28.03.2024

3 of the most naturally beautiful places to fish in British Columbia

Wet a line while marvelling at marine wildlife, ancient trees and a desert playground. From incredible vistas and unique landscapes to marine wonderlands, these are the top spots to fish and take in Canada’s awesome natural wonders

HAIDA GWAII. Diverse island wildlife and giant chinook salmon

Across the Hecate Strait from mainland B.C.’s northern coast, the Haida Gwaii archipelago is renowned as the “Galapagos of the North,” featuring unique ecosystems, abundant wildlife and fantastic fishing. Particularly spectacular is the top of northernmost Graham Island, where the few fishing resorts are only accessible by boat, helicopter or float plane.

Whether you’re mooching for trophy chinook or jigging for giant halibut and plentiful groundfish, there’s a good chance of spotting marauding orcas, breaching humpbacks and diving bald eagles scooping up talons full of needlefish. Then there’s the rugged shoreline, where you’re likely to see basking sea lions, as well as black bears and Sitka deer emerging from the mist-shrouded rainforests. Just don’t forget to keep an eye on your line, too.

OKANAGAN DESERT
Unique arid landscape and multispecies fishing

Locals call it Canada’s “pocket desert,” a narrow, 38-kilometre stretch of shrub steppe in the southern Okanagan Valley surrounding the town of Osoyoos and its like-named lake.

Think spaghetti western. More widely known as the Okanagan Desert, or the Osoyoos Arid Biotic Zone to scientists, the parched landscape is home to roughly 100 at-risk plant species such as antelope brush, some 300 rare insects and spiders and a menagerie of other critters, including western rattlesnakes, scorpions and canyon wrens.

Some dispute whether it’s a true desert, but with minimal rainfall and temperatures soaring above 38°C, it certainly acts the part of Canada’s only desert. And in the midst of it all? Osoyoos Lake, boasting excellent fishing for bass, kokanee, rainbows and-runs permitting-sockeye salmon.

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