Cowichan Lake is one of the jewels of British Columbia. It offers easy access and excellent fishing and recreational opportunities. Its stunning scenery showcases some of the best of Vancouver Island, making Cowichan Lake very popular with tourists and locals alike. There is a lot to explore. One could spend a very long time on Cowichan Lake and still not experience all it has to offer. Local fishing guide, Marcus Kennett, fishing guide offers some great tips to help you make the most of your trip. “There is good trout fishing for rainbows and cutthroat trout all year, but I like to fish it in the winter and spring,” he suggests. “It is a bigger lake, so fishing out of a boat does give you more options and opportunities. I like to fish in front of some of the tributaries that flow into the lake in the winter when the fish eggs are coming out of the creeks, when the salmon are spawning, and in the spring when all of the salmon fry are coming out of the creeks.” Kennett’s lures of choice for trout in Cowichan Lake are 3” Tomic Plugs. His favourite colours are: #632iig, #231, #351, #602 #256ii, #232, and #619. Also try 3.5” Coyote spoons in Army Truck, Cop Car and Glo Green; Diawa Dr Minnow in Prizm shade; Rainbow Trout from 2” to 3 1/2”; Rapala plugs in black and silver; and Rainbow Trout in sizes CD11 or F11. Kennett notes that his favourite fly patterns for lake are “all of the same flies that I use in the river for trout.” The Cowichan River Guide Fly works very well and is very popular. “Some other favourites are Doc Spratlies in red and black and green, Muddler Minnows, Wooly Buggers, Stone Flies, Cased Caddis Flies, Tom Thumbs, May Flies, Sedge, Irresistibles and Mosquitoes,” says Kennett. LAKE ACCESS From the town of Lake Cowichan, west of Duncan, there are several access points to the lake. Visit the info centre in town or one of the local tackle shops for information about the many places to launch boats in the lake. There are several accommodation options as well, ranging from rustic camping to more serviced campsites to motels and hotels in town.

Fish at 40-60 Feet on Cowichan

In his September report for Cowichan Lake, Gord from Gord's Fly Box reports that "fishing will continue to improve as the temperature cools. Currently, fish are holding at 40-60 feet during midday. The first- and last- light fish are crusing shoreline at 20-30 feet. Gang trolling with a red wedding band tipped with a worm is your best bet until the bait ban goes into effect on November 15. Read his full report here: http://gordsflybox.ca/gords-fishing-report/

'S' Patterns Work on Cowichan Lake

Cowichan Lake fishing report from Gord's Fly Box: "Fishing is good. Fish are holding at the 30-60’ level. The top producers are: large 50/50 Gang Trolls with a red Wedding Band tipped with a worm. Also try an F7 flatfish or a K7 Kwikfish in Frog patterns or Silver Coho Blue. Troll these well behind your boat (100′) doing an S pattern over the drop off paralleling the shoreline." Source: Gord's Fly Box www.gordsflybox.ca

Report from Gord's Fly Box

Staff at Gord's Fly Box in Lake Cowichan notice that with the warm, dry conditions and low river levels, Island anglers can try moving to the beaches. "Every sloping beach with a fresh water stream entering will hold sea runs at different points of the tide." The cutthroat seem to be biting here. http://gordsflybox.ca/category/fishing-reports/