This year we finally took the trek up to the Cariboo to try our luck at catching some good timing on some spring fishing.
Day one-we hit a lake we have had a lot of success on before. Of course, weather was very unstable and fishing was very slow. A couple of small ones for me and one larger one to the boobie on the surface was all I saw.The good news was that there was some home cooked meals waiting for us after the day ended.
Day two we hit a different lake and fishing continued to be slow. So slow we decided to try a different lake. While putting the boats back on the trailers Bobber met a retired fishing guide who was camping on the site. There are very few times when you know the advice given is gold and this time was one of them. As I listened he allowed me to ask questions and get specifics. By the end of the discussion not only did we learn lots but we had a lake that we decided to go to on day three. In the meantime we went to two other lakes only to come back for the evening bite were we started.The day ended with another home cooked meal. Although day one consisted of homemade lasagna, tonights meal was stuffed meatloaf with beef right from the farm.
Day three we were jacked to hit this highly recommended lake. Getting to the lake would be a bit of a trek. A secret gate followed by a narrow cut road (that you couldn’t turn around on), a lot of mud and a lot of branches. After about 6 kms of bushwalking we came to a beauty of a lake that was circular in shape and was surrounded by about 20 feet of shallows that dropped off into some dark deep edges. The shore line was covered in weeds and dense forest. Looking promising I tossed an indicator and dangled a micro maroon jig head leach with a metallic pink bead. First cast and it was game on. The first jump revealed one of the largest rainbows in a smaller lake I have hooked into. After the fourth jump and stripping almost all my line i am guessing it was 6-7 lbs but it unbuttoned itself on the last jump. Excited, I cast back to the shore in about 6 feet of water and again I hooked into a beauty. This one was smaller but it sure fought. After a long battle the reason why it was hard to bring in was because it was hooked on the side of the cheek. The third cast saw the indicator go down but i missed the hook set.
Meanwhile, Mats and Bobber were still getting their pontoons ready. Although the pontoons are a better boat to fish out of there is something to be said about quick and easy set ups of a frames inflatable. Like the old saying goes, hook in water will catch more fish than hook out of water. By the end of the day I had hooked into 8 beauties. The last two being between 3-6 lbs. Aside from the multiple scratches both new trucks sustained, the day ended again with a home cook meal. This time seafood pasta salad and bbq chicken. Bobber also got to feed a calf from a bottle which was almost as exciting as the fact that he also got invited to neuter a cow. Fortunately for the cow, Bob was not able to perform this task as both days ran out of daylight before the procedure was able to take place.
Day four was our last day and we decided to hit a different region of the Cariboo. This lake would be one of the smaller ones that recently a buddy had hooked into 35 over a few days with fish up to 7 lbs. Like the other days, this day was no different. Fish were not biting but at least the gang trollers with the ford fenders were catching. I got tired of not hooking into any fish so decided to float back to the launch and pack up. On the way back I landed a 19 incher on a large black leech which was made up of deep red beads covered in what looked like strips of shiny garbage bag material to form a leeches body.
Oh…. let me back up a bit. While trying to find this lake, I led the two cars down the wrong muddy road. This resulted in a turn around knocking off a piece of my bumper on my new to me GX460.
Although fishing was overall slow, travelling to the Caribo solo was a great experience. Driving in this region solo was very relaxing and calming. For me, driving along the Thompson and the Fraser River bring back many memories of steel heading and crazy winter driving conditions. You also realize how great our Province is and I look forward to exploring more of it during thee Covid times. Although I say I will be exploring…..I will be coming back to the same place in the Cariboo in another month to do some summer dry fly fishing for one week….so stay tuned.
fishingbuddha 