August 2, 2008

Schoen Lake


Our first view of the lake...Beautiful
Looking east down the lake towards a clouded in Mount Schoen



nice private campsite with plenty of room
in the truck we built a plywood bed over the wheel wells
and stored all our bins under it. we were dry no matter
what the weather and slept on a king size mattress too



our canoe was loaded on Schoen Beach
and ready to go down to the far end
the mountain was still clouded in




finally Mount Schoen out from behind the clouds
our first stop is the beach straight ahead in the distance
that would be 1/2 way down this big crescent shape lake 



it was getting a little windy as we pulled in but the sun was out




Elk prints were everywhere



looking into the shadows the lake bears left again 
and then down to the end




at the end it's complete wilderness
the river comes in just to the left where the beach is



 it was time to relax after a long trip down in the canoe
now we could see the back side of Schoen 



a raven kept an eye on us and made all sorts of chatter 



back at camp Arlene found a warm spot to read



this guy dropped in for a quick coffee and a peanut to go



I got my rod and we found a trail that took us to the Davie River



and was rewarded with a beautiful cutthroat trout



we met Ron & Judy at the campsite and they were kind enough
to tow our boat down to the other end and enjoy a picnic with us



then back on the Davie we showed Ron how to flyfish



our next trip was in July 2010

now we had a camper, a 12' boat and 2 kayaks under the cover
we stayed overnight out side the park entrance




and drove the rest of the way in the morning
its a rough road into the campground so its better during the day



we followed the Davie River most of the way in



Schoen Lake Provincial Park

looking east from the campground beach


Schoen had gotten fresh snow overnight



so our campsite was ready for any weather



now it was time to set up the boat & motor




we're off down the lake in our new boat
we laugh at the wind now without the canoe



not much luck on this troll



and no luck at the river at the far end...but she sure has great style



the wind was cold on our way back up the lake



then it warmed up that evening...great for the kayaks


I wanted to explore the Davie River again

It was completely different
the lake is just beyond this log jam



thus the river runs slower now and has a nice pool



just like the last trip I got another beauty
cutthroat to take back to camp



we spotted a grouse foraging for some food 



and a whiskey jack waiting for a handout 



Ralph and Jake



one of the nicest little parks on the island





9 comments:

  1. What a lovely web site, really enjoyed all the photos of you trip down Schoen Lake.
    Our son is doing something similar in Australia with his family.
    Keep the web site going.
    Judy

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  2. Thanks for great information you write it very clean. I am very lucky to get this tips from you.

    Cold Storage Vancouver

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  3. Thanks for sharing your adventures! My family and I will be exploring Schoen Lake soon!

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  4. Did you camp at the far end of the lake looking back at Mt. Schoen? I met a couple guys that were fishing and were going to camp there the day I was there. I didn't have a boat, kayak or canoe. :( A nice camper let me borrow his kayak for an hour so I went out into the bay to get a better view of the other side. The ranger was nice there, and she told me she was going to buy kayaks for people to use this year, but I am doubtful.

    If I buy a small kayak, how long would it take to work my way to the other end of the lake? I am thinking it would be fun to get back there and camp overnight for a night. Anyhow, any advice, tips, etc. you can give me are appreciated. I visit from Seattle, but really liked this lake best on my first trip to Vancouver Island last year! I will be spinning and fly fishing this time around. Also, there is a river on the far end of the lake that you say is good to fish? Thanks in advance for responding!

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  5. You can not keep trout from any river in BC. So unless you caught those fish in the lake, you were poaching

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    Replies
    1. It is okay to keep hatchery marked trout in rivers, but those fish in the pictures still have adipose fins.....

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  6. Very nice spread on Schoen Lake. Its always been a great spot for me and my family. With reference to the fish from the river, Scott is correct but we won't call it poaching when it most likely was not intentional. There are a lot of fish in the lake, but you have to put your time in. Take care.

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  7. use a down rigger I got a ton out of there

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  8. I saw Lake Schoen on a map of Vancouver Island. When I searched for info, I found your blog. Loved the pictures!

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