History
Quesnel Lake in British Columbia, Canada is the deepest fjord
lake in the world and the third largest overall in the world.
It has almost 600 km (360 miles) of shoreline distributed among
the three arms - West, East and North Arms. In the heart of the
Cariboo Mountains, it has stunning scenery including sandy beaches
and ancient cedar rainforests up the North Arm and fjord-like
rock walls and our own Niagara Falls up the East Arm. It lies
just to the west of three provincial parks - Bowron Lake, Cariboo
Mountains and Wells Gray.
The principal interest in Quesnel Lake is its fishery. It is
a popular sport fishing destination, and is also home to
about a quarter of BC's sockeye. Anthropogenic disturbance nearly
wiped out the sockeye population in the early 1900's, but it
has now rebounded to historic levels. The lake is a long, narrow
fjord-type lake - carved by glaciers, not man-made - and is stunningly
beautiful.
Cast for trophy wild rainbow trout in one of the world's most
pristine & unique settings. From diverse stillwaters to Sockeye
salmon creeks and rivers, the exceptionally beautiful and unique
Quesnel Lake ecosystem offers Rainbow trout angling that is unparalleled
anywhere in British Columbia. Measured in pounds and not inches,
many expert flyfishers say that this is hard to match anywhere
on earth!
Location
There are a couple of ways to get to different arms of Quesnel
Lake.
1) To the town of Likely on the west arm of Quesnel Lake:
turn east off Hwy 97 at 150 Mile House onto the Horsefly Rd.
Continue to the major intersection of paved roads, then turn
left (northeast) onto the Likely Road. Total distance from 150
Mile is 85 km (53 mi). From here you can access the northern
portion of the lake. Ask for information and directions in Likely.
2) To the village of Horsefly and on to the southern shores at
the junction of the three arms of Quesnel Lake: turn east off
Hwy 97 at 150 Mile House on to the Horsefly Road. Stay on this
road until you reach the village of Horsefly -- 59 km (37 mi).
Once in Horsefly, turn right at Clarke's Store and cross the
Horsefly River, as if going to Horsefly Lake. Now follow the
signs to Elysia Resort, which is at the end of the road (13 signs
along 42 kms of well-maintained gravel road). More directions
and more information can be obtained in Horsefly.
Places to See and Things To Do
- Quesnel River
Flows west out of Quesnel Lake, commencing at
Likely. Rainbows and Bull Trout from one pound to 14 pounds
are taken on spinning gear from July through October from here.
Flies
will also entice these fish. There is an angling closure
covering 50 meters on either side of Likely Bridge.
- Quesnel River Hatchery
The hatchery
produces approximately 2.3 million
Chinook salmon fry every year to stock the rivers and streams
in the surrounding area. Adult salmon can be viewed from
August 1 to the end of September; from November to April
the fry can be observed in their different stages of development.
From April to August 1 there are no fish in the hatchery
at all. The hatchery is open seven days a week, from 8
am to 4 pm.
- Fishing
Rainbows, Bull Trout, Lake Char, and Kokanee
are found in Quesnel Lake. These fish can grow to enormous
sizes. 10 pound rainbows aren't newsworthy and 20 pound Lake
Char are often caught. You should definitely ask locals where
to fish on this huge lake, or, even better, hire a guide.
Summer winds can be a danger for small boats. The Quesnel River
flows
from the lake at Likely, and there are several smaller rivers
and creeks (including the world famous Horsefly River) that
flow into Quesnel Lake. Flyfishing at the mouth of these
rivers and creeks can be fabulous. Trolling apex lures is also
a popular
method of fishing. In the late summer and fall, millions
of Sockeye and Chinook salmon come up the Quesnel River and
swim
through the lake to get to rivers such as the Mitchell and
the Horsefly to spawn.
- Explore the Shoreline
This large and very beautiful lake
offers some of the most spectacular and secluded beaches found
on
any lake
in
B.C. Fantastic family vacations can be planned here. Along
with fishing, there is beachcombing, swimming, water skiing,
sailing,
boating, kayaking, hiking and mountain climbing.
