Morgan Lake, Merritt

By Rodney Hsu

Morgan Lake is a small lake near Kamloops which offers a catch and release fishery for anglers who enjoy targeting larger rainbow trout.

How to Get There?

From Vancouver, the faster way to reach Morgan Lake is by driving on Highway 5 to Kamloops. Just before reaching Kamloops, turn onto Highway 1 toward Savona. Just before reaching Savona, turn left onto Tunkwa Lake Road. After driving for a few minutes on Tunkwa Lake Road, turn left onto Six Mile Hill Road, which is a gravel road so drive with care if you do not have a 4WD or truck. Morgan Lake is the first lake on the left side of Six Mile Hill Road as you drive over the hill.

There are two boat launches available at Morgan Lake, one at each end. The boat launches are good for both cartoppers and tailered boats.

Fishing Season

Fishing can be excellent at Morgan Lake in April and May, and again in September and October. In the summer months, it is generally too hot and fishing is no longer productive. Ice fishing is prohibited at Morgan Lake so there is no fishing available throughout the winter months.

Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC stocks a variety of rainbow trout in Morgan Lake, including Fraser Valley, Blackwater and Pennask.

Fishing Techniques

While fly fishing with chironomids and patterns which match the fish's diet under an indicator is very effective at Morgan Lake, you can also cast and retrieve a small lure either from shore or from a boat. Fish are generally in 10 to 20 feet of water, so if you are lure fishing then it is important to allow your lure to sink right to the bottom before you start your retrieve.

Fish in Morgan Lake are generally quite large, from 16 inches long up to 24 inches long, or 1 to 6lb. These fish can be quite powerful so you should use the appropriate tackle when fishing for them. For fly fishing, a 4 to 6wt setup is ideal. If you intend to fish with an indicator, then 20ft of leader is needed from the end of your floating line to reach these fish. For spincasting, 6lb test line on a light spinning outfit is ideal.

Important Notes

Before your first fishing trip to Morgan Lake, please make sure you know the following information:

• You must have a valid British Columbia freshwater fishing license.
• Morgan Lake is located in Region 3 in the British Columbia freshwater fishing regulations.
• Please respect local residents, other users and wildlife when fishing at Morgan Lake.