The only way to cover ground in the Chilcotins, winter or summer, was on horseback or team. Living in the Chilcotins meant overcoming obstacles, day and day out just to survive.

Sir Alexander Mackenzie was the first white man to cross the Rocky Mountains and view the Pacific Ocean from a North American shore twelve years before the more famous Lewis and Clark expedition. Mackenzie set out from Lake Athabaska in 1793 in search of an overland passage to the Pacific and arrived at his destination 72 days and 1250 miles later.

The trail left from the mouth of the Blackwater River west of Quesnel, followed the upper Blackwater up past Eliguk Lake, over the Rainbow Mountains and through what is now Tweedsmuir Park to Bella Coola and was designated as a Heritage Trail in 1987.

It's thought that the first occupiers of land west of the Fraser were the Shushwap Tribe which was nearly wiped out by smallpox in 1862. The Chilcotin or Tsilhqot'in people moved in to take their place from their traditional territory in the west (Alexis Creek to Ulkatcho).

While the tribes and white people had their problems, the Chilcotin Wars being most notable, most of the chiefs were very friendly and cooperative with the white settlers, particularly when treated with equality and respect. As a result, many natives went to work with the settlers as ranch hands, cowboys, packers and guides.

Tom Hance put up a trading post and post office at what become known as Hanceville (turn off to Chaunigan Lake). His wife Nellie was the first white women to come into the Chilcotin had a long trip to get to Hanceville in 1887 on horseback. She rode the whole three hundred miles (510 km) sidesaddle. Tom's place and later Lee's became a jumping off point for all points west and adventuresome men gradually spread through the country, settling their homestead and acquiring ranching stock. While many of their wives were brought from England, the States or Victoria, many married lasses from one of the Chilcotin tribes and more than one family, especially in the Anahim area, has a long history of intermingled families.

Take Care
Tom

Chaunigan Fishing

Hello Everyone

Here are a few of my favourite dry flies to use at Chaunigan.

Adam's Fly:

- One dry fly that is a "must" have in any fly box.

- This fly works for just about any mayfly hatch when you don't have the exact match. Since it resembles a lot of bugs it can work when the fish aren't keying on the current hatch.

- Believed to have originally been a down wing pattern that more closely imitated a caddis (designed by Len Halladay of Michigan in 1922 at the request of his close friend Charles Adams).

- Considered by many anglers to be the best dry fly pattern ever conceived.

- Have had quite a bit of success using this fly on Chaunigan when any type of hatch is happening.

Elk hair Caddis:

- Another one of the best flies you can have in your fly box.

- Quite a remarkable Caddis hatch on Chaunigan most years. Adult imitations work well any time of year caddis are hatching.

- Perfect fly for imitating both the newly emerged caddis flies' take off and the skittering female dropping her eggs under the evening sky.

- Had a fair bit of success with this pattern and definitely worth trying on Chaunigan.


Take care Everyone
Talk to you soon
Tom

Chaunigan Fishing

Hello Everyone

Here are even more of my favourite flies to use at Chaunigan.

Dragonfly Nymph:

- This nymph can be fished year round. Most interior Dragonflies are 'Darners' of the family Aeshnidae preferring the cover of weed beds.

- Usually the fly imitation is fished on or near the lake bottom. The retrieve can be still, or an inching motion to represent the nymph crawling, or short to moderate pulls to represent the dragonfly using it's jet propulsion system to escape the predatory fish.

- A sinking line or weighted flies with a dry line both seem to work.

- I have had quite a lot of success with the Peacock Dragon fly nymph. Really any nymph with light to dark green colour. Also I try to get patterns with the large eyes it has seemed to work good for me.

Tom Thumb (dry fly):

- One of the most popular dry flies throughout B.C. it is a very versatile and successful pattern to use.

- can represent a variety of insects including chironomids, caddis flies, and sedge flies along with others.

- You can fish this pattern to represent traveling sedges. Retrieve the fly in short sharp bursts. Often large trout will "slash" or "roll" over the fly trying to stop its movement. It takes a great deal of patience not to strike at the first sign of the fish. Often this "slash" or "roll" precedes a second attempt from the fish.

- Another way is to troll them on a dry line. Troll them on a dry line with lots of line out. I will usually do this moving to my next spot to cast.

Stay tuned for next blog and will cover a few more dry flies I like to use.

Chaunigan Fishing

Hello Everyone

Here are a few more of my favourite flies to use on Chaunigan Lake.

Black Rabbit Leech:

- I like the rabbit leech because when it gets wet the fur sticks together and forms a slick shape.

- An effective pattern that can often bring the fish out when nothing else seems to be working.

- I prefer a weighted head with a couple of fast strips then a pause letting the fly sink a bit on the pause. The fish will often hit on the pause.

- In the early evenings the dark colour creates a silhouette that is sure to catch fish.

Werner Green Shrimp:

- Very important fly to B.C. anglers. Many lakes including Chaunigan have an abundance of these small crustaceans.

- One of, if not the top food source for the trout in the lake. You can fish with this fly year round.

- The shrimp will often hide in weed beds so check these locations on the lake while fishing this fly.

- Floating Line Sinking Fly Method - In water up to 10 ft deep, attach enough tippet to get to the lake bottom. After casting wait until fly settles to the bottom then retrieve.

- Sinking Line Method - In water greater than 10 ft. deep, cast line along drop offs and let settle to near or on the bottom. Work the fly along slowly with short quick jerks to imitate crawling and swimming among the weeds.

Muddler Minnow (Silver):

- Don Gapen designed this fly in 1936 to imitate a sculpin, known as the Cockatush Minnow, to catch large Brook Trout on the Nipigon River in Ontario, Canada.

- Fly is so successful it is now known as a "must have" fly. Incredibly diverse fly that can be fished in all conditions, whether it be cold or warm, fresh or saltwater, clear or cloudy.

- The versatility of the Muddler Minnow stems from this pattern's ability to mimic a variety of aquatic and terrestrial forage, ranging from sculpins, to leeches, to grasshoppers, crickets, spent mayflies, emerging green drakes, stonefly nymphs along with many other creatures.

More of my favourite flys in next blog.

Chaunigan Fishing

Chaunigan is one of the best still water fishing in B.C. Not to many lakes can boast 30-50 fish caught per day.

Here are some of my favourite flies to use on Chaunigan Lake.

Woolly Bugger:

- a must have in any fly box this fly is one of the most popular streamers in use today.

- originally tied to imitate the Dobsonfly the Woolly Bugger is used to imitate leeches, baitfish, tadpoles. damselfly larvae, dragonfly larvae and crayfish.

- fish this pattern on a floating, intermediate, sink tip or full sinking line.

- works well using "pull and pause" strip, but can use just about any type of retrieve. Fished from a boat you can simply troll this fly or cast towards bank sides and draw back to get a strike.

Doc Spratley:

- Almost all B.C. anglers successfully fish this pattern. A very versatile pattern it is another must have in any fly box.

- It does not represent any particular insect, it serves as an adequate representation of major insects found in B.C.

- In larger sizes this fly represents leeches well.

- Most popular method of fishing this fly is to troll it with a full sinking line (type II of III). This fly should hit bottom occasionally while varying your trolling speed.

next fishing blog will cover more popular flies used on Chaunigan Lake

Chaunigan History Continued

Hello Everyone

Continuation of last Chaunigan history blog.

My father contracted a surveyor from Williams Lake to survey property adjacent to the lodge. He flew him into the lake and back out again after the job was done, staying at the lodge with the permission of then owner Les Johnson. Les was a dentist from Centralia, Washington. Johnson was near retirement and his seasonal transportation onto the lake was a six wheel drive Army surplus truck with a winch on both ends. He had adopted two native children whom he and his wife brought back and forth seasonally.

In 1954 fishing from the lodge boats and staying there overnight with Johnson's permission, he realized in bad weather that trolling by that first point a mile down the lake was great fishing as well as marginally weather protected. It also provided great protection from the weather for the airplane which was now a 1954 Cessa 180. He put the lots that were surveyed by the lodge up for sale and resurveyed two lots plotted by the point. One he purchased and the other he leased to the Gibbon's family. The law was that the land had to be improved within five years. The purchase price was really just the cost to have it surveyed and improved. Within a year the law changed so that no more Canadian (Queen's) land on waterfront could be sold, purchased, improved or gained title of forever more.

Plants of Chaunigan

Common Red Paintbrush:- A very common flower, its bright colour instantly catches the eye. The roots a parasitic often stealing nutrients from aspen and poplar trees.

Common Juniper:- Branches were often burned in smudges to repel insects. Smoke from the berries or branches was used in religious ceremonies or to bring good luck (especially for hunters).

Yarrow:- This plant is one of the most widely used medicinal plants in the world. It has been used for thousands of years as a styptic- a plant that stops bleeding. Fresh leaves can be rubbed on the skin as an effective (though temporary) insect repellent.

Birds of Chaunigan

Bonaparte's Gull:- The third smallest gull, these birds feed mainly on insects, crustaceans and fish. Unlike other gulls they birds rarely scavenge. They will usually nest in conifers.

Belted Kingfisher:- Often seen perching on trees, fence posts or other watch points close to the water before plunging after their prey. They eat fish, amphibians, small crustaceans, small mammals, insects and reptiles.

Spruce Grouse:- To avoid predation these birds rely on camouflage and immobility to avoid detection. There staple food is conifer needles plucking them right from the tree. They will also feed on berries, green plants, fungi and some insects.

Chaunigan History

Part 1

My father first flew to Chaunigan (He thought it was Challicum) in 1952 in a 145 hp, 1949 Aeronca on floats. He and his friend Bill caught so many fish spinning from the floats that Bill had to walk down to Konni Lake because they could not get off the water. Fortunately Bill was a very capable guy and they met down there just before dark and got back to Stuart Island at the end of Bute Inlet, landed in that scary water and taxied to their accommodations on Dent Island without incident. At the time my dad resolved to pursue the acquisition of property at Chaunigan (Challicum). It was the perfect weekend getaway for him within reasonable range for a float plane from Olympia on a summer Friday afternoon and a Sunday return. He worked his ass off during the week as a surgeon in Olympia and really appreciated the isolation on weekends and no phone.


Special Thanks to Casey Jones long time Chaunigan Lake resident for sharing this information.