Lake fishing

Hey guys

 

 

Today I would like to talk about fishing the lakes of the Pacific Northwest.  The Pacific Northwest is full of beautiful lakes many of which are stocked with an abundance of fish. I have done most of my lake fishing in the small lakes around Prince George, BC. However, in my travels I have also fished all kinds of other lakes in British Columbia and Washington.

 

 

I have always felt a little spoiled in the Pacific Northwest in the abundance and beauty of lakes in the area. From the bigger lakes like Okanogan Lake and Lake Roosevelt to the multitude of tiny little lakes that are not much bigger than ponds. I have always marveled at the number of different colours lakes can be; from the beautiful turquoise, to dark blue, to green and even sometimes appearing almost black. It always amazes me how clear water can make lakes of all different colours.

 

My favorite lake story to tell is one about a hike I did to Hedrick Lake where I caught my biggest ever trout. Hedrick Lake is a small alpine lake nestled in the valleys around Hedrick Mountain. Now for those of you who don't know where that is I don't blame you. It is located east of Prince George in the McGregor Range in the regional district of Fraser-Fort George (54.11667 latitude, and -121.01667 longitude).

 

People can access this lake in one of two ways: by floatplane or by foot. My family chose to go by foot. My father had been up to Hedrick Lake multiple times in the past but had not been up for a number of years. On the closest logging road there had been a bad washout in the spring and we had to use 4x4 to make our way around the barrier that had been put up. We then drove down a single vehicle width logging road until we came to the cut block that looked familiar. We drove up the block until we could go no higher and that is where we parked.

 

After getting out of the truck we spent 45 minutes bushwhacking until we finally found the trail which had been quite overgrown and was not very well marked. In total it was around a 5 hour hike up and it was well worth it. The view when you first see the lake is nothing short of breathtaking and puts you in mind of a mini Lake Louise. There were two small cabins near the lake which had obviously been built with a chainsaw and a few other supplies. There were also two small boats near the water.

 

We fished twice while we there once at night and once in the morning before hiking out again the next day. Each member of my family caught a beautiful trout and released it. I caught mine in the morning and I couldn't believe its size. Although it didn't fight like a salmon it sure looked like one. It was beautifully silver and was around the size of a small Coho. The hike out was not nearly as painful and only took around 3 and a half hours.

 

Once back at the truck we worked our way back out to the road but not before putting a whole in our muffler. This made the old diesel sound pretty mean until it went in to the repair shop. Overall it was a great trip and other than the bug bites I was no worse for wear. It was probably the hardest I ever worked to catch one fish but it is a fish I will never forget.

 

Hedrick Lake smooth as glass

 

 

Beautiful Rainbow Trout