We’re back from the coast !!
And a busy summer it was. Our boat kept busy every day on the ocean, and our boats kept steady at home on Kootenay Lake and Columbia River.
The ocean threw some curveballs at us this year. July was a very windy month on the West coast and made for some tougher conditions. And when the weather cooperated, the fish decided to be stubborn and make us work very hard for our catch.
It seemed like the fish were holding in areas just beyond our reach for a while. And our usual expectations were a lot harder to meet this year.
However, we did manage to have quit a few good days mixed in with the slower days. Fish would show up for a couple days, then move on. So, we found ourselves catching our limits on some days in a few hours, but other days we would have to work harder for our fish. Makes the sales pitch for booking 3 days seem a lot more reasonable.
After the tough conditions of July, we found ourselves with better conditions and better fishing during August. In fact, the last 3 weeks of our summer were the best 3 weeks. Seemed like the fish were showing up later than normal.
Halibut fishing was good when we planned the time for it. However a lot of days we spent longer hours trying for our salmon and left not a lot of time to target halibut. But, when we did target halibut, the fishing was great. Some groups managed to land 5 or 6 big halibut each day. In fact, one of my regular groups ended up with over 100 Lbs of fillets of halibut one day. So, it just proved that you have to put your time in. Another good reason to plan on a 3 day trip.
Our biggest Salmon this year was just over 33 Lbs. And our biggest Halibut this year was around 72Lbs. Just below the maximum size limit.
So, to sum it up, the season started out slow, but ended with a bang. It’s different every year. Here’s hoping next year starts with the bang and continues throughout.
Thank you to everyone who joined me this year! Looking forward to next year already.
And now back to the Kootenays.
Kootenay Lake:
Our guides were kept busy with tourists this summer. July saw some good days of catching 10 or more fish. A mix of Rainbows and Bull trout manage to keep everyone busy. Then in August, as the water temperatures really warmed up, we were catching more Bull Trout than rainbows. But still enough fish to keep the clients happy.
And now that September is almost over, we have noticed a drop in water temperature, and the rainbows are starting to come out to play again. Our last few trips since I’ve been back have yielded up to 10 fish a day, with a good mix of Rainbows and bull Trout.
The fishing should only get better as the water cools. Looking forward to our fall fishery.
Columbia River:
The river produced fish all summer long. We would get a good run of consistent fishing as long as the water levels remained consistent. Rainbows and walleye up to 5 Lbs are stacked up right now, and the fishing should be good for both throughout October.
Look forward to what the river has to offer in the next couple months.
Stay tuned……………
What are they biting on ???
On Kootenay, we are catching most of our Bull Trout on the usual flasher/hoochie combo on the down rigger. We have also had good luck with our Lyman plugs down 60 – 120ft.
The Rainbows have been hitting the down rigger as well. Some of my favourite Gibbs Delta spoons have been working well on the rainbows, as well as the flasher/hoochie combo.
Some fish are starting to come to the surface again as well. We have caught a few Rainbows each day on our buck tail flies as well as some smaller hockey sticks and spoons.
On the river, we have been catching most rainbows on small spoons or spinners, as well as on the fly.
Also, the walleye have been hitting regularly on rubber twister tails on a jig or on a bottom bouncer with worm. Both techniques have worked well.
That sums it up for now.
Lets get out there.
Tight lines……………………………..