So you want to catch big rainbow trout on the fly? In the Central Interior of BC, unless you have access to fly-in lakes that are remote and expensive to get to, there is no better place to catch a five-kilogram trout than Dragon Lake in Quesnel.
Dragon is a "city" lake, situated right in the city limits of Quesnel, an all-pavement jaunt straight down Highway 97 from Prince George. It's a large lake of about six kilometres in length and 225 Hectares, so there is always room for plenty of avid fly fishers amidst the odd pleasure boat of the resident population.
Dragon is rimmed with many beautiful homes that command the most expensive real estate in Quesnel, but that doesn't seem to bother the sport fishing at all.
In fact, it's likely the septic tanks of local residents that have leached into the lake over the last forty or fifty years have augmented the lakes natural nutrients to the point that Dragon is one huge weed bed, a regular smorgasbord to its trout. The lake's trout are not good table fare compared to other lakes in our region but gosh! Are they ever tackle-busters and thick-shouldered beauties for your photo-shoots!
There are several car-top or boat-and-trailer launch spots at Dragon. On the northeast shore, a public launch ramp and parking lot is the best spot to drop your large watercraft.
Another launch and privately-owned campsite is situated on the southeast end of the lake, but a $5-per-person fee is charged for access and launching your boat site, payable to John the caretaker on-site or in his absence, at the farmhouse across the street from the campsite. You can also camp here for $10 per night. Finally, overnight camping is also available at Legion Beach or at Robert's Roost, the latter likely the finest camping accommodation you'll find anywhere in the region.
Dragon is one big shoal, its maximum depth only 7.9 metres. Fly fishing is good everywhere, especially on the points, in the confinement of its many sheltered bays and in the corners where you'll find shallow shelves that fish congregate upon when there is an insect hatch on-the-go.
Dragon is the earliest lake to be ice-free in our region, normally mid-April, making it a popular destination for guys like me and my buddies who have begun to feel the "I wish I was fishing" itch since early March.
During early spring, best patterns are chironomids, blood worms, leeches and mayflies; then comes the caddis and damselfly emergences of mid-May, followed by dragonflies that appear in early June. Shrimp patterns are basic meat and potatoes for the trout year-round.
Fishing falls off as the water warms in late June, picking up again in late August as cool nights prevail, and is dynamite from mid-September through to ice-up in November. The dominant colour for all times of the year is olive-green, and you don't want to miss the water boatman flight in late September.
