Horseshoe Lake

Easily accessible by car, fishing "Horseshoe lake" is an exercise in patience. A designated DU Canada (BC), Horseshoe has dark water with large "triploid rainbow trout" and an ample supply of brook trout.

Horseshoe Lake is the first accessible lake as one enters the "Roche Lake Area" and Provincial Park. It is about 10 kms up the Roche Lake Road on good gravel surface. Horseshoe shares the same turnoff as Roche Lake West and you will see the sign on your right. Turn right and immediately turn to the right again. You will cross the outlet of the lake and just follow the road a few hundred meters to the Forest Service Campsite.

Approximate Size and Elevation:

Horseshoe Lake is the lowest lake in the Roche Lake Area system at an elevation of 3624 ft and a small 12 hectares in area. Facilities:

This is a Forest Service campground meaning that the camping is rough but acceptable. It has about a half dozen spots where you can put your truck and camper or pitch a tent. There are also a couple of outhouses for your convenience.The cartopper boat launch has a nice gentle slope that also acts as a premium spot to launch your belly boat or pontoon boat. Special Notes:

As I said in the intro, Horseshoe Lake is an exercise in patience. I have had a couple of the most wonderful days fishing waterboatman in the fall hooking into brook trout in the weeds at the north end of the lake.

Horseshoe was originally stocked with brook trout and about 10 years ago triploid rainbow trout were introduced giving it a dual fishery. The lake has plenty of feed and the triploid rainbow trout are reputed to grow to 10+lbs however I have not been one of the lucky ones. A few broken tippets and the occasional 2 lb'er is all that I have been able to muster when it comes to the rainbows. Most of my big hits have been on leeches and damsels. Again, as mentioned above, waterboatman can be crazy if you hit it at the right time in the fall just after the first heavy frosts. I have yet to try a Kamloops Booby there. The dark water may make that fly a real winner.

Dryfly fishing and chironimids have not proven too successful for this cowboy either but the result has been equal to the effort.

The lake is rather shallow and has been equipped with an aerator to help prevent winterkill of the fish. In the early fall (Indian Summer), the lake is susceptible to a blue-green algae bloom that can turn fishing off for a couple of weeks.

The bottom line is that Horseshoe has big fish and can be rewarding but be prepared to put some time in before you are successful.

Horseshoe Lake has some special regulations regarding season, tackle and limits. Please consult your BC Fishing Regulations for accurate rules and regulations.