Rainbow Trout

Spring is the top window across most of BC. Once ice comes off interior and northern lakes, usually April into June, trout are shallow, aggressive, and feeding hard after winter. The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC typically begins its first stockings of the year in lower-elevation, ice-free lakes in March and April, with higher-elevation and northern lakes following later in spring and into summer. Fishing holds up through early summer in higher-elevation and interior lakes, but many lower-elevation waters slow down in July and August as surface water warms and fish drop deep. Action picks back up in September and October as water cools, and this fall period can rival spring for both numbers and size. For wild rainbows in rivers and streams, spring around the spawn and again in fall are typically the best bets, though check for spawning closures before you go.

Early morning and evening are consistently the most productive, especially in summer when trout push into shallower water to feed as light and temperature drop. On overcast days, or in the cooler water of spring and fall, trout can feed well through the middle of the day too.

In lakes, still-fishing bait under a float near drop-offs and shoal edges is the simplest approach and works well for beginners. Trolling a small lure or fly behind a dodger or set of gang trolls covers more water and is effective for locating active fish, especially early in the season. Fly anglers do well suspending a chironomid or leech pattern under a strike indicator over 10 to 25 feet of water and adjusting depth until fish are found, or slow-stripping a leech pattern along drop-offs. In rivers, drift fishing bait or roe under a float, or casting small spinners and spoons through pools and seams, are the standard methods.

In lakes, look for rainbows around shoal edges, drop-offs, inlet and outlet streams, and weed-bed margins where insect life concentrates. In rivers and streams, target pools, current seams, and the slower water behind boulders and log jams. Rainbow trout are stocked in hundreds of lakes across BC and occur naturally in streams and rivers throughout most of the province.