Fishing Greeny Lake

Hi Blog!

One of the things we were looking forward to during our trip across British Columbia was a chance to do some fishing. On our first full day in Lac La Hache, we stopped by the Visitor Center in 100 Mile House to get the lay of the land. For fishing information, they recommended a local tackle shop. With map in hand, we stopped at Lone Butte Sporting Goods to get our fishing licenses and some information on the best lakes to fish. The proprietor suggested a couple smaller lakes that would be good for kayak fishing. He also provided us with some local flies.

On Saturday, May 11, 2019, we decided to try our luck on Greeny Lake. The drive wasn't nearly as adventurous as our drive into Flat Lake Provincial Park had been a couple days before. The road was paved the entire way. When we arrived, we found the 16 primitive campsites were full. There were several small boats already on the lake and the fishing pier had a half dozen fisherman. We found a parking spot and unloaded the kayaks. The camper kids were using the boat ramp as a swimming hole. They were curious about the kayaks and stopped their horseplay long enough for us to launch.

We soon left the chaos behind. The weather was picture perfect.

We practiced several different fishing strategies: casting to a specific spot; trolling by paddling the kayak with the line out; drifting with the wind; and simply dragging and twitching the fly through the deep water.

After a few hours, we learned that there were millions of small fry hiding in the shallows along the shoreline and around the islands. The bigger fish, in turn, cruise these areas to catch the fry.

Managing a fly rod and a kayak paddle at the same time takes practice. We caught a number of fish that got away because we couldn't land them fast enough. We convened for lunch on a small island and compared notes.

We weren't sure how much longer we would be able to fish once the sun reached its peak. As luck would have it, clouds began to roll in, lowering the temperature and making the fish more active. We took to our kayaks with renewed spirits.

Every since we took up fly fishing, we've always fished catch-and-release. We've never intentionally killed a fish. However, we have friends who have extolled the virtues of fresh caught trout cooked over the open fire. If we were ever going to do it, this was the time!

Dave was the first to catch a whopper, but it slipped off the fly before he could bring it into the boat. Kathy was determined not to let that happen with her supper. As soon as the fish was in the net, she called Dave over to help make sure it made it into the creel.

The second one was easier to catch because it wasn't as big as the first. Still, it was 12 inches. It just looks small next to the big fat 14 incher!

With supper safely stowed in the creel, it was time to head back to shore. We just made it back as the wind picked up, created a dust devil in the campground, and forced us to seek shelter behind the Jeep as the swirling dust passed us by.

Back in camp, the trouts were ready to be cleaned.

Once the fish were cleaned and dried, we stuffed them with slices of lime, fresh tarragon and a few small pieces of butter. We wrapped them in tin foil and placed them in the fridge as we started the campfire.

After letting the logs burn down to red hot coals, we lowered the grill right over the coals.

Five minutes a side and we had fresh grilled trout!

The fish was mild and sweet. It reminded us more of salmon than trout. We learned the pink color can come from either the bugs they eat in the lake or the fish food their were given in the hatchery. Either way, they were delicious. This probably won't be the last time we fish for dinner.