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Serious anglers and boaters alike can find action in many parts of the lake.
Words by Steve Fennell
Recreational boaters who enjoy fishing Okanagan Lake have no doubt dreamt about landing that trophy Rainbow Trout or Kokanee. More often than not, those vivid visions during REM can become a reality by having knowledge of the environment, understanding habitat trends, and using the right gear. In other words, the region’s largest lake is very fishable and where you can enjoy much success.
“On Okanagan Lake, target species like Kokanee, Rainbow Trout and burbot go through cycles from one season to the next,” says Rodney Hennig, a professional fishing guide and owner of Rodney's REEL Outdoors in West Kelowna. “Their preferred water temperature is 12°C (54°F) so they move to those ideal conditions and corresponding depths.”
Hennig explained this cycle usually starts in the spring when the water temperature is between 4 - 16°C (40-60°F) and fish can be caught throughout the lake near the surface - no downrigger required. This trend continues until mid-June when the water surface warms and by mid-July, a good fishable depth changes to 14 m - 20 m (45 - 65 ft). In mid-August, the fish go even deeper to between 20 m - 30 m (65 and 100 feet) - downrigger definitely required.
The cycle then comes full circle in October and through the winter when the water starts cooling, and the fish start moving closer to the surface and spreading out across the lake again.
Photo Courtesy Rodney's Reel Outdoors
A prize Rainbow Trout caught on Okanagan lake during a charter for Rodney’s REEL Outdoors.
Gear for Success
Determining water surface temperature and depth can easily be attained by using a quality fish finder. Some good options for 2023 - if it’s the year to upgrade - include Humminbird’s Helix 7 series, Garmin’s ECHOMAP Touch-Screen Fishfinder/Chartplotter or Lowrance’s Elite FS 7.
While typical fishfinders will relay vital data such as depth, bottom structure, location, mapping storage, etc. most only provide the temperature of the surface. Nevertheless, Hennig suggests using a Water Temperature and Depth Reader - or probe - to find that ‘sweet spot’ of 12°C (54°F) in the water column.
With many options available, the Fishhawk TD ($200 USD) is very effective and easy to use. Simply cast it and let it sink to or near the bottom. Upon retrieval, it will provide digital readouts of temperatures in 1.5 m (5 ft) intervals down to the bottom.
For deep lakes - like Okanagan - it can relay temperatures as deep as 91 m (300 ft). Other models available can be used with a downrigger and also determine water speed to properly control your presentation.
Laura-Stanley
It’s best to use a quality reel and a medium-action to medium-heavy-action rod when fishing Okanagan Lake.
“Probes don’t tell you exactly where the fish are, but they provide a reliable starting point on how deep to fish,” says Hennig. “If 12°C (54°F) is at a depth of 18 m (60 ft), we’ll usually fish within 3 m (10 ft) of that spot. This has been very successful and probes are an inexpensive tool to find the correct conditions.”
As widely used as downriggers are, if you just enjoy casual casting and jigging, some good alternatives are using a medium-action to a medium-heavy action rod with a quality reel, spooling 15-pound test and rigging up a three-piece swivel. A basic and effective presentation includes using one or two-ounce weights and a small lure like the Wedding Band from Gibbs Fishing (approx $6 CDN from Canadian Tire) that’s tipped with a maggot or worm.
“It’s important to remember that swivels will rise back up to the surface if you troll too fast,” says Hennig. “The best method for this presentation is to drift at depths of about 15 m (60 ft) in July and 22-plus metres (75-plus feet) in August. This will put your line in the ballpark of where the fish might be.”
Trolling is the most effective method for other presentations and downrigging since Rainbows and Kokanee don’t hold their structure. A pelagic fish that feed on plankton (and other fish), they are often caught in the middle of Okanagan Lake during peak summer and near the shore in the spring or early summer when smaller Rainbows (3 - 4 lbs)) feed on terrestrial insects that blow off from shore.
Photo Courtesy Rodney's Reel Outdoors
Anglers of all ages can find excitement fishing for Kokanee (seen here) and other active species.
Other Popular Species in Okanagan Lake
Burbot (known locally as freshwater ling) is another species to target. They inhabit deeper depths and are slow-moving bottom feeders, but this highly-unsociable fish can be exciting to fight. Drifting and downrigging with a four to six-ounce jig tipped with anything from live bait to chicken liver (and even raw bacon) 25 - 30 m (75 - 100 ft) in the summer will often yield the best success.
Regardless of the species you like to target and your skillset, fishing in the Okanagan is enjoyable. Even the feisty northern pikeminnow in shallower water along the drop–offs of weed beds can provide much success with a simple jig and a worm.
“Fishing the Okanagan is so unique due to its diversity,” says Hennig. “There are prize Rainbows and Kokanees in the larger lakes while the smaller bodies of water and rivers are perfect for fly fishermen. Skaha Lake (in Penticton), too, has a very active smallmouth bass fishery. It’s these options that make the Okanagan so appealing to anglers in the spring, summer and fall.”