Kootenay Lake Fishing Report
By Contributor
What a mixed bag of weather . . . but that was May.
The month started out with some 25 -30 degree weather, but that was short changed by the rest of the month. Crazy how it can go from that heat to freezing temps in a matter of weeks.
The last half of May was rainy, stormy, sunny, cold, and everything else you could throw at us. Maybe a blessing in disguise, as we definitely needed some precipitation.
One good thing about the cooler temps is it will prolong our spring fishery.
In saying that, here’s your latest fishing report:
Kootenay Lake
The lake has been producing some nice fish as of late. Early May saw a few hot days which started the ‘ant hatch’. And from there on, the fish were looking up, and the frenzy began.
Our water temperature is still hanging in around 50 degrees, thanks to the cold nights and rain. Although some days the temp will rise to around 55. That is the magic number.
So, with the wave of warmer weather coming, we should also see the wave of fishing frenzy continuing.
Some of our latest catches have included Rainbows up to 11 Lbs, and the odd Bull Trout up to 12 Lbs.
In between the big ones, we are kept busy with lots of the usual 1 – 4 Lb Rainbows.
Average days have had up to 25 fish strike our lures. And, even on the slower days, we are managing to hook into 5 – 10 fish.
The pattern seems to be a couple hot days of fishing, followed by a couple slow days. So, you just have to be out there.
Our latest 2-day trip proved that theory right. On day 1, the group landed around 20 fish. And on the next day, they managed to land only 6.
So, that goes to show you that it might be a good idea to fish more than one day.
Generally, June is another good month for fishing. Especially if the water temps remain in the 50’s. So, stay tuned……….
West Coast Salmon
We are getting ready to send one boat out to the west coast for our annual Salmon/Halibut season. Looking forward to this season, as the predictions show a record run of Salmon on the way.
We know it’s only a prediction, but if it’s anything like last year, then we are in for a fun one.
Still have a bunch of afternoon trips available if anyone is going to be in the Ucluelet area. Drop us a line.
What are they biting on???
Well, almost everything is on the surface. So, we are trolling our usual Gibbs spoons or Lux flies. The standard brass/fire stripe or hammered brass/fire stripe crocs have been working well on the calm days.
And on the choppy days, our favourite Lux flies #215, 221, 226, as well as the skull heads #315, 321, 326.
Trolling speed around 3.0mph seems to be the ticket right now. But look at speeding up as the water warms a bit.
It’s prime time for fishing Kootenay Lake, so let’s get out there!!
Hope this helps with your next adventure.
Tight lines………..
Kerry Reed, Reel Adventures Sportfishing
