Anahim Lake meets Anaheim California (A West Chilcotin Adventure)

Before diving into my most recent trip to the West Chilcotin, first I must share a little background history about my fishing partner on this excursion. When I was around twelve years old, I met young boy while fishing off the wharf at Como Lake in Coquitlam. Gordon and his dad were here from Anaheim California visiting his aunt and uncle that lived a short distance from the lake.

One morning Gordon and his dad visited the lake to see if there were any fishing opportunities for Gordon while they were here on holidays. Once Gordon and I met we quickly became friends and fished together every day during his two week stay in BC.

Eventually it became time for them to head back to California as summer was quickly winding down. When they left, I was a little saddened as Gordon and I had become buddies in a very short period of time. My mom suggested that we kept in touch by writing back and forth when we had achance.

The idea came to fruition, and we ended up being pen pals for many years. When Gordon was old enough to travel on his own, he took a bus here to visit a couple of times over the years and fishing was always on our list of things to do. As we got older other interests emerged and writing fell by the wayside. Instead of writing we spoke over the phone every now and then just to keep in touch.

I had not heard from Gordon in several years when out of no where he tracked me down to let me know that he and a buddy were going to drive his 1966 Mustang convertible to Vancouver to check out Expo 86. At this point we were 21 and I was looking forward to seeing my childhood friend again. As it turned out the summer of 86 was one of my best summers ever, as we did so many things during the two weeks they were here.

Over the years we went back and forth a couple times but somehow lost touch once again. Twenty years had come and gone without us making any contact at all. Then in 2022 Gordon managed to track me down by calling a local fly shop to see if they had my number. As it turned out they did, and we connected once again. Gordon reached out to let me know that him and his wife were coming to BC to attend his aunt’s service.

While here we got together to catch up and talk about all the years that had passed. During their visit the topic of fishing quickly became part of the conversation as fishing is still a big part of both of our lives. When I showed Gordon my Islander reel collection, he asked what I caught with the real small IR1 and IR2 reels. My face lite up when I started telling him about the wild trout in the West Chilcotin. I explained how the two, three and four weight rods and reels were ideal for the small creeks and rivers in that region.

Only minutes into the conversation, his eyes lit up as he asked me if I could take him there one day. I quickly thought about it and said I don’t see why not. Throughout the winter months we made plans for a trip there in 2023. Before we knew it what had started as a an idea was quickly coming to fruition.

Hold the press, as it turned out the Cariboo and West Chilcotin were hit hard by forest fires in 2023 which meant our trip ended up being cancelled. We tried to plan a trip in 2024 but couldn’t make our schedules work out. No fear, in 2025, the stars aligned again, and our plans were set back in motion.

Our journey begins here. It was late July of 2025, and we were on the road at 6 am with thoughts of wild rainbows on our minds. We had between nine and ten hours of windshield time in front of us before we would arrive at Escott Bay Resort located on the shores of Anahim Lake. This resort was not new to me as I have stayed there thirty times over the past few decades. As it turned out, the drive flew by quickly with Gordon and I catching up on lots from years gone by. Gordon actually enjoyed the drive, as everything was new and exciting for him, as he had never traveled through BC’s beautiful Cariboo-Chilcotin Region before. The drive from the Lower Mainland burns up the better part of a day, but makes one proud of living in such a beautiful province.

After a long scenic drive through rolling hills and flatlands, we finally arrived at the resort in the community of Anahim Lake. As we could not wait to wet a line, we quickly unloaded the truck, grabbed our rods, put the boat in the water, and headed for the fishing grounds. My plan was for us to head up the lake to fish the channel that connects Little Anahim Lake to the main lake. This slow-flowing body of water is shallow in areas but holds some good-sized trout as cooler water flows into the channel from Corkscrew Creek.

When we arrived at the entrance to the channel, I quickly realized that the lake was very low this year. For us, it was not a major concern as it simply meant that we had to get out of the boat and walk it through the shallow water. Once we passed over the shallow flats, we jumped back in the boat and continued our journey up the channel for approximately a mile. When we go to the top end of the channel, we pulled the boat into the beach grabbed our rods, and headed up to the Corkscrew to see if any fish were holding in the cool mountain fresh creek.

The water in the creek this year was only three to four feet deep in the deepest slots, but it was still deep enough to hold fish. Before the first cast was made, I knew that this fishing trip was going to be a bit of a challenge for me, as Gordon is an avid angler but has never fished with a fly rod before. I guess this would be a good test, as I always wanted to see if an angler of any skill level could have a successful fishing trip in the West Chilcotin.

Gordon insisted I make the first cast or two, as he wanted to watch and learn how it was all done before he just jumped in the water and scared away all the fish. We slowly walked up the creek to an area where the tall weeds cast a shadow along the edge of the bank. Using a three-weight rod, I dropped my small dry fly close to the bank and waited for a trout to come out of the shadows and inhale it. I must admit that I was a little surprised when I had made a dozen casts and still did not raise a single fish. All the stories I told Gordon on the drive up, and now it looks like my stories were merely fishermen’s tales.

The fish Gods stepped up when, on my thirteenth cast as a very nice trout left its shelter to inhale my small dry fly. After a great battle, the beautiful rainbow was carefully released to fight another day. Now it was time for Gordon to step up to the plate and show me what he was made of. The casting area was not ideal, with high weeds in our back cast, but Gordon quickly figured it out and had his first fish on within minutes. After a very respectable battle, he released his fish and smiled as if it were the first fish he ever caught. The first thing Gordon said after releasing the fish was fisheries like this don’t exist in his part of California. As it turned out, there were lots of fish in the creek, they were just a little tighter to the undercut bank than I remembered from previous trips.

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to our cottage to make dinner and finish unpacking. The late afternoon excursion turned out to be a good one, with a couple dozen nice fish landed in just a few hours. On the way back to the resort, we couldn’t help but notice all the bird life in the area. On this short excursion, we spotted a Bald Eagle along with numerous Ospreys, a few Sandhill cranes, a Kingfisher, and a dozen Pelicans. As I always say to my friends that I take on this trip, this journey is more than just a fishing trip, it is more a wilderness adventure.

Before we knew it, our first morning of the trip had arrived, and I had to decide on where we were going to fish that day. I figured since we were still energetic and not at all worn out, we would explore the Upper Dean River, where lots of walking is required. We drove approximately 30 km from the resort and headed into the woods in an area that I was very familiar with. The walk through the trees took a little over half an hour before we arrived on the banks of the river. Once again, the water level was noticeably low, but still very fishable. With no other anglers to be seen, we took our time fishing through every fishable piece of water.

From the first run to the last run of the day, we found fish willing to take our dry flies in nearly every piece of water we fished. We experienced nonstop action, but it did seem to me as if the fish were smaller than in previous years. That said, we had a great day on the water, catching dozens of fish while taking in all the scenery along the way. When we were younger, we would have headed back to the resort and discussed our options for the evening’s fishing, but with age comes wisdom, so we simply relaxed while sitting on the deck, reminiscing over the day we just experienced.

I must admit that after a long day on the water, it’s sure nice to have a cottage or cabin to unwind at. Escott Bay Resort offers accommodations for everyone, from anglers to families wanting to experience the great outdoors. They have a full range of accommodations from campsites to cabins, cottages, and even a chalet for larger families or groups. I usually book one of the two cottages as they are right on the shoreline and offer views that are second to none.

On the second morning, Gordon and I hopped in the boat and headed across Anahim Lake to try our luck at the outflow. This area is usually productive as the water leaving the lake is heavily oxygenated as it turns into mild rapids. When we arrived at the outflow, we quickly noticed that the outflow was minimal. We ended up only catching one 10-inch rainbow for our efforts. That said, we were not disappointed as the journey across the lake was very scenic, as you have a clear view of all the surrounding mountains. With no fish holding at the outflow, we decided to head back to the channel where we fished the first evening. This time, the fishing was even better with lots of nice trout leaving the bottom to inhale our little deer hair patterns. This time we drifted the channel back to the lake, casting at rises along the way. The day might have started off a little slow, but it sure ended being productive with too many fish landed to count.

Before we knew it, our last full fishing day had arrived. I decided to take Gordon to a different portion of the Upper Dean River where I was hoping to locate some larger fish. The walk into the river was shorter than our previous trip, but it was a little harder to walk through as the trail was overgrown from a lack of use. We spent the better part of the day on the river landing lots of average-sized fish. We covered a couple miles of river, but the larger rainbows eluded us on the Upper Dean River this year. We landed lots of decent rainbows from twelve to fourteen inches, but it’s the ones over sixteen inches that really give you a battle on 3wt and 4wt gear. All in all, it was another spectacular day on the water. Late in the afternoon, we left the river and headed back to the resort to start packing up, as we were heading for home in the morning. Even though the larger rainbows were scarce in the Upper Dean River this year, we did manage to land dozens of the larger trout in the channel on this trip.

You never know how a trip is going to play out, even with the best-made plans, but I must admit this trip played out exactly as planned, with great company and fishing in breathtaking surroundings. Now that Gordon has come and experienced quality dry fly-fishing for wild trout in our beautiful province, I will have to head down south to see what Southern California has to offer. Personally, I feel the bar was set high pursuing wild trout in the West Chilcotin.

Tom Johannesen

Tom Johannesen grew up fishing, but at the age of 23, he had his first article published in a British Columbia Federation of Fly Fishers (BCFFF) newsletter, and something changed.

Since that first article, Tom has been on a mission to master his craft and to share what he has learned with others. With over 200 articles published in magazines like BC Sport Fishing, BC Outdoors, Outdoor Edge, Canadian Fly Fisher, Home Waters, Reel Angler, Western Angler, and Island Fisherman, it’s clear that it’s a mission he takes seriously. He also regularly hosts seminars and tutorials at fly clubs and shops in the hopes of lighting that spark in the next generation.