Hiway16 Magazine... about people and places in north-central British Columbia, Canada

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John's Wonderful Island

by Debi Smith

Our family has a cabin on Francois Lake - a cold sixty-mile long body of water that stretches east to west, a mere fifteen minutes south of Burns Lake on Highway 35.

Although I would love to spend the summer at a lake you could swim in for more than a few minutes, the thrill of reeling in some of the feistiest and best-tasting trout in the North keeps us hooked.

The water is so cold that the fish have to be hearty to survive. Alas, our four kids never acclimatized to the "thrill" of fishing and felt the word "hearty" should apply only to old people's cereal.

John's Island

Still, every summer, off we went in our aluminum boat, two adults with four restless children. If the fish were biting, things stayed relatively fun for the first thirty minutes. When the fish bites died down, mutiny would begin. Sound familiar?

These days, the lid is off on fishing in Francois Lake and more and more boats launch every hour, many with forlorn looking kids in tow. No matter what distraction you pack, the joy of being stuck in a boat for hours trying to catch all thirty of the collective family limit wears off quickly, especially if anyone consumes any beverages.

Park on the sandy beach

Having been there, I am now going to share our sanity secret with you. John's Island is a small volcanic land mass that sits about 15 km west of the ferry landing, closer to the southside of the lake. Named after a native that supposedly lived on the small island, John's Island was once the communal fishing grounds for three reserves that flanked both the north and southern shores.

My in-laws have thrived on the fish around this island since the early '50's. Grandma Neil, who at 92 still runs her own home and does volunteer work, is our best example and one of the biggest fans of Francois Lake fish!






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