When most people think of British Columbia’s Shuswap, they picture houseboats, sun-drenched beaches, and the vast, blue waters of Shuswap Lake. The sprawling main lake is also popular with anglers looking to catch a trophy-sized rainbow or lake trout.
For other anglers, though, the real magic of this region hides just a few kilometres off the beaten path. Tucked into the forested hills and quiet valleys surrounding Shuswap Lake are dozens of small, exceptional trout lakes. They offer a rewarding alternative to the big, crowded waterways.
You’ll find spots for every style of fishing, from high-action, family-friendly basins with campgrounds to crystal-clear marl shoals where trophy rainbow trout quietly cruise the drop-offs. These smaller waters come alive as soon the spring ice recedes, and the Interior’s legendary insect hatches begin.
Grab your rod, pack your tackle box, and get ready to explore the hidden gems of the Shuswap’s small-lake fisheries.
Hidden Lake
This relatively large, scenic lake is nestled between two hills east of Enderby. Good access, lower elevation, and proximity to Enderby subject this lake to heavy fishing pressure. Hidden Lake is known to produce larger rainbow trout, up to four kilograms.
Nearest town: Enderby.
Elevation: 650 metres.
Surface area: 142 hectares.
Fish species in Hidden Lake: Rainbow trout.
Fish stocking: Rainbow trout. Fish Stocking Reports
Facilities: Recreation Sites and Trails BC lists 48 campsites with good access. There is a small boat launch at the site. A no-tow regulation is in place on the lake.
Directions: Located 24 kilometres east of Enderby. In Enderby, turn east off of Highway 97A onto the road leading to Mabel Lake (Enderby Mabel Lake Road). Proceed on this road for nine kilometres, and turn south on Hidden Shuswap Road. This road will take you to a fork in the road; take the left fork and proceed to the lake.
Fishing techniques: Hidden Lake is a low-elevation lake, making it a decent early- and late-season fishery. Fly fishers using chironomids have success in early spring and late fall in the northwestern and southern portions of the lake. Fishing near the bottom in three to eight metres of water should produce some nice rainbows. If the fish are not on the shoals, try the deeper water using Blood Leeches and Woolly Buggers.
In early June, the northern and southern ends of the lake will have cruising fish feeding in the shallows on damselfly nymphs. Cast near the reeds or to feeding fish (trying not to spook them) and retrieve your fly slowly. This time of year can also produce well with sedges. If the wind picks up, as it usually does on this larger lake, the southern end of the lake has two sheltered bays with nice shoals and drop-offs.
The northern end of Hidden Lake provides decent success for those trolling with a Willow Leaf or Ford Fender attractor with smaller Mepps spinners or Apex Hot Spot lures. Getting down to the deeper sections of the lake will increase your odds for the larger trout; leadcore line will help achieve this. Anchoring and casting lures near the reeds (while not trying to spook the trout) can be extremely productive.
Ice-fishing tips: The shallow bays and large shoal on the north side of the lake are ideal for ice-fishing. During winter, trout cruise in the shallows amongst the vegetation, feeding on insects.
Left: White Lake (Jenna Merth). Right: Hidden Lake (Danny Halarewich).
Gardom Lake
Near Enderby, Gardom Lake is a popular destination for fishing and recreation. Plan to arrive early on summer weekends – it receives some of the Okanagan’s highest angler use.
Nearest town: Enderby.
Elevation: 548 metres.
Surface area: 76 hectares.
Fish species in Gardom Lake: Rainbow trout.
Fish stocking: Rainbow trout. Fish Stocking Reports
Facilities: Gardom Lake Park is day-use only. There are picnic tables, pit toilets, and a playground for kids. Also located within the park is a car-top boat launch. Musgrave Community Park also has a hand boat launch.
Directions: From Vernon, travel north on Highway 97A through the town of Enderby. Turn left at Highway 97B towards Salmon Arm. Turn left onto Gardom Lake Road off Highway 97B, and proceed a short distance to Gardom Lake Park.
Fishing techniques: Since Gardom is at a low elevation, fishing in early spring and again through early autumn can be good for rainbow trout. Trails are complete with interpretive signs, and give plenty of access to shore fishing. A floating bridge provides access to the main island.
The lake is stocked with catchable-sized rainbow trout and fry by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, and produces rainbows that weigh up to 2.5 kilograms. There is a regulations limit of two trout/char per day. Only electric motors are permitted. When fishing for trout, try trolling the deeper areas of the lake and the islands with small spinners, Wedding Bands, and Flatfish. The best months for fly-fishing are May and June, and again in September. Fly-fishing enthusiasts use a full sink line while trolling the deeper portions of the lake. Leeches, Woolly Buggers, minnows, and Doc Spratleys are popular patterns for either casting or trolling. During the summer, casting with dry flies on the shoals can yield good results.
Ice-fishing tips: Ice-fishing is very popular on Gardom Lake, though do note that the ice can be thin in spots due to aeration. Mealworms, maggots, and Power Baits on Glo Hooks can yield good results.
Left: Gardom Lake dock. Right: Rainbow trout at Gardom Lake (Graham Archer).
Pinaus Lake
Long, picturesque Pinaus Lake requires a boat to reach its many shoals, ledges, and drop-offs. Prone to high winds, the lake has a few protected bays in which to seek shelter while fishing. It is stocked annually by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC with rainbow trout. Yellow perch, also present in this lake, can weigh up to 0.5 kilogram.
Nearest town: Falkland.
Elevation: 982 metres.
Surface area: 162 hectares.
Fish species in Pinaus Lake: Rainbow trout and yellow perch.
Fish stocking: Rainbow trout. Fish Stocking Reports
Facilities: There are eight campsites at the Pinaus Lake North site, with tables, pit toilets, and a boat launch.
Directions: A four-wheel-drive vehicle is recommended. Off Highway 97, south of Westwold, head south on Ingram Creek Forest Service Road (FSR). At kilometre 7.2, turn left onto Will Lake FSR. At kilometre 8.8, stay left. At kilometre 13, turn right onto Pinaus Lake FSR. Pinaus Lake Recreation Site is 18.1 kilometres from Highway 97.
There is also access east of Falkland off Highway 97. Head south on Cedar Hill Road for 3.5 kilometres, then bear left onto Square Lake Road. After 1.1 kilometres, the road becomes an unpaved FSR. Drive 4.8 kilometres on the Square-Pinaus FSR, and then bear right onto the Pinaus FSR for another four kilometres; access to the recreation site is on the left.
Fishing techniques: Trolling slowly at different water depths with a Willow Leaf, small Hot Shot, or Flatfish can be productive. Target the eastern end or the southern shoreline. While fishing is best from ice-off to early summer, the lake’s cold, deep waters allow for good fishing well into summer.
The abundance of insect life on the many shoals and ledges provides fly fishers with fantastic action throughout the year. Prolific chironomid hatches in the shallower bays lure locals early in the season. Blood Leeches, historically called “Helen Zellers” at Pinaus Lake, have a reputation for producing nice rainbows. Trolling flies, such as ‘52 Buicks, Doc Spratleys, Idaho Nymphs, and small streamer patterns, work well along the southern shoreline. In summer, a muddy bottom along the eastern end of the lake provides good sedge hatches and evening fishing for the fly fisher.
Ice-fishing tips: Pinaus Lake is very popular for ice-fishing. Ice fishermen will often use plastic grubs on a ¼-ounce jig head, tipped with a maggot. To increase your success rate, start the day fishing over shallow water and move over deeper water as the day progresses. Perch are abundant and easy to catch.
White Lake
Nestled between two arms of Shuswap Lake east of Kamloops and north of Salmon Arm, White Lake is a renowned B.C. angling destination. With a length of 4.82 kilometres and width of 1.07 kilometres, this low-elevation lake is fairly large for a trout fishery, and features a long open-water season. It is known for crystal-clear marl shoals that span its entire circumference, stretching over 60 metres wide in some areas. Backed by a strategic provincial stocking program of rainbow trout, this expansive habitat provides lots of space for trout to grow big in these productive waters.
Nearest town: Salmon Arm.
Elevation: 471 metres.
Surface area: 562 hectares.
Fish species in White Lake: Rainbow trout and goldfish.
Fish stocking: Rainbow trout. Fish Stocking Reports
Facilities: White Lake Provincial Park has 10 vehicle-accessible camping spots, a gravel boat launch, and pit toilets. Anglers can also access the lake via a small-vessel boat launch site at the White Lake Community Park, or via the commercial campground and day-use boat launch at the popular west end of the lake.
Directions: The lake is located approximately 10 kilometres northeast of the Trans-Canada Highway from Balmoral (west of Salmon Arm); the last two kilometres are on a logging road.
Fishing techniques: Succeeding on White Lake requires patience, stealth, and a solid understanding of how its extreme clarity and low elevation dictate fish behaviour. While ice-out happens early, a protracted spring turn-over can keep the trout lethargic through April. Consequently, May and June stand out as the prime months for fly-fishing, as fish readily move into the shallows to gorge. By mid-summer, bright sun pushes the trout into deep water where trollers excel. Fall fishing, from September to ice-over, can be highly variable but rewarding.
Since the lake’s waters are deceptively clear, a drop-off that looks shallow may actually be 10 metres deep. To have success in these deeper, primary feeding zones along the shoal edges, you must patiently allow your fly to sink to ensure a proper presentation. When trout brave the shallows (usually less than five metres deep) during prolific spring chironomid hatches or when bloodworms and dragonflies migrate, take extreme care not to spook the fish in these gin-clear waters.
Anglers can start by targeting the western end of the lake, where there are two sunken islands with easy access from the public boat launch.
Left and right: White Lake (Jenna Merth).
Joyce Lake
Located just a few minutes south of popular Pillar Lake, Joyce is a small lake that produces rainbow trout up to one kilogram. A new fishing dock, installed in 2023, makes Joyce Lake a great spot to take kids.
Nearest town: Falkland.
Elevation: 826 metres.
Surface area: Seven hectares.
Fish species in Joyce Lake: Rainbow trout.
Fish stocking: Rainbow trout. Fish Stocking Reports
Facilities: 15 campsites are available.
Directions: From the town of Falkland, travel north on Chase-Falkland Road. Joyce Lake Recreation Site is 8.9 kilometres north of the town of Falkland.
Fishing techniques: Troll with wet flies or lures that mimic rainbow trout fry. Fly fishers can do well in the spring, when fish are feeding actively, using bloodworm patterns fished at a depth of one metre.
Left: Herman Lake. Right: Joyce Lake (Jenna Merth).
Herman Lake
Herman is a small lake just south of Blind Bay. It has a 50-metre boardwalk that takes you over a marsh to the edge of the lake. Trails that circumnavigate the lake allow you to view waterfowl and wildlife.
Nearest town: Blind Bay.
Elevation: 642 metres.
Surface area: Three hectares.
Fish species in Herman Lake: Rainbow trout.
Fish stocking: Rainbow trout. Fish Stocking Reports
Facilities: One campsite, a washroom, and a picnic table. A new fishing dock was installed at Herman Lake in 2003 to make casting easier. Herman Lake Wilderness Campground offers camping at the lake’s edge.
Directions: From Sorrento, travel on Highway 1 approximately 10 kilometres east (or 25 kilometres west of Salmon Arm). Turn north onto Balmoral Road. Turn right immediately onto White Lake Road, and eventually turn left/east onto Parri Road at the western end of White Lake. When the pavement ends on Parri Road, turn left/north onto the White Lake FSR, and go approximately 8.3 kilometres to Herman Lake. Keep left at the corral, and watch for a sign on the right.
Fishing techniques: Fly-fish and spin-cast from the fishing dock, or use small watercraft like canoes, paddle boards, and belly boats.
As always, before you head out on your trip, make sure you have your freshwater fishing licence, and that you have checked out the fishing regulations and daily quotas for your chosen lake.
Author: Jessica Greinke, Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC