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Best Rainbow Trout Destinations
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| by:
Geoff Coleman |
| 1.
BOW RIVER, AB |
Discussion of rainbow fishing in Canada, and a good part of
the world, starts and finishes with the Bow River. Numbers of
fish are virtually guaranteed on the Bow, and a 20-inch rainbow
is very possible on any day of the season. The upper river acquits
itself well, but the lower river is best known. Southeast of
Calgary, it explodes with a self-sustaining trout population
numbering 1,550 per kilometre of river.
Thanks to some heavy and predictable
insect hatches it has become a fly-fishing Mecca, but 'bows
are 'bows and they will respond to the usual spinfishing offerings.
Wading is possible, but due to the size of the water, many prefer
to use a drift-boat to cover more river. You can either fish
from the boat or use it to get to the next spot where you can
get out and cast.
Couple the fishing with outstanding
scenery, an easily accessible location and the services and
accommodations of a major metropolitan centre on the river's
doorstep and you have a top-drawer international fishing destination.
A guide is recommended for first-timers because there is so
much river to explore. Calgary tackle shops can point you in
the right direction.
•Contact: Alberta Environment, (403)
297-6423.
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| 2.
SHERIDAN LAKE, BC |
With 3,000 rainbow-trout lakes in the area, it is easy to see
why Brian Chan, a noted fishing author and video producer, believes
that the Williams Lake-Kamloops axis provides the best angling
for rainbows in British Columbia. Approximately 30 of those
3,000 lakes have 10-pound-plus rainbows. Sheridan Lake, near
Kamloops, is the area's best. In recent years, 300,000 fish
have been stocked annually, and currently the Blackwater strain
of rainbow trout (which enjoys a yearly growth rate of over
a pound) is being planted. The Sheridan rainbows average 3-1/2
pounds and 10-pounders don't raise an eyebrow with the veterans.
The lake-record fish, caught in 1996, weighed 17 pounds, 6 ounces.
The season lasts from May to September, but try mid-June to
mid-July for the best results.
•Contact: Sheridan Lake Resort, (250)
593-4611.
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| 3.
CROWSNEST RIVER, AB |
The Crowsnest River may not be in the same league as the Bow
River, but it's still a blue-ribbon stream. Here, the 20-inchers
common around Calgary are more elusive, but 14- to 16-inch gems
are abundant.
The seriously big fish appear
in the spring when rainbows up to 30 inches migrate out of the
Oldman Reservoir to spawn in the Crowsnest. Being smaller water
than the Bow, the Crowsnest lends itself to wading and access
is great. The lower 25 kilometres of the river are open year-round.
•Contact: Vic Bergman, The Crowsnest
Angler, (800) 267-1778.
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| 4.
DRAGON LAKE, BC |
The same biological, chemical and geological factors that make
Sheridan Lake so prolific also bless Dragon Lake near Quesnel.
Since these lakes are landlocked lakes with no flushing of nutrients,
they are extremely eutrophic. In other words, "They have the
groceries," as B.C.'s Brian Chan puts it, to grow big fish.
Add that to an abundant food supply and a long growing season
and the result is monster rainbows.
With a mean depth of 19 feet,
the lake is fishable from April to November. The most surprising
thing about the lake is that although it is only 555 acres,
it routinely gives up 12-pound fish. It's a must-fish location.
•Contact: Quesnel & District Chamber
of Commerce, (800) 992-9606.
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| 5.
WHITE LAKE, BC |
White Lake near Salmon Arm (a two-hour drive from Kelowna) is
another fishery in the magic zone for rainbow trout. After ice-out,
this is one of the first lakes to open up for the soft-water
season. The trout's diet is stacked with freshwater shrimp so
flies imitating them are popular. Other favourites include,
dragonflies, damsel flies, caddies and leeches.
At five kilometres long, White
Lake tends to be on the small side, but don't let the size of
any of these B.C. lakes mislead you. The largest rainbow in
B.C. was taken from the less than three-kilometre-long Jewel
Lake in 1933. At 42 pounds, you can be sure the lake's water
level dropped when that fish was pulled out.
•Contact: Thompson Okanagan Tourism
Association, (250) 860-5999.
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| 6.
OLDMAN RIVER SYSTEM, AB |
The Oldman River system is comprised of the 800 kilometres of
trout streams found within an 80-kilometre radius of Crowsnest
Pass, and it's a treat for 'bow lovers. The fish swim quite
thick in parts of the system, especially the Oldman River south
of the Oldman Dam. During the peak season, 20-inch 'bows show
up daily.
Spring runoff, which normally
takes place between mid-May and early June, leaves the river
high, discoloured and unfishable for weeks. The fishing begins
once the river clears from the spring melt and peaks in July
and August. The Oldman can also be fished in the fall for those
who enjoy chinooks—the western-weather phenomena, not the fish.
Established fly patterns include
Elk Hair Caddis, the Hare's Ear Nymph and the Prince Nymph.
Areas where major tributaries join the main river are the sweet
spots. Try Dutch, Pincher and Willow creeks.
•Contact: Oldman Dam Provincial Recreation
Area, (403) 627-1116.
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| 7.
ROCHE LAKE, BC |
Roche Lake, located 40 kilometres from Kamloops, is another
pint-sized paradise where the numbers of rainbows you'll catch
will impress. It is only 326 acres, but 2- to 4-pounders are
the rule not the exception and 6- and 7-pounders are caught
regularly.
Early summer is the best time
to go, but the stretch from Labour Day to the end of October
is almost as good and less crowded. Anglers with spinning outfits
go with a lightweight rod and 8-pound-test or less. Popular
lures include Flatfish, Hot Shot and Kwikfish in orange and
black, silver and black, frog and silver, plus Rooster Tail,
Mepps Aglia and Panther Martin weighted spinners.
•Contact: Roche Lake Provincial Park,
(250) 851-3000.
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| 8.
LAKE DIEFENBAKER, SK |
Saskatchewan's rainbow trout are maintained through a stocking
program, with 750,000 fingerlings stocked in 140 waterbodies
ranging from dugouts to medium-sized lakes annually. In the
case of Lake Diefenbaker, the rainbows come primarily from two
sources: the provincial mini-hatchery near Saskatchewan Landing
Provincial Park and a large commercial cage culture operation
from which some rainbows escape. It's possible that one of these
escaped fish was the Saskatchewan live-release record of 10
pounds, 5 ounces.
Bruce Howard, Saskatchewan Provincial
Sport Fish Specialist, says popular baits include small Panther
Martin and Mepps spinners or small spoons, with the black dots/orange
body a favourite. Some anglers stillfish for the trout using
floats that suspend simple hooks baited with Power Bait. Fly
anglers report success fishing by simply matching the hatch.
There is a very good spring bite, just as the season begins
in May, however, anglers catch trout all year.
•Contact: Bruce Howard, (306) 787-2877.
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| 9.
HALIBURTON HIGHLANDS, ON |
The Haliburton Highlands is home to dozens of rainbow-trout
lakes, most of which require some effort to reach. Fly-ins exist,
as do canoe routes and ATV trails, but another option exists
in the form of the Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve.
This is a 50,000-acre, privately
owned chunk of hardwood forest, lakes and rivers, just south
of Algonquin Park. There is a $10 fee to use the area, and special
regulations exist on some lakes (less than 10-hp outboards,
no gas engines, etc.).
Visitors can expect fish around
12 inches to be common, and fish as large as 8 pounds exist.
Best bet for big fish is Duck Lake. A 4x4 is required to drive
right to the lake, but if you don't have much to carry, you
can always walk the last few hundred yards.
•Contact: Haliburton Forest and Wildlife
Reserve Ltd., (705) 754-2198.
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| 10.
BARBE LAKE, MB |
When Manitoba anglers talk about their rainbow trout fishing,
it's in almost apologetic terms. You hear things like, "They
aren't native fish," or "It's just put-and-take fishing." But
Manitoba has enough opportunities to keep the most easterly
of the western trout fishermen happy.
Most of Manitoba's 'bows reside
in the western part of the province, with the largest ever caught,
a 30-1/2-incher, coming from Barbe Lake, northeast of The Pas.
The lake was reclaimed from a private fish farm and stocked
with 100,000 rainbows in 1978. Since the mid-'80s, it has benefitted
from the planting of some 25,000 fingerlings annually.
Rainbows respond to the usual
suspects when it comes to lures. Small spoons and spinners work
their magic here, but if ice-fishing, you better pack the local
favourite, the Cicada jigging spoon.
One of the reasons Barbe has
a good fishery for 'bows is that it is still pike-free in a
part of the world where northerns are as common as minivans
at a mall. Other lakes in the area worth checking out include
Bower, Silver Beech, East Blue and Tokaruk.
•Contact: The Pas & District Chamber
of Commerce, (240) 623-7256.
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11.
TUNKWA LAKE, BC
•Contact: B.C. Fisheries Office, Skeena
Region, (250) 847-7260. |
12.
CYPRESS HILLS, SK
•Contact: Cypress Hills Interprovincial
Park, (306) 662-4411. |
13.
MCLEOD LAKE, AB (Near Harcourt)
•Contact: Travel Alberta, (800) 661-8888.
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14.
EAST DOLLAR LAKE, AB (Peace River area)
•Contact: Travel Alberta, (800) 661-8888.
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15.
PAINE LAKE/PINCHER CREEK, AB
•Contact: Travel Alberta, (800) 661-8888.
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16.
FIGURE EIGHT LAKE, AB
•Contact: Figure Eight Lake Provincial
Park, (780) 624-6405. |
17.
BLOOD INDIAN RESERVOIR, AB
•Contact: Travel Alberta, (800) 661-8888.
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18.
CHOCOLATE LAKE, MB
•Contact: The Pas & District Chamber
of Commerce, (240) 623-7256. |
19.
BLUE LAKE, ON
•Contact: Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources, Kenora, (807) 468-2501 |
20.
NARROW HILLS PROV. PARK, SK
•Contact: Narrow Hills Provincial Park,
(306) 426-2622. |
| other
species destinations |
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