Fly Fishing on Hosli and Pennask Lake Part 1

The Adventures of Bill and Joe

Pennask and Hosli Part 1

We were invited to the Lonely Loons Fly Fishing Club event at Pennask Lake at the end of July.  Chris Mapson was our host and he was very eager to meet us. We left Burnaby at 330am Saturday Morning hoping to get to our first destination, Hosli Lake. We plan to camp out 1 night and head to Pennask Lake by 9am Sunday Morning. We were using the BC back roads maps and located Hosli Lake. It looked pretty straight forward and it even mentions that the lake was 2 wheel drive accessible.  Because our shipment of pontoon boats was 1 week behind, we had no choice but to bring a belly boat and a tender. 

I was looking forward to this trip for a long time. Bill tells me stories about how large the trout he has caught at Hosli Lake and how amazing fishing can be.  The drive was very smooth. The weather was great, as there was not a single cloud in the sky. It’s great to be outdoors in the early summer.

After about 4 hours of driving, we decide to stop by the Roche Lake Resort to drop off some of our brochures to the owner. The resort was very busy because of a Wedding that was booked for the afternoon.  The owner didn’t have too much time to speak with us but accepted the brochures and business cards. The fishing, I was told, was amazing and 3-4lb rainbows have been pulled out on parts of the large lake. We then head on to Hosli.

I have never heard of Hosli Lake. Apparently, it is one of thousands of remote lakes in BC. As we turn into the forestry service road that leads towards the lake, I was thinking that we will make it to the lake in good time so we can have lots of time fishing.  Boy was I wrong. The road was treacherous. I haven’t been on such a bumpy and unforgiving, road before.  We faced challenge after challenge. There were large rocks, big boulders, and troublesome branches to clear. There were huge pot holes, giant puddles and unbelievable drop offs that made driving a nightmare. I had to get out a few times to help Bill navigate through some troublesome obstacles. Ruby (the name of Bill’s truck) did an amazing job. She got roughed up a little bit with some scratches on her body and a couple of bent skid plates but nothing too serious. We took the wrong turn and had to drive backwards to get to the right path.

After about 1.5 hours of crawling through the horrid forestry service back roads, we get to Hosli Lake. I would have to say that using the word serenity to describe the setting is an understatement.  With the exception of a few ATVs and motorbikes roaring in the back ground, the peacefulness of the lake was like a pleasant dream. There was not a person in sight; there were risers all over the lake and a few sudden unexpected shrills of a loon. The loon will prove to haunt Bill for a very long time.

Getting ready to fish Hosli Lake

We get some energy by having some beef jerky and get setup for a day of fishing. It’s now about noon and we are looking forward to a day of fishing. There are some clouds overhead with the sun peaking in and out from them. I set out on the tender with a small 40 thrust trolling motor and head out. A tender is not the most comfortable boat you can be on but I manage. 

As a beginner fly fisherman, casting the line is a bit of a challenge. I am using floating line with a sinking tip. I try different flies to see if the fish will bite. I find that my approach and my presentation of the fly is not to par. I think I am scaring the fish. I try trolling with a leach but that doesn't work either. Fish on!

It wasn't me. Bill is wrestling with a massive rainbow. I am very excited so I b-line it towards his direction.  He keeps yelling, while fighting the fish, that this is one of the largest rainbow he has ever caught. The smile on his face was like a little child opening his first present on Christmas morning. I see the fish. It was massive. It was about 10lbs. The fish surfaces and then suddenly, the loon pop up beside Bill. Bill yells at the loon and swears at it but all the noise was futile. The loon dives and spears the fish. The fish was bigger than he was. Bill’s disappointment was echoed by his loud screams of profanity.

Luckily, Bill recorded the whole ordeal with his Tigon Vision Sunglasses. It's really a dandy device. It records in High Definition and the picture quality is amazing. No more, reaching for the camera or relying on somebody else to record the moment.

It's about 3 o'clock now. I am frustrated to a point where I needed to get some food and some rest. Being on the tender for long periods of time is very uncomfortable. As I head back, I hear Bill yelling again. He got himself another Rainbow. I zip towards him to see what he has caught. It was a 4 pounder. Not as big as the one that got away but still a good size fish. As he was landing it, the loon was lurking and dove for the fish again. This time he failed and Bill got to land a very good catch.

As I watch him in envy, I decide to do a few more casts and head back to shore. It was getting dark now. 2 more fish were caught and Bill comes back to shore to get ready for dark.

In a remote setting like Hosli, there is no artificial light anywhere. Gazing into the sky you will find all the details the Milky Way  has to offer to the naked eye. It is absolutely stunning. It makes me think of how small and insignificant we are in this universe and how there are billions upon billions of galaxies with each galaxy with billions of stars.

We build a fire and try to keep warm. We didn't bring a tent so we slept in the Truck . We had a couple of sleeping bags and we were soon snoring away.