Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Canadian Anglerz on June 19, 2024, 06:56:41 PM

Title: Hicks Lake
Post by: Canadian Anglerz on June 19, 2024, 06:56:41 PM

Hi All,

Just heard about Hicks Lake, is it any good this time of year?

Thanks,

Title: Re: Hicks Lake
Post by: chardeemacdenis on June 23, 2024, 09:34:34 AM

I've never done really well out of Hicks. They stock it with trout and it gets fished out through the summer so big ones are pretty rare.

Its pretty though and good swimming.

Title: Re: Hicks Lake
Post by: RalphH on June 23, 2024, 12:28:08 PM

Hicks once had some good fishing with native cutthroat and a small population of long lived rainbows that could reach double digits. Still some cutthroat in there but the big rainbows were fished out of existence. Most of the stocked rainbows get fished out pretty quick.

Title: Re: Hicks Lake
Post by: wildmanyeah on June 23, 2024, 02:33:19 PM

I remember when this video came out it was a bit controversial, saying rod blew up the lake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oVDwd-TJ3Q

Title: Re: Hicks Lake
Post by: chardeemacdenis on June 23, 2024, 08:25:43 PM

Quote from: wildmanyeah on June 23, 2024, 02:33:19 PM

I remember when this video came out it was a bit controversial, saying rod blew up the lake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oVDwd-TJ3Q

Pfft lol. Lackluster fishing predates that video by quite some time!

Title: Re: Hicks Lake
Post by: wildmanyeah on June 23, 2024, 10:54:28 PM

I never said it didn’t I thought at the time all the people saying rods videos blow up spots was overblown especially for a well known mediocre spot

Posted the video for the op information

Title: Re: Hicks Lake
Post by: Rodney on June 23, 2024, 11:14:01 PM

It should be pretty good, especially with the cooler spring which we've had this year.

Quote from: chardeemacdenis on June 23, 2024, 09:34:34 AM

I've never done really well out of Hicks. They stock it with trout and it gets fished out through the summer so big ones are pretty rare.

Its pretty though and good swimming.

I've found the opposite actually. There isn't enough pressure to fish the stocked catchable rainbow trout out each season. There are always fish that manage to survive for a year or two, and they get quite big too. Around 8 years ago we had a pretty mild winter, and I, as well as Nick, separately, managed to get the boat in there for a few days in February. We got into rainbows up to 20 inches, and he broke a big cutthroat trout off.

The last few years I've found it to have a higher abundance of smaller fish, especially the cutthroat trout and kokanee. I went once this spring and caught more kokanee than trout.

Back to OP's question. The best approach would be to fish close to the bottom with bait.

Title: Re: Hicks Lake
Post by: RalphH on June 24, 2024, 07:58:01 AM

8+ years ago they were still putting Taylor River cutthroat into Hicks which likely accounts for any large cutthroat caught there.