fishing for huge salmon and multitudes of bottomfish.
Cariboo
The vast Cariboo region was named for the woodland caribou, the odd spelling said to be a corruption of the French word “cariboeuf.” Its rolling hills, carpeted with fragrant evergreen forests, occupy the Interior Plateau east of the Fraser River. The Cariboo offers a wide range of fishing, from peaceful, hidden pothole lakes (which can be easily fished from small car-toppers, canoes, or float tubes) to immense, glacier-carved lakes better suited for trolling from a cruiser outfitted with downriggers. Anglers who like moving water will find hundreds of creeks and rivers flowing into the Fraser River basin that offer awesome, uncrowded fly-fishing and spin-casting – either from shore or from a drift boat.
The “Fishing Highway” (Highway 24) runs from Little Fort, at its eastern end, to Lone Butte in the west. With more than one hundred good fishing lakes along or near the route, it has definitely earned its nickname. One can try trolling among Bridge Lake’s many islands and bays, or drift-jigging, fly- or spin-casting near underwater shoals for rainbow trout (up to three kilograms), big lake char, or stocked Arctic char. The lake’s prized kokanee can weigh in at two or more kilograms. Sheridan Lake is noted for its aerobatic rainbow trout and chunky brook trout on the fly, with trophy fish in this nutrient-rich lake weighing up to eight kilograms. Wavey, Phinetta, Birch, Lac Des Roches, and Fawn are other lakes with good-sized rainbows, including the occasional lunker over five kilograms. Irish Lake, just off Highway 24 outside of Lone Butte, is a popular spot, with many small rainbows weighing up to one kilogram. Give the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C. credit for abundant annual stockings of
kokanee and rainbow trout that draw so many anglers to the region’s lakes. Travel south from Lone Butte off Highway 24 through the picturesque farms and ranches along Watch Lake Road, to the Watch Lake-Green Lake Recreation Area. Watch Lake is popular for rainbows up to 2.5 kilograms. Other lakes in this land of rolling hills and jack pine include Young, Spectacle, Pressy, Jim, Nolan, and Little Green. North of Highway 24, Horse, Lorin, Hathaway, Deka, Sulphurous, Drewry, and Canim lakes have both good trolling for pot-bellied lake char, and healthy populations of kokanee and rainbow trout. The South Cariboo is especially family-friendly. Warm, clear lakes and great beaches offer up a variety of water sports. Since this is ranching and cattle country, you can sign up for a trail ride, or an autumn cattle drive amidst the stunning fall colours. In addition to excellent ice- fishing, winter boasts exceptional snowshoeing and cross-country skiing over many kilometres of well-developed woodland trails. A horse-drawn sleigh ride over the glistening snow-covered terrain, and a steaming mug of cocoa before an open fire, are the perfect way to end a day.
East of 150 Mile House, two of
the largest lakes in the Cariboo are Horsefly and Quesnel. These lakes are renowned for their brawny, piscivorous rainbow trout and lake char, some over 10 kilograms. Troll for these muscular fish using downriggers with big crankbaits, spoons, and plugs. When kokanee are spawning in feeder creeks, Dolly Varden and rainbows will readily hit lures that resemble salmon eggs. Smaller lakes that offer good fishing for rainbow trout include Lac La Hache, Big, Morehead, McLeese, Klinne, Jackson, Dragon, Keno, Tyee, Crooked, Hen Ingram, Doreen, and Jacques. Forest Lake (north of Williams Lake, but south of Tyee Lake) has a well-earned reputation
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for some of the biggest rainbow trout in the Cariboo, with prize fish to four kilograms, and the occasional brute that can top nine kilograms. For some incredible sightseeing and awesome fishing in virtually untouched waters, arrange to fly to Ghost or Mitchell lakes, high in the Cariboo Mountains, or take a jet-boat to the Ghost, Mitchell, Roaring, or Quesnel rivers. Observe a colourful autumn spectacle as thousands of crimson sockeye return to spawn in the Horsefly River. The rugged angler will discover a special fishing adventure in renowned Bowron Lakes Provincial Park, 126 kilometres east of Quesnel (via Highway 26). The park’s chain of 10 lakes and short portages form a 116-kilometre, rectangular canoeing circuit that you can access with special permit. The lakes contain rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, lake char, kokanee, and whitefish in unforgettable wilderness. West of 100 Mile House,
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