This is a continuation of fishing tips by Brian Chan.  For more great tips view the earlier article and visit Brian’s website at www.riseformflyfishing.com  

 4) Know your insects and other food sources

 Learn to recognize the major aquatic invertebrate food sources that make up a large percentage of the diet of trout in many stillwaters such as chironomids (midges), mayflies, caddisflies, damselflies, dragonflies, waterboatmen., backswimmers, scuds, leeches, snails, and forage fish.  Equally important is having  a sound understanding of their individual life cycles and habitat requirements.  Getting to know a particular lake or group of lakes translates into learning which food sources are present and knowing the emergence sequences specific to those individual waters. Many good reference books cover identification, life history and distribution of the most common Stillwater invertebrates. These insects’ life cycles and emergence patterns are similar regardless of where a lake is geographically located.  For example, chironomids from a lake in the Northwest Territories emerge the same way as those in a nutrient rich stillwater in a productive lake on the north island of New Zealand.

The beautiful lakes at Caverhill support all of the above types of aquatic life except forage fish.  A small cinnamon caddis makes for some very exciting top water action in late June and early July.  Big fish are more accessable when big bites are available.  Dragon fly nymphs and leeches are a favorite dinner item.  Each season and each lake has its own secrets making multiple visits to Caverhill Lodge a must.

This June has been quite cool so the mosquitos are just coming out in full force.  It will give us a longer season of dry fly fishing.  We have had a chance to fish most of our lakes after their winter sleep and have seen some great fish!

At 4600’ spring is slow to come.  Our lakes still have ice on them but the snow is starting to melt and I am starting to look forward to another season of great Canadian fly fishing.

This is a continuation of fishing tips by Brian Chan.  For more great tips view the earlier article and visit Brian’s website at www.riseformflyfishing.com  

 3) Look on and into the Water

Carry a small aquarium net to capture pupae, nymphs, emergers and adult insects so you can match fly patterns to size and color.  Place the specimens in a vial or white dish to get a better idea of color and to also watch the actual emergence process.  Surface and sub-surface feeding trout leave distinct riseforms that provide clues to the angler as to what insect stage they are selecting.  Trout feeding on minnows often show chasing/slashing rises as they work through the school of baitfish.  And finally, polarized sunglasses allow you to see better beneath the surface to spot shoals, drop-offs, spring areas, and bugs.

As the summer progresses at Caverhill Lodge we can tell you what insect is most likely to be hatching.  Sudden shifts in temperature can change the normal expectation but we can certainly advise what fly to start with.  Bait fish is one of the things we do not have in the Caverhill fishery.  Our fishery is entirely native with no fish other then the spectacular Kamloops Rainbow Trout.  All our fish are wild with no stocking programs.  With limited fishing pressure you can always expect the electricity of a Rainbow strike.

 2) Watch the Birds

 Aquatic insect hatches can often be confined to certain shoals  or specific locations within a lake.  Often, on larger waterbodies, a certain colour chironomid can be emerging in one bay and a totally different size and colour pupa emerging in another bay.  Birds, such as swallows, terns, gulls, and night hawks, find emerging chironomids, mayflies, caddisflies as well as other hatching insects much more quickly that we can. Binoculars are valuable in seeing avian activity and are a must have piece of equipment when fishing larger lakes.

 At Caverhill Lodge you will have a chance to enjoy a variety of bird life.  From the smallest chickadees, wrens and nut hatchs that are seed eaters to a great variety of wood peckers.  Of course the swallows are the key to what is happening on the water.  However the excitement of a mature bald headed eagle swooping down just inches above your head to grab the fish you just released is a definite adrenalin rush.  One of our guests had the experience of truly fly fishing when an eagle grabbed the fish he was fighting and soared high above the boat.  The fisherman won that battle and enjoyed telling the story.

Just a quick weather update!  Larry and I are still enjoying the skiing!  There is still three feet of snow in the backyard and we are skiing over the fence lines.  Looks like it will be a late spring but everthing changes quickly once the sun comes out! 

Becoming a proficient fly fisher on these productive lakes means spending the time to learn how these ecosystems function.  This includes understanding  the structure of the water body, what food sources are present, preferred habitat of the trout, char and other game fish species as well as the best times of the year to catch these fish.  Lakes are much more secretive in terms of offering hints as to where the trout are going to be found as compared to rivers and streams. There are no currents to dictate where fish can live or that determine prime aquatic invertebrate habitat.  For these and other reasons many fly fishers lack the confidence when fishing lakes.  We often refer to this as the black hole syndrome.

Understanding lakes can be like a puzzle, where we solve small pieces and eventually have the complete picture.  What follows are 10 tips to help put that puzzle together which ultimately translates into having more success and fun on not only the almost limitless number of lakes in B.C. but also those found in other parts of  North America and beyond.

1) Where the trout live

Lakes can be broken down into 3 distinct habitat zones.  The shoal or littoral zone is the shallow water area of the lake, that water from the shoreline out to about the 25 ft depth zone.  This also coincides with the depth of maximum sunlight penetration and the effects of photosynthesis which is a key factor in determining overall lake productivity.  The shoal is where the vegetation grows and where the majority of aquatic food sources are found. The shoal is the grocery store and the trout and char come onto the shoal for food.  It is the most important area of the lake when it comes to catching trout.  The drop-off zone is where the edge of the shoal zone transitions to the deeper parts of the lake.  The slope of the drop-off can be gradual or quite steep.  Drop-offs are also the maximum point of green plant growth so are also a perfect fish feeding area as well as offering refuge from the warmer shallow waters during the hot summer months.  This habitat zone is relatively short or narrow as the water quickly deepens to the deepwater zone of a water body.  The deepwater zone supports the least amount of macro invertebrate (insects and other larger food sources) habitat.  However, in many lakes the deepwater or mid-lake zone supports fairly prolific chironomid  populations and during the mid to late fall period can see water boatmen and backswimmer egg laying activity which definitely attracts the attention of trout.

The fifteen lakes you fish at Caverhill Lodge will provide lots of mystery and lots of excitement.  That is it for part one.  Make sure you visit our blog in a month for more great tips and photos.

The articles posted on this blog have been written by Brian Chan a local expert fly fisherman. Visit his website www.riseformflyfishing.com for lots of more detailed information and to purchase his books.

These articles have been written by Brian Chan a local expert fly fisherman. Visit his website www.riseformflyfishing.com for lots of more detailed information and to purchase his books.

Enjoy the blog!<-->

Planing ahead Larry ordered a few square bails for John Henry our mule .  A little miscommunication and we received one very large round bail. It slid across the lake just fine but fitting it in the barn was a bit of a struggle!

Knowing that winter can drag on at our elevation I also planned ahead and planted long stemed Arctic daffodils and tulips. The bulbs poked through the four feet of snow exactly on the first day of spring just as the packaging promised! Since the 21st of March I have had to dig them out of the snow twice. They are a very hearty variety that does add a touch of colour to a very white landscape.

Snow Bound Lodge

Hoar Frost on Pine Boughs

Winter Sunset

A few photographs of the beautiful winter months.  The first shows our record levels of snow.  The snow slides off the roof and builds up in front of the windows.  Larry has shoveled the windows clear several times.  Living in an igloo is really not good for moral.  However the snow has been great for cross country skiing.   The next picture is frost on a branch.  The “hoar frost” builds the most delicate butterfly wings that are clustered on the branches until the wind and sun shake them free.  The final photograph is a classic Caverhill sunset.  At this time of year the sun sets far to the south west.  Three glimpses into the magic of Caverhill in winter.

Larry Cutting Ice

Pulling the First block

Ice Cutting Team 2009

We are ready for your most important summer need.  Ice has been harvested for keeping the groceries fresh and your drinks cool.  Over the Christmas break we were able to harvest fourteen tonnes of ice in about three hours.  The temperature was minus 15 degrees celsius with a stiff wind.  Larry’s chainsaw kept freezing solid and had to be thawed before more cuts could be made.  Even with minor delays the job went quickly with many hands to help.  We did invite a few farm boys to go “ice fishing” and they eagerly accepted the challenge.

The first picture is Larry cutting the blocks loose with a chainsaw and a metal jig that is well over forty years old.  The block he is standing on is the one he is cutting and I still do not have life insurance on him! Notice the spray of water as his blade reaches beyond the ice layers to the open water below.

The next picture is the first block being pulled from the lake.  There is always a point where the block starts to pull you in before it commits to being pulled out.  Each block weighs about 500lbs.  The large block will then be cut into three smaller blocks that will be loaded onto sleighs and pulled by snowmobile up to the ice house.  There the blocks are unloaded and stacked into position.  Many of you have seen our summer ice house and know that it keeps all the fresh produce at a degree above freezing and is one of the reasons we can offer such great food at Caverhill.

The final picture is part of the ice cutting group.  Haley, our new dog had dried out by this time after taking a quick dip in the lake and was happy to be in the picture.  The standing blocks are extras that we created an “Ice Henge” with for New Years celebrations.  Still energy to play after all the hard work was done.

Ice cutting is a historical event and I always think of the men and horses that supplied the ice for cities in California.  Fourteen tonnes was just a drop in the bucket.

We are back to normal after the excitement of the holiday season.  Record snow levels already bode well for lots of water this summer.  Although temperatures have jumped from weeks of -30 to a high today of 0.  Very strange weather patterns that I know many of you are also experiencing.

If you would like to comment on the blog or add a story and pictures of your fishing adventures “mouse” over the “No Comments” just beside the title and click or click on the title.  A comment window should open up.  I will try to post a few photos once a month.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

After the season ended we pulled boats and winterized cabins and settled in for a slower pace.  The fall colors were amazing on the blueberry and bunchberry plants. The leaves were a deep, rich burgundy that was trimmed with gold in the evening sunshine.  We enjoyed hikes out to the lakes and by October 20th ice had formed a 1”layer on the smaller lakes tucking them in tightly for winter. Bramon held out until mid November.  Caverhill Lake is still open today but the narrows have a thick layer.

Miss Pearl, the hovercraft is going to be put thru her paces in the next few months.  It will be great to have the new measure of safety when we start crossing the lake after it has first frozen.

I will write a note every few weeks but we really hope that you will use this site to share your Caverhill stories and relive your adventures. Share fishing tips, favorite flies and information on favorite lakes.  Recommend books and articles to other lake fisherman.

Up load pictures of good times or comment and rate your vacation experience. 

Ask me for a favorite recipe or send a recipe you think our guests might enjoy.

We hope to make this a friendly information exchange for our regular guests and a window into the Caverhill Lodge experience for new guests.

It will be nice to keep in touch thru out the year.

Sincerely, 

Marlene & Larry