Osoyoos, B.C. marks the southernmost point of the Okanagan region. It sits right next to the border and at the northern tip of the Sonoran desert which extends all the way south to Mexico, attracting some unique creatures to its dry climate including scorpions, rubber boas, and lizards. While it's a popular tourist destination, it also offers some very underrated fishing for anglers looking to catch trout, bass, and even catfish.
Osoyoos Lake contains a plethora of catchable fish species including both largemouth and smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, migratory sockeye salmon (in the late summer), brown bullhead, black crappie, pumpkinseed and bluegill sunfish, yellow perch, and carp. While it offers decent trout fishing for trolling anglers, it is best known for its bass fishing, where the warm desert climate allows both species to grow as large as anywhere else in Canada. The unofficial B.C. largemouth record is a 10 pound 6 ounce specimen pulled from Osoyoos Lake, while smallmouth in excess of 6 pounds are not uncommon.
With such a bounty of baitfish in the lake, it's no surprise that baits such as crankbaits and spinnerbaits can produce well in this lake. However, if these don't work for you, you can always try baits which imitate the large sculpin population in the lake such as tube baits and drop-shotted rubber minnows. Of course, if you're looking to catch numbers of fish, nothing beats a bobber and worm fished in one of the shallow bays of the lake.
Osoyoos Lake is fully of scrappy sunfish, which make for great sport and fast action for beginning anglers.
Other popular local lakes include Vaseux Lake (which contains many of the same species as Osoyoos), Gallagher Lake (largemouth bass and sunfish), Sawmill Lake (huge rainbow trout), and Madden Lake (rainbow trout). The Okanagan River is a hot spot for both rainbow trout and smallmouth bass, while the Similkameen River has excellent fishing for both rainbow trout and whitefish.
While Osoyoos is one of the more popular tourist haunts in the summertime, autumn is when it's real beauty shows itself. As the leaves start to change colours, the jetskis and speed boats begin to desert the lake, leaving a prime two-month window for fishermen to quietly enjoy this amazing lake. While bass fishing is the main attraction during this time, the trout fishing also picks up, and make sure to check the fishing regulations as there may be an open season on the tasty sockeye salmon which migrate through the lake on their way to spawn.
For more information on the town of Osoyoos, check out the tourism site at
www.destinationosoyoos.com. When in Osoyoos don't forget to stop by the tourism centre as well as Osoyoos Home Hardware for one of the most impressive and thorough hardware stores you will ever see, and tune into CIRO radio at 106.5 for local news and fishing reports from your truly. Fishing Osoyoos is a must for any bass fishermen, and the scenery will keep you coming back for years to come.
