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Kootenay Lake Fishing Report

Contributor
By Contributor
October 6th, 2014

By Kerry Reed, Reel Adventures Sportfishing

Great weather for fishing now that its fall, it’s time to hook a big one on Kootenay Lake.

Kerry Reed of Reel Adventures Charters is here to give his monthly fishing report. So read and enjoy.

Kootenay Lake
 
We’ve been back now for a few weeks and have done quite a few trips on Kootenay already. Usually September is a slower month for fishing as we are waiting for the water temperatures to drop.
 
However, we have been catching a lot of fish on our trips.  A nice surprise for this time of year.  Mostly smaller fish right now, but still seem to get the odd big one every day or two.
 
My last group from Philly and Chicago had decided to come out with us near the end of September.  And when they were booking with us, I mentioned that they might want to wait until later in October when the fishing really gets good.  But, their schedules dictated when they could come, so they decided to try September and take a chance.
 
After explaining to them that this is our slower time of year for fishing and not to have high expectations, we jumped in the boat and headed out.
 
Well, the fish proved me wrong.  Day one, the boys landed 10 fish up to 10 lbs.  And then on day two they landed nine fish up to 13 pounds.  Very rare for such warm water.  And as a bonus, they got to jump into the lake to cool off at the end of the day.
 
So, now they are hooked and I think I’ll have a hard time convincing them to come at a different time of year.  Funny how it works.  That’s fishing……..
 
While not every day has been like that, we have still been catching fish daily.  Still looking forward to the next few months as the water cools and the fish become more aggressive.  Here’s hoping for a great fall/winter fishery.
 
The first derby of the fall is coming up.  This will give us a good idea about how the fishing should be this season.  Looking forward to seeing some familiar boats and faces.
 
Upcoming Derby events:

Woodbury Thanksgiving Derby:  October 11-13
 
Nelson City Police Derby/fundraiser
:  October 18-19
 
Kaslo Rainbow Derby:
    Novembger 7-9
 
Good luck to all the participants.
 
Stay tuned for the results……………………………….
 
Columbia River

 
With the nice September weather we have experienced, I have had the chance to keep fishing the river also.  And as expected, the walleye have been pretty cooperative, as well as some good fly fishing still.
 
A nice mix of fly fishing and spin casting to break up the day.
 
Most walleye have averaged around 16 inches, or a couple pounds.  Just right for the frying pan.  And the rainbows have been between 15 – 22 inches.  Great fight on a five-weight fly rod.
 
This fishery should continue through October.  Looking forward to some more nice days on the river.
 
What are they biting on??
 
With the warmer temperatures of the lake, most of our fish have been caught on the downriggers.  Depths from 50 – 120 feet have been producing both Rainbows and Bull Trout.  Lyman plugs have been the ticket on most days.  Lucky numbers 14, 16, 69, 98, and 102 have been my favorite.
 
We’ve also been catching a lot of Rainbows on our favorite bucktail flies.  Again, lots of small ones with the odd big one mixed in.  Favorite colors have been grey/wht, brown/white, and different variations of the black/white.  Lucky numbers coinciding with those colors are:  210, 215, 221, 226, 228.
 
As the water cools and the fish become more aggressive, we should hopefully establish a few common patterns.
 
Looking forward to the rest of the fall.
 
Tight lines…………………………..
 
Kerry Reed
Reel Adventures Sportfishing
www.reeladventuresfishing.com

 

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