimena 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. Wilimena is a put-and-take angling fishery, stocked with catchable game fish: 5 recorded releases totalling 7,350 fish (Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout), last stocked 2022-07-13.

Stocking record

Wilimena — 7,350 fish stocked, 1985–2022

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

YearCutthroat Trout
2022350
19921,000
19902,000
19892,000
19852,000

Stocking appears to have wound down after 2022. 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

Wilimena 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 Wilimena 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.