Arrow Lake BC

[damienelliott]

Guys I'm new to this type of fishing and lake so any advice is a great help. I will be heading out apr 15 for a few days. All the revies I read say trolling 20'-70' to locate fish once found concentrate on that depth. Also say a good place to start is with apex spoons as well as Lyman,luhr Jensen, tomic plugs. Please let me know if I'm headed in the right direction. I'm also looking for a rod reel line combo for the trip aswell. Thanks for any advice

[greylynx]

My best advise for you is to go one of the B.C. fishing forums. They know what is going on today.

Although some of AO members may be able to help you.

They are nice people just like me.

[hardcorefishing]

Depends if your fishing upper or lower arrow lake. Found that lower arrow lake has better fishing for rainbows, Kokanee and their kind of " bull trout " which has a pink stripe. Lower depts you'll get the odd pike minnow as they call it. Many different species of fish there compared to fishing Alberta waters. Was using many different types of spoons and jigs. Found the 5 of diamonds works best. Hope this helps some bit. For a note just to let you know that no bait is allowed except for worms and you can use pickle rigs there. Happy fishing and best of luck when you go.

[The Fisherman Guy]

I regularly fish both the Upper and the Lower, with good success for Rainbows and Bulls,but the Arrows have been fishing pretty slow this year, and last year. Still, they are incredible lakes with spectacular scenery.

This time of year, runoff is just starting to begin in places. The fish like slow presentations, Lyman Plugs and buck tail flies behind a planer board or flasher being my go to. Troll them behind a down rigger, starting at 15 down to 80.

I find that the Bulls tend to like erratic trolling, so try both lines at different depths. One at 15 one at 30 for instance. When you are trolling, troll in a zig zag pattern with a few sharp turns. This will speed up and slow down your lures, and move them around in an erratic presentation. Don't just troll straight.

Lyman plugs in Firetiger #104, Purple Jesus #160, Shazam #69, and Kokanee #98 are all colors that catch fish in the Arrows at this time of year.

Check out the new McFly bucktails by Lyman, they are a little different than other bucktails on the market. Purple Jesus and Smiling J Shad towed behind a green UV flasher at 1.7-2.3mph should put some big trout on your boat.

Troll close to shore, in 120 - 200fow. If you don't have down riggers, you can still catch fish. This time of year the fish are relatively shallow, as the water is still cold. Troll a 3" Berkley flicker minnow in Black Silver or Fire tiger, way back from the boat.

As I mentioned though, it has been much slower in the last two years than it has been. Places that have held fish, seem to be devoid now. Try south of the Shelter Bay ferry terminal to the Pingston Creek IPP, in front of Halcyon Hot Springs and up the Beaton Arm.

For line, Spiderwire Fluoro-Braid in 20lb test is fantastic stuff. It sinks, unlike many other braids, so if you don't have down riggers, it will help you get your lures deeper when trolling. Moss green is a good color for the deep waters of the Arrows. Remember to use a Palomar knot. (a Palomar, is a Pal-o-Mine)

Run your Spiderwire to a barrel swivel, with a 24" leader of fluorocarbon. Berkley Vanish in 15lb will eliminate any visibility to the fish, as the water is very clear in the Arrows and the fish can be spooky.

Be aware, there is no cell reception on most of both lakes, and storms and high winds can whip up quickly. The shoreline on the Lower is very rocky, and beaching your boat in a squall might not be possible.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I will do my best to help. Good luck, and tight lines.