Whitefish average in the 12 to 15 inch range and are common throughout Western Canada.
As water temperatures creep towards the freezing point, most Canadian fish become so dormant they won't bite anything unless it's bouncing right in front of their face. Not whitefish.
These distant cousins of the trout come alive in December as they prepare for their winter spawning run. During this time, they group up by the hundreds and remain in these schools until March, making them easy prey for savvy anglers.
They can be easy to spot in large lakes which don't freeze over as they boil on the surface, frequently breaking the water as if they were feeding on a fly hatch. Live bait is the best way to take these fish, as maggots, roe or mealworms under a bobber can be deadly at this time. These fish may also chase a spinner, small spoon, or well-placed wet fly.
In rivers, whitefish will school tightly in deep pools where they can literally cover the entire water column from top to bottom. While it seems anything will catch a fish in these situations, they won't be aggressively pursuing bait as they have spawning on their mind. Lures or flies in orange, pink or red can work well at this time, as many of the fish will be feeding on the roe which gets disturbed by all of the fish activity.
Wood Lake north of Kelowna is a popular whitefish spot in the winter, as they move in to feed on kokanee roe along Highway 97. Anglers can fish right off the road as the fish move in close to shore to feed where the shore-spawning salmon deposited their eggs. Look for fish to be nosing down in the rocks, similar to how a bonefish would on the Florida flats. These fish will be aggressively feeding and will be the easiest to catch. Take care though, as many of the whitefish you catch will be spawning males themselves and may send a blast of milt your way when you grab onto them. I found this out the hard way.
Take care when handling spawning whitefish. For your sake and theirs.
If you're interested in dropping the ice gear and taking a few casts this winter, check out your closest whitefish spot (for most places in B.C. it won't be far off) and try some of these techniques. All you need is the same spinning rod you've been using for trout.
Here are some popular spots for winter whitefish in the BC interior: Similkameen River, Slocan River, Arrow Lakes, Kootenay Lake, Okanagan Lake, Peace River, Williston Lake, Wood Lake, Thompson River, Shuswap Lake.
In my opinion whitefish meat is not terrible, but it's not good either. Some people are actually quite fond of it, and I've heard that it is pretty good smoked but I've never tried it this way. They are related to trout, so the meat is comparable but if you're looking for pink or orange meat you won't find it. Whitefish flesh is appropriately, white.
