Fishing Report: Rolley And Whonnock Lakes.

Spring Is Right Around The Corner:

This morning when i drove out to Rolley lake i wasn't sure if the ice had yet melted. But if you never go, you'll never know... Or i suppose you could just wait for someone else to do it and then read the report. But that's not as much fun really. As expected the gate to Rolly is still locked which isn't a big deal, it's a nice five to ten minute walk from the gate to the park. Interestingly though, it is enough of a deterrent to others that i didn't see another person for the whole three hours i was there. I did hear a couple of people hiking somewhere across the lake but that's it. It was incredibly peaceful. As for the ice, I'd say it's 50% melted. The back side of the lake is still mostly frozen, which is a shame because all the spots i like to shore fish from are on that side. And shore fishing was the name of the game today as i wasn't about to carry a kayak, even a small 8f one, all the way from the truck and back. That said... if you were a stronger man than i and willing to lug a kayak or belly boat in, you probably have better luck than i, as the deeper parts of the lake were ice free and i'm sure that's where the fish were likely hiding today. As it is i ended up fishing from the front side of the lake, i tried the entire stretch that had open water but the best location was the beach, casting out into the swimming area. It was the most snag free location, and also the deepest i could reach with my cast. (about 80 feet.)

Still closed.

Not a bad walk.

As i'm sure you can guess, i was skunked today. That's actually pretty normal for me up at Rolley, i haven't had a lot of luck there. It's a beautiful little lake though so i continue to put myself through the heartache. Aside from one small fry in the shallows i saw absolutely zero evidence of fish. No bites or nibbles and no surface activity. It was actually a harsh contrast to Whonnock, where recently the surface activity has been ridiculous, not a lot of action beneath the water mind you. So far this year I Haven't attempted to fish Whonnock with a fly, but i bet that if you got out on the lake in the evening and fished small darkly colored mayflies you'd have some luck.

But i'm off track, at Rolley I fished bait under a float as it (normally) tends to be a pretty successful method this time of year when things are still quite slow. I started out unsuccessfully with worms, Than tried Trout Nibbles, and then Crappie Nibbles... and finally Crappie Nibbles with a worm. That's a sure sign of desperation... my leader started at about six feet but i just kept snagging, i eventually settled on a length of about four feet and that solved most my problems. But i couldn't entice any fish and after about two and a half hours i called it quits and decided to clean up some of the trash left behind by other anglers. I mean come on... the trash cans are liter-ally fifty feet from the water's edge, is it really that difficult the throw your balls of line there instead of the bush?

Half thawed.

"Liter-ally" 50 feet.

Wet, but happy.

Back down at Whonnock lake, where the slightly lower elevation lends itself to more favorable temperatures, fish are becoming quite active. Whonnock is about 165 feet lower down than Rolley, which doesn't seem like a lot, but while Whonnock is thawed and warming daily, Rolley still has ice on the water and snow on the ground.

I fished Whonnock about a week ago on the first day where there was enough open water to fish from the right side dock. Hooked and landed a nice little bow on my second cast (few things give me a bigger smile than that!), jigging a worm on a small trout magnet jig head suspended under a float. I landed one more Rainbow two days ago, vertically jigging a couple Crappie Nibbles from the kayak, in more or less the middle of the lake. I've gotten numerous other bites that just wouldn't hold on, they felt aggressive like trout and not nervous like crappie do when it's cold. And as i've mentioned before i have see a ton of surface activity, fish are hitting bugs on top water like crazy, i probably will follow my own advice the next time i head up there and bring a flyrod with me.

Mill lake.

Whonnock.

Seems like fishing is heating up a little, at least in the lower elevation stocked lakes anyway (i've also done pretty well at Mill lake recently.). And it really is starting to feel like spring is right around the corner, and if that isn't something to get excited about i don't know what is.