François Lake is a lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 located in British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 about 30 kilometers south of Burns Lake

Burns Lake, British Columbia

thumb|309px|right|Burns Lake's welcome signBurns Lake is a rural village in the North-Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada, incorporated in 1923...

 and 10 kilometers west of Fraser Lake

Fraser Lake, British Columbia

Fraser Lake is a village in northern British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the southwest side of Fraser Lake between Burns Lake and Vanderhoof alongside the Yellowhead Highway....

. The lake is 110 kilometers long and is the second longest natural lake entirely within British Columbia after Babine Lake

Babine Lake

Babine Lake is the longest natural lake in British Columbia, Canada.Babine Lake is located northeast of the town of Burns Lake in central British Columbia, some west northwest of the city of Prince George. It is long, wide, and has a net area of and a total area of...

. Nadina River

Nadina River

The Nadina River is a river in Range 4 Coast Land District, British Columbia, Canada, at 53° 58' 59" N - 126° 31' 0" W. It feeds into François Lake at its west end. François Lake is about south of Burns Lake on Highway 35.-Name origin:...

 is the inflow of the lake at the west and Stellako River is the outflow of the lake. The lake is popularly fished for its Rainbow Trout

Rainbow trout

The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....

 and Char

Salvelinus

Salvelinus is a genus of salmonid fish often called char or charr; some species are called "trout". Salvelinus is a member of the Salmoninae subfamily of the Salmonidae family. Charr may be identified by light cream pink or red spots over a darker body. Scales tend to be small, with 115-200 along...

.

Because of its shape, the lake was called Nidabun, meaning "lip lake." The French-Canadians mistook Nidaa for nedo, which meant "whiteman," and named it Lac des Français (meaning Lake of the French

French people

The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

). The name Français later was altered to François.