The Kootenay-Boundary is renowned as a winter playground for outdoor enthusiasts who take to the slopes, their snowmobiles, snowshoes or cross-country ski trails to recreate in winter. But there are few places in North America where you can don your choice of skis one day, then fish for the world’s largest rainbow trout the next.
The West Kootenay-Boundary offers many forms of winter fishing opportunities and destinations, including trolling large lakes, fly fishing or spin casting on the Columbia and Kootenay Rivers, or angling on a myriad of frozen lakes for some hard-water action. And there are few who know the area and its waters better than Kerry Reed of Reel Adventures Sport Fishing Charters.
"Winter in the West Kootenay offers many opportunities for anglers," says Reed. "We're lucky enough to have large lakes that don't freeze over, so one opportunity is to fish either Kootenay Lake or Arrow Lake or Slocan Lake either from shore or from a boat."
Reed grew up in the Kootenays with a fishing rod in his hand and an insatiable appetite for angling on Kootenay lakes and streams. He started up Reel Adventures in Nelson in 1998, which has since grown into one of the region’s premiere fishing guide outfits.
