Where To Fish
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Where To Fish
This map is your very basic tourist type map, showing only what the lake looks like and gives a couple of geographical spots on it. What I will show on it is where I fish, for what, how and what you might expect in these areas.
I am not one of those typical weekend warrior type anglers that puts the boat on "cruise control" and covers 26 miles of lake in one day, all in a straight line! It has taken me years to find these particular spots, partially through trial and error and also through the use of a good sonar unit. If I've worked one of my areas for a couple hours and haven't had any action, chances are I move on to another, and another, and another. Ask any of the other anglers who also employ this tactic and they will tell you it works for them as well, so its not just me making things up.
I fish "structure" when I work my areas. This "structure" could be something as simple as a drop-off or bump on the bottom, but fish relate to "structure" no matter what form it takes. In shallow lakes it could be a dead tree in the water, rock formations, weed beds etc., and this kind of stuff is very important to fish.
If you don't have a sounder on board then you can always find hydro graphic type maps at most fishing stores. They aren't your fancy dancy type that you'd use for coastal fishing but they will show bottom structure of the lake and that's what you want to find. It is nice to have the sounder however, to prevent hang-ups from cannon balls or dragging hooks on the bottom, there's lots of stuff to get tangled up on.
The "spots" on the map are just that, "spots", so don't expect that if you stay within the borders as marked that you'll always catch fish, I certainly don't but, have found these "spots" to be the most productive for me. I'll cover each "spot" and explain what's there.
A. Ruckle Pt. (by the Scout Camp and log booms) I don't frequent this spot to much simply because of distance. However, in early spring when the rainbows "wake up" it can be a great spot to either drag a bucktail (pnk/sil, grn, blk/sil) along that snout that sticks out from the point. As water temps pick up drop your gear down to that 30-60' range and switch up to plugs or Apex's. My best pick would be Cop Car Apex's in 3" or wider Slow Troll and plugs in sil, gld/sil, grn/whi or all white. Work from the point down along the log booms to the water falls and back. The deeper water areas, especially along the rock wall is a good spot for Lakers.
B. Wildrose Bay (and north of it along the rock wall) Early spring spot for me again, especially in the bay itself. This is where I took my largest bow in the lake, 16lbs, on a pnk/sil bucktail pulled right on top. Work through the bay and then along the rock wall, which is also a good spot for Lakers down deeper. I'll drop my cannon ball down on one side and follow the contours while the second line will work that 0-50' zone. The "go to" hook in any of these spots is the blk/gry Apex, 3" or Slow Troll model. Don't be afraid to change your hooks up every 10 minutes if your marking lots of fish and getting no bites, sometimes it takes just the right "flavour" to trigger that bite.
C. West side of Cinnemousun Narrows - Rainbows,Lakers and Bull Trout are what hang around here. This side of the Narrows gets all the water flowing through from the east side of Shuswap Lake. That means lots of feed going through, similar to a river or even the Channel right in Sicamous. I'll fish the Narrows and then work my way out into the lake itself, going from shallow to deep. If no action I'll work each side of the Narrows, following the shoreline and keeping one ball down deep on the contours and the other where ever the fish may be marking. Sameo hooks as the previous spots but, as we get into Laker country more I'll be switching up to spoons more often.
D. East side of Cinnemousun Narrows - Although rainbows do lurk here, this is one of my fav Laker spots when I'm up at this end of the lake. My deep line will again follow the contours and I'll work from the Narrows south for a good 1/2 mile. I'll start in shallower water first (80-100') and if no markings and no action I'll move out from 100-130'. If fish are marking on the bottom I'll drop the ball right on their noodle, if that doesn't work put it up 10'. I've had Lakers come up as far as 60' to hit a lure! Another laker trick is to put the lure less than 10' behind the ball. It would appear that sometimes its the cannon ball that attracts the fish and brings them in so, put the lure closer rather than further away to get them to strike. Also with Lakers, if they're marking and still not biting, try a "Crazy Ivan" or two! In other words, do a 90 degree turn several times in a row to get your lure to speed up and slow down, you'd be surprised at how well this can work! The gry/blk or prpl Apex are great Laker takers but so are many spoons. Try a Canoe spoon in Chartreuse or a FST in gld/sil. Also don't be surprised if you hook into a rainbow at these depths, they too like to find cooler water and go where the feed is.
E. Marble Pt. - I fish the north side just until the picnic site runs out and then turn around and work south, as far down as where the pictographs are on the rock wall. Work shallow to deep again, running one ball down along the contours. Rainbows and Lakers hang around the Pt. while Bull trout tend to hang around the cliff areas more. For Bull trout my best hook has been the "plain jane" all chrome Croc, although any flashy hook can sometimes work on them. My best bull of 14 lbs was taken off this cliff area with others in that 5-10lb range. First thing in the morning seems to be the best around here, could be that in the summer there is to much boat traffic and that may drive some of the fish away. Mind you, that same problem is all over the lake in the summer and hence moving on to different spots on a regular basis can be key to getting fish.
F. Hermit Bay - Only two things I fish for right in the bay and that's either Lakers or Bull Trout. Once again I work the bottom if they are marking with one line and mid depth with the other. The north end of the bay has always served up a Laker or two, best time around here is spring and fall. As summer temps go up the water warms quite a bit and the Lakers go deep and more towards the middle of the lake. If you go straight out from Hermit and hit that 400' depth you'll find them suspended in that 120' area. Middle of the lake is probably an area where there is alot of water flow, so they hang in there for comfort and for feed. In fact, there is what can be described as a "underwater river" through this piece of lake. There is so much water flow that there is a steady current through the lake, so it only makes sense that fish would hang around this "river". South of Hermit I fish along "the wall", the rock face just before you hit Crescent Bay. Along this area I again troll from shallow to deep, out as far as 300' of water. This can also be a good spot for kokanee fishing and at depth, in that 35-70'. Wedding Bands and Trout Killer Apex's can get these koks, a good sounder will show them as a blob or just lots of fish markings.
G. Totem Resort and south - This area has produced just about all species of fish in the lake, short of sturgeon! Lots of kokanee all the way from the resort south, for about a half mile. Work one line on the bottom and again put the second where the fish are marking, or just above the markings. Remember that if what you are marking are kokanee, the predators will tend to hang below them if they are feeding on them. The problem you can encounter when fishing in the swarm of bait fish rather than out of it, is that the predators will take the real thing 9 times out of 10 so your playing the odds. Try your lure above the bait fish first and if nothing move it just below them. I think this is the reason why fishing the bottom the way I do is so productive. You have fish marking right on the bottom and with the lure 10' or less above them, it is just to tempting to not attack it! In Laker territory if you're marking them on the bottom and getting nothing, try putting that same lure up 20' or so and see if you get any strikes. When I used to dive I would see more fish feeding just off the bottom rather than right on it, so change up your depths.