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[AlbertaBoy]

Hello fellow fisherman!

A group of friends is coming down from Alberta on a Carp expedition lets say .. We were told that there is Carp in Vernon area in Swan Lake! We called up a campground but the owner was unable to tell me how populated the lake was with Carp.

I am wondering if someone can give us some pointers what lake should we fish and where, we need to be in a campground so preferably close to the lake we fish. We need to fish off shore line so we need decently clean access to water.

Please let us know where should we go to look for Carp that is close to Vernon / Kelowna area.

P.S. I was told there is Mirror and Common Carp in Vernon area but not sure where.

Thanks in advance !!!

[jon5hill]

You've come all the way across the continental divide into these pristine watersheds, beautiful lakes and rivers, completely full of prized Salmon, Steelhead, Trout, and Char, and you want to fish for.. Carp?

[troutbreath]

Okanogan lake by Kelowna has Carp by the shore and is good for shore casting.

[Banny]

All of the valley bottom lakes have carp, though you may experience differing levels of success depending on how busy the surrounding water is, can be an issue in the summer months.  Kalamalka, Woods and Okanagan lakes are fine for carp fishing if you can escape the beach-going crowds.  Osoyoos, Vaseux (Along highway) and Skaha (East side, West side near Kaleeden, South end near Ok Falls) in the South Okanagan are probably better.  I prefer shallower waters to deeper which is why I like the south okanagan lakes. 

I have only ever caught common carp in the valley bottom lakes, but I have seen one small mirror caught.  I used to fish for carp when camping in the summers, when not out on the boat trolling.  Caught carp on all of the lakes mentioned above excluding vaseux because I have only ever fished vaseux for bass.  They are extremely abundant in all of the lakes.

Okanagan lake common carp

[Noahs Arc]

There's a fella on HBC who spear fishes carp in Osoyoos lake and he slays them.
As to which part of the lake... You got me?

[Rodney]

I've never fished Swan Lake but have been told that the carp fishing can be quite good, however shore access can be challenging.

Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake are also good options as Banny has pointed out. We enjoyed it very much last year by having a couple of carp rods set up in front of the lakeside cabin we stayed at. We sat back, had our picnic, waited for the runs and were not disappointed.



http://www.fishingwithrod.com/blog/2012/06/24/exploring-fishing-opportunities-in-the-okanagan/

[AlbertaBoy]

Thanks everyone I made some phone calls down to conservation officers and campgrounds in the area they told me just about every lake has them so it shouldn't be too challenging to catch them.

I forgot to ask and now I can't find this information on BC website, when does the fishing season open in Okanagen area?

And also how many roads can a individual use at any given time hooks and so on?

Thanks
I like using 2 roads when fishing for Carp.

[Rodney]

You need to go through all the information in these two links below before your trip to the Okanagan region. It will answer your above questions regarding regulations.

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/regulations/docs/1315/fishing_synopsis_2013-15_provincial.pdf

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/regulations/docs/1315/fishing_synopsis_2013-15_region8.pdf

[AlbertaBoy]

Thanks Rodny, that has answered most of my question there.. However I am unsure, it says no fishing in stream from Apr 1 to June 30 does that include lakes like Wood Lake and Kalamalka or just actual streams?

[Rodney]

Just streams. Fishing in lakes is open year round unless mentioned in the table of lake/stream specific regulations.

[AlbertaBoy]

Thank you so very much that was very educational and helpful... Hope we have a good time

[Rodney]

Good luck and be sure to post some photos of those carp when you return from your trip. Despite of what some salmon and trout purists in this province may say, carp can be a very enjoyable gamefish to target. You may also want to drop by Trout Water Fly & Tackle in Kelowna for more information. Although a fly fishing store, the owners target carp on their fly rods at times so they have more current local information.

[buzzbomb]

Good luck Albertaboy, be advised as per the regulations no chumming or pre-baiting is permitted in BC, so if your visitors are seasoned carpers they may have to adjust strategy to stalking or fishing likely patrol routes.  I'd take some pva anyway and maybe try a stringer if fishing boilies.  Make sure to let us know how you do!  I'll be spending a few days in the southern Okanagan in early May, but won't be fishing.  If I wasn't on a waiting list for surgery I'd be out there right now.
Edit: I found access to be a problem (at least in the south) but a little exploring and asking around pays off.  What I'm really looking forward to is sight fishing them in the river even though they're smaller than those in the lakes.