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Column: The season of the mosquito

One magnificent feature of our B.C. is the diversity of the many landscapes we pass while travelling the Interior.
web1_Hank-Shelley
Hank Shelley

One magnificent feature of our B.C. is the diversity of the many landscapes we pass while travelling the Interior.

From the arid, rolling sagebrush terrain from Kamloops to Cache Creek, to the Lower Caribou and Clinton, the country rolls on to the stunted fir trees and windswept ridges of 100 Mile House.

Looking on a map, the terrain is dotted with hundreds of lakes, many stocked with rainbow trout. Truly a fisherman’s paradise.

As of last week, many Salmon Arm anglers were fishing Sheridan Lake, a superb, large body of water teeming with large rainbows. Contributing to this is the abundance of aquatic insect hatches. But it can be a moody lake, as attested to by many an angler who got busted trying his or her best to outsmart a lazy cruising, well-fed fish.

My little claim to fame on the fishin’ circuit was to outsmart a few brook trout at a typical large, flat Caribou lake called Beaverdam, about eight clicks up the Meadow Lake road, leading to Alkali Lake, Dog Creek country and eventually to the Gang Ranch.

Beaverdam is typically a great ice-fishing lake, with few anglers hitting its waters in mid-June. All for good reason. Similar to Monty Lake past Falkland, the wind at this lake seemed consistent. The shoreline trees took on that very wavy view and, sure ’nuff, it wasn’t fishable.

The mosquitoes came at us in swarms as the pesky critters figured they had new victims. Even a smudge fire in the fire pit wouldn’t keep ’em at bay.

Next morning the wind kept up a steady hum against the ol’ Bigfoot trailer, and it was time to pull the pin to Irish Lake at Lone Butte. The spot shop there had a new product against mosquitoes which worked quite well, so, lathered up, we went fishin’.

Irish has some trophy trout, but they are hard to catch. The mosquitoes again were real pesky, so we moved on to the Interlakes area and ended up at Hathaway Lake resort. It’s just past Dekka/Sulphurous.

The mosquitoes weren’t quite so bad and the kokanee fishing was fabulous.

The resort has older but clean cabins and spacious room to camp, with hook-ups and flush toilets. The stay is $25 a night for camping and, yes, the fishing can be very good, although snubber is required to hold fish on the line this time of year.

Mosquitoes are a real menace this year in the Savona, Clinton, Lower Caribou country due to high water/breeding conditions. There is a multitude of remedies to combat mosquitoes, from rubbing tissues of Bounce on the arms to, Skin So Soft products. There’s also the chemical Deet, used in Off or Muskol products. (Go to www.muskol.com for pertinent information.)

Memory Lane: Driving up that Caribou highway to Clinton I though about all the pioneers – Harry Merriot, Dude Lavington, the Hances, the Hallers, the Mulvahills – who went searching for land for ranching, the hundreds of gold seekers headed for Barkerville and the stage coaches of the BX Express rattling down the narrow road past the 108 Mile.

Travel tips: Before heading out, plan your destination. Tell your friends where you will be. Do a safety check with tire pressure on tires and all equipment on your unit.

Drive smart on the road and always be alert for the other driver.

Most of all have a great July 1 weekend, whatever celebration or event you take in. We are so fortunate to have the best country in the world to live in, and so much to be thankful for!

Tight lines and happy travelling.