Nilkitkwa Lake is a narrow lake famous for its great stonefly hatch and trophy trout.
The stonefly hatch starts with the warmer weather and normally lasts until the end of July--sometimes into August.
Try to cast a dry fly pattern downstream, and let it drift with the boat. Keep the line loose in order to make the fly look real.
When fishing along the weed beds, try a Parachute Adams or Royal Wullf dry fly. A Sofa Pillow will also work well.
Compared to its upstream neighbour, Nilkitkwa Lake is quite shallow and has large weed beds. The Babine River flows through the lake, creating a slow moving current well suited for drift fishing.
The salmon runs on Babine River provide an excellent food source for rainbow trout, from salmon carcasses as well as the salmon fry that emerge from stream beds.
Upstream of this lake is a short section of river known as "Rainbow Alley," which boasts some of the best rainbow trout fishing in the province. The trout can grow larger than ten pounds.
Nilkitkwa Lake is fly-fishing only, and there is a bait ban in effect (see regulations for exceptions).
For more information about some great hand-tied flies for Nilkitkwa Lake, visit www.webflyz.com.
LAKE ACCESS
Follow Highway 16 east to Eckman Road on the left (west), just past Smithers. Turn here and follow for 53 km. (Note:The road eventually turns into Babine Lake Road.) Turn left (north) onto the Nilkitkwa Forest Service Road, and follow for 44 km, to the turnoff to Fort Babine on the right (east).
There is a small provincial park on Nilkitkwa Lake, consisting of two sections of lakefront. Both lie within a protected bay and have nice beaches. Access to the park is by boat. Visit BC Parks website for further information: www.bcparks.ca
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Copyright 2011 by The Angler's Atlas
