British Columbia Fishing Blog

Last month was yet another fabulous May just like every other year. The beginning of spring in British Columbia always brings on many fisheries we look forward to, from fly fishing for trout in lakes to the saltwater fishery on the West Coast. Here is a series of photographs for May 2014.

In early May, I teamed up with Great River Fishing Adventures and Fraser River Discovery Centre to catch one of the most recognized species in BC – Fraser River white sturgeon. The Fraser River Discovery Centre has been wanting to put together a short film which highlights this amazing species at their theatre, so I have volunteered to be part of this project.

Dean and his assistant guides spent a day with me and a few staffs from the centre for a day, and looked for a few big sturgeon.

The Tidal Fraser River has a surprisingly large abundance of harbour seal.

We were able to find a good specimen for the camera.

My second stop took me to Douglas Lake Ranch, which is located in between Merritt, Kelowna and Kamloops. This 5,000 acres ranch property has several lakes where amazing trout fishing experiences can be had. We stopped at Salmon Lake Resort and fished for several days. It did not disappoint.

How high can a Pennask rainbow trout jump? This high! This strain of rainbow trout is known for its acrobatic performance once being hooked. Pennask rainbow trout are stocked into many lakes in British Columbia by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.

Each morning was action-packed. These rainbow trout were feeding heavily on chironomids for several hours once the sun rose. Timing your outing was important, as the bite often switched off in the afternoon.

What better way to end a day of fishing? Having a fire by the lake of course!

Right after returning from Salmon Lake, we headed straight to Victoria on Vancouver Island. Most only know Victoria as the city for tourists, but some extremely productive saltwater fisheries are right outside its harbour. We headed out with Island Outfitters and Robert from Gibbs-Delta Tackle, in an attempt to find my friend Kitty’s first halibut and capture it on film. Our guide Dan Findlow got the job done easily, despite of the unfavourable condition. Kitty was able to land a 23lb halibut before the strong tide prevented us from anchoring at the same spot. You can watch the entire video now!

Our final stop in May took us back to the interior region where lake fishing is good throughout spring. The target species this time was brook trout, or more formerly known as Eastern brook char. These fish, not native in British Columbia, are stocked at some selected lakes by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC. While they do not jump like rainbow trout, they utilize their deep body to dive deeply during the fight.

Brook trout are also very tasty, so being able to bring home a few is always a bonus. In this photograph, Fraser Valley Trout Hatchery fish culturist Dan held up several fish from the trip. These fish, averaging between 2lb and 3lb, had been living in the lake for two years after being released by the hatchery as fingerlings.

In the past couple of years, many have reported that St Mary Lake on Salt Spring Island has been suffering from a constant algae bloom which keeps the water quite muddy. This influenced the fishing because fish obviously could not see the presentations well and the lack of oxygen also caused inactivity.

Mark, the owner of Lakeside Gardens Resort, just emailed me with some good news! The water quality is much better this year and currently it is clear. This means fishing should be good once again.

St Mary Lake has a pretty unique fishery in Southwestern BC. This fishery produces a variety of species. The lake has a strong population of smallmouth bass, which can be between 8 and 20 inches long. It also has fairly large yellow perch. Beside these two species, Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC currently stocks it with coastal cutthroat trout cultured at the Vancouver Trout Hatchery. The lake also holds offsprings of rainbow trout which were once stocked by the hatchery. These four species can all be caught at the same time in May and June, which are my favourite months to be there. The trout fishing tapers off in the summer, but the bass and perch fishing continues until fall.

We have been going to St Mary Lake and staying at Lakeside Gardens Resort almost every year since 2003. After catching some bass during our first trip, we returned with friends who all agree it is one of the best summer get-away. Unfortunately we have not been able to return in the past couple of years and hopefully this will change soon.

Lakeside Gardens Resort is one of our website’s supporters and it is a true family resort which we want to keep supporting. The little lakeside cabanas give you the “camping” experience with the comfort of a bed, fridge and other necessities. I like to have my boat parked beside it so I can be out fishing within minutes each morning. Owner Mark has kept these accommodation options affordable for families. The pricing has not changed since we started visiting it. If you are interested in visiting this resort, please take a look at the website and see the links provided below for information on fishing at St Mary Lake.

• St Mary Lake Fishery Overview
• Trip report: Bassing in the Rain
• Trip Report: A Good Substitute

Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC has spent the past three days releasing juvenile steelhead into the Chilliwack Vedder River. This is always a three-day operation because fish have to be transported from the Chilliwack Hatchery to various location in the lower river downstream from the Vedder Crossing. They are released in the lower river for a couple of reasons. One is to ensure returning adults do not move upstream too fast so more angling opportunities are provided. Two is to prevent any direct competition between released hatchery fish and wild fish in the upper watershed where wild juvenile fish typically rear. 115,239 fish were released in three days and their average size was 70g. Hopefully in a couple of years from now, we will be seeing these returning as large, chrome fish which we all enjoy catching every winter.

You can find out more about this project by watching this video.

The first “heat wave” of the year arrived this week. Our recent trip to Ucluelet was pounded by heavy rain during the entire time, so I have been looking forward to taking my own boat out for a day of fishing under the sun. Since my dad is currently visiting from Taiwan, yesterday was the perfect day to get out and catch some trout.

Originally I was considering bringing him to one of the lakes near Merritt as the fish are generally bigger and stronger compared to the fisheries available in the Lower Mainland. At the end, we decided to stick to somewhere local as a one day trip that involves at least four hours of driving in total can be quite tiring.

I decided to take him to Hicks Lake at Sasquatch Provincial Park, which is relatively close for a day trip for anglers from Metro Vancouver yet provides pretty productive fishing consistently. Hicks Lake is part of GoFishBC‘s catchable rainbow trout stocking program, it yields a different result than the Fishing in the City lakes. Beside newly stocked Fraser Valley rainbow trout, you also like to catch fish that have been overwintering in the lake. These fish, after spending one or two more years in the lake, are much bigger. Cutthroat trout, which were once stocked until several years ago, kokanee, and native rainbow trout are also common encounters.

We began our day pretty slowly by arriving at the lake at 10:30am. The first boat trip of the season also takes awhile to get going, after all the accessories have been collecting dust in the garage so things are easily forgotten. Just before leaving, Dad reminded me that he still needed to renew his freshwater fishing licence, so I hopped upstairs, renewed it online in a few minutes. It’s always important to check your licences before heading out, so your day would not be ruined.

As we made our way out, fish could be seen splashing on the flat surface. A light breeze was keeping us cool. The view from the middle of the lake could not have been more spectacular. Two islands in the middle of the lake, with the snowy mountains and cloudless sky in the background, Dad could not stop commenting on it. The landscape in this province is grand and cannot be found in most parts of this planet. Too often we take it for granted until a visitor renews that appreciation.

Our choice of bait was single eggs and cured krill. Trout usually find these irresistible. We began by fishing on the bottom at the depth of 20 feet. While there were bites, it was not consistent.

After hooking and losing a couple of fish, I decided that we should switch to a float rig and suspend the bait at around 6 to 8 feet deep. There were fish rising around us, so luring them closer to the surface should not be too difficult.

That change indeed made a big difference as we, or mostly Dad, were watching our floats dipping constantly. The hook-ups were also non-stop, plenty of fish were brought to the boat. The number 6 hook did not seem too small for the fish, as all of them were not hooked deeply and could be released quickly.

I spent most of my day practicing my underwater photography and was able to capture a couple of satisfactory shots.

The fish we caught were a mix of stocked and native rainbow trout. Both can be identified quite easily by their behaviour and physical appearance. The native rainbow trout are skinner and less spotted, while the stocked Fraser Valley rainbow trout are fatter with a heavily spotted body. Native rainbow trout jump many times when they are hooked, while Fraser Valley rainbow trout do not.

Dad was also very satisfied with his catches and the limit of fish he could bring home to enjoy. He rarely fishes for trout, so being able to catch and eat his own is in fact quite especially, regardless whether they are stocked fish or not.

With one good lake trip down, I am looking forward to the next two months. Hopefully you will also get a chance to experience our fabulous lake fisheries this spring.

If you fish in British Columbia’s lakes and rivers, then you need to renew your annual freshwater fishing licence on April 1st every year. At $36 per year for an adult who resides in this province, freshwater fishing is one of the cheapest recreational activities you can participate in. The general licence fee has remained the same for many years now, despite of the rise in cost for everything else.

Quite often, the question “where does that money go to?” is raised and the general angling public rarely has the right answer. Many believe the licence fees we pay are deposited into general revenue for the provincial government, which is in fact not correct. Most of the general licence fee is used to fund Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC‘s operations. These operations include the production of trout and char at five of their hatcheries, and the stockings of these fish into hundreds of lakes in this province for anglers to enjoy.

The conservation surcharges which you pay, as well as a small percentage of your general licence fee, are used to fund Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation. HCTF is a not-for-profit organization which funds many conservation related projects in BC. In 2013, the foundation spent 2.5 million dollars on 60 different fish conservation projects.

• See a list of 2014-2015 projects funded by HCTF

Beside conservation projects, the foundation also spends money on recreational fishing development projects which the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC has initiated. These projects include fishing infrastructures at various urban lakes in Regions 1 and 2 to make your fishing experience more enjoyable, the learn to fish program which introduces fishing to youngsters.

Not only is your licence fees and conservation surcharges helping our freshwater fish populations, they are also investments which will result in better fishing experiences. It is money well spent!