 Fly-fishing, Pinkerton Lake
Freshwater fishing tours to suit every budget and skill level are available in various parts of the region, while fishing charters and resorts offer all of the equipment and expertise you'll need to get to any location, even if it's in a remote area. Accommodations range from rustic to luxury.
A word or two on your excursion:
- Appropriate fishing license(s) required
A word or two on safety:
- Life jackets are mandatory in BC
Kamloops & Area
With over 200 lakes full of steelhead, eastern brook and Kamloops trout, Dolly Varden, char and kokanee. Kamloops is widely known as a prime freshwater fishing destination. The area gets more than 2,000 hours of sunlight a year, which fuels the kind of underwater plant growth that supports large fish populations. Fast, fighting trout are the most sought-after species here. Some popular lakes with boat rentals include Face, Paska, Heffley, Lac Le Jeune, Hyas, Knouff, and Surrey Lakes. Popular day-use areas include Jacko and Stake Lakes. The Logan Lake District offers some of the best fly-fishing in BC. The fishing in most lakes is optimal in May, June, September and October. During the summer months, trout tend to be more active in the evenings.
Wells Gray & High Country Area
Wells Gray Provincial Park and the High Country area offer a great diversity of fishing experiences. There are many small, nutrient-rich lakes here at high and low elevations, some easily accessible from a resort and others so remote that you must hike in to them.
Kalamalka Lake is a trolling favourite. Both Wells Gray and the High Country area are near large population centres. Adventurous anglers might prefer to venture farther out, into the backcountry where there are hundreds of smaller lakes and streams.
Clearwater is the gateway to Wells Gray Provincial Park. Barriere is the gateway to many of the lakes between Kamloops and Clearwater and is a 45-minute drive north from Kamloops via Highway 5. Some remote lakes require all-wheel drive on gravelled logging roads.
> Wells Gray Park website
Okanagan Area
The diversity many anglers crave can be had in Okanagan-area waters, which are home to large populations of rainbow trout, char, kokanee, burbot and bass. The alkaline waters allow fish to grow fast and achieve large sizes. Trolling Okanagan Lake can yield 10-kg (22-lb) rainbow trout, while trolling Kalamalka Lake can yield 4.5-kg (10-lb) specimens. Smaller lakes in the Okanagan hills offer exhilarating fly-fishing and spectacular scenery. There is excellent river fishing near the community of Okanagan Falls, while Vaseux Lake is well-known for bass fishing.
Major gateways to the Okanagan are Vernon, near the northern end of Okanagan Lake, Kelowna, at the halfway mark of that lake, and Penticton at the southern end. The area is approximately a four-hour drive east from Vancouver.
Shuswap Lake Area
The Shuswap Lake area supports an exciting diversity of fish species, including Kamloops, rainbow, bull and eastern brook trout, kokanee, whitefish, burbot and perch. Shuswap Lake itself is one of the most popular recreational destinations in BC. Many provincial parks lie along its 700-km (435-mi) shoreline; the water is suitable for most types of water recreation. It's also exceptionally scenic.
Mara Lake is another top vacation spot and a good place for rainbow and bull trout as well as kokanee fishing. White Lake and the waters around the community of Falkland are also well-known rainbow trout fishing destinations. The Adams Lake area in Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park offers exciting, catch-and-release fly-fishing and is a good spot for a family vacation. Sicamous, with its big houseboat rental industry, is another family-friendly destination. Salmon Arm, the largest city in the Shuswap area, features the longest freshwater fishing pier in Canada.
While Shuswap Lake provides good fishing throughout the summer, fishing throughout most of the area is best from February through April and from September through October.
The Shuswap Lakes area is approximately a one-hour drive east from Kamloops via Highway 1.
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