A group of children fishing at Tunkwa Lake.
Image Credit: INSTAGRAM - Mamabrittz
August 09, 2019 - 7:00 AM
KAMLOOPS - If you want to get in some fishing before the summer is up, here are a few great places to cast off from the dock and enjoy the last days of warm weather.
Many of the dock fishing spots in the Thompson Okanagan region are in and around Kamloops, but there are some docks near Kelowna, Pentiction, and Salmon Arm, as well.
Logan Lake, about 40 minutes southwest from Kamloops, packs a lot of fish in a small area. According to its website, the 12-hectare lake is stocked with big fish. Due to the use of aerators and a spawning channel, the water is filled with trout. The lake offers dock fishing and has a rod lending program operating out of the Logan Lake visitors centre. You can bring an electric boat and a tent to this area to extend the weekend and enjoy the water, fully. There are two docks, one located near the town on the southwest side of the lake, and another on the north east side at the campground.
Lac La Jeune is a half-hour drive south of Kamloops, and is a local favourite. You can choose to fish from the dock or on the water, with a boat ramp nearby. If one day of fishing isn’t enough, you can camp overnight at one of the 144 campsites and cast again in the morning, according to Go Camping B.C. A fishing dock is located on the northwest side of the lake where Rainbow Drive comes nearest to the lake.
Tunkwa lake has had an above-average year for reeling in Chironomid and Trout. It is just under and an hour from Kamloops, north of Logan Lake. If you want to bring your pooch, they can run free in one of the two off-leash areas. According to the website, Tunkwa Lake has one of the highest populations of fish in the area. The Tunkwa Lake Resort offers an opportunity to rent a cabin, and allows people to fish off the nearby dock.
Some of the lakes in Kamloops have a higher fish population than others, but may compromise size for quantity. Tom Koester, president of the Kamloops and District Fish and Game Association, explains how this is.
“Freshwater fisheries society does a really good job of stocking our lakes with a variety of species and they stock some of the lakes with few fish so they’ll grow bigger, to have more of a trophy fish,” Koester says. “Other lakes, they stock with a lot of small ones or a lot of fish so you get a lot of smaller fish in the lakes which is really popular with resorts.”
Lodgepole Lake is another one of the smaller lakes that offers a great experience. It is located about 30 minutes southwest of Kamloops on Highway 5. There is a rest site on the east end of the lake which features a dock, and nine campsites on the west end recreation site, according to the Kamloops Trails website.
Walloper Lake Provincial Park boasts outdoor recreation activities, fishing, and a dock on the north side of the lake. It is a little closer than Lodgepole Lake, just 25 minutes down Highway 5 from Kamloops. The lake is a popular spot for anglers, and is great to boat around as well.
Edith Lake is less than a 20-minute drive south of Kamloops and offers Rainbow and Brook Trout stocked year-round. You can bring along a car-top boat to be launched, and relax afterwards at one of the picnic tables. Campsites are available but must be booked in advance.
Isobel Lake, also near Kamloops, is a great place to bring the kids and go fishing. Koester says the Kamloops and District Fish and Game Association often helps organize field trips for school-age children to learn about marine life and fishing techniques. The dock is on the northwest side of the lake, which is accessible through a recently revamped trail. Isobel lake’s hiking trails have been updated to be more user-friendly, allowing those in wheelchairs and young hikers to travel around the lake, according to this website.
For those in Kelowna, Shannon Lake is a nearby spot to enjoy a day at the water. A floating dock was installed near the picnic area a few years ago, near the Swite Road entrance. There is no overnight camping or open fires permitted in the area, but you can see some waterfowl and turtles, according to the districts’ website.
Yellow lake, between Penticton and Keremeos, had a new dock installed that allowed better access to deeper water. The dock is located at a rest stop on the southwest tip of the lake, along Highway 3A. The lake is stocked with Rainbow and Brook Trout, as well as Kokanee.
White Lake near Salmon Arm has quite clear water, making fishing all the more interesting. Through Sunny Shore Resort, there are sites for RV’s and cabin rentals, so you can enjoy the activities on the lake for as long as you wish.
All of these locations will have specific regulations, and Koester urges people to check up on regulations before going out.
“Special lakes have special restrictions,” Koester says. “It might be no ice fishing, it might be a one-fish limit, it might be two fish limit, there's all sorts of different regulations.”
He says the regulations are changing to adapt to the changing fish populations, so even if you feel like you know the regulations from fishing trips past, it is best to be sure you’re following proper procedures. Also important to look into is boating regulations.
“When I first came to Kamloops and started fishing Rainbow Trout, I think you were allowed to keep ten," Koester says. "Then it went down to eight, now it's five, and in some lakes it's two or even one. If you’re allowed to keep Rainbow Trout, only one of them can be over 50 centimetres.”
It is necessary to have a freshwater fishing license before casting a line. You can register for a license online by clicking here.
You can check out an interactive map of fishing holes by clicking here.
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