Reply With Quotebackroads map book.
how do you find new lakes?
that "guess which Kamloops area lake thread got me thinking. so, how do you go about finding new lakes to fish? everything from the big name lakes to the secret little lake at the end of the quad trail.
i mostly do a ton of reading. i read as many books on the local lakes as i can, and write down the names of ones that pique my interest and then track them down. i've found Kamloops: An Angler's Study Of The Kamloops Trout to be a very good book.
i also talk to as many people as i can, through forums, email and in person. this usually doesn't get me anything much more than a hot spot in a bigger lake or a good lure, since people are very tight lipped about the secluded little lakes. however, if given the location of a good lake, i return the favor with one of my own. i've scored a couple good ones from word of mouth.
i've recently taken to the idea of loading up a bunch of spare fuel and supplies and heading into an area that has a lot of lakes and fishing as many as i can, trying to find that nice little quiet lake with good trout. the backroad mapbooks have general areas of alot of smaller lakes, but very little info on them or detailed directions.
what do you guys like to do?
backroads map book.
What a great question! There are a myriad of ways I have found good, to great, water in this province. My number one tactic is to talk to other anglers. If I am staying at a lake for a few days, I try to get to know my neighbours. I invite them over for a beer around the fire in the evening, offer a shot of Bailey's if I see them with their morning coffee, and if I come in off the water after a good day and they ask me how I did, I tell themn not only how, but also where and what I was using. If I am in the Kamloops area, I may talk to them in casual conversation about the fishing I have done in the Kootenays, if I am in the Kootenays, I will share my experiences in the Cariboo. Amazingly, this kind of treatment of other anglers, will reap great rewards back fro them. I never approach another angler with "my hand out", but rather try to offer them something first. Not only have gained knowledge this way, but on more than one occasion, I have gained a friend. (The most cherished of resources.)
My next most reliable source is the local tackle shop. I always drop in, buy something (usually ask what is fishing good at the time, even if I know and have plenty in my fly box). I try to be there in the morning (not usually as busy) and I will poke around the shop, maybe mentioning the lake I plan to fish and see what response I get from the staff. If you were taking fish last week (or even last year) on a certain fly in local waters, let them know. Again, share some of what you know, these people want to hear anything about their local water so they can be as knowledgeable as possible for their customers.
I read. Backroads Mapbook is a very good resource. I also have sent a lot of time reading Camp Free in BC (volumes 1 & 2). These are a comprehensive compilation of forestry campsites in BC. BC Lake Fishing by Karl Bruhn is an amazingly good source of primarily smaller lakes throughout the province. Finally BC Outdoors magazine has a regular feature with Murphy Shewchuck on Backroads throughout the province. He has also written a number of books that I have taken out of the library on more than one occasion. Canadian Flyfisher has also pointed me to some very good fishing, not only in BC, but also inAlberta.
Watch fishing shows. Sportfishing BC got me into a trophy lake on Highland Valley Copper property. Sportfishing on the Fly has shown me some very nice spots to start explorations from.
Finally (and least reliably, I've found) is the internet. Although, I will try to glean as much as I can from the many sources on the net, I will seldom share much information about anything but the most popular locations. I have seen too many of the smaller lakes and streams that I favour, become over used and crowded due to careless spouting off about them in open forums. For those that I know, I may share through private message, but that is about my limit.
I have been doing this for a long time. I didn't always know all I do now. I had to put in work and, most of all, time to gain what I have, and I appreciate all the more what my time and effort has brought me.
Last edited by professori; June 20th, 2009 at 11:18 PM.
Bragging may not bring happiness, but no man having caught a large fish goes home through an alley. ~Author Unknown
Excellent info, professori. Thank god we never came across each other while fishing/camping. That Baileys in coffee just makes me blabber uncontrollably!
Having only been on these types of forums for two years now I have found new fishing spots the oldfashioned way, by putting in the time and miles. I don't know how many overgrown roads and goat trails I've driven down only to have to reverse out for a couple kilometers but every once in a while.......
EXAMPLE:
Being an avid hunter I like to go out scouting on summer evenings and always take the binoculars. About five years ago on one such evening I was quadding through the backcountry SSW of Tunkwa and came across a body of water in the middle of a field full of grazing cattle. Thought it was just a retention pond for the local ranchers but sat on the quad overlooking the lake and around 7:30 the lake came alive with traveller caddis and from my vantage point, small rise rings.
The following evening I took one of our regular customers and a good friend and we put rods in the truck and found the road that accesses this pond and we walked in from the road. We found we couldn't get within 10' of the lake due to a marshy shoreline so we put on big deerhair caddis' and cast away. The boils beneath our flies was amazing and in 1/2 hour we both lost 3 flies so we left and decided we better get a boat in here in the next couple of days.
It turns out the next day "Bill" already had plans to go to Bose so I went and picked up my son, who lived and worked at the provincial park, and we took float tubes in to "the pond" for an exploratory fish. It turns out the little lake had a maximum depth of 27', was about 1/2km long and half as wide and no one had fished it in two years (as I was to find out later). We both had floating lines with splitshot and maroon microleeches and the fish hit with wreckless abandonment. We landed around 20 fish between us and every fish was indentical, 3-4 lbs. and chrome bright which was surprising as it was early July and I expected a few to be coloured up.
On the way home I stressed and restressed to my son how important it was that he tell no one about this little gem but because he fished rarely and he was a hopeless drama queen my son told everyone who would listen. Well, the next day the phone at the resort started ringing and I had to tout "Bose Lake" to throw the locals off the trail with the most inquisitive being our local conservation officer who was an avid flyfisher in his own right.
When I finally found the phone free I phoned our biologist, Brian Chan, and questioned him about the stocking program there and he informed me that there wasn't one. He had put in 1000 Pennask fingerlings two years previous from excess hatchery stock just to see how they would fare. So that explained why every fish was chrome, those 4 lb. fish were only two years old, juveniles that wouldn't colour up until their third year.
To make a long story short we enjoyed this little fishery for two seasons until it winterkilled and was not restocked mainly because there was no record of it ever being stocked and the government had suspended their program of creating new fisheries.
I tried in vain to get the lake restocked but when Brian left his government position to head up the Freshwater Fishing Society it left me at a deadend. Finally after brow-beating the new biologist and friend, Steve Maracle every spring and fall right around stocking time he decided to look into it and after spending a whole day on the phone and computer (so he sez) he got the okay to restock it which was done in the fall of '07. I left in the spring of '08 so I'm not sure how it's doing.
If anything this just goes to show you that "secret spots" don't last forever and if there isn't sufficient rod hours on a fishery the government will let it lapse into obscurity. So I would recommend sharing with a select few trusted friends and if a problem arises with the fishery, lobbying the government in unity will often achieve better results than going it on your own.
Oh ya....finding new fishing holes.......fill the gas tank and start exploring. You could probably get a good starting point from Google Earth and for other resources please revert back to Professori's post!
Great insight guys thanks.
My brother in law wants to go fishing this week, so were heading up to merritt. I was thinking of hitting the kane valley area, never fished there before, but it is a higher elevation area so i figure it should be ok. I was going to start doing some research and give Powder Keg a call, but if you guys have any suggestions.
Not asking for a hand out just a few starting points.
great info guys! Professori sounds like the kind of person i love to meet around a lake. i'm also the kind of person who will try to help people catch more fish by telling them where i'm fishing and what i'm using on that lake. as Prof said, sometimes this forms a bond between the two people and you can occasionally earn information from them as well. the thing to remember is not to expect to get info for free. this sport thrives on mentoring and exchanging information. not by mooching info and not sharing info.
i'm going to have to check out some of the books Prof mentioned as well.
i know exactly what johnk is saying. i recently found out one of my secret lakes is no longer being stocked. this wouild explain why the size of fish and quality of the fishery has declined since i found the lake. i wouild really like to see it stocked again, especiallly with triploids. i'll settle for yearlings though. hell, if i have to, i'll load a tank into the back of my truck and drive the baby trout in myself! who would i contact in regards to stocking a tiny lake in the Princeton area?
Actually the Kane Valley chain is not very high elevation, not much higher than Courtney if I remember correctly. If you stop in and see Fred at Powderkeg he can open up the Backroads mapbook and show you where Iron Mtn. Rd. is and at the top is Edna Lk. which has quality brookies. You could also get directions to Gwen which has some nice 'bows but can be difficult to catch.Originally Posted by josh
Great insight guys thanks.
My brother in law wants to go fishing this week, so were heading up to merritt. I was thinking of hitting the kane valley area, never fished there before, but it is a higher elevation area so i figure it should be ok. I was going to start doing some research and give Powder Keg a call, but if you guys have any suggestions.
Not asking for a hand out just a few starting points.
You should really take a look at Chataway's chain of lakes as they are all over 4600' and the traveller sedges will be going in the next two weeks. The lakes up there cover the different levels of difficulty. From easy lakes like Chataway and Roscoe to more technical lakes like Dot and Le Roi #3 but the elevation is perfect for what you should be looking at. Either way, have fun and enjoy yourselves out there.
John
There are several determining factors on why they may have stopped stocking your lake. Is it susceptible to winterkill? Is it used as an irrigation impound? Have water levels dropped over the years to raise concerns about pH levels? Is there an inlet creek that allows for natural recruitment?
You could call Ministry of Environment in Kamloops (250-371-6200) and get the name and contact number of the small lakes biologist for Princeton. You could call Ron at Princeton Outdoors and he could also get you in contact with the local bio. You could contact Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC and inquire about the stocking program for this lake. Keep in mind that the stocking recommendations are made by FFSBC but the final say rests on the shoulders of the government.
Stocking is usually done in the spring and then again in the fall with the surplus of fingerlings left over. Perhaps your lake suffers with a low number of rod hours per annum which would lead the government to pass it over when considering allocations for fall stocking.
Inquire and let us know except next time post the name of the lake and explicit directions for getting there!
Last edited by johnk; June 21st, 2009 at 12:37 PM. Reason: missed a couple words
even though this lake is small, it's pretty deep, never suffered winterkill as far as i know. no irrigation anywhere nearby, and if anything, the water's actually risen a bit. there's no inlet streams that i can see. possiblly a very slow swamp like trickle at one end. it's pretty much a hole in the ground with water and fish in it. i'll try giving the Ministry and/or Ron a call and try to get in touch with a biologist. as for posting the name...well, you post your secret lake and i'll post mine.There are several determining factors on why they may have stopped stocking your lake. Is it susceptible to winterkill? Is it used as an irrigation impound? Have water levels dropped over the years to raise concerns about pH levels? Is there an inlet creek that allows for natural recruitment?
You could call Ministry of Environment in Kamloops (250-371-6200) and get the name and contact number of the small lakes biologist for Princeton. You could call Ron at Princeton Outdoors and he could also get you in contact with the local bio. You could contact Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC and inquire about the stocking program for this lake. Keep in mind that the stocking recommendations are made by FFSBC but the final say rests on the shoulders of the government.
Stocking is usually done in the spring and then again in the fall with the surplus of fingerlings left over. Perhaps your lake suffers with a low number of rod hours per annum which would lead the government to pass it over when considering allocations for fall stocking.
Inquire and let us know except next time post the name of the lake and explicit directions for getting there!
i think it's time i found another lake to add to my list or productive lakes. i'm hoping to make way more time to fish this year.
thats how i got started, but also with good friends to teach you ..!!. i did lots of reading, driving, lots of dead lakes then you learn to read a lake. i found a book called guide to fresh water fishing thompson-nicola, shuswap region. lots a studying, but it will all fall in to place. you will always learn something new every day !!!!!
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