Winter fishing on Columbia River's Arrow Lake

 

Fishing on Arrow Lake during the winter months can be a rewarding experience for avid anglers and even those who are not so avid lake trollers or winter fishers.

Lower Arrow Lake is a reservoir on the Columbia River backed up by Hugh Keenleyside Dam just north of Castlegar, BC and a short 30-minute drive from Trail.

Recently, I left the fly rod at home and joined three friends on an excursion to Lower Arrow Lake to troll for big bull trout and rainbows.

Low water and dam fluctuations, plus sub-zero temperatures can make fishing a challenge on the Arrow in winter.

I am very fortunate to have friends that have the tools and the acumen for fishing in cold winter weather conditions. It was -7C when we pushed off at around 7 a.m., but within the first hour we landed a six-pound bull trout.

The bull shook its head in contempt several times and made several short runs but was eventually landed and released. A good start to a good day.

Trolling tools: We hooked the bull on a flasher and hoochie set up, an effective trolling method on large West Kootenay lakes.

The flasher attracts fish by mimicking the movement of prey, combined with a hoochie, a squid-like lure. The flasher creates a visual stimulus that draws fish from a distance, while a scented hoochie entices them to bite.

Both the flashers and hoochies come in a variety of colours and themes, and finding the right combination for current conditions is key to success.

We used the set up on downriggers at depths ranging from 40 to 140 feet.

Bill Norman plugs are another popular choice for winter fishing on Arrow Lake. These versatile lures are designed to mimic baitfish.

Their lifelike action and bright colors are particularly effective in the clear, cold waters of the Arrow.

When the water is just a few degrees above freezing, it is crucial to troll slowly, maintaining a speed of around 1.5-2 mph. In cold water conditions, trout metabolism slows down, and they become less active, yet they continue to feed on kokanee and other prey.

We caught a second bull trout a short time later on another flasher-hoochie combo. The seven-pounder stayed deep, pulled hard and put up a good fight.

The bull trout were in beautiful shape, fat and healthy, cream coloured with the tell-tale blue halos and pink dots along its flanks.

We had another strike around 1 p.m., but the trout snapped the line leaving us dumbfounded and impressed.

But an hour or two later, a massive trout hit the Bill Norman and took off for Nakusp.

I had the good fortune of reeling in this beast as well. The fight was very different from the bulls, as the trout made several sideways runs, but didn’t break the surface until it was at the boat, and we realized it was a rainbow trout.

A big and girthy 9.1-pound chrome rainbow trout.

We thought it was a triploid it was so wide, but to the best of our knowledge, there is no stocking of the genetically modified trout in the Columbia or the Arrow. 

Just a great fish on a great day.

Thanks to Mike, Kyle, and Derek for an amazing day on the water, and look forward to the next outing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

West Kootenay Fishing Report: Cooler temps translate to Prime fishing

The West Kootenay Fishing Report is submitted by Kerry Reed of Reel Adventure Sportfishing Charters. Call Kerry at 250-505-4963 to book your trip or go to www.reeladventuresfishing.com. 

Darrell and Graham casting into the Columbia

October started out with some warmer than seasonal temperatures and some beauty weather for being out on the water. But then switched to be more like the fall that we are accustomed to. And now that we’re in November, the temperatures have dropped and we are fully into our winter fishery. 

The beginning of October handed us some nice weather and some pretty decent fishing for Bull Trout and Rainbows. And since the end of October with the perfect water temps we have expected the Rainbows to take over as in previous years. However, lately it’s still been better fishing for Bull Trout with a few Rainbows mixed in. 

Bull Trout up to 10 pounds have been caught recently, with most being between 3-6 pounds. There was also one Bull around 16 pounds that was caught by another local angler, so there’s still the odd big one out there. 

Rainbows have been hit and miss lately, but we’ve been getting some mixed in with the Bull Trout. Average Rainbows between 2-4 pounds have been coming in. 

We’ve had a few new groups join us the past few weeks and have had some exciting trips. It seems that the fish are located in tiny pockets on the lake. And when you find a group, that seems to be the ticket to stick to that area. Some days we can troll for hours trying to locate fish, but when we find them, the action has been fairly consistent. 

Some of our better days lately have seen groups hooking into 10-15 Bull Trout throughout the day and usually a few Rainbows as well. 

The key has been to concentrate on the area where these groups of fish have been hanging out. 

Water temp is right and we hope the Rainbows turn on and the Bull Trout keep doing what they’re doing. November and December are usually our best months. 

Arrow Lake: Anglers success rates can be hit and miss, but October, November, and December fishing for big bull trout and rainbow is generally very good. 

Anglers have had good luck slow trolling for bull trout and rainbows. Reports have ranged from anglers landing up to 10 fish a day, with many 2-4 pound rainbows and bull trout up to 10 pounds. 

With the Arrow Lake’s cooling water temperature, anglers are trolling between 2.5 and 3 mph, and have had the best luck pulling Lyman and Tomic plugs at 90 feet and more. 

Columbia River: We had some successful trips on the river in early October and even managed to get some good fish at the end of the month when the temperatures dropped. 

Some great Walleye days were had and the fall fly fishing was good as well. 

We’ve shifted most of our trips now to the big lake where we can be comfortable in our heated boats. Although, if we get a warm weather window, we look forward to a few more trips on the river. 

Rainbows can be pretty chunky at this time of year, and there are still some Walleye to be caught. 

What are they biting on? On the river it was mostly big nymphs, or the October caddis was hot for a while. Also getting a bunch on the spinning gear or bottom bouncers. 

And, on the lakes, it’s been a mix again. The Bull Trout have been falling for the Gibbs/Delta Lemon lime flasher or the Oki Big Shooter Yellow/green mist flasher, followed by the green glow spatter back or pistachio hoochie. 

Depths from 81-to-153-feet have been working best for us. The Rainbows have been less consistent, but we have been getting a few on Bucktails, and a few more on the brass/fire stripe croc or the brass/fire wing croc. 

Again, you just have to find where they’re hanging out. 

Hope this helps with your next adventure. 

Tight lines … 

West Kootenay Fly Fishing Club brings fly fishing film festival back to the Kootenays

 

The West Kootenay Fly Fishing Club is hosting its third annual showing of the International Fly Fishing Film Festival (IF4), but with a typical coronavirus twist.

Due to COVID-19, the IF4 will not be screened in a theatre, but will be shown in virtual form from the cozy confines of your den, couch, fly-tying table or wherever your laptop may take you.

“Covid-19 restrictions prevented the club from hosting a theatre-based event in the spring and since then the IF4 group came up with alternative viewing options that are flexible and allow safe viewing of the films in the comfort of your own home,” said a release from the WK Fly Fishing Club.

IF4 films are produced and directed by professional filmmakers from all over the globe, whose skills showcase the passion, lifestyle, and culture of fly-fishing in unique, fun and often provocative ways.

The films are between six and 16 minutes long, and among the films to be screened are “Particles and Droplets” by Gilbert Rowley, “Aurora Fontinalis” by Intents Media, “Iqaluk” by Hooké, “The Mend” by Broc Isabelle, “Nine Foot Rod” by Dana Lattery, and “Eye of the Guide” from KGB productions, a film that follows Calgary guide Paula Shearer in search of cutthroat and bull trout in Rocky Mountain streams.

In addition to the films, there will be fly fishing product giveaways and other promotions at the event. One lucky viewer will be selected to win the 2020 Grand Prize drawing consisting of thousands of dollars of fly-fishing gear provided by International Fly Fishing Film Festival sponsors.

Admission to the International Fly Fishing Film Festival is $20 and may be accessed by going to flyfilmfest.com.

More importantly, the West Kootenay Fly Fishing Club will donate all proceeds from the event to the Trail Salvation Army.

Virtual screenings of the 10 films are planned for Oct. 23, Nov. 20, and Dec. 11 in the West Kootenay.

Viewers can purchase tickets by logging onto the site and selecting Castlegar from 2020 Virtual Events Dates. Viewers must begin watching within 48 hours, and have seven days to view the films.

For more information and to watch film trailers visit flyfilmfest.com.

Northern pikeminnow; a growing concern on Kootenay Lake

There’s a growing concern from anglers that there may be another species contributing to the decline of the kokanee salmon in Kootenay Lake. 

The presence of northern pikeminnow is becoming more and more prevalent, particularly in the West Arm, and some anglers believe they are making an impact on the kokanee. 

Balfour resident Chuck Wood has been fishing the lake for 36 years, and has never seen more of the predator than he has this year. 

“The last two times I fly fished the arm there were huge schools of them coming up,” said Wood. “I caught 10 the first evening and nine the second and released one rainbow. I’m hoping to see the return of decent sized fish in the lake but so far the decision-makers haven’t had any success.” 

The BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development could not provide a biologist for an interview due to the ‘interregnum’ (upcoming provinical election), but did offer some data. 

According to FLNRO, “We have looked at pikeminnow diet in the west arm, and kokanee were not observed. Studies from other lakes show some kokanee in diet, but data from Kootenay Lake suggests strongly that bull trout and rainbow trout make up the majority of kokanee mortality via predation.” 

West Kootenay Fishing Report: Warm August/September weather means fishing heats up

Thanks to Kerry Reed for submitting the Kootenay Lake fishing report. And to Graham Cloutier and wesportfish.com for Columbia River and Area Lakes report. Contact Graham at chillbillycharters.com or call 250-304-4378.  Contact Reel Adventures Sportfishing at www.reeladventuresfishing.com or call 250-505-4963.

Kootenay Lake: During the month of August, the weather was scorching hot and the water temps were close to 20 degrees. That made a difference in the fishing for sure.

Our guides did a few trips very early in the morning to beat the heat and tried to be back at the dock before the temperature became too uncomfortable.

The morning trips managed to hook a few fish each day, but seemed like the rainbows headed for cover, but the bull trout were still fairly aggressive. Most trips saw a few bull trout with the odd rainbow mixed in.

With September’s arrival, the mornings were cooler, the water temp gradually dropping and the fish started to show some life again.

Everyday, we are starting to hit the water consistently again and getting better and better results.

We’ve had some decent days on the lake lately. Seems like the mornings have been better for bull trout, and the afternoons have been better for rainbows.

Looking forward to some cooler weather and expecting the fishing to pick up. October and November are usually the beginning of our prime fishing. So, stay tuned for some prime fall reports.

Columbia River: Columbia River guide Graham Cloutier from Chillbilly Charters had a good month on the water, and says it’s been particularly exceptional targeting walleye.

During the heat of August and early September, the best time for fishing was in the evening or early morning, but anglers had success targeting trout in cool riffles and runs, and walleye in deeper water during the day.

For fly fishers, drifting or trolling a streamer on a full sink line picked up both walleye and rainbow. When fishing a run, the rainbows would hit the fly on the drift, but if you let it run out and sink into the back-eddy, then start a slow retrieve, it was a walleye almost every other cast.

Great areas for walleye fishing are the Robson Reach and the Hugh Keenleyside Dam north of Castlegar and the Waneta Dam south of Trail.

Area Lakes: Local lakes and reservoirs like the Arrow, Pend d’Oreille, Rosebud, Cottonwood, Nancy Greene, Champion and Loon Lakes are also fishing well.

Some stillwater may have been a little slow in the heat of August, but lakes like Rosebud have been producing very well in September. Dangling chironomids just off the bottom is a popular method for fly fishers, but mayfly hatches have been abundant and trout were hitting nymphs just subsurface, and dry flies for consistent top-water action.

The Pend d’Oreille has been producing a lot of bass. Look for areas with structure and cast a swim bait or a jighead with worm or, for fly fishers, a sink line or sink tip with attractor pattern.

What are they biting on?

On Kootenay Lake, the most success for the bull trout was on the Lemon Lime flasher followed by the green pistachio hoochie or the spatter back. Best depths as of early September have been 80–121 feet.

For the rainbows, the best success came on the Gibbs Delta Croc spoons, although bucktail flies should take off pretty soon as the water temperature drops and more fish start heading towards the surface to feed.

On the Columbia, fly fishers have had good success fishing attractor patterns for rainbow and walleye, particularly streamers or olive/copper/brown beadhead woolly buggers and bulldog patterns. Also, large dry-fly patterns like the October caddis or hopper patterns will coax big bows to the surface.

Spincasting lures like the Len Thompson dimpled series to the slack water has resulted in many nice rainbows for Cloutier, whose go-to rig for walleye is a three-ounce bottom bouncer and a worm harness.

A slow troll using a weight and wedding ring or Mack’s spinner tipped with worm is also a local favourite.

For shore-bound walleye anglers, bottom-bouncing or casting jigheads and soft plastics like Mister Twisters have been good producers.

Find the right colour combination and/or lure and it will be a memorable day on the water.

West Kootenay Fishing Report: Winter, best time for big trout

The West Kootenay Fishing Report is provided by Reel Adventures Sport Fishing Charters in Nelson, phone 250-505-4963 or email info@reeladventuresfishing.com.

Kootenay Lake: 
January was a pleasant surprise for weather and allowed us to get out and explore on a lot of days.

The lake temperature is at its coldest and the fish are definitely a bit lazy at this time. Although, we have been getting fish on most outings. The large numbers of fish that we were catching back in December has decreased, but the size of fish has increased. So, it’s a nice trade off.

Some of our days have seen up to six or eight fish coming to the boat, with average size of rainbows being two to three pounds and bull trout ranging from three to 14 pounds. However, due to the colder water, some of our days we have had to work hard to hook into only a couple fish.

Either way, we’re still out there fishing and the scenery at this time of year is second to none. On the cold, clear days we are floating in the middle of the lake while glaring up at the snow covered mountains. Its a pretty great backyard to have.

February is typically a bit slower month, although it seems to be the month when we catch our biggest fish each year.

Arrow Lakes:  We have been also frequenting the Arrow Lakes and spent a few days fishing the Upper Arrow during their fishing derby out of Nakusp. It was great to see a good turnout for this fundraiser. Also good to see lots of familiar faces who use to fish on Kootenay.

That derby brought a lot of people to town and generated a lot of tourist dollars for just one weekend. It would be great to see that kind of life on Kootenay again.

During our weekend trip, we managed to land around 10 fish ranging from six to 10 pounds. Nothing to enter in the derby, but still some great quality fish.

Rainbows up to 14 pounds and bull trout up to 15 pounds have been caught on the upper lake in the past couple weeks. I’ve even heard about a 27-pound bull trout that was caught in early January. Trophy fishing for sure.

We are also spending a bit of time on Lower Arrow this winter. The fishing has been somewhat slow, but the quality of fish has been great. Rainbows between two to eight pounds and bull trout between six and 14 pounds have been coming in lately.

Columbia River: We did get out a few times on the river when the weather was mild. And as usual, the river produced some good fish.

Our few days out averaged four to 10 fish with some good quality in the mix. Most rainbows were two to three pounds, but we did manage to hook a beauty six-pound ‘bow on one of our trips.

Still not quite warm enough to drop the boat in the water, but the shore fishing has been great.

Looking forward to some milder weather after this cold snap and looking forward to getting back on the river.




Stay tuned …

Fisheries managers open bull trout on Duncan River in effort to help Kootenay Lake kokanee

The kokanee salmon numbers are rising slowly but surely on Kootenay Lake, and fisheries managers are taking additional steps to help them recover. 

Effective Oct. 5, the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations (FLNRO) reversed the freshwater fishing regulations on the Duncan River, taking down the ‘no fishing’ signs and opening the river to angling. The new regulations will up the bull trout daily retention quota to two per day, while making it catch-and-release for all rainbow trout caught below the confluence with the Lardeau River. 

“We’ve looked at the diet of predators, both rainbows and bull trout, over the last two-and-a-half years and we’re continuing to do that, but what it showed is that bull trout are really effective at eating kokanee - even at low densities, and rainbow’s are switching, becoming insectivores,” said FLNRO’s Kootenay biologist Matt Neufeld. 

In February, Fisheries also increased the daily quota for bull trout on Kootenay Lake from one to two (only one over 50 cm.) and rainbows from four to five. 

Gerrard rainbows are adapting and feeding more on insects and mysid shrimp, and because of that, they are not growing to the size that many anglers have grown accustomed. Bull trout, conversely, aren’t as adaptive. 

“We thought they (bull trout) would be eating white fish and a bunch of other things,” said Neufeld. “At least the samples we’ve collected from the main body of the lake show that more than 70 per cent of their diet is kokanee still. And they’re better at getting kokanee at low densities.” 

Despite a drastic decline in kokanee populations, the bull trout numbers increased by more than 100 per cent between 2015 and 2017, with approximately 3,500 bull trout spawners in 2017 alone. 

Bull trout are more effective at feeding in deep water than rainbows, and that is where the kokanee fry and one-year olds go after feeding. 

“Bull trout are better adapted to dark conditions, so they’re just hanging out in the deep feeding on kokanee, whereas rainbows aren’t as effective at doing that. So it sounds like bull trout are the big problem.” 

Studies indicate that about 95 per cent of kokanee fry don’t last a year, added Neufeld, with bull trout being the main culprit in decimating the population. 

“You just can’t recover kokanee when that is happening. So we’re doing a few things, we’re continuing to stock kokanee, but we’re also reducing predation pressure. That’s been done in a few ways, we changed regulations for rainbow trout and bull trout. We’re encouraging people to harvest fish, both rainbows and bull trout.” 

The kokanee numbers are nowhere near their historic highs, peaking at about 2 million, but the landlocked salmon is slowly rallying and coming back from a low of about 15,000 spawners on the main lake in 2017 to about 30,000 this year. 

“They (the kokanee) are super big, so if you compare them to those bigger number of spawners - they would have been much smaller and had fewer eggs.” 

The large kokanee in this year’s return will carry 600-800 eggs, while the smaller Kokanee in past larger populations had a capacity of about 200 eggs. 

“So really you can triple that number, so the 30,000 is more like 90,000 if you compare the size, but it’s still super low.” 

Fisheries also planted about 16-million kokanee eggs over the past three years in various tributaries and will add another five-million this year in an effort to bolster the population. 

The West Arm kokanee are independent of the main lake kokanee, and Neufeld was optimistic by what he saw, adding that the West Arm kokanee were actually benefitting from low densities on the main lake, due to an increase of food (ie; daphnia and zooplankton) washing into the Arm. 

“West Arm was great this year, they’re super big fish,” said Neufeld. “We’re going to be around 16,000 spawners, which is really on the high end, especially given the size that we’ve seen in the West Arm.” 

Anglers can attest to the large kokanee catch and its respectable numbers, as about 8,000 were harvested from the Upper West Arm this year over the 12 days the kokanee fishery opened, running the first three days of April, May, June and July. 

Following the kokanee collapse, the Gerrard rainbow trout numbers plummeted, leaving the fishery and area businesses reeling. 

From a high of over 1,500 in 2012, the Gerrard spawners in the Lardeau River have averaged 100-150 spawners in recent years. Still, Neufeld is encouraged by the numbers of rainbow trout he sees in Kootenay Lake. 

“We think there are many more rainbow trout in the lake … the catch rates for rainbows are high, but they’re all small.” 

The big question for fisheries biologists was whether the smaller rainbow trout were Gerrards or another species that fed mainly on insects? 

“We used genetics to evaluate,” said Neufeld, adding that the studies found,”Still about 75 per cent of that catch are Gerrard rainbows.” 

While, there is no conservation panic for the Gerrards, the days of the 15-to-25-pound lunkers likely won’t return until kokanee numbers improve. 

“The capacity of Gerrards to produce 20 pounders has not gone away, it’s just limited by kokanee supply,” added Neufeld. “They just can’t get bigger than two-and-a-half or three pounds eating bugs. The energy expenditure is just too high.” 

So fisheries managers are encouraging Kootenay Lake anglers to take advantage of the new regulations and actually hasten the return of the kokanee population by harvesting more bull trout and rainbows. 

“The good news for Gerrards at this point, is we’re still getting spawners, and we know that spawner number is producing a decent juvenile supply,” said Neufeld. “So they (Gerrards) are not gone, they’re sitting there waiting to take advantage of the situation when things improve.” 

See www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/regulations/changes/1719/region4.html for changes. 

West Kootenay Fishing Report: Fall, a favourite season

The West Kootenay Fishing Report is provided by Kerry Reed from Reel Adventures Sportfishing in Nelson, ph. 250-505-4963 or go to www.reeladventuresfishing.com. Area Lakes provided by flyfishbc.blogspot.com.

Fall is in the air. The water has cooled. And it’s now time for my favourite season of fishing. 

 Kootenay Lake: The fishing has been consistent on Kootenay for the past month and should only get better as the water cools down. 

Most days we’ve had around 10 fish to the boat and a few days even busier. Rainbows have been fattening up a bit this fall and there’s been a few in the five-pound range. Lots of 2 -3 pound fish with the odd bigger one mixed in. 

And bull trout are still hanging in there as well. We are seeing a few bulls up to 10 pounds, but mostly 3 - 5 pounders. 

The Woodbury Resort annual rainbow derby, Oct. 6-8, pulled in lots of fish, with the winning rainbow weighing in at 4.4 pounds. 

Columbia River: Fly fishing for Rainbows has been productive, and spin casting for rainbows and walleye has produced as well. 

The usual 2 -3 pound rainbows are coming in, with a few up to five pounds. And the Walleye seem a bit smaller than last year, but still some great eating fish at 2-3 pounds. 

Area Lakes: After some epic fishing on smaller area lakes in September, the fishing slowed down a bit with cooler weather in October. But hatches are still strong with the recent sunshine, and made any day a pleasant one on the lakes with usually good results. Lakes like Rosebud, Champion, Nancy Greene and Cottonwood are popular and of course Summit and Box near Nakusp are favourite destinations for many anglers. 

The fishing should remain decent well into November, with trout feeding heavy to beef up for winter, however, the days will get shorter, so plan accordingly. 

What are they biting on?

On Kootenay Lake it’s been the usual assortment. Bucktail flies have been working, as well as small spoons and hockey sticks. Our best lures have been flies in the # 210, 215, and 226 colors. And crocodile spoons in the brass/fire wing, nickel/fire stripe, and brass/fire stripe colors have been working just as well and sometimes better. 

For the bull trout, we’ve been catching mostly on the flasher/hoochie combo. Green Lemon Lime flasher or STS flasher with a green spatter back hoochie has been my stand by. The bulls have been between 80 and 120 feet lately. 

And on the Columbia River, its been a mix of fly fishing or spin casting. Most of our walleye are being caught on jig heads with curly tails or using the bottom bouncer with a worm. 

The rainbows have been caught on a mix of croc spoons on the spinning rods, or streamers and nymphs on the fly rods. 

In local lakes, # 14-16 red chironomids or #10-12 bloodworm patters are still working for fly fishers, although searching at deeper depths may be required. Dragging leech patterns (ie: egg-sucking leech), and woolly buggers on full-sink lines, or casting over drop offs and into shallows with micro-leeches in maroon, brown, and black proved deadly. 

Autumn trout fishing in the Kootenays

September in the Kootenays is a beautiful time of year to get back on the lakes. 

The days can be warm and pleasant, with the surrounding hillsides popping with the colours of autumn. A myriad of painted turtles sun themselves on deadfall while great blue herons wade in the shallows, and a healthy mix of chironomids and mayflies come off the surface as hungry rainbow trout emerge from the summer doldrums with a vengeance.

Chironomids are a good choice early to mid-day. Check depth and set your strike indicator so your chironomid is suspended about 12-18" from the bottom. Vary the colour and size until successful and use a stomach pump when you are to determine an approximate variation. 

I've been to this same lake many times and I've had epic days on some occasions, while on others I couldn't coax a mosquito to the boat.

In the autumn months, the fishing is usually very good although keep an eye on those indicators as the trout are prone to sip and spit almost in one motion. 

As the chironomid hatch subsides in the afternoon, tie on a sink tip or sink line and troll leeches or dragonfly nymphs over the dropoffs. This proved ve

ry successful and while we missed a few, we also caught a couple of the biggest fish of the day. My fishing partner Colin landed a healthy 16-inch rainbow on a beadhead pumpkin leech that ran like a freight train, then turned and sped toward the boat, as Colin stripped like a madman.

Chironomid patterns in size 14-16, black body-red rib or silver/red seemed to offer us the best luck while leech patterns and dragonfly nymphs size 6-10 in greens, browns, and orange were the most effective.

These patterns and techniques work on most smaller West Kootenay lakes and there are many including Nancy Green, Champion Lakes, Cottonwood, Loon, Rosebud, Wolf, Panther, Curtis, Wilgress, and Jewel Lakes. 

Sheila and her dog Bentley enjoy sailing her Hobie Cat 

BC, Washington State ramp up efforts to eradicate Northern Pike on Columbia River

Fisheries managers on both sides of the border are renewing efforts to control the northern pike population in the Columbia River and keep the invasive species corralled above the Grand Coulee Dam.
Columbia Basin Trust, BC Hydro, and the province’s Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations (MFLNRO) joined forces to fund this year’s program and secured the services of Wood Environmental and Mountain Water Research (MWR) to continue with a pike suppression program for the Columbia River, from the Hugh Keenlyside Dam to the US border, and the Canadian section of the Pend d’Oreille Reservoir.
“It is the first time that we’ve been in the Pend d’Oreille and that anyone has sampled other than Dan (Dan Doutaz, a Thompson Rivers University master’s student),” said MWR biologist Jeremy Baxter. “We just wanted to get a general idea of what the abundance was like and where they might be spawning and to try to suppress them prior to spawning as well.”             
                    See more on pike suppression on the Columbia River

The largest from the the Pend d’Oreille measured about 80-cm (31.5 inches) and from the Columbia 90 cm (36-inches), but for Baxter the timing was perfect.
Gill netting efforts began the first week of May, with two days of sampling in the Seven Mile Reservoir and three days in Waneta. Over the five days, the MWR crew netted a dozen northern pike in the two sections.
“It was a little bit less than I expected, but to tell you the truth, the water was extremely high and it was very turbid, and so there wasn’t a lot of littoral zones,” said Baxter. “But we caught them in all the same spots that Dan had sampled.”
      

Northern Pike problem persists in Columbia River

The following is an article I wrote on the invasive northern pike in the Columbia River, published in American Angler Magazine in Dec. 2016.

 Water Wolves invade the Columbia River

Northern pike is a favoured sportfish by many anglers, but Esox Lucius is also an apex predator, and when illegally introduced into non-native waters, the alien species can wreak havoc on native populations of trout, salmon, and practically everything else that swims.
The toothy, prehistoric-looking predator appeared in the Columbia River system in southern British Columbia and the Lake Roosevelt Reservoir in Washington State above the Grand Coulee Dam in 2009. Fisheries managers believe pike were illegally introduced into the Flathead Lake system as early as the 1980s, traveled through Clark Fork into Lake Pend Oreille, the Pend Oreille River, and eventually the Columbia River.
 The uninvited guest breached at least 10 dams, infiltrating about 500 miles of new habitat, and is now poised to invade the Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph systems and likely beyond - into prime Columbia River salmon tributaries like the Snake, Salmon, Methow, Yakima, Wenatchee, Deschutes, Willamette, and Okanagan River systems.

Columbia’s last blue-ribbon trout water: 
The 30 mile section of the Columbia River between Castlegar, BC and the US border is one of the last free-flowing tail-water fisheries remaining on the 1,200-mile long river, and an exceptional native redband rainbow trout fishery. Jeremy Baxter of Mountain Water Research has led the rainbow trout recruitment program for BC Hydro for the past 20 years, and has seen the fishery make a remarkable transformation. But with pike now in the system, the redband rainbows, a descendant of the steelhead trout, are potentially at risk along with other native species like mountain whitefish and kokanee salmon.
“Everybody’s onboard in trying to control them (northern pike) . . . but it’s going to be virtually impossible to eradicate them,” said Baxter, who also leads the pike suppression program for British Columbia’s Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resources (FLNRO). “The goal is to preserve the native rainbow trout that exist in the Columbia, I mean that’s essential.”
Close to a $1-billion remediation and reclamation effort by Teck Resources (Cominco) in Trail and a Castlegar pulp mill, Zeltsoff Celgar, in the 90s drastically reduced toxic emissions and discharge of dissolved metals. Teck ceased the dumping of treated slag into the Columbia, a dense black smelting waste that carpeted the benthic habitat, adversely affecting aquatic plant growth, disrupting insect hatches, and, not surprisingly, found to be poisonous to rainbow trout and other species, putting the Columbia routinely on BC’s Most Endangered Rivers list.

For years the Brilliant, Keenleyside, and Waneta Dams withheld water during the spring rainbow spawning runs, stranding millions of redds. Yet with reclamation of fish habitat and BC Hydro altering its flow regime, caddis hatches became epic and recruitment went from 2,000 trout in 1999 to over 15,000 in 10 years.
“It’s such a large river, that there’s so much suitable habitat, that it was a no brainer that rainbow trout would do that,” said Baxter. “Once we figured out where they spawn and how to protect those areas with various flow regimes it seems to have worked. Now the fishery is one of the best, it’s just amazing.”

Spring fly fishing on Mable Lake

Well after a year or so break, I decided to get back to the fly-fish-bc blog.
Not that I haven't been fishing, I fished with as much conviction as any other year that included a couple great days on Bleeker Lake and Pass Lake, a trip to the Elk River and Wigwam, a couple streams in Wash. State, a day on the water in Cabo San Lucas not to mention some epic days and nights throwing string on the Columbia River and local lakes.

Winter on the Water

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.

Columbia River walleye on the fly

Fly fishing for walleye is not my first choice when it comes to casting flies on the Columbia River but when leaves begin to turn, and the temperatures cool, September can be the best time to target this tasty table-fare fish.
I remember the first time I caught a walleye; I had just moved to the Kootenays some 15 years ago and was fishing a sinking line with a woolly bugger hoping to catch one of the large rainbows that inhabit this stretch of the Columbia near Trail, B.C.
I initially thought I had snagged a log, but when the log began to move I realized that something rather large had just taken my fly. It wasn't a rainbow, I knew that for certain, and when I finally reeled it in, I looked in disbelief at what was about a 30-inch walleye, a species I was totally unfamiliar with. I gingerly released my fly from its toothy maw and lightly kicked it back into the river not realizing that I just landed what was the largest of its kind I would ever catch.
Walleye are an alien species, so BC fisheries allow a generous 16-fish-per-diem limit. I've never had the desire or intention of retaining that many in one day's angling but recently I've started keeping a few for the table. And to be honest, once one breeches the armour-like scales, avoids being impaled by its razor-sharp fins, and slices off the filets, the walleye is one of the best fish I've had the pleasure of eating.
It's white flesh is similar to cod, firm and perfect for fish and chips or simply pan frying it with herbs and spices and lemon wedges.
I use a 6-weight rod with full sink line and a short four-foot leader and usually a streamer pattern, stonefly, or woolly bugger in brown or black and green. Walleye are bottom feeders so you have to get the fly down. I like to cast into a run and then let it settle in the seam or pool, then use a dead-slow retrieve.
One huge bonus is that I'll usually hook into one or two large rainbows as well. The other night, a big bow peeled my fly line in seconds and took me into my backing as it ran into the middle of the river before I was able to gain control and coax it to hand, before releasing it.
The week before I landed about a four pound smallmouth bass. I fully expect to hook and land one of the more recent invasive species, the northern pike, which have been caught in some regularity in the calmer sections of the Columbia.
I question the excessive limit quota, I mean really why not just make it no limit, as fisheries did with the pike. Anglers will never fully rid the system of its now numerous alien species that include bass, walleye, and pike not to mention some 20 other species like brown trout, brook trout, lake trout, perch, carp, bullhead, pumpkinseed, goldfish, catfish, and bullhead.
Few are as good eating as the walleye, so with the generous limit and a fish that will eat almost anything and is relatively easy to catch, why not enjoy an autumn day fishing on the Columbia for the delectable walleye.

The Shadowy St. Joe

 

The St. Joe River is one of Idaho's prime westslope cutthroat trout fisheries. Located near the Montana border in the northern Bitterroot Mountains of Shoshone County in the Idaho panhandle; a bit off the beaten path, its pristine and uncrowded waters make the freestone stream a fly-angler's paradise.

Check out my recent article in The New Fly Fisher Magazine by clicking on the photo above.

 

Whiteswan: The prettiest place on earth

Few places match the incredible beauty and magnificence of the western Rockies and Whiteswan Lake. I'd traveled to Whiteswan before to camp and hike, or passed it on my way to fly fish the Middle Fork of the White River, but almost always during the hot summer months, when I believed casting over Whiteswan's expansive marl shoals would be futile. I always vowed to return during the cooler months of May or June.


Well I finally made it.

I enticed my Alberta friends, Gerald and Tony, to the mountain lake in early June. It had rained most of the week leading up to the trip and my first night camping it rained. Fortunately, the following day the weather broke and unseasonably 30-degree weather beat down on us for the remaining of the trip. Which was both good and bad. The fishing was decent the first couple days, and I managed to land a few beautiful trout on chironomids. A size 12 bead head black and red was most productive, but as the week progressed smaller chronies like a 16 chromie seemed to do better, 

Fly-fishing Whiteswan can be a little frustrating, as you can see the trout cruising over the bright shoals, often making an abrupt turn to check out your offering, but after intensive study, invariably rejecting it. The times it did take were incredibly exciting, but those were getting fewer and fewer as the hot weather persisted.

The very first trout I caught, however, was one such time. I spotted two trout cruising over the shoal and sent my cast about a dozen feet in front of their path. As the chironomid sank, the larger of the two fish bolted for it, the indicator dropped - fish on. I eventually, played it to the net, and quickly measured it at just over 22-inches before releasing it back into the pellucid waters.
Whiteswan rainbows are incredibly strong fighters and beautiful chrome bullets. The best fight I had was on my fourth or fifth rainbow that took me into my backing and turned out to be a mere 18-inches.

However, we also caught a few post-spawners, which I suppose is normal for that time of year, but you could certainly tell which trout just came off a spawning bed and the ones that weren't. The spawners were skinny, dark, and slimy, suffering the effects of a month or so of not eating, immersed in the delicate dance of procreation in nearby streams.

The heat made the fishing difficult after a few days, and the winds that kicked up in the afternoon made fishing impractical if not near impossible. The trout weren't biting or even looking as often, although we could see them still cruising the expansive shoals. Perhaps I should have gone deeper, up to 20 feet I suspect, but the presence of trout feeding at 8-12 feet made it seem unnecessary.

So we kept asking ourselves, "Is it better to see the fish, or not?"

Which, begs a more philosophical question regarding reality and perception but I'll leave that for another day.

Sometimes fishing in lakes where you cannot see the trout will cause you to be more diligent and patient. You concentrate on the finer points of technique, depth, and pattern, rather than getting distracted and interrupting your slow retrieve to cast the chironomid at yet another passing rainbow.
But on the other hand, it's just plain cool to see the trout, especially when it does take your fly. And when you actually take time to look up and around, the sight of the majestic Rockies almost takes your breath away.
The fishing could have been better, and Tony, while he had a few hits, he was unable to land a Whiteswan rainbow. But thanks to Tony, the silver bullets were cold and plentiful, the company incomparable, and the scenery spectacular.
I suppose you can't ask for much more than that.

Roche Lake's incomparable rainbows

It had been about 15 years since my friend Colin, his son Taylor, and I last visited Roche Lake, an eminently productive rainbow trout fishery nestled in the hills of the Thompson Plateau just south of Kamloops, B.C.

I was just getting into chironomid fishing at the time and had spotty success over the three days, but remember picking up one or two three-pound rainbows on a leech pattern.
This time, we headed up to Roche the third week in May and enjoyed sunny skies for most of the week. Apparently, the lake was undergoing a second turnover marked by the algae and debris floating on the water. The turnover affected visibility early on in the week, but as the skies cleared and weather warmed the water also settled and brought improved visibility.
The biomass on Roche is dense. Scuds, chironomids, chaoborus, beetles, flying ants, and giant leeches some up to eight inches long, can all be seen with a quick glance into the water.
I expected to fish chironomids primarily, but on the first trip out we trolled searching patterns like leeches and nymphs to identify quality spots. Colin landed a decent 14 inch rainbow on a orange beadhead bugger almost right away, then caught another on the trip back that evening.
I didn't even get a hit the first evening out, but things would change the next day.
Taylor was about four-years-old on our first visit to Roche, and his only memory is of the obstinate black bear that visited our camp and would not be deterred by banging pots and honking horns, but eventually carried on into the woods after sufficiently nosing out the campsite.
This time, on the cusp of his 20th birthday, Taylor, over the course of five days, went from a frustrated neophyte water-flogger to a seasoned fly caster. Following many tangles, bird nests, and errant casts, by the third day Taylor was throwing a strike indicator, split shot, and chironomid pattern with grace and ease. Not surprisingly his results improved and on the fourth day he caught and released numerous trout (about eight I think), including the largest rainbow of the trip.
The magic all happened on chironomid patterns and surprisingly the most effective turned out to be a size 10, black and red pattern. We hit our first bit of luck in Monster Bay, a significant shoal on northeast end of the lake. Anchored in about eight feet of water, success came on the aforementioned pattern at the end of about six feet of leader almost immediately.
After landing a couple in the first half hour, the action slowed, so we moved to another spot and I landed two almost immediately. That would prove the pattern for the rest of the week, anchor, fish, move.
We'd fish from about 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. then head in for a nap, and return to the water at about 5:30 p.m. until dusk. It was an amazing trip. I lost count on how many fish we caught and released, but aside from the black and red chironomid, chromies and micro leeches also worked well. We saw deer, numerous species of water fowl, as well as eagles, osprey, turkey vultures, great blue herons, and pileated woodpeckers, not to mention the loon that circled our boat in anticipation of an easy meal.
The most satisfying aspect of the trip was watching Taylor improve his technique and his appreciation grow for chironomid fishing, a challenging and often frustrating method. The highlight was when he hooked into about a four-pound rainbow and played the girthsome triploid trout patiently and effectively, until it came to hand, and after a quick photo, eased it back into the water.
It was a great trip, with incredible weather, and excellent fishing, but mostly an excuse to spend some quality time with old friends.
Thanks Guys.


Fast Facts: Roche suffered from a partial winter kill in 2014 but it was believed to be confined to the southwest end of the lake. Still, fisheries releases 24,000 rainbow trout throughout each season, as a result, many of the trout were of the cookie cutter variety, about 12-14 inches, fat and healthy.
 Roches Lakes Park offers vehicle accessible campsites on a first-come, first-served basis – campsite reservations are not accepted. There are three rustic campgrounds; Roche Lake North (8 sites), Roche Lake West (21 sites) and Horseshoe Lake (4 sites). Roche Lake North is quite open and is suitable for group camping. A pay telephone is available at Roche Lake Resort, which is located on the same gravel road that is used to access the park, just follow the signs. Vehicle Accessible Camping Fee: $13 per party / night

Alberta Bound: floating the Bow River

Okay I know the title of the blog is fly-fish-bc, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to float the Bow River south of Calgary, Alberta earlier this month.

I'd been planning on a trip to meet my good friend Randy in Calgary, and when he offered to book a trip on the Bow courtesy of Fish Tales fly shop I was only more than happy to accompany him.

We met our guide John early Sunday morning, and geared up and dropped the boat in at Policeman's Flats, a makeshift launch, that accommodated Calgary's many and varied fly-fishing outfits, and a small flotilla of drift boats.

Our guide was not slight by any stretch of the imagination. He stood about six-foot-five, a small mountain draped in a dark-blue Patagonia fly fishing shirt, waders and boots, with hands the size of a catcher's mitt, but he could tie on a #20 trico pattern in a blink of an eye, and cast a fly rod with wonderful grace and power, that reminded me of one of those giant slow turning windmills on the southern plains of the province. John was a good, thorough, jovial, and instructive guide, that did all that was expected and more. I liked him.

We set off at about 9:30 a.m., too early for any hatches, so I chucked a streamer pattern with a dropper beadhead hares ear nymph, and another smaller, #16 water-boatman. Casting three flies on one line was a first for me, hailing from B.C. where fly anglers are permitted to cast just a single fly, sans barb. But when in Rome.

It was slow to start, but the sun shone and the wind blew softly, and the midges were the first to stir. We stopped at a good run, casting into the seam of the tail out, when Randy hooked up with a large rainbow. Unlike my set up, Randy was rigged with a strike indicator and a combination of nymph and San Juan worm. The rainbow pulled hard and showed itself almost immediately, rolling its 20 inches over in the shallows then gunning for the middle of the river.

Now Randy is not an experienced fly angler, and unaccustomed to the fly reel he held on tight waiting for the line to be born away from the spool according to the dictates of a spinning reel's drag. Needless to say, the rod doubled, the line tightened, quivered slightly, then snapped.

 Well it was a learning experience, and the fishing would eventually heat up as the day progressed.

On one stretch of river, with deep over-hanging banks, we spotted a rainbow sipping flies off the surface. John quickly pulled the boat over and handed me a fly rod and tied on a #16 Adams. I watched the snout break through the surface film, I false cast a couple times then eased the fly into the zone, it settled and drifted towards me for about a foot, when the trout swirled around the fly, and the fish was on.

John reminded me of the 5X tippet so I cautiously played the trout, but as it ran downstream towards some fast water, I had to increase the pressure, until the trout slowed, turned and shot straight towards me. I frantically stripped line, until finally catching up to the trout. Eventually it relented, and after a quick measurement we released the 21-inch rainbow back into the stream to where it resumed its position against the bank and began feeding again.

In all we landed six trout, but lost a few more. I had one monster rainbow come unbuttoned after it attacked my hopper pattern. As I set the hook all I saw was the massive head and baleful eye of what had to be a 22-inch plus rainbow shoot out of the water and launch itself straight at me.

It was a perfect day, and a lot of fun. The drift ended at McKinnon Park, well into the evening. We tried to coax rising trout to dry flies, and Randy had one roll over his caddis pattern but did not stick.

I was surprised with the beauty of the Wild Rose landscape and despite suffering one of its worst floods in history last summer, the Bow is still an eminently productive and rewarding fishery.

Apparently there is an epic stonefly hatch in July, so I plan to return next summer for what my guide says is a truly transcendent experience.

 

For more information on fly fishing the Bow River contact Fish Tales Fly Shop toll free at 1-866-640-1273 or 403-640-1273.

Visit their website at www.fishtales.ca.

Fisheries try to solve pike problem

By Jim Bailey
Trail Times

Fish biologists took a major bite out of the pike population on the Columbia River earlier this summer.

Biologists from the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and Mountain Water Research (MWR) netted close to 100 adult pike in Robson Reach over five days in a recent effort to suppress the spread of the invasive species on the Columbia River.

Spring rainbows on the Columbia

The Columbia River rewarded me on Easter Sunday with a few beautiful rainbows.

Golden stonefly

Golden stonefly nymphs and a green/brown woolly bugger were the flies of choice as I waded out into the Columbia near a small tributary.

The sun was shining and a few midges and small mayflies were coming off the water, but no surface action.

I went with a fast sink tip and the woolly bugger, and had a violent hit as soon as I stopped the drift of the fly and it started to swing. It was a good sign and sure enough on the very next cast I was into a beautiful silver doe, close to 20-inches in length.

I caught and released a couple more ranging in size from 16-18 inches, and lost one that had to be on the healthy side of 22 inches.



Jim with rainbow on.

 The warm weather certainly kick-started the stonefly hatch, but recent rain and cooler temperatures seem to have slowed their migration to the shore and eventual mating process.

I was out on Friday in rainy and windy weather, and while I did hook up once, and had another slam my nymph without sticking, the rainbows seemed a bit sluggish.

Rainbow release from Columbia.

More warm weather in the forecast, should see more big adult stones on the water, and rainbows rising to them. From what I hear the black ants aren't too far behind, so get ready, hopefully we can still get some good days in before the freshet runs in earnest from the mountains and muddies the water.

 Also, local lakes such as Rosebud, Box, and Summit are good to go for chironomid fishing. I have yet to get on the lakes, because the Columbia has been so good, but hopefully in the next week I'll get out for some stillwater fly fishing. 

So much water, so little time.