Bass and walleye in BC?

[Doug]

A buddy of mine who moved to Montana has asked me if there are bass and walleye in BC. I am fairly certain that Vancouver Island has smallmouth bass. How about the rest of BC? Any bass or walleye in publicly accessible lakes?

Doug

[kootenayelkslayer]

Duck Lake just north of Creston has some good Largemouth fishing if you hit the timing right. And the Columbia River around Castlegar can have some good fishing for walleye.

[todbartell]

Ive fished for largemouth in Vaseux Lake, Duck Lake (Creston), Jim Smith Lake (Cranbrook), Tie Lake (Elko).

[Salty]

Ya I think lm bass are pretty much limited to the very south and east of BC. Smallmouth are on the island but only from just north of Nanaimo and south. Apparantly Saltspring island actually has some decent sm bass fishing.

As for walleye again some in the very south east - kootenay country. But I think there's walleye way up north too, no?

[Dream Catcher]

Ya I think lm bass are pretty much limited to the very south and east of BC. Smallmouth are on the island but only from just north of Nanaimo and south. Apparantly Saltspring island actually has some decent sm bass fishing.

As for walleye again some in the very south east - kootenay country. But I think there's walleye way up north too, no?

Lots of bass around.Some in the Quesnel Williams lake area as well.To bad PGK is banned.He could fill you in

[The Dawg]

Mill lake in Abbotsford has some bass

[todbartell]

Walleye in Charlie Lake , Ft st john

[Salty]

Lots of bass around.Some in the Quesnel Williams lake area as well.To bad PGK is banned.He could fill you in

Didn't know there bas bass up that far I am lost without the professor :icon_frow

[TheDuckinator]

Lotsa bass fishin in the Pitt Poulder... ssshhhhh

[Dream Catcher]

Didn't know there bas bass up that far I am lost without the professor :icon_frow

We all are :(

[ElkMasterC]

Heard there's lotsa bass in Skaha.
Probably stocked by some nice American fellow.... :rolleyes:
Dunno about Pickerel though. On yer own there...

[ruger#1]

Most of the sloughs and some lakes in the fraser valley have bass and perch. caught a few. best time to fish the sloughs are when the river is high and every thing is backed up.

[finish]

lotsa bass and perch in Cranbrook area

[KB90]

Lots of bass around.Some in the Quesnel Williams lake area as well.

Beaver Lake has the bass and lots of em, but the regs say targeting bass in the lake is not allowed. (they got there illegally)

[Schutzen]

Ya I think lm bass are pretty much limited to the very south and east of BC. Smallmouth are on the island but only from just north of Nanaimo and south. Apparantly Saltspring island actually has some decent sm bass fishing.

As for walleye again some in the very south east - kootenay country. But I think there's walleye way up north too, no?

Yep
St Mary's lake had em.

[Doug]

WOW!!!

When I lived in BC (1973-1975), the Wet Coasters looked down on pretty much everything except salmon and trout, as far as fresh water fisheries go.

Am I reading between the lines that the bass are all an illegally stocked fishery?

Doug

[jml11]

Beaver Lake has the bass and lots of em, but the regs say targeting bass in the lake is not allowed. (they got there illegally)

The Quesnel River is full of Bass now too...

There are documented bass populations all over the Fraser River in the lower mainlaind now as well. Some have been found in the Pitt River too.

[KB90]

Lots of bass around.Some in the Quesnel Williams lake area as well.


The Quesnel River is full of Bass now too...

There are documented bass populations all over the Fraser River in the lower mainlaind now as well. Some have been found in the Pitt River too.

Makes sense since beaver creek empties into the quesnel. I was not aware of their status outside of the creek though, thanks.

[IronNoggin]

Am I reading between the lines that the bass are all an illegally stocked fishery?

Not "All" but a great many stocking are indeed illegal. Rumor has it that a now defunct association of fellows were involved in these activities, and were advanced enough to "stock" perch as a feeder base a year or so before they then took it upon themselves to introduce bass to the same bodies of water.

And although there have been several introductions made by the Gov over time, these were focused entirely on "closed" systems - those that had no outlets nor inlets to allow the introduced species to stray into adjacent systems. Those engaged in the illegal activities showed no such restraint. Between them, and the prolific nature of bass, we have a rather serious problem with them in many systems now. A problem that ain't going away, nor going to get better any time soon.

I have fished them, where they belong, and they can be fun. On the odd occasion I encounter them here, I do my damnest to kill every one I see. Of course I do not hunt those water bodies they have been legally stocked in.

Not tough to figure out my reaction should I ever catch any of the Bucket Brigade as they became know engaged in their inane "stocking" actions! :evil:

Nog

[Mully]

Walleye just out of Dawson Creek at Swan Lk (adj Alberta). Only catch and release due to a bad winter kill 3 years ago

[OOBuck]

Tons of small mouth in southern Vancouver Island lakes

Walleye are a more northern fish, I've fish for them a ton up in Fort St John as a kid at Charlie Lake.

[Doug]

Not "All" but a great many stocking are indeed illegal. Rumor has it that a now defunct association of fellows were involved in these activities, and were advanced enough to "stock" perch as a feeder base a year or so before they then took it upon themselves to introduce bass to the same bodies of water.

And although there have been several introductions made by the Gov over time, these were focused entirely on "closed" systems - those that had no outlets nor inlets to allow the introduced species to stray into adjacent systems. Those engaged in the illegal activities showed no such restraint. Between them, and the prolific nature of bass, we have a rather serious problem with them in many systems now. A problem that ain't going away, nor going to get better any time soon.

I have fished them, where they belong, and they can be fun. On the odd occasion I encounter them here, I do my damnest to kill every one I see. Of course I do not hunt those water bodies they have been legally stocked in.

Not tough to figure out my reaction should I ever catch any of the Bucket Brigade as they became know engaged in their inane "stocking" actions! :evil:

Nog

Thanks Nog! Suspicions confirmed. Ontario has seen a lot of the same stuff of course, some wilful and others negligent. The worst spectre we face right now is Asian Carp spreading through the Great Lakes, and the American states involved have NOT been moving quickly enough. Scary stuff.

Doug

[ElkMasterC]

The worst spectre we face right now is Asian Carp spreading through the Great Lakes, and the American states involved have NOT been moving quickly enough. Scary stuff.

Too bad we couldn't train the Asian carp, or the Asian Snakeheads to eat Asian Pine Beetle. We could do tradesies.

[Amphibious]

Thanks Nog! Suspicions confirmed. Ontario has seen a lot of the same stuff of course, some wilful and others negligent. The worst spectre we face right now is Asian Carp spreading through the Great Lakes, and the American states involved have NOT been moving quickly enough. Scary stuff.

Doug

if ontario would just make spearfishing legal you'd see the province with the largest number of divers in canada putting a big dent in the current infestation of Common Carp.

[Doug]

if ontario would just make spearfishing legal you'd see the province with the largest number of divers in canada putting a big dent in the current infestation of Common Carp.

It is odd that Ontario does NOT allow spear-fishing by divers for carp. :confused: Ontario does allow bow-fishing for carp and gar, although I am of the opinion that this is probably not the type of angling or bow-hunting that we want to promote. The fish are not taken for food, and indeed I do not know what happens with the fish after they are retrieved. Ontario does have a growing number of carp anglers who use specialized equipment (like the British do) and who pursue carp as their number one target. They get my vote - keeps them off the bass lakes! :mrgreen:

Doug

[bridger]

lots of walleye in charlie lake near fort st john as has been noted on another post. good walleye fishing (up to 10lbs) in the peace river, big walleye in the Petitot river near fort nelson. huge walleye in a couple of other lakes near fort nelson. the peace river is the best kept fishing secret in the province.

[Busterbrown]

I was running some water blinds with our dogs in the Pitt Polder when a guy walked by us with a couple of rods and a tackle box. He stopped to talk for a few moments and when I asked him what he was fishing for he stated he was here to fish for bass. Having hunted and trained our dogs there for over 20 years I told him I did not think there were any Bass in there however he assured me there were. Over the next hour I watched him catch at least a dozen Largemouth that were all approx 2-3 lbs. The guy also claimed that there are much larger fish in the deeper water away from the dykes. This is not good new as these fish are now in the Pitt River system. Only a matter of time before they hit the Fraser

[treeclimber]

They have been in the Fraser, Pitt, salmon and stave river for many years, just gotta know where and when to find them