Story by Kirk Wirsig
Journey Into the Wilderness
My friend and fellow fly fisher Michial called me about a spectacular, little-known, world-class, still-water fly fishery deep in the Chilcotin wilderness of south central British Columbia. Hidden on a high plateau nestled between several converging mountain chains, Chaunigan Lake sits within the Southern Chilcotin.
Although I reside in B.C. and am a committed fly fisher. I had never heard of Chaunigan Lake. Michael is a fly-fishing maniac who has visited many remote wilderness destinations all over the planet. His diverse experience has made him selective about what considers to be world class, so when he asked if I wanted to accompany him for a weeklong trip in early July, I readily agreed.
From Vancouver, reaching Chaunigan Lake requires a one-hour flight by private float plane or a 10-hour drive.
Michael has been fishing Chaunigan, off and on, for nearly two decades. He has formed a personal relationship with the lake and is committed to its present and future conservation as a premiere wild-trout fishery. That commitment is shared by the owner/operator of Chaunigan Lake Lodge, Bruce Morton, who maintains three deluxe lakefront cabins with full amenities available from June I to September 30. With each cabin comes use of an aluminum fishing boat with a small outboard engine and oars. We opted to drive to the lake, which is an enticing adventure that largely requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle, particularly for the final leg of the scenic journey.
With picturesque roads winding through the seemingly endless pine forests of the Nemaiah Valley until the high, white peaks of the Chilcotin Ranges finally come into view. Herds of wild horses still roam here, as do bighorn sheep, mule deer, moose, bear, and wolves. Chaunigan Lake is part of an expansive wildlife reserve where hunting is prohibited.
During our trip, Michael described his fascination with Chaunigan, explaining that the 1,100-acre lake is the purest, most aquatically productive, self-contained body of fresh water he has ever fished. The lake’s extensive marl beds, products of recent glaciation and rich in dissolved calcium carbonate, are as fecund as any coral reef. At certain times of the day, Chironomid hatches are so prolific that the insects seem as dense as the stars in the night sky. Compelled by temperature, currents, and sunlight to leave the water, the emergent pupae eject their chitinous casings, sprout wings, fly away, and breed. As the Chironomids ascend from the lakebed in ever-increasing numbers, trout key in on the hatch. The fish begin to race through the water column, gobbling up the rising pupae in an underwater feeding frenzy.
Michael has observed this phenomenon from a unique perspective. He once donned scuba gear and lay in the grassy mud of the lake bottom to watch the drama unfold. He wanted to witness trout taking the insects and the flies that mimic them while his friends fished from a boat above.
We arrived at Chaunigan in the early evening. Once we had said our hellos to Bruce, we settled into our comfortable, hand-hewn log cabin with its wood-burning stove, fully equipped kitchen, and wide wraparound porch. Summer days are long in the Chilcotin and though it was nearing 8 p.m., we still had two hours of daylight. we decided to fish. The Lodge’s wharf is a short walk from the cabins. we were soon underway in one of the well-maintained aluminum skiffs. With the sun low on the horizon, it was too late to fish Chironomids. Trout were rising, but we couldn’t tempt them with various midge and caddisfly patterns. Finally, Michael set down his rod, reached into his fly box, and retrieved a large, green, rubber-leg dragonfly nymph. “I only use it on special occasions,” he quipped. “Up here, it’s a guaranteed fish.”
He was right. On his fourth or fifth cast, as he worked the nymph through a grassy shoal into deeper water, his 4-weight rod was nearly ripped from his hands. It was one of the most ferocious trout takes I have ever seen. After a half dozen runs and on surface-clearing, tail-wagging jump that evoked the antics of a small tarpon, the fish finally came to my waiting net.
We admired a thick-bodied silvery buck of nearly 4 pounds. A larger than-usual rainbow trout for most lakes in the region, this fish proved to be average for Chaunigan Lake. During our stay, we would land plenty of 5-pound lunkers and half a dozen fish weighing about 6 pounds. Bruce encourages catch-and-release as well as single, barbless hooks, but anglers who enjoy a sumptuous meal can keep up to two fish a day. We took four fish in our seven days. One Chaunigan Lake trout can easily feed two people. Pan fried in a little butter, these are easily the best freshwater fish I ever tasted.
For the next seven days, each time we had the opportunity to match the hatch, the action was nonstop. At times, we removed our strike indicators, causing us to miss more fish, but making every take even more rewarding. we employed a variety of tactics and fly patterns; Chironomids were a mainstay, of course, but we also fished leeches in deep water and even scud patterns over the shoals. we experimented with floating and sinking lines, leader length, and different retrieves. Chaunigan is a great confidence booster. Almost every technique we tried produced results. On three occasions, in the early afternoons, we watched emerging caddisflies in a large, calm bay, hopping and skittering across the surface to launch themselves into flight. Soon the trout began to gather. Placing caddisfly emerger patterns amid the fish was electrifying, as trout violently assailed our flies. On a floating line with a long leader and a drag turned down to protect fine tippets, these heavy rainbows were virtually unencumbered in their acrobatics. In moments like these, Chaunigan is the pinnacle of still-water fly fishing.
Although I am not aware of any formal genetic testing on Chaunigan trout, they are endemic to the lake, genetic pioneers that settled in after the last ice age. Bruce believes these fish derive from an ancient lineage of Oncorhynchus mykiss, but in this case, the seagoing form of rainbow trout, landlocked steelhead that were trapped in Chaunigan Lake by glacial retreat. Over millennia, the lake’s crystal-clear, nutrient-rich waters have produced a vibrant population of particularly large and powerful trout unique to this place.
Sitting on the porch late one evening, sipping an aged Mosel Riesling, watching the stars penetrate a darkening sky, I was mesmerized as the lake seemed to hold a kind of perfect stillness and to a fly anger, an endless promise. I was reminded that there are paradises on this earth, should we choose to seek them, and at Chaunigan Lake, I had discovered one.
FAQ
Where: South-central British Columbia, Canada.
When: June 1 to Sept. 30.
Tackle: 4- to 6-wt. rods; floating, intermediate, and sinking lines. Boats are provided by the lodge.
Flies: Chironomid pupae/adults, dragonfly nymphs, leeches, scuds, caddisfly adults, Callibbaetis
Contact: www.chauniganlodge.com, (888) 879-8885, info@chaunigan.com
