OMG. The drive from Hope to Kamloops was spectacular with a little side of scary. The highways had a lot of construction, it was raining hard, and a mist covered the valleys. I was amazed by the trees on the mountains. I never had seen the likes of them except in pictures, and pictures don’t compare. Imagine a Christmas tree farm, but the trees are huge, and it appears that they are so close together their branches are intertwined. The trees are living steeples, adapted to live through a ton of snow. (Photos while driving were dangerous, and came out crappy.)
All along the trip I keep seeing areas that I want to be 25 again and doing research. The high deserts were remarkable, and I can only imagine the great numbers of insect and reptiles, both in diversity and population levels. Now that I’ve gone from 100 F weather to 65 F weather, with trees everywhere, I wonder about the bird populations. But, I’m here to fish.
I decided to have a brunch as my big meal of the day, at a place called Browns Social House. The food was great. I sat alone next to two families, mothers with lots of kids, super well behaved. I noticed one little boy glancing at me. On their way out the 9 or 10 year old boy waved to me and said that he liked my glasses. Just a small moment, but awesome on my end.
My first stop after brunch was to a fly shop. The owner told me that this weekend is a four day holiday and if I want to camp, I should get out there today or tomorrow. He also let me use his computer to purchase and print out my fishing license, making sure I knew he was closing the window and not stealing my info / payment method. However, I didn’t check well enough and my license is for Shaniere J Feusier. Hopefully I’ll not be ticketed for assuming a false identity. He recommended I go to Scuitto Lake and float tube, as it had lots of fish and was close to Kamloops.
I took his advice and headed up to Scuitto Lake, about 13 miles from Kamloops. The campground is pretty bare, but fish were obviously rising in the lake. I met my camp neighbors, Tom and Brenda, and their little dog too. Dogs love me, but this small terrier just wanted to bite my hide off? Tom has been coming to the lake for 50 years. He told me that he landed 17 in the morning. I asked him how large the average fish were, expecting 12 – 13 inches. He calmly stated 2.5 to 3 pounds (really about 14+ inches and a pound or more). The killer fly is a Dr. Spratley, of which I have none. I’ll be using Mohair Leeches and Wooly Buggers, and if necessary, I’ll tie up some Dr. Spratleys.
Because of the holiday weekend, I’ve decided to stay here 4 nights, leaving July 2. I’ll check into a hotel on the 2nd to pay my monthly bills, and then plan to camp, camp, and camp some more until I have to pay bills in August. I’ll take my camera out on the lake tomorrow, using my “new” float tube that I purchased 8 years ago, stored in my garage for years. This will be the first time in a float tube for me in over 20 years. An Adventure for sure.
Tight Lines!
Did you fish the Scuitto Lake ? Details !! Don