Happy New Year !!

And Welcome to what is going to be the best year yet!

We’ve had a great time over the past month and a bit and here’s your latest fishing report:

Kootenay Lake:

December was a good month for fishing on the lake. Not only did the temperatures cooperate, but so did the fish.

We started off the month with a corporate trip and had a little derby between boats.  Always a fun time when you add a little competition between the group.

The day started a little slow, but then really turned on around mid morning.  A bunch of 2 -3 pound Rainbows to begin with, and then consistent action throughout the lunch hour.

And just when we thought the fish were going to be all the same size, then the bigger ones came out to play.

First a 5-1/2 Lb, then a 6.2 Lb, then a 7 Lb, and finally the biggest of the day was around 9 Lbs.  What a great finish to a fun day with a fun crew.

The rest of the month had some good days and some slow days.  But, still some great fish caught.

We seem to be getting some consistent Rainbows in the 6 – 7 Lb range, and a few Bull Trout up to 9 Lbs.

And now that we’ve hit January, we should continue to see some decent fishing.  Our last couple trips have hooked between 5 – 10 fish each outing.

Fishing may become slower in the next couple months, but this is generally when we catch our biggest fish.

Water temps are still above 40 degrees, which is keeping the fish somewhat active.  Be prepared after the cold front that is coming, for the water temps to drop a bit and fish will probably become a bit lethargic.

As per normal late winter fishing when the water temp finally drops below 40, be prepared to slow down your presentation.

Looking forward to the rest of our winter fishing.

What are they biting on???

The fish are still biting on the surface.  So, our favourite presentations have been the usual bucktail flies or Gibbs crocs. The magic flies have been lucky numbers 210, 222, 223.  And our favourite spoons are still the brass/fire stripe or brass/fire wing.

You’ll notice a lot of fish on the sonar that are hanging out deep.  So, we always try to run at least one line down between 100 – 150ft.  Gibbs Lemon lime flasher w/ green pistachio hoochie seems to work best.

But, the funny thing is: most fish are marking deep during the day, however when the bite turns on, it seems to be mostly surface where they are feeding.

So, make sure to cover all options, as this is winter fishing.

Hope this helps with your next adventure.

Tight lines…

Captain Kerry