Kilpoola Lake

Kilpoola Lake

&

Blue Lake

I had a few hours in the evening after work, so it seemed like a good idea to check out Kilpoola Lake west of Osoyoos. Thirty nine years ago I did some claim work up behind the lake, so I wondered if the old windmill was still standing and if there was still and aeration project there to protect the fish from winter kill. In any event, my discussions with the people at the last National Park for the South Okanagan Study, indicated that if the National Park is established no attempt would be made to aerate or stock lakes in the park. I do have mixed feelings about that, where do we draw the line in our influence on nature. At the moment this area is part of the Okanagan Grasslands Protected Areas, which means it still can be stocked..

Heading west from Osoyoos, I turned left on Richter Pass Road. At 1.6 kilometres I turned left and shortly the pavement ended and I was on the old dirt road I remembered. There were still a couple of ponds at the 3.9 kilometre and 4.3 kilometre marks which often hold a few ducks. Finally at 5.2 kilometres I came to Blue Lake, or rather part of Blue Lake as the low water had split it in two.

This is a pretty little lake and the mineral content makes it unsuitable for fish. I remember having to walk out from behind Kilpoola Lake twice in one day with vehicle problems and believe me the water doesn’t taste as good as it looks, in fact it is terrible.

At 6.8 kilometres, I turned left and very soon saw Kilpoola Lake. The windmill was gone and so was the small dock I seemed to recall. I did spot a couple of vehicles parked near a small channel in the weeds to the centre of the lake. The lake was much lower than it was those decades ago, not too surprising as this is desert country. The shoreline was not steep, but rather gentle and soon gave way to grassland and sagebrush. Further away the green and white poplar trees look cool in the warm afternoon sun.

Launching the canoe was a bit tricky with the breeze coming through the saddle from south of the border. I really had to struggle to keep from hanging up in the weeds as the sides of the canoe caught the wind like sails. The people in the float tubes and pontoon boats were having much less trouble maneuvering than I was having.

The canoe scudded before the wind and I kept on ending up on the weed beds. Casting from here was tricky, but I dug out my spinning outfit and my trusty old thread bare fly. Alas, I guess its time to retire it as it let me down again.

Talking with a few of the regulars, who thankfully for my ego were not having any luck at the moment, I learned a bit more about the lake. Since the lake is regularly stocked and also fairly often winter killed, all the fish at the moment are supposed to be around one and a half kilograms. Not a bad fish in anyone’s book. Two flies were recommended, the green shrimp and the dragonfly nymph.

After an hour and a half I reluctantly left the peace and quiet and headed back to town. Landing the canoe again was tricky, but I managed to get to dry land without having to step into the rather smelly sludge along the shore. Driving out I notices a couple of outdoor toilets well back from the lake. I can only hope they are in good condition.