I applied for my guiding licence a couple weeks back and now it's official. I got my licence from the government clearing me to guide three of the hottest bass lakes in Western Canada: Skaha, Christina, and Osoyoos. I'm definitely pumped.
BC Bass Charters begins operation on April 1st as the bass wake up from their slumber and move shallow to put on weight for the spawn. I'll be there when Osoyoos turns on, followed by Skaha, and then Christina.
While these three lakes are all in the same part of the world, they each have their own distinctive flavour.
A happy client with a quality Osoyoos smallmouth.
Skaha Lake is smallmouth central. From docks, sandy flats, weedbeds, and rocky dropoffs there's a bit of everything in here. The smallies grow fat on sculpin and perch and I've encountered a few specimens north of 6 pounds, with lots in the 3 to 5 pound class. Skaha is good almost year-round, and I've caught big smallies out of here in every month but January. The sheer number of quality fish in this lake has my psyched to make this my home base for 2012.
Osoyoos Lake is possibly the best big bass lake in the province for both species. I don't know another lake out here where 5 pounders are as common as they are out of Osoyoos, as they are nearly a daily occurence in the warmer months. Smallmouth up to 7 pounds are possible, as well as largemouth even bigger. I've landed several above 7 pounds, with the B.C. record of 10 pounds 6 ounces also coming from this lake. Osoyoos is a part of Canada's pocket desert at the northern end of the Sonoran, and with cacti, scorpions and rattlesnakes you'll believe it.
Christina Lake has both largies and smallies in abundance. It's on a higher elevation than the two and fishes a few weeks behind Osoyoos. Despite this, it's still home to big largemouth bass up to 8 pounds and can be caught in abundance in the shallow, weedy parts of the lake. The smallmouth bass are small on average, but I've found a few hot spots in my years of fishing this lake where 3 to 4 pounders are common. This lake took me longer to figure out than the other two, fortunately I've been fishing it all my life so I've had lots of experience.
It's great taking kids out and helping them hook into their first bass. Families are always welcome!
So, now you have a bit of an idea what I'm working with. I'll be posting on how the lakes are fishing throughout 2012 and will be taking bookings anytime starting now. If you find yourself in Western Canada this year and are looking to sample the awesome bass fishing we have out here drop me a line at
bcbasscharters@gmail.com.
For more information you can check out my pro guiding site here:
BC Bass Charters on Nationalprostaff.com
Or my brand new Facebook page here:
BC Bass Charters on Facebook
See you on the water!
