Returning to Cariboo's Fishing Highway, Did I Lose My Rod Again?? | Fishing with Rod

In this episode, we return to the Fishing Highway 24 in BC's Cariboo region for some more awesome rainbow trout fishing. Last time I was here, I lost a rod. Let's see how this trip goes!
Stay at the Beaver Guest Ranch:
www.beaverguestranch.com
Trout stocking information:
www.gofishbc.com
Subscribe to go Fishing with Rod: bit.ly/2NfbK3P
Website: www.fishingwithrod.com
Facebook: / fishingwithrod
Instagram: / fishing_with_rod
Twitter: / fishingwithrod
Camera:
Rodney Hsu
Editing:
Rodney Hsu
Music:
Epidemic Sound
Copyright: Fishing with Rod Production
My name is Rod, and I am an avid fisherman, fishery advocate, conservationist and educator in British Columbia Canada. On this channel you will find:
🔸 700+ fishing episodes & video tutorials!
🔸 Targeting many different fish species including salmon, trout, steelhead, sturgeon, bass, pike!
🔸 Exploring new fishing spots in the Pacific Northwest and Beyond!
🔸 Conversations on current fishery and conservation issues!
🔸 Fun outdoor adventures with me, my friends and family!
#trout #fishing #flyfishing

[@FishingwithRod]

If you want to stay at Beaver Guest Ranch when visiting the Fishing Highway 24, check out: www.beaverguestranch.com

[@markmcmyn8967]

That girl knows what she's doin'!

[@FishingwithRod]

Of course she does, she has been doing this for 20+ years. 😆

[@markmcmyn8967]

@@FishingwithRod I lived in the Williams Lake area for about 20 years,for the last 10 years I've been here in Terrace,but unfortunately the steelhead numbers have plummeted,I 'm thinking of moving back.I have fished Irish. The chironimids are the big ones,#10 2x. Did you search the water column,were the fish on the bottom or suspended?

[@FishingwithRod]

@@markmcmyn8967 Chironomid hatches were pretty thick while we were there but they were more on the small side, size 14 and 16 and perhaps even smaller at times. I've never seen the size 10s there but would love to one of these days! I was marking plenty of fish and they were all crusing at the same depth. We were fishing in 23ft of water and all of the fish were cruising at 18 to 21ft or so, occasionally hugging the bottom, which was quite interesting because I'm usually used to only seeing fish a foot off the bottom.

[@ChipDarby13]

Such an awesome video and always exciting when I’ve fished the same lake! Beautiful rainbows in there🎣

[@FishingwithRod]

Well I'll see you there this fall for the fishing and floating dock cook-out. 😄

[@ethanmcdonald8278]

Great video as always rod! Love to see these so bright and clean looking trout from the interior. Keep up the good work my friend 👍🏼

[@FishingwithRod]

Thank you Ethan!

[@edboutdoors3632]

Wow Rodney to be honest this has to be my new favorite video love it, apsalotaly loved the slow motion shots as well keep up those highway 24 videos there the best!!

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks Ethan! You need to try it out one of these days when travel resumes.

[@edboutdoors3632]

@@FishingwithRod ohh yes would probebly rather do it with you haha

[@FishingwithRod]

😅

[@darrengolding4083]

What a great video Rod thanks for sharing your trip ..

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks for checking it out as always Darren!

[@troyschlaht2990]

Looks like a Rainbow Rodeo !!! Always enjoy your videos....keep up the great work Rod.

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks Troy!

[@q1006662]

Nice lodge, nice lake, beautiful fish!

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks 👍

[@SOPhenix-np6cl]

Nice video. Great quality

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks!

[@dginta7932]

Another awesome video... :)

[@FishingwithRod]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@mavmoto2356]

Im lucky enough to have my best friend place less then a Km from Irish Lake. Great fishing! Thanks for another amazing video!

[@FishingwithRod]

That's great Don! Thanks for watching. 👍

[@yongsoochang8722]

Really looking forward to the trip up to the fishing hwy. Thanks for another video Rod!

[@FishingwithRod]

You're welcome! When are you heading up?

[@yongsoochang8722]

Going this Saturday and staying until Tuesday, whole family coming. We are staying at Eagle Island resort. Gonna be fun!

[@FishingwithRod]

Great! It's going to be quite hot so if you're fishing for trout you're gonna have to go deep. Kokanee fishing should be really good though if you are trying out Deka, Hathaway, Sulphurous. 🙂

[@yongsoochang8722]

@@FishingwithRod how deep? 20-30 feet?

[@FishingwithRod]

Last week we were dangling chironomids in 35ft of water when surface water temperature was around 62F. As surface water temperature gets higher, they are going to stay in deeper water. For kokanee however, they'll still be closer to the surface and trolling for them should be great.

[@andrewwood4013]

Looks great 👍

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks 👍

[@JacobPope]

Just got back from Highway 24 for the first time, it is such a beautiful place! We stayed at Hathaway Lake Resort and even managed to get into a few Kokanees (our first time targeting them). I was talking to the owner of the Resort and he's managed to catch burbot, which seems like a nice break if you get tired of targeting salmonids.

[@FishingwithRod]

That’s great Jacob! Jamie and his family are the new owners at Hathaway Lake Resort since late last year and they are having fun exploring the fisheries at that lake while running the new business. Hathaway’s trout fishery will be getting better in the next few years, a new strain is being stocked in it beside Blackwater rainbow trout. Horsefly rainbow trout are known to be very aggressive and will be a great species for the troll anglers. The kokanee fishing there is also excellent of course, not just the summer but during the ice fishing season too. There are lake trout and of course burbot as you mentioned, lots of options!

[@langsfishingadventures7507]

Sick video Rod!!

[@FishingwithRod]

👍

[@loganguthrie1039]

Looks like a beautiful place

[@FishingwithRod]

That whole area is basically one giant playground for lake fishermen. I love it!

[@Mattyehdams]

Hahaha love the chaos of lake fishing

[@FishingwithRod]

The around the anchor dances never get old. 😆

[@plumberguy5267]

Greetings Rod! Great video as usual. My wife and I came over and said hello to you when we first got on the lake. Nice to finally meet you. Thanks for getting me on camera bringing in a nice one. Not sure if the white shirt makes me look fat or if it's just my fat gut making me look fat :) lol Nice to see you kept your rod in the boat this time. Take care and keep up the good work. Hope to see you back in our neck of the woods next year. Cheers!!

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks! 😊 That was a lot of fun fishing with you all, even though I was mostly watching everyone else putting on a clinic. 😆 I have quite a bit of the slow mo video clip of you two fishing which I will send to your wife soon. 😊

[@mike76sl]

I would be ecstatic to land one of those 21 inchers! Great video, Rod!

[@FishingwithRod]

Absolutely, me too. A 21 inch trout is a very sold specimen. Thanks for watching!

[@Sweetaccord]

Super nice!

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks!

[@slacktide_angler]

Awesome footage, beauty fish. Looking forward to the gear setup video. If it involves casting super long leaders, hopefully words about casting techniques as well?

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks! I am not qualified to be telling anyone how to fly cast. 😅 I have my way of getting the long leader out quite effectively, but it's definitely not what the professionals consider the proper way lol. I'll mostly just be talking about my setups in the next video, so people can go out and use the same thing if they don't know where to start. 🙂

[@slacktide_angler]

@@FishingwithRod fair enough, haha. Your drift fishing rig setup was a big help for me and Ive no doubt the next vid will too.

[@FishingwithRod]

Great to hear! 😊

[@TCB77]

Wow nice 👍🏼 🎣

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks 👍

[@dginta7932]

Rod have you come across any ‘walk in only’ lakes in the Caribou that a guy can hike in with a belly boat? Seems like most lakes have been opened up for vehicles now, unlike when i was younger...

[@RHN365]

Great video

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks!

[@johnjarrett8718]

awesome!!

[@FishingwithRod]

Thank you John!

[@MarktheMartian]

Dang Rod surrounded by beauty! I'm so jealous!

[@FishingwithRod]

We're talking about the fish and the landscape around where we fished right? 😅

[@MarktheMartian]

yeah everything!

[@reynardlombard1649]

I love these hwy24 videos! I was wondering if you had a video of your lake fishing setup? Like what rod/reel combo you like?

[@FishingwithRod]

Yep, like I said in the end of this video, I plan to have a separate video on showing my setups for these lake trips since quite a few people have been asking for it. I also have at least two more Hwy 24 episodes coming later this year.

[@reynardlombard1649]

@@FishingwithRod awesome! I will be watching, hoping to get into to the interior soon!

[@FishingwithRod]

Great! Hopefully you get to go soon.

[@441rider]

I got scolded so hard when I lived in Manchester center Vermont after getting Orvis camp training then putting bait on my flyrod LOL! Got a few browns on flies though and enjoyed tying them.

[@vancityflyguy]

Great video as always Rod. I loved seeing you use a left hand retreive reel finally;) was it your decesion or it was someone else's setup?:) I was not too crazy about the music selection for the first day but the great video made up for it:) Thanks for keeping us entertained while we can't be on the water.

[@FishingwithRod]

I've been using that reel since 2018 actually. 😀 This reel originally was set up for Kitty when we went down to Florida, but she never ended up using it so I've just been fishing with it every lake season. It's slightly too big (LX3.6) but still ok. The line on it is a saltwater line and I absolutely love it for casting the long leader, especially in the wind. Pretty used to the left handed for the fly setup now. For spinning I still use my right handed reels, so I switch back and forth between the two. I don't always get the music right lol... This one was just average. Thanks for watching again! 😀

[@maviwavi4972]

I'm glad you didn't say the name of the other lake you visited. Its low pressure but more and more people are starting to talk about it unf.

[@FishingwithRod]

*gasps*

[@johnfiber2363]

Is that a 14’ boat? Love the videos and everything you do for our local fisherys

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks John! Yes that is a G3 1442 jon boat, 14' long, 42" wide at its widest. I have done a video tour of it at: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZmzmZx8Z6-dhdU But I will need to do an updated version because I have added quite a few other features to it since.

[@johnfiber2363]

@@FishingwithRod Right on! I’ll give it a watch

[@ryanbarton6739]

Nice fish

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks Ryan!

[@DanielW-eu2ue]

Another great video! Where does one find those rod holders?

[@FishingwithRod]

Those are Scotty R-5 rod holders which were just released earlier this year. scotty.com/product-category/rod-holders/r-5/ At the top of their website, if you click on "Retailers", then select "Map to Retailers", it should direct you to the nearly stores where these are available.

[@andersbattiston6413]

Awesome vid rod! What fish finder mount is that?

[@FishingwithRod]

Thansk Anders! That mount is made by Scotty Fishing Products. I'm not totally sure if that particular model is still available, I think there are updated versions already. This seems to be the only universal fish finder mount they have now: scotty.com/product-category/mounts/electronic-mounts/ It's then inserted into the oar lock mount.

[@andykjohnsonjohnson7622]

Nice video Rod 👍🎣👍. Have you ever tried Top-hat flies 🤔 , I've had alot of success recently with them 😀. Especially when the fish an't taking the dry fly, and are sipping emerging flies in surface layer.

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks Andy!

[@armytruck08]

Maybe try Fawn Lake next time , big chromers in there.

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks Mark! I actually had thought about Fawn during this trip. Next time!

[@vancityflyguy]

we fished Fawn a few years ago. Caught a bunch of smaller ones. I guess we gotta go back and try again👍🏻

[@samschienbein7210]

Great video Rod! Hoping to take my dad up to Irish at some point in the near future. Are there any tips or information for fishing Irish that would be helpful to someone relatively new to fly fishing, such as popular flies/depths to fish at? Once again amazing video and looking forward to the next video! 😊

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks Sam. I would say the elements to pay attention to are fly patterns of course and depth. For depth, it's going to change throughout the year. We were fishing in 23ft of water with the fly suspended at 18 to 20, but it's probably quite different now and for the rest of the summer, while in the fall they are going to be in the shallows. A depth sounder is IMO a must to figure this out, by marking fish on the sounder before anchoring to set up where you should fish. For flies, I'd get a variety of commonly used patterns like size 14 and 16 antistatic/gun metal chironomids with red/black/brown rib. If you don't tie, like me, I get my flies from www.flytyingforcescustomtiedflies.com, Justin ties all these patterns I mentioned and that's how I got these fish in the video. :)

[@samschienbein7210]

Thank you so much rod! That info helped my dad and I out a lot 😂 I hope your having a great summer!

[@FishingwithRod]

You’re welcome! Let me know how it goes after you go up. 🙂

[@duncankok46]

Hi Rod, I've been dying to try out the lakes along hwy24 but I don't fly fish. Mainly float or spinner fishing for trout. Can that be as productive at lakes like Irish? Or is fly fishing pretty much the only way to go?

[@FishingwithRod]

Yep! For those who do not fly fish, you can definitely use a fly with a spinning rod setup instead. This could be done either by float fishing or dropping straight down with a sliding weight setup. I actually have an episode coming out next Monday showing this exact technique and it is so much fun. Also, most lakes along Hwy 24 are not limited to fly fishing only. Take Irish Lake for example, you can fish with an artificial lure, or float fish with bait, which the regulations allow. Depending on the time of the year, one technique works better than others. For spring, a fly pattern which resembles a chironomid under a float is definitely the most effective method, while lures might work better than the rest in the fall.

[@animalchin73]

Not saying this is always the case, but you may be delaying the inevitable. Seems most people eventually end up fly fishing for trout. I'll use whatever method works best, but if it's even close, I'd rather catch any fish with a fly rod .. and if I can cast, anyone can. Bring both setups, especially if you're on a boat. I have to get out to the Cariboo sometime, great video.

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks Scott. I enjoy switching it up between gear and fly actually. For presenting chironomid, using a fly setup definitely catches more fish for whatever reason. In the next video I'll be presenting it with a baitcasting setup, and it was actually a lot of fun.

[@TwelvesFitness]

Have any tips for fishing on Sheridan? These rainbows tough to get

[@FishingwithRod]

It depends on the time of the year, and it's all about getting the flies/lures/bait in front of the fish. We usually fish in 40+ feet of water in May and June where these fish are feeding on chironomids. In the fall, fishing takes place in much shallower water where leech patterns are dangled under the indicators in less than 10ft of water.

[@TwelvesFitness]

@@FishingwithRod awesome thanks! I’m pretty new to lake fishing and I’ve mostly been trolling a all silver kwikfish and a silver spoon with some red, as my friend has caught a few on those…. I’m mostly just trial and error fishing at this time. Even using power bait and a bobber just stilling there with nothing hahah… these fish!! Thanks for the info

[@FishingwithRod]

Trolling works too, but that approach is more just to cover water and bump into fish at times. If you are able to narrow down where the fish are feeding and anchor up, you'd be able to get into fish more consistently. It's all about how often you can put your offerings in front of the fish. Nothing wrong with bait under the bobber too! Keep trying. :)

[@TwelvesFitness]

@@FishingwithRod yeah I just figured out how to get my willow leaf down to 30-40 feet while trolling, takes about 2oz or so. Had a very nice 5-6 pounder on yesterday evening but our net was to tough to get it in and lost it right at the boat with all its jumping.. there is a nice fish out there and a silver kwikfish in its mouth now.. hopefully I can find it again

[@fordraven5884]

👊🏾👊🏾🐟

[@paulstanley31]

Interesting that the only sign on the road is for Irish Ranch.

[@FishingwithRod]

If I remember correctly, there used to be a rec site sign at the entrance by the road.

[@paulstanley31]

@@FishingwithRod no, I was there last Sunday. Bruno at Caribou Bonanza told me about it, so I knew to look for the small, hand painted sign. I was surprised that there wasn’t a more formal sign. Great little lake though.

[@FishingwithRod]

This was in 2017, someone must have taken it down since.

[@2-old-Forthischet]

You need a "fishing too close" shirt!

[@FishingwithRod]

Fishing too close?

[@2-old-Forthischet]

@@FishingwithRod I forget, you don't have too much of that problem where you are. I have two shirts that read, "If you can read this, you're fishing too close".

[@FishingwithRod]

Ah... 😆 Well, it can get crowded, but generally for this kind of lake fishing, the atmosphere is very positive, and we all know how close we can anchor to each other without disrupting the fishing. I actually enjoy having my friends anchoring near me so we can all chat and take photos of each other while we fish.

[@2-old-Forthischet]

@@FishingwithRod you're a lucky angler! Here in So Cal, it's a struggle.

[@FishingwithRod]

We definitely are quite spoiled up here and people often take it for granted because they've never fished anywhere else outside of BC. 🙂

[@frothinbros]

Rod is a ladies man! ;) What is the secret Rod!?

[@FishingwithRod]

Uh... By being old and boring.

[@frothinbros]

​@@FishingwithRod Thank you for the wise words sensei!

[@FishingwithRod]

@@frothinbros Anytime, and it’s free. 😎

[@barrybull6253]

Just curious i watched a previous video and noticed a different girl... is this a new GF

[@FishingwithRod]

GF? I'm married. I have various people in my videos all the time, all their skillsets are celebrated, regardless the gender.

[@NsIX3]

Imagine being out-fished by a girl, sad lol.

[@FishingwithRod]

Why is it sad? You're not possibly suggesting that men are more superior than women when it comes to the outdoors, are you? 😉 I love it when my friends in my boat, particularly women, are able to connect with lots of fish. I much rather be holding the camera when this happens, celebrating their day rather than focusing on trying to outshining them. I've caught enough over the years so I guess it's pretty easy to ditch that insecurity.

[@NsIX3]

@@FishingwithRod No, I'm not saying that. I've followed you for a long time, and am a member of the forums. First thing that came to mind was wow, a man with his level of fishing expertise getting schooled by a girl.....what's going on here? It should be you showing them hows it's done, not the other way around😆 Just wasn't your day I guess

[@FishingwithRod]

Ah lol... Well but honestly, I really don't care who catches the fish out there when we go now, as long as someone catches it. I find myself enjoying capturing the moments behind the camera than getting stressed about hooking fish most of the time. It's a lot of fun seeing Gill getting them one after another, plus I'd already fished that lake before so I wanted her to get some big ones like I did.

[@barrybull6253]

What time of year was this video ( month )

[@FishingwithRod]

May

[@barrybull6253]

And this was at Irish lake not far from Fawn?