West Kootenay Fishing Report is submitted by Kerry Reed of Reel Adventure Sport Fishing Charters. Call 250-505-4963 or go to reeladventuresfishing.com.
Kerry Reed and Reel Adventure Sport Fishing Charters is back in business albeit with strict new protocols intact.
Despite the pandemic, Reed has been fishing with family and keeping tabs on the action and the flies and lures that are landing the big ones. So if you want to get out on the lake or river, contact Kerry Reed, and help local businesses bounce back.
Kootenay Lake: The water is rising and the fish are biting. Kootenay Lake has been very consistent over the past couple of weeks. The water temperature is close to that prime 50 degree temps and the fish are becoming more and more aggressive.
Most of our action has been on the surface, as the fish are now all looking up. We even saw a small black ant hatch that always gets them going. So, it should be even getting better each day.
Bull Trout have been on and off. Some days our guys are hooking into half a dozen bulls on the downriggers between 70 – 80 feet, as well as way more rainbows on the surface.
With the higher waters, we are seeing more debris on the surface. And, although it’s a bit tougher to navigate and keep the lures clean, its bringing more and more fish to the top. So, it’s a bit of a trade off. I would recommend if you find a patch of clear water, then stick to it and work that portion of the lake for a while. You’ll find that its a lot less hassle and the rewards are worth it.
Common days on the lake have seen 10- 15 rainbows and a few bull trout mixed in.
New regulations have been implemented for Kootenay Lake as well. Check out the on-line amendments and you will see an increase in daily quota. This is to encourage predator harvest and hopefully help speed up the recovery of the Kokanee. Also, our friends from the BC Wildlife Federation have implemented an incentive program for people to get out and fish, so lets go.
Now’s the time to get out there and enjoy our great spring fishery.
See you out there.
Columbia River: The Mighty Columbia had been producing some beauty fish until it was blown out by heavy rains and snow melt recently.
It should return to normal in a week or two, as the caddis flies are hatching and the fish are excited.
We had some amazing dry-fly fishing and when the fish aren’t on the dries, we managed to get them on the nymphs. Just gotta be prepared for anything.
Some nice rainbows between 16-to-20-inches, and even a few in the 24-to -27-inch range have come in lately.
This is primetime for the river.
We’ve also managed to have a couple outings for walleye and have managed to hook a few each time. Looking forward to the post spawn fishery as they will become more aggressive.
Looking forward to lots more river fishing in the next month.
Stay tuned.
What are they biting on? Kootenay Lake rainbows are hammering the bucktail flies on the surface.
Our favourite colors have been the #10, 21, & 26 by Lux Flies. And when we had the minor black ant hatch, we were getting them on the #08 (black/gold).
Another good option has been our favourite Gibbs Delta spoons. The croc in Hammered Brass/fire stripe has been working well and because of its weight, it has been avoiding most of the surface debris.
We’ve also been targeting some bull trout during some tagging work with fisheries, and our favourite lures have been the 4-inch plugs from Epic Lures. The Lemon Lime, Black/Gold, and Shazam have been our top producers for the Bulls.
And on the river its been great fly fishing and good spin casting. Dry-fly fishing with the magic elk hair caddis has been epic at times and drifting with a prince nymph or stonefly nymph has worked during the slow time of day.
Walleye fishing has been best with 1/2 oz jigs with gibbs curly tails, and also the bottom bouncer with a green bling blade or wedding band has produced well.
Hope this helps with your next outing.
sports@trailtimes.ca
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East Kootenay Regional DistrictKootenay Boundary Regional District
