Well, that was a blur!!

Summer flew by and we are back from the west coast!

And another great summer it was.

Starting out in July, when we first arrived on the island, there seemed to be lots of coho around and the halibut fishing was on fire. We fished mainly inshore for Chinook and Coho, but then ventured offshore for our halibut.

As July moved along, we started seeing some good Chinook fishing and the coho seemed to move on.  Halibut fishing remained awesome throughout the month.

The inshore fishery remained good, which was a blessing because the offshore salmon fishing never really got good this year.  The bank was loaded with Halibut, but was hot and cold for salmon.  So, we were lucky enough to have the Salmon right out our front door.  Most days hooking our limits within view of the lighthouse.

We introduced some new groups to some exciting fishing this year.  Lots of family groups and lots of kids this year as well.  Some of our funnest moments were with the light spinning rods.  Jigging for rockfish, lingcod, and even a surprise monster Halibut.  I think most people are hooked. (pun intended)

It was a very consistent year with no cancellations, which made it even better.  Most guests have already secured their dates for next year, and we are already looking forward to what next year will bring.

Too many photos to share and too many memories to write about, but we’ll try to sift through everything and come up with a highlight reel eventually.

 

 

And now, back to the Kootenays for some exciting, Fall fishing.

Here’s the latest from our Kootenay crew:

Kootenay Lake:

Our guides kept busy with tourists throughout the summer months, and the fishing was surprisingly good during the hot months.  As per previous years, July was consistent for Rainbows and Bull Trout.  And August, which is usually a slower month for fishing, provided some good days for Bull Trout. Mostly just half day trips during the hot months, but generally catching a few fish each time out.

And now that September is here and some cooler nights are occurring, we will see the water temperatures slowly drop and the fish will become more and more active.

Our last few outings in September have seen some pretty decent days.  Half day trips have been averaging 4-6 fish hooked, and full day trips so far have been fairly productive with up to a dozen fish biting.  The past week of cooler weather has definitely increased the fish activeness.

Our water temperature is still hovering above 60 degrees, but once that temp dips below, we should see some more consistent fishing.

Looking forward to our favourite months of October and November for some serious fall fishing on Kootenay.

Stay tuned…..

What are they biting on???

On the west coast, it was a combination of spoons or hoochies.  Some of the bait was so small that we had our best luck on Gibbs Skinny G’s and Wee G’s, as well as the Kingfisher spoons in 3″.  Favourite colors were: herring aid, white lightning, cookies & cream, no bananas, maverick.

And, so far on the lake, it’s been a mixed bag with nothing consistent yet.  Some of our Gibbs croc spoons have been producing, as well as hockey sticks and TKO’s on the surface.  We’ve also started getting a bunch on our buck tails.  Favourite colors of buck tails have been #215, 221,226.

And for the Bull Trout, its been mostly flasher and hoochie for us.  The bulls have been deep. 100 – 150ft, but the STS flasher w/green spatterback hoochie has been working well.

Things should start to get more consistent as the water cools.

Looking forward to the next couple of months.

 

Hope this helps with your next adventure.

Tight lines…..

Captain Kerry