BC trip (7 days and lots of pics!)

The trip started like many others with a pile of gear in the garage and a final check over:Rod arrived(@troutpocket) and we loaded up and hit the road to join @Irafly and @Yardus Maximus for Ira's 50th Birthday.

The first lake we hit was Posby Lake. It's a fun pay to play lake with a really nice host(Shane) and location.

We had one heck of lightning show and had to seek shelter the first evening! Rod with a nice fish:It really is a beautiful location: Ira had one too many rootbeers:A little olive fly that worked throughout trip for me:Then we loaded up and headed to Meadow Lakes for 4 full days of fishing!It ended up being a good thing I bought the truck because the roads were pretty ruff into some of the lakes due to logging slash. Thankfully the jeep did well.

Ira and Rod:Hooked up!It's hard to truely capture the beauty of this region but each lake was spectacular:
More to come!

 

[Deleted member 1337]

Looking at the maps of the area I did not realize how close this was to Wells Gray. I canoed Clearwater and Azure as a teenager. One of my lasting memories as a kid. The really solidified my interest in fishing. Would love to go back to Rainbow falls now. I remember that campsite as being outrageously good. Another trip to plan.

You should check out Pyramid Campground then. It's close by and has falls.

 

[Dekartes]

I had a great time. Super friendly people. My daughter was having too much fun throwing spoons, so my goal of fully converting her to a fly rod didn't happen. Her enjoying time outside and fishing did though! My favorite moment was when a monster hammered her spoon and jumped several feet out of the water and shook it off. The emotions she had were amazing! Would have been cool if she landed it, as I do believe that was over 4 lbs and would have been a 'wall fish'. We will go back next year for sure. Good for the kiddo to be outside and then eat and socialize 'family style'. She supplied burnt marshmallows to all around the campfire! Go 4 days or more, as the fish Hayden smokes for you are delicious.

 

[Aaron Meredith]

Kudos to Meadow Fish Camp for showing our boys a great time. If any of you have ever opened a map of the Caribou/Chilcotin/Kamloops area or went to gofishbc.com and checked the stocking reports, there are literally hundreds and hundreds of lakes that either get natural spawning recruitment or stocked regularly to make for some great fishing. While it is convenient to have a great recommendation for a starting point from our own PNWFF for a base camp to setup up fishing options, don't feel like Meadow is the only place to go. While the smoked fish is a great feature (never seen the heads attached for smoking) another option that can be really fun and satisfying is doing your own research, investigation and explore new waters that challenge your angling skill. Or just go to Meadow!

I think most would agree that even in high altitude BC, mid August is not considered prime stillwater time. With as much combined stillwater expertise as that original group has, I would be very interested in seeing what they thought of the area earlier in the year, during the more traditional peak stillwater period, just for comparison. You guys should plan another trip right after school gets out in 2023 and report back.

I agree that Meadow is not the only place to go. If you want a semi-rustic experience with great food, great company, and great traditions at a reasonable price it is very difficult to beat the value that they offer at Meadow. If you are going out on your own you could spend years just exploring the lakes on Hwy 24...if you are camping/RV and hauling in your own boat or tubes I'd recommend exploring many of lakes that don't have fishing camp boats on them...too many to choose from and from my experience a lot have great fish even if they aren't on the stocking report.

As far as a test of fishing skill, Meadow definitely has that to offer if you seek it out. Only a few of the lakes closer to the main road have been stocked in the last 25 years. Sure there are a handful of lakes that you can hook 20+ fish a day, but there are other very complex lakes where 5 fish is considered a great day and you just try to learn something new about the lake every time out...the camp provides the boats, but you still have to put yourself on the fish. There are still plenty of big fish caught up there in late-July and August, but my experience is that the warmer weather definitely favors the guys with spinning rods vs. fly-fishing (which can be frustrating)...although gomphus, boobies, and searching patterns still seem to do well. On the flip side, August = better weather and less mosquitos.

As far as the heads on for smoking they clean them all with heads on and hang dry them by the jaw until it's time to brine them. I don't know if it has utility beyond that...maybe to provide an easy count for the warden?

 

[Chadk]

How is the skinny water in this area? If the lakes aren't cooperating, are there streams you can hit to change things up?

 

[Aaron Meredith]

How is the skinny water in this area? If the lakes aren't cooperating, are there streams you can hit to change things up?

I have only fished lakes in that area, but if you're interested in the rivers in that specific area I would start with Little Fort Fly Shop. This is what they had on their website:

RIVERS/STREAMS:​

All quality streams are closed until July 1st. High water conditions limit access at the start, but rapid improvement occurs as levels drop. Canim and Mahood Rivers fish best early. Clearwater River is best in August and September. Adams and Raft River trout follow sockeye in late August and early September. None of these are classified rivers. Guiding is limited to areas outside Provincial Parks (call Fly Shop for details).

Stonefly patterns early, Caddis patterns (large) until Salmon move in, then egg (Glo Bug) patterns are best.