Big White Fishing

[tinpusher]

I am looking at buying recreational property on a ski hill. I really like Big White but I also want to have quality fishing close by for the other 3 seasons. Can anyone give me info on what fisheries are around Big White? ie quality, crowds, distance.

Thanks
Doug

[professori]

Doug-take a look through the backroads mapbook Okanagan edition. It should answer your questions quite well. It can be found at any tackle shop I can think of, as well as chapters.

[tinpusher]

Thanks professori. I was hoping for a little info on the quality. The backroad maps show lots of lakes near Harrison but I would not buy a place at Hemlock and expect to enjoy the fishing at Deer and Hicks. I don't want anyones secret lake I just want to know if there is the same quality fishing as I would find near Merrit or Kamloops.

[CameronT120]

I grew up in Kelowna and used to flyfish all over the area. If I recall there was some good fishing near Big White. I used to regularly fish a series of beaver ponds that were near the junction at the highway before heading up to the mountain. That was more than 20 years ago though and a lot has probably changed. It used to be that you could drive any direction and in under an hour have your fly in the water for some fantastic fishing.

[nebc]

I grew up in Kelowna and used to flyfish all over the area. If I recall there was some good fishing near Big White. I used to regularly fish a series of beaver ponds that were near the junction at the highway before heading up to the mountain. That was more than 20 years ago though and a lot has probably changed. It used to be that you could drive any direction and in under an hour have your fly in the water for some fantastic fishing.

You might do well by contacting someone in the Kalamalka Flyfishers club. Several of them have been very helpful. Scroll down in the link below here to locate the members list.

http://www.kalflyfishers.ca/index.html

[CameronT120]

There's also the Lonely Loons Fly Fishing Club in Kelowna. At least I think they are still organized.

http://www.okanagan.net/loon/

[btree]

I grew up fishing the lakes and rivers of the Boundary area and could certainly point you in the right direction.

There are several walk in lakes that you should pack your belly boat or inflatable into. The Kettle River is a gem, but all the development from Big White on down the valley is really hard on the water quality. The west kettle also used to be killer, but alas is a shadow of it's former self.

PM me for info if you like.

The backroads map book will point you in the right directions for sure if you just want to poke around. Nearly all the lakes are stocked, so you'll get fish where ever you go, but if you want decent sized fish in decent numbers, then there are some lakes that are better than others.

[CameronT120]

The first time I cast a fly was on the Kettle River. Man, that must have been 30 years ago. Good memories.

[btree]

The first time I cast a fly was on the Kettle River. Man, that must have been 30 years ago. Good memories.

It's a beautiful river. I grew up in Midway. Dad worked at the forestry office attached to the P&T mill. I fished mostly from Rock Creek down to Midway, or from Westbridge upstream on either stem, though there are some great stretches below Westbridge down to the Kettle River Campsite, but there's just too many tubers in the summer.

Sad story - I was talking with the C.O. about 10 years ago after a float from Westbridge down to the Kettle River Provincial Campsite and he said he talked to just over 50 people fishing and I was the first one he ran across who actually had a fishing lisence. Also, he didnt issue any fines for the offenses. I think it was the July long weekend.

There is also great water down around Grand Forks, especially below the confluence with the Grandby.

Hard to go wrong with anything big and buggy on the surface - great dryfly river, but not the same as it used to be that's for sure!

[Steve Zissou]

Simple answer - not really.

The Kettle River is a great river to fish just after high water, but after that, the trout move south. Basically, there's a 30 km stretch along the Christian Valley that has good fishing after freshet. You can fish dry or wet with great success. Much of the river's edge is privately owned as well, meaning you can't always be choosy about where you put in.

Once the summer comes along you have tubers as well... not just one or two, but dozens of them making loads of noise - and POLLUTING .

There are some fantastic lakes up in that direction, but they are not the trophy lakes they used to be. I don't know if it's the ecology of the watershed on the East Side, but the fish tend to be on the smaller size, though they'll readily take to the fly and they have the Kamloops fight in them.

The lakes on the Westside of Okanagan Lake have much larger fish, but the scenery isn't as nice as the East Side, and the skiing is considerably less desirable.

One big advantage is that the lakes that can be fished in the area are very close. If you wanted to, you could fish McCulloch, Idabel or Haynes within 30 minutes of leaving the resort. Also, the backcountry roads can take you into some of the lakes that are on the East Side of Okanagan Lake between Kelowna and Naramata/Penticton. These can take more time to locate, though.