The West Kootenay Fishing Report is provided by Kerry Reed at Reel Adventures Sport Fishing Charters in Nelson. Contact him at 505-4963 or at reeladventuresfishing.com.
March saw some mixed weather patterns rolling in, so our days were hit and miss. Reel Adventures did spend a lot of time on the rivers chasing early spring bull trout and we had a blast.
The Kootenay River and other tributaries are full of bulls in the spring, and when the ice came off, we began to target these fish. Bulls chasing spawning whitefish were pretty aggressive this year, coming in between six to 12 pounds on a daily basis. A lot of fun was had by all who braved the early spring weather conditions and the end results were very rewarding.
Columbia River:
The river is heating up nicely. Rainbows, walleye, and northern pike are all cooperating right now, and we have had some spectacular days fly-fishing for rainbows. Early spring rainbows are my favourite. We have hooked into some monsters already. The average fish have all been the usual Columbia River size ranging between two to four pounds. Although, we have hooked into some six and seven pound fish in the past couple weeks and some even bigger that screamed our line, but were never to be seen – exciting spring action.
Some resident Walleye have been sticking around this year also. We usually don’t target these fish until late summer when they seem to really stack up in the river, however, we have been fishing for them lately with some great success. Good to know there are a lot of options at this time of year. Northern pike are also being caught while targeting walleye. Remember to keep every pike you catch, as they are not native to this system. Walleye between one-to-four pounds have been caught lately, as well as pike up to 18 pounds.
Kootenay Lake:
The lake has been providing us with lots of action each day lately. Most days saw us hooking into 10 – 15 fish between two and five pounds. Although, we did have a few fish in the 10 pound range last month, but few-and-far between. In the past month, rainbows and bull trout up to 12 pounds were landed. We also had our first opening for West Arm kokanee at the beginning of this month. The Kokanee fishing was consistent and the sizes were good. Most anglers were back at the dock with their limits within the first couple hours of the day. Looking forward to what our spring weather could bring. Our next couple months should prove interesting for the lake. The Gerrard spawn in May will be the tell-tale sign of what is to become of our lake. Stay tuned……
Duncan lake:
Duncan lake has been fun and a nice change from Kootenay. There seems to be a lot more people fishing there as well. The bull trout fishing has been good and as the water warms up, the kokanee fishing gets better and better. Nice to see a healthy population of both bulls and kokanee in this lake.
We have had some great days up there so far with some double digit days with bulls between five and 12 pounds. Should be good fishing for a few more weeks or until the lake levels get really high.
Our Lyman plugs have been producing best. Surface fishing has been good, as well as the downriggers from 30-60 feet has produced well.
What are they biting on??
On Kootenay lake, we are catching most fish on the surface. Bucktail flies have been my favourite technique. Purples have been the most productive. Common numbers of 203, 207, and 224 have worked best for me. As well as some greys such as number 202, 210, and 221. And on the downrigger, we have been having success with our favourite Lyman plugs and flasher-and-hoochie combo.
Our speeds are still relatively slow due to the cool water temperature, but look to speed things up as the water warms up.
On the river, we have been having most luck with the rainbows on the fly. Floating lines with an indicator and nymph have provided lots of action. As well as sinking line while swinging streamers and woolly buggers. The Walleye have been taking the usual bottom bouncer technique or jigs with twisters and the pike have been hitting on just about anything, although we haven’t been specifically targeting them.
What’s coming up:
We are expecting the lake fishing to pick up even more as the water gets warmer. So, expect lots of fish in April, May, and June. Our river fishing should only get better and better with cicadas, salmon flies, and flying ants on the menu in the near future. As the weather warms up and the bugs start hatching, the fish will become more and more aggressive.
Looking forward to the next few months of fishing.
Tight Lines.
