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in the Stuart-Nechako Area |
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With over 3000 miles of shoreline
and hundreds of productive lakes and rivers, the
Lakes District is a paradise for fishermen of
all skill levels. You can cast for trout along
the shoreline, head into the open waters for the
elusive lake char, or test your rod against the
feisty steelhead in the local rivers. To
adequately describe fishing in this area would
take an entire website rather than one article.
Therefore NIHO will focus two of the major lakes near Burns Lake:
Tchesinkut and Francois Lake. We spoke with experts in
the area to let you know where to head first for
some of the best fishing in British Columbia.
(NIHO’s Note: Regulations regarding fishing in
BC are subject to change. Several of the rivers
in this area are classified and require a
special license. Check with local stores or the
Ministry of the Environment
before heading out.
Fishermen in British Columbia must obtain a
fishing license before fishing. These licenses
are available in most sporting stores.) |
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Tchesinkut Lake:
An old stomping ground of NIHO’s
resident fishermen (and current NIHO property),
Tchesinkut Lake is located
16 km south of Burns Lake. They note this lake
as a great place for fishing for rainbow trout
and lake char. Rainbow trout can range up to 15
lbs and char to 30 lbs. Kokanee can also be
found here. Many people overlook this lake on
their way to the larger lakes further south,
leaving the trophy fish to those willing to take
the lake less fished. Beaver Point Resort notes
that fishing last summer was excellent,
especially for the trout and kokanee, and
fishing from the docks was successful, as was
boat fishing in this area. We note that all
lake trout is catch and release only except
during February and July (when special quotas
take effect).
East Francois Lake Area
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Francois Lake is the second largest natural lake in
British Columbia. We have asked several experts
in the area to give us their thoughts on
fishing on this pristine lake. The people at
Birch
Bay Resort on the north eastern side
of Francois Lake are enthusiastic about
their area. They note that “you can get
dinner anytime you want” by catching it in
their section of Francois Lake. When we
asked them to review the fishing results
from last year they reported that the
biggest char caught by one of their guests
was just over 29 lbs, and the largest trout
was just over three pounds. They also noted
that the whitefish and ling cod fishing was
excellent in this area in both winter and
summer. Kokanee and Dolly Varden can also
be found on this side of the lake, although
the Dolly Varden is rarely caught. While you
can fly fish from shore, they noted that
Francois Lake is really a boat lake. If you
are going to stick to the shoreline, they
suggested finding any spot with a creek
running into the lake and fish the points in
that area for trout. |
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Tchesinkut Lake |
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Linking the Francois and the Fraser Lakes is the
world famous Stelako River, home to the Stelako
River Lodge. Fishermen from all over the world
come here to catch and release the feisty
rainbow trout. Reports from last summer suggest
rainbows over 5 pounds can be caught in this 10
km river. One key thing to note about the
Stelako river is that the river very rarely
turns muddy, making this an excellent fly
fishing river. Staff here notes that fishermen
will either cast from shore or use pontoon boats
to go deeper into the river. We note that the
Stelako is a classified river with a limited
fishing season (June 1-Nov 14), and a special
license is required to fish here. Check for
current regulations and restrictions before
heading out. |
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Francois Lake |
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West Francois Lake Area
On the west side of the lake, Susan at
Noralee
Resort noted that last summer no one
went away without a rainbow trout. The average
lake char was about 10-11 lbs, with the largest
fish coming in the high 20 lbs range. The
average rainbow trout is about 2 lbs, with
rainbow over 2 lbs being common.
As for the best spots, Susan noted that there
are 2 or 3 different spots in the west end of
the lake that are great for rainbow and lake
trout. She suggests that you “look for the
boats”. |
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Ling Cod is also plentiful here, and, again, can
be caught in both winter and summer. Dolly Varden can be caught on this side of the
lake, but are more elusive than the rainbow
trout or the lake char.
This is only the beginning of the
fishing opportunities waiting for you in the
Lakes District. Whether you are a skilled angler
or just beginning to set your pole in the water,
you won’t leave this area empty handed. Come to
the Lake District, where the fish are biting on
a daily basis. |
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Special thanks to
the following for their assistance with this
article:
Susan at
Noralee Resort
Birch Bay
Resort
Stelako River Lodge, 250-699-6695 |
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