Edith lies in the grassland hills behind Knutsford, close enough to Kamloops to fish after work, and it grows trout that look like little footballs. The reason is underfoot: the bottom is thick with big scuds, fat bloodworms and the large chironomids that local anglers call bombers. Come in spring, soon after the ice goes, and the fish are already feeding hard on all of it.
It is a small lake and an easy one to read. Most of its shore is open, so you can fish it from the bank nearly all the way around. Three places do the work: the south-west end, where the dock is; the weedy shallows near the launches; and the small bays that turn their backs to the wind.
Start at the south-west end. A fishing dock there puts you over fishable water without a boat, so a walk-on angler or a child has a real chance here. Rough launches along the access road take cartop boats and small trailers, and from them you can row out over the deeper water where the bloodworms live.
The shallows by the weeds are where the
brook trout hunt. Winter turns Edith into an ice-fishing lake, busy with people who never bring a fly rod.
The small bays are the answer to the wind. Edith sits high in open country, and on a blowing spring day the main lake can push an anchored boat around until you give up. Find the bay that is out of it and fish a micro leech there, slow and close to the weeds.
The lake has had a summer kill before, so treat each year’s fishing as its own. When Edith is slow, Jacko is a short drive north-west, lower down and earlier to lose its ice.
Fish in this water
Each fish is rated by its strongest evidence. A rating says how sure we are a fish is here, not how many there are, whether it is worth fishing for or whether you may keep it.
Likely
Older records here, recent stocking, a local guide or fly shop, a guide listing, or recent records on connected water nearby.
When to fish it
The ice usually goes in April. Fishing is good from ice-off, though the bigger chironomid hatches tend to come a few weeks later, into May and June. Summer is the risky season on a lake this rich, so fish early in the day if you come in July or August. September and October bring the fish back to the edges. In winter, the lake’s own rules don’t bar ice fishing, unlike Jacko’s, and the shallows by the launches and the dock are where people cut their holes. The rules list no closure for Edith at any time of year; check in-season changes before you go.
How to fish it
From the dock or a boat in spring, start with a micro leech in red, or in black and red, on a slow retrieve. If the fish follow without taking, change to an olive micro leech or a bloodworm pattern. Once the bombers hatch, put up one large chironomid pupa in black and red, and long-line it on a sinking line close to the bottom with a slow hand-twist. A leech or shrimp pattern trolled slowly behind a rowed boat keeps finding fish when nothing is hatching. BC allows one fly on the line: when it stops working, change the fly.
Access and safety
From Kamloops, take Highway 5A south to Knutsford and turn onto Long Lake Road. About 3.5 km on, turn right onto Edith Lake Road, a dirt and gravel road of about 4 km to the lake. A recreation site there has a small campground, first come, first served, with camping only in the marked sites, plus picnic tables and pit toilets. The dock is at the south-west end. Nobody measures the ice for you in winter; check it yourself before you walk out.
Regulations
Edith Lake is in Region 3 (Thompson-Nicola). Its own rule sets a daily quota of 2
rainbow trout, inside the regional quota of 5 trout or char, of which no more than 1 may be over 50 cm, with a possession quota of two daily quotas. It is illegal to fish for
bass or perch in the region. Ice fishing is allowed with one line and one lure, fly or other attractor. You need a valid basic licence if you are 16 or older. Check the current synopsis and in-season changes before you fish.
calendar:
- kind: fly
months: [Apr, May, Jun]
note: Micro leeches from ice-off, then bomber chironomids
- kind: fly
months: [Sep, Oct]
note: Leeches and scuds along the edges
faq:
- q: Can I fish Edith Lake without a boat?
a: Yes. There is a fishing dock at the south-west end and most of the shore is open.
- q: How many trout can I keep?
a: Two rainbow trout a day, within the Region 3 limit of 5 trout or char, no more than 1 over 50 cm.
- q: Is there camping?
a: Yes, a small first-come recreation site campground on the lake.
related:
- jacko-lake