Reel Adventures June Fishing Report
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Reel Adventures Fishing Report for June 2010
Kootenay Lake
Fishing in Kootenay Lake comes down to one word, “unbelievable.”
What can I say?
My favorite month for fishing has always been May, however things seem to be a month behind this year. There is one good thing about our dreary spring weather, it has kept the fishing going very well.
May saw some great days of fishing. With many days of 10 – 15 fish, it was an exciting month. But now, the water has finally hit the optimum temperature and the fish are very aggressive.
The fights have been spectacular. Sometimes a fish will take up to 400-foot of line on a lively run with lots of acrobatic jumps and lengthy battles. It’s definitely an exciting time of year.
Rainbows up to 23 pounds and Dollies up to 15 pounds have been caught lately.
The high water has caused a few problems out there though with lots of debris on the surface. Logs and sticks and grass make it difficult to fish in certain areas.
But, patience will definitely pay off. If you can keep the debris off your line, you should be able to get into a few fish.
In our last week of fishing, we landed many fish in the 12 – 18 pound range. Some days there’s up to 15 fish and some days with only five or six. But it’s definitely the time to be out there.
Recently we started the day around 8:30 a.m. I had all the lines in the water by about 8:45 a.m. and at 9:05 a.m, ‘Fish on!’
Jason grabbed the rod and the line started screaming. Looking back about 400-foot from the boat I could see this giant fish jumping madly. Definitely not happy about being hooked. While Jay was fighting his fish, another reel started screaming . . . yep, another fish on. It’s called a double header. Greg grabs that rod and begins his battle. Luckily both fish are co-operating and the lines aren’t getting tangled.
After about 15 minutes of battling his fish, Jay finally landed a beautiful 18 pounds Rainbow. No time to celebrate though, Greg is getting his fish close to the boat.
So, quick photo of the big one and back in the water it goes.
I’m just about to net Greg’s fish when another rod starts to scream. Unbelievable.
Three fish on in a matter of 10 minutes. Jason is fighting his second fish of the day already.
Greg finally gets his fish nearby and I slip the net under this nice slab, a 12 pound Rainbow. Nice colors too. Looks like this fish must have spawned last month, but recovered quite nicely. A few photo’s and back in the lake she goes.
Another minute or two goes by and Jason is ready to land his second fish, a beautiful 14 pound Rainbow. It’s hard to believe. I rarely get a double header, let alone a triple-header. And even more rarely do we end up landing all of the fish.
But today luck was in our favor. We get a few photos of this great fish and get it back in the water.
What a start to the day. It’s been less than an hour and we have already landed three big fish. That’s a tough act to follow, but we’re going to keep fishing anyway.
Lines back in the water and carry on. We only went for about an hour before the line starts singing again with another great Rainbow. A few jumps in the water and out the hook comes. Oh well, we were due to lose a fish. An hour later we get another fish on. This time a bright silver five pound Rainbow. Back it goes and we continue fishing.
In the next few hours of fishing, we manage to land three or four smaller fish and lose a couple also. Just before we head in, the line starts peeling off. After a few long runs and a couple of jumps, this fish is tired out and ready to land. A nice 12 pound Rainbow to end the day.
Not bad for a short day of fishing. It’s been a fun month of fishing so far. The fish are so energetic. I sometimes worry when I see the line screaming off the reel. Wondering if the fish doesn’t slow down, are we going to run out of line. Well, it hasn’t happened yet, but it’s definitely nerve racking.
If you haven’t had the chance to get out yet, now is the time. Some of the most exciting battles I’ve seen have been the past few weeks. So, hey everyone, let’s get out there.
NOTE: Watch for debris at this time of year. Most of the time it seems to pile up in certain areas. So, if you pay attention, you should be able to steer clear of it. It’s definitely worth getting out though.
What are they biting on?
Surface, surface, surface.
The Kokanee have been schooling up near the surface, so the big fish have been spending a lot of time near the top also. So, concentrate on the surface.
Bucktail flies have been the ticket for me. The usual black and whites and grey and whites have been working great. But remember, you do have to experiment in different conditions. If it’s cloudy or overcast, stick to the darker colors.
But if the sun comes out, try using some brighter colors. Greens have been working well on the brighter days. Some of the most common flies used lately are: # 211, 214, 215, and 228.
My favorite plug has produced some giant fish lately also. Lyman #16 has been good to me. Landed a couple 18 pounders on it last week. Also working well are the #24, 55, and 135.
Gerrard Rainbows had a record year spawning !!
The numbers were even higher than last year. With a peak of 980 fish up there on one day, this has officially been the biggest run ever. Over the period of the spawn, a total of between 2500 – 3000 fish made their way up to the grounds. It looks like we have a great future to look forward to.
Kootenay Lake Projects
B.C. Hydro and FWCP is continuing the Kootenay Lake Creel Census. You may have noticed on certain days there are people waiting at the dock or boat launch when you get in.
Also if you notice a low flying airplane, don’t be alarmed. They are just counting boats. They are collecting information on size of fish being caught, catch rates,and the amount of time that anglers are spending on Kootenay Lake.
This information will help with management of our resources. So, if you see them on the dock, feel free to share some information. Samples of your catch are also appreciated. ( scale samples, size and weight of fish).
Also, still going on is our tagging program. Keep your eyes open for any tagged fish. Some of these fish have a reward tag attached to the dorsal. If you catch a tagged fish you can cut the tag off to claim your reward.
You may then release the fish or choose to keep it. But, either way if you can get length and weight of the fish, that will help us determine how well the fish are growing and how healthy our population is.
It’s an exciting time of year.
So, let’s get out there.
Tight lines………..
Kerry Reed is the owner/operator of Reel Adventures Charters and writes a fishing report for media outlets in the region. He can be reached at 250-505-4963 or www.reeladventuresfishing.com
