Reprinted from the Feb./Mar. 1992 B.C. Sport Fishing magazine

Driving along Highway 24 west of Little Fort, the steady, light rain which had been bombarding B.C. for the past week turned into a deluge - a downpour on a grandiose scale. Why does this happen to me, I wondered? I was headed for some Kamloops fishing at Sheridan Lake. Neither hell, nor high water (the latter seeming very possible) could turn me back at this point. Sheridan Lake has held a reputation over the years as being a producer of monster rainbow. I was hot to form a first opinion.

Sheridan Lake is located right off Highway 24, just a few miles east of 100 Mile House, on Highway 97. Paved road leads all the way to Sheridan, so it is suitable for all types of vehicles.

My destination was Sheridan Lake Resort, where I would be met by owners Bob and Jeanine Leith. Turning past the sign marking my arrival at the resort, there was no letup of the rain. It was mid-May and it seemed that the monsoons were here to stay.

At the store/office, my fishing partners Ken, Charlie and I chatted with Bob and Jeanine about the weather and fishing prospects. After considering all options, it was unanimous. We were going fishing.

Sheridan is a fairly large lake and, as in most lakes, there are certain areas where the fishing is best during certain time periods. Bob pointed out a few of the places that has been producing the last couple of days and, with that, we donned our neoprene waders, grabbed our float-tubes and made out way towards the lake. Due to Sheridan's size, float-tubing is not that common here. The shorelines can be productive though, and it was the shoreline that we chose to fish from our tubes during the storm.

As we slipped into the icy water, large trout were jumping around the shallows in their pre-spawn antics. Some of the trout were steelhead-size and all of them were big. I have never seen such a concentration of truly large trout like this in a public lake. I had heard that Sheridan Lake was the premier lake for big Kamloops rainbow in B.C. After seeing the monsters in the shallows, I had to agree.

Obviously, no hatches were coming off in the midst of the rainstorm, so I started my fishing with a black Woolly Bugger trolled deep in a fast-sinking fly line. Ken and Charlie were trolling similar patterns. We kicked in unison along the western shoreline, fighting the rain and numbing wind. Just as I made a smart remark that the weather couldn't get much worse, it did. Hailstones started to slam us, stinging the exposed skin of our hands and faces. All we could do was hunker down through several bouts of hail, but we stuck it out. Just when things started to look hopeless, Ken tied into a fish.

All of a sudden, we forgot about the nasty weather and, being the trout addicts that we are, concentrated on the fishing. Ken's battle showed the fish to be powerful. When the battle ended with Ken the victor, a five-pound brookie was displayed for Charlie and me. Besides the rainbow, Sheridan has a healthy population of large brook trout. The fish was quickly revived and set free.

A few fish were taken during the afternoon, but when the cold finally got the best of us, we decided to call it quits. As the saying goes, "there is always tomorrow," and we had one more day at Sheridan Lake. Warmth, food and drink was starting to sound pretty good.

The morning brought broken skies and a calm lake. We opted for a cruise across to an island where Bob said the fishing had been good. After checking out a rental boat from the resort, we headed out towards some other boats already fishing the area along an island directly across the lake. A short, exhilarating ride in the morning air found us among half a dozen other boats that were trolling along the island. Again, we tied Woolley Buggers to our tippets and trolled with fast-sinking fly lines.

Over the course of the morning, we caught and released several large trout. I expertly lost one big 'Kam' of six or seven pounds during a series of jumps. We also saw several large trout taken by the trollers and spin-fishermen. Although there were no bugs hatching during our stay at Sheridan Lake, our sunken leech imitations produced enough action to keep us happy. I can only imagine the action a fly fisherman would have during a hatch.

Mid-June through the middle of July is when the caddis (sedges) hatch on Sheridan. This would be the ultimate time to be casting dry fly imitations to the trout taking the adults sedges off the surface. Bob says this is the busiest time at the resort, and that several fly fishermen make yearly pilgrimages to Sheridan for the hatch.

Fly fisherman should come prepared to fish from top to bottom at Sheridan. A floating-line would obviously be called for during a hatch of insects, and a full-sinking-line would be in order during non-hatch periods. It is wise to have both available at all times. You just never can tell when a hatch might happen.

Leaders should be fairly long due to the clarity of the water. A nine-to-12-foot leader tapered to 3x should do the trick on your sunken flies that are cast or trolled. You may want to go a bit heavier though, if you can get away with it. Some of the fish in Sheridan may snap a 3x leader on the take, simply because they are so darn big - something to keep in mind.

Flies to include in your box would include patterns such as the Doc Spratley, Black Woolley Bugger, Carey Special ( in assorted colours), Tom Thumb and chironomid pupae, to name a few.

Spin fishermen should bring their favourite spinners and spoons. Some of the proven lures that produce at Sheridan include: Flatfish in size #4 through #6 in perch, black, pearl, glitter, skunk and frog. Also productive are Hot Shots, Wells Spoons, Dick Nite Spoons and Mepps Spinners.

Trolling is probably the most productive way to fish Sheridan. Due to it's size you may have to search a bit to find the fish, but when you do, you can bet it will be worth the wait. Pay special attention to the areas and depths that you troll. When you locate fish, work the area over well. These fish will run in schools and if you catch one you will likely catch more if you fish the same depth and troll and same speed.

Although the weather was nasty during our stay at the resort, it was an unseasonably wet spring. The summer months are usually warm and pleasant in this country. I was told that a week after my visit the skies cleared, the insects started hatching, fish were practically jumping in the boat and the summer was off to a flying start.

Sheridan Lake Resort is a comfortable, well-kept resort. There is a main office/store, cabins, shower-house and restrooms, boat launch and ample dock area, and, a large, grassy campground with sites right along the lake's shore. This is one of the nicest resort camp areas that I have seen in my travels.

At the store, you can purchase fishing tackle, maps of the lake, rent boats and generally get off on the right foot. Bob and Jeanine will be happy to fill you in on all the particulars to make your stay as comfortable and productive as possible.