Hart Lake is a great place to catch large trout, and the numerous hatches throughout the season can be a fly fisher’s dream.
Dan Moffat, from Northern Hardware in Prince George, is enthusiastic about the fly fishing on Hart Lake. “It’s one of the best fly fishing lakes in the area,” he says.
Early spring is prime time on Hart Lake, “as soon as the ice is 20 feet from shore,” says Moffat. He suggests leeches for an early season pattern.
Moffat suggests chironomids as another option for indicator fishing. Tie the fly pattern on the end of a long leader and attach a small bobber (strike indicator) so the fly dangles just off the bottom, between six inches and two feet.
Let the fly dangle for a while, giving the line an occasional twitch. You may need to check out a few different depths and locations before hitting the right hole. Chironomid fishing is often done at the 18-20 foot depths. Bloodworm and chironomid patterns can be interchanged.
Moffat notes that mid-summer can be touch and go on Hart Lake, but that the lake is not so shallow as to suffer through real summer doldrums. “When the fish are on, it’s one of the best lakes ever,” he says.
Note that there are no motors permitted on Hart Lake. Instead, bring your belly boat and settle in for a quiet retreat.
For more information about fishing on Hart Lake and other regional lakes, stop by Northern Hardware and talk with Dan Moffat and the experienced fishing staff.
LAKE ACCESS
Hart Lake is about 70 kilometres north of Prince George along Highway 97 and lies within Crooked River Provincial Park. The lake is just east of the highway, right before the town of Bear Lake. There is a parking lot located just off the highway, then follow a trail for 200 metres which brings you to the lake.
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