Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Rodney on May 05, 2023, 10:50:57 PM
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We ventured up to Region 3 this week fully expecting that fishing might be very challenging right after ice-off, and it was.
(https://i.imgur.com/LYkATA2.jpg)
Tunkwa Lake was quite murky due to runoffs. Visibility was only 2 feet at most. It's hard to say whether there have been some winter kills. There was a lack of fish jumping, but perhaps they are just not active because the water was cold and dirty. We did get into some specimens up to 16 inches long.
We also fished Six Mile for a day and that was reasonably good. Fish were no big but at least they were actively feeding, especially after everyone had left the lake in the last half of the afternoon.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr30NEBPHih/
Logan Lake was where we got into some better fish, but bites were not that consistent.
The new floating dock at Harmon Lake has snapped in half, most likely due to the ice. I've reported it and it's gonna be taken care of.
We fished Courtney briefly due to poor weather with very little success but fish are there, especially the smaller newly stocked Horsefly strain.
Looking forward to get back up there in another week or so. :)
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Fished Tunkwa Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday 1 fish. Thursday 2 fish. Yesterday managed to get 8 fish. All big and frisky. See how I make out in the rain today ? Rod that was me that was yakking at you in front of the luxury cabin. Nice to see you got into some trout.
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Fished Tunkwa Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday 1 fish. Thursday 2 fish. Yesterday managed to get 8 fish. All big and frisky. See how I make out in the rain today ? Rod that was me that was yakking at you in front of the luxury cabin. Nice to see you got into some trout.
Nice chatting and good to see you got into more fish yesterday after a few challenging days! :D I'm sure it only is going to get better... I knew it was gonna be a gamble to be there this early but a good time regardless. :)
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Nice report. will definitely help people planning their trips.
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was at Marquart today from ~ 8 - 6,
between the three of us we got 10 fish, 3 about 16 inch bows
the rest from 8-12 inch mix of bows and brookies.
Overall not a bad day aside from the rain early on and the killer wind all day.
There was not a lack of fish jumping especially smaller ones in the shallows/weeds
In the morning however we saw quite a few bigger fish jump from further away.
All fish were caught on a mix of nymphs, shrimp and worms
I dont know signs of winter kill, marquart is listed as a maybe, but I did not see dead fish floating around or on shoreline (if thats something thats normal for a winter kill lake)
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Sounds like a good day, with typical Marquart specimens being caught. :) Were you on the floating dock? Any visible damage to the dock if you were?
I'd say there has not been a winter kill based on your report.
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Sounds like a good day, with typical Marquart specimens being caught. :) Were you on the floating dock? Any visible damage to the dock if you were?
I'd say there has not been a winter kill based on your report.
we fished for a bit at the end of the day at the dock with no luck but when we arrived early morning a gentlemen there said he caught one and had many bites he had been there since first light. The dock was not damaged from what i saw, the part connecting to land is crooked but not broken. One thing I forgot to mention is that there was some government agency group there doing some weird group work and it was lowkey a bummer. I am not sure if they were fire fighters in training or if they were practicing some sort of emergency flood technology to rapidly pump water but there were LOUD motors ripping probably for like 6 hours and it was loud almost on the side of the lake. Obviously they need to do what they need to do but I was expecting a bit more peace and quiet. Seems weird such a thing happening on a saturday, at least the sound didnt completely turn off the fish
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I just fried some of those fish we caught for lunch, and these must be the best trout I have ever tasted. The taste reminds me of sockeye. Definitely delicious and all I did was panfry it with some seasoning.
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Heh ;)
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. One thing I forgot to mention is that there was some government agency group there doing some weird group work and it was lowkey a bummer. I am not sure if they were fire fighters in training or if they were practicing some sort of emergency flood technology to rapidly pump water but there were LOUD motors ripping probably for like 6 hours and it was loud almost on the side of the lake. Obviously they need to do what they need to do but I was expecting a bit more peace and quiet. Seems weird such a thing happening on a saturday, at least the sound didnt completely turn off the fish
you seem to see a lot of weird and odd things while out fishing :)
Gotta tell you though, on a fishing trip there was a diving crew setting up a water intake for a new house on the lake. They worked righton the best fishing spot. fishing was slow that day.
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I dont know signs of winter kill, marquart is listed as a maybe, but I did not see dead fish floating around or on shoreline (if thats something thats normal for a winter kill lake)
Dead fish is a pretty good sign, but since you saw lots of activity and got into some numbers, sounds like it survived pretty well. Marquart's pretty deep so maybe that saved it.
Good on you for going to see for yourself what's the status. A lot of people, myself included, would be hesitant to go if there was rumored winterkill. You took a chance and it paid off
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you seem to see a lot of weird and odd things while out fishing :)
maybe its because im young everything seems weird to me ;D
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took this directly from a post on a facebook fishing group
" Region 3 : Went and checked out Lac Le Jeune, McConnell and lodge pole today.
Lodge pole - still has ice on but no signs of winter kill.
McConnell - ice is off no signs of winter kill.
Note(water was Darker than usual.)
Lac le jeune - ice off and no signs of winter kill."
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Dead fish is a pretty good sign, but since you saw lots of activity and got into some numbers, sounds like it survived pretty well. Marquart's pretty deep so maybe that saved it.
Good on you for going to see for yourself what's the status. A lot of people, myself included, would be hesitant to go if there was rumored winterkill. You took a chance and it paid off
do you guys think that jigging a spoon would be productive for big trout in deeper water, I remember watching a Rodney jigging for kokkanee I wonder if that would be productive for these lakes.
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sure jigging for trout would work. Small rubber worm jibs or marabou jigs should be very effective, at least at times.
There are a lot of myths about winter kill.
Winter kill still takes place after ice out as fish move out of deeper water into shallow to feed and encounter places either of oxygen depleted water or lethal gases. Often that's when kill is the highest as fish move from spots with good oxygen levels (perhaps from underwater springs or ground water seeps) to feed.
Deep lakes can kill as well.Roche has lots of deep water and it sounds like it killed this year and had within the last 10 years as well. I don't think Lac Le Jeune is prone to winter kill. It also was one of the first lakes to be known and fished over 100 years ago. I don't know if it was naturally stocked but I think it may have been.
Lakes with a good flow of natural water from inlet to outlet streams often are resistant to winter kill. In the early years lodge and camp operators diverted streams to improve that or cleared out beaver dams, log jams and channelized inlet streams to do that.
Usually winter kill isn't 100% though the number of fish left in the lake may make for slow fishing.
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Well Saturday at tunkwa was cold rainy and windy but I did manage to get into half dozen or so decent fish. Two guys in our group had epic days. Big numbers.
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Not this year, but had a good day last year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42lJtsyfMig
Waiting for the heat wave to pass before going again. :)
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Not this year, but had a good day last year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42lJtsyfMig
Waiting for the heat wave to pass before going again. :)
will this heat kill the fishing? I was thinking of going again this weeknd. Swimming in the heat and catching trout would amazing.
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will this heat kill the fishing? I was thinking of going again this weeknd. Swimming in the heat and catching trout would amazing.
In my past experience, fishing always turn phenomenon when heat wave came in early spring. but this year seems different. Haven't figure out. I'd encourage you to go.
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In my past experience, fishing always turn phenomenon when heat wave came in early spring. but this year seems different. Haven't figure out. I'd encourage you to go.
my family friend said he did very well last weekend at the start of the heat wave, I have a feeling it would be great the first couple days but die off slowly or at least get harder to catch them or require to troll deep ect.
It was 36 the day he went and oh boy is he burnt ;D
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In my past experience, fishing always turn phenomenon when heat wave came in early spring. but this year seems different. Haven't figure out. I'd encourage you to go.
Without hope, there won't be any fishermen.
But then the same goes for suckers also.
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I took this sequence of photos on the weekend.
(https://i.imgur.com/qX9GHaJ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/deWC9bZ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/YU8U0MS.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Rh4pA1q.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/O78oL7e.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/zcJ8pnD.jpg)
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https://youtu.be/GzGhGeRxLjw
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Any reports lately? I've planned a lake camping trip from on Canada Day weekend. Would like to try multiple lakes, some with more trophy fish and some with retention allowed. If anybody has good recommendations in the meritt area with camping available (or nearby) lmk either here or PM me. I so far have only been to Marquart. My preferred fishing techniques are bobber fishing with bait or spin casting. I've got flies and a rod but not confident in them yet! I do have an inflatable boat but no motor. Thanks in advance.
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Any reports lately? I've planned a lake camping trip from on Canada Day weekend. Would like to try multiple lakes, some with more trophy fish and some with retention allowed. If anybody has good recommendations in the meritt area with camping available (or nearby) lmk either here or PM me. I so far have only been to Marquart. My preferred fishing techniques are bobber fishing with bait or spin casting. I've got flies and a rod but not confident in them yet! I do have an inflatable boat but no motor. Thanks in advance.
Lac Le Jeune is one of the very few lakes left on my list of 'never been skunked even once' list. I was up there very recently....
With the cooler weather over the next little while, it should be really good for the July long weekend. Dry flys work well at the time you're going too.
Hit it right, you'll get lots. The thing about that lake though is that if there is even a little bit of a weather system passing by, you'll get blown off the lake from sunrise to sunset.
As for interior trophy lakes.....don't expect anyone to post them here. If you're fortunate.....you may get a PM......maybe....
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Lac Le Jeune is one of the very few lakes left on my list of 'never been skunked even once' list. I was up there very recently....
With the cooler weather over the next little while, it should be really good for the July long weekend. Dry flys work well at the time you're going too.
Hit it right, you'll get lots. The thing about that lake though is that if there is even a little bit of a weather system passing by, you'll get blown off the lake from sunrise to sunset.
As for interior trophy lakes.....don't expect anyone to post them here. If you're fortunate.....you may get a PM......maybe....
thanks for sharing SuperBobby, by weather system passing by I assume you mean heavy wind?
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thanks for sharing SuperBobby, by weather system passing by I assume you mean heavy wind?
I mean anything that isn't a high ridge of pressure with an almost perfect clear sky.
For some reason Lac Le Jeune requires a stable ridge of high pressure to keep the wind off....anything else seems to blow you off the lake. Tunkwa is exactly the same...
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You can always try jacko lake it’s not that far away. It used to be a fun lake to fish.
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thanks for the suggestions, I think I have my eyes on some lakes now. Do you guys think its necessary to leave Friday on the Canada day long weekend to reserve a campground in the evening or not? I am under the impression that most lake campgrounds in the area are first come first serve. Although this is my first time and I am inexperienced, the plan was to leave Burnaby Saturday at 4 am and leave Monday maybe at 5 or 6 I am looking to camp at a lake campground preferably, not a private one.
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My summer is a bit wonky with work and my fishing opportunities will be very limited so I spent the past week and bit fishing as many different lakes as I could. I wanted to share a few experiences I witnessed. First the good, pretty much every store I stopped in was busy and several people were just getting into fishing including several kids super excited about receiving their first rod. People are starting to pick up the sport and that is great. But that leads me to the real purpose of this post.
Respect and Decency!
This rant doesn't really affect me as I have a boat but lots of people don't. That is why I am very glad the FFSBC has, and continues to, build fishing docks around the province. But what I witnessed was truly disheartening. At one lake, a group was having a BBQ at a picnic table along the trail to one of these docks. That is totally fine, except they had placed a large tent (not a sun shelter but a full 6 person? tent) right in the middle of the trail down to the dock. I wonder why the dock was empty while people fished from the trees. At another I saw an SUV was parked in the middle of the driveway blocking access to the fishing dock parking lot. I initially thought it was just placed there for easier unloading because the parking lot was on the other side of the dock ramp but nope, stayed there the whole time I was fishing. In both of these though, if a person wanted to they could walk around the obstacle and still fish from the dock. What I witnessed most though was small groups of people hogging the whole dock. On two occasions I saw groups with one side of the dock filled with camp chairs, coolers, a sun shade, you name it, all unused while they stood on the otherside with their rods out taking up the entire dock. And even though I think that was bad I can maybe give them the benefit of the doubt and say they just moved their rods over. The worst I saw was a small group of three that had deliberately placed rods in every single rod holder all around the dock. I mean true, I did not see them place the rods but they were the only group around and I have never seen anyone in BC use 8' heavy rods with 3" red and white bobbers clipped to them as backups for trout.
The standard "T" shaped dock, depending on group size, should be able to accommodate 3 groups comfortably; one on each side with one in the middle. Some of the bigger docks may allow more but unless your group is huge it should never be less. Further, these docks should be able to be accessed with minimum effort; I acknowledge that not every one is going to be accessible to people with mobility issues but people shouldn't have to create a new trail to get to it either. Fishing appears to be a growing sport in this province and that could be a great thing but only if people stick with it. Show respect, have decency and everyone will have a great time.
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Good rant.
To darko. If you leave early you should get a spot and if not there are sooo many lakes. Most have fish and usually camp sites. Get a up to date back road book they have camp spots on them and fishing reports on most lakes. Plan to go to your first lake if it’s full hit up the next. Like I said you won’t be driving very long until the next puddle. I hope you have a suv or truck. If it rains they can get sloppy. And don’t forgot to bring a camera. Lots of wild life. Will be running around 🤓
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Good rant.
To darko. If you leave early you should get a spot and if not there are sooo many lakes. Most have fish and usually camp sites. Get a up to date back road book they have camp spots on them and fishing reports on most lakes. Plan to go to your first lake if it’s full hit up the next. Like I said you won’t be driving very long until the next puddle. I hope you have a suv or truck. If it rains they can get sloppy. And don’t forgot to bring a camera. Lots of wild life. Will be running around 🤓
negative on the SUV, Its a Nissan Versa I gotta work with right now ;D, until I get my own car. Though that thing is a beast, even got me up to Jones lake last summer. Though I probable should stick to paved roads ::).
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You should be good. People bring cars into a lot of the lakes. And motorhomes.
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Darko have you decided which lakes you're going to? The thread got too long and I have a hard time going back looking for it. Getting old. :(
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We had a good day at LLJ a couple weeks ago (well, not me, but someone else did ::) ). All the fish were around 16"/17", nothing huge but abundance was there. That said, LLJ provincial park has a pathetic boat launch considering the amount of usage that lake gets.
Thanks for posting those observations Tylsie. I'll put forward a recommendation to FFSBC that perhaps there needs to be some material on dock fishing ettiquettes. I may just go ahead and make a video about it.
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Darko have you decided which lakes you're going to? The thread got too long and I have a hard time going back looking for it. Getting old. :(
After way too much research I think the Voght Valley lakes are the best options considering my situation. I want to try Courtney aswell although it is listed as potential winterkill. Might try kane valley a bit too to see if any brook trout survived the winter. I think I will call a local tackle store to ask about any winterkill updates.
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You'll have fun fishing at either Shea, Davis or Boss around Voght Valley. Average size is all around 14" to 16", with some chances of getting into bigger fish. For the most part the abundance is there and fishing is generally quite predictable, so they are good choices if you are just in the area for a day or two. You'd find the Kane Valley lakes and Courtney quite challenging. They're not easy lakes.
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Trout that are 14 to 16 inches long are wonderful, fun fish to catch. Suddenly a lot of people are critical of lakes that only produce trout of that size or an endless stream of 2lbers. LOL! Is this the usual angler inflation where the fish get heavier the longer it's been since it was landed and released (or even eaten)? Two pound trout will usually be in the 17 to 19 inch range. Traditionally trout fishing was based on fish 12 to 18 inches long. Now if you don't land 4 and 5 lbers all day you are a piker. It's not just the size of the fish it's the fight in the fish that makes it memorable. A couple of weeks ago I was catching 14 inch wild rainbows out of the lake which would have put many of those triploid 3lbers to shame.
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Totally agree. Nothing wrong with catching 14" to 16" fish, especially if abundance is there.
We had a good day at LLJ a couple weeks ago (well, not me, but someone else did ::) ). All the fish were around 16"/17", nothing huge but abundance was there. That said, LLJ provincial park has a pathetic boat launch considering the amount of usage that lake gets.
Oops, forgot to include photo.
(https://i.imgur.com/NOJJpcV.jpg)
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Respect and Decency!
This rant doesn't really affect me as I have a boat but lots of people don't. That is why I am very glad the FFSBC has, and continues to, build fishing docks around the province. But what I witnessed was truly disheartening.
Disappointing to hear you encountered poor behavior, not just as a one off, but multiple times.
Did you try talking to these groups? Perhaps some were just oblivious, which is somewhat different than being willfully discourteous.
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/stump-lake-searching-missing-fishing-1.6884453 (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/stump-lake-searching-missing-fishing-1.6884453)
unfortunate news, hopefully they can be found safe. What do you guys think could have happened?. Maybe they got stuck in some harsh winds or weather?
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That is why pfd are important. Think if you had a couple beers in the sun flipped the boat. The water can shock you and your time is gone !! Super sad !!! Even the strongest swimmer. Can mess up !!! Be safe out there
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https://www.abbynews.com/news/bodies-found-of-missing-fishermen-at-stump-lake-near-merritt/ (https://www.abbynews.com/news/bodies-found-of-missing-fishermen-at-stump-lake-near-merritt/)
update
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that is very sad news and I feel for the family and friends of these 2 people.
It also makes me wonder how people feel about the possibility that Transport Canada is looking at the life jacket/PFD requirements including making wearing them mandatory for all people in small craft?
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that is very sad news and I feel for the family and friends of these 2 people.
It also makes me wonder how people feel about the possibility that Transport Canada is looking at the life jacket/PFD requirements including making wearing them mandatory for all people in small craft?
I would fully support mandatory PFDs...mishaps can happen to even the most seasoned swimmers....its just like wearing a car seatbelt... mandatory for their own safety
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I read somewhere you can catch the trout at interior lakes using floating bait like power eggs on the bottom. But I have my doubts, what do you guys think. Change of plans since there's no signal at Boss Lake (worried parents ::)) we will be near Lac le jeune area
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I read somewhere you can catch the trout at interior lakes using floating bait like power eggs on the bottom. But I have my doubts, what do you guys think. Change of plans since there's no signal at Boss Lake (worried parents ::)) we will be near Lac le jeune area
it works
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it works
thanks for the response! Will give it a try then mid day they go deeper. Trip starting at 3:30 am, cant wait. :)
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so here's the recap
Day 1;
arrived at lodgepole at 7:15 am Saturday, campsite full and was recommended to go to paska lake by the site operator, which we did and were able to get a nice camping spot by the water by noon. Caught a 10 inch cutthroat on the first cast using a shrimp but nothing throughout the rest of the day until the evening when I caught an 8 inch pennask that must've fought harder than any stocked catchable I've caught. Fish were jumping throughout the whole day and I saw some sizeable ones that were around 2-3 lb. Paska is only stocked with kokkanee so all of the trout are wild but in there in decent numbers. Definitely a hard lake to fish from shore which was expected but didn't really have an option to camp elsewhere. Taking the boat out in the middle of the day was a big mistake as the wind really picked up and dragged us a good distance, The wind actually made out tent fly into the lake which was quite the experience. Although I jumped onto the boat and was able to save it, Lots of stuff got wet and damn it got cold that night, 1500 m elevation is no joke. Weather must've been near zero as my car had frost on it. Though all the folks there camping were super nice and helpful to me and my friend. Even met a real cowboy!
Day 2:
So after getting up and having some breakfeast, organizing, getting ice ect. We made out way to Stake lake where I fished from the dock. I tried shrimp without much success but I was fishing with a gentleman from kamloops there and he gave me a leech to try. After maybe 10 m I caught an 18 inch beautiful pennask. I was super stoked and happy. After about another hour we went back to camp and continued fishing in the afternoon, starting at lodgepole. The water was calm and fish jumping but no luck there. We visited stake again but also skunk. We ended the day at lac le jeune which fishing from the dock I did not find to be good, it was very busy and shallow and weedy and wasnt very fishy at all although a couple jumpers from a far.
Day 3:
after packing everything we hit up stake lake again, where after 1 m I saw a fish jump and casted in that area and boom 20 seconds later another pennask similar size as yesterday, sadly though it got off right in front of the dock but the fight was good. We decided to try edith lake to end the trip but it was much to windy to do any good. Although I did see some 4-6 lb trout jump but out of casting range for the far end dock.
I really enjoyed my time in Kamloops interior and know it wasnt exactly prime time or perfect but well worth the trip. Caught my biggest trout to date so thats something I wont forget along with the flying wet tent ;D. Lots of jumpers the whole time but either the fish just are not turned on by shrimp or it was just slow. Casted some lures aswell but no luck on those. On certain lakes like lodgepole and stake there were a good amount of dragonflies around. The mosquitos were not bad at all. Coming back to burnaby was the hardest part :P
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Darko
nice report, thanks for it.
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Sounds like a fun trip 🤓 I’m glad you got into some fishies !! The real question is !! Are you going back ???
And flying tents. Haha I know that all to well. Lost a tent Down the logging road from tunkwa.
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so here's the recap
Here's how i read it:
Day 1: didnt get skunked
Day 2: didnt get skunked
Day 3: didnt get skunked
Sounds like a successful trip.
I really enjoyed my time in Kamloops interior and know it wasnt exactly prime time or perfect but well worth the trip. Caught my biggest trout to date so thats something I wont forget along with the flying wet tent ;D.
This is a great attitude, hopefully you'll keep that approach and you'll never have a bad time. It's so easy to get caught up with numbers etc that you start to have expectations, and that's when you set yourself up for disappointment. We're all guilty of it eventually ...
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Sounds like someone is ready to move to Kamloops. ;)
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Sounds like someone is ready to move to Kamloops. ;)
sure am! Thanks for the positive comments everyone. Here's a few photos
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53024000014_259760c905.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53024219395_72a7675b2d_w.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53024219390_8bce796679_w.jpg)
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Sounds like a fun trip 🤓 I’m glad you got into some fishies !! The real question is !! Are you going back ???
And flying tents. Haha I know that all to well. Lost a tent Down the logging road from tunkwa.
Probably not in Kamloops until next year. Going to kelowna in 2 weeks for 3 days so lmk if you guys have any suggestions of lakes to fish nearby. I was thinking if nothing I can go to some of the highway lakes between merritt and kamloops.
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sure am! Thanks for the positive comments everyone. Here's a few photos
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53024000014_259760c905.jpg)
well that is a nice fish in anyone's books. I'd bet it was better than 2lbs. A fish like that makes a stingy trip.
I remember a 3 night weekend at Roche one October around Thanksgiving. My wife and 2 kids came along and we rented a place at the resort. First day we got there late in the afternoon but I got out in my float tube. Fish were feeding on the shoal south of the resort. i caught a 14 inch fish then an 18 inch fish in short order. The bigger fish ran into the backing and jumped a number times. Back at the cabin I threw my gear and waders in the back of the van. There was a heavy frost that night and my neoprene's were frozen into a twisted angular mass. The fishing was dead for the next two days. still the weather was good and I took my 6 year old son (he'll be 35 tomorrow) out in a rental boat a couple of times. I didn't have a touch for those 2 days. The weather was beautiful and we still had a good time and a fish to eat.
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I fished Harmon lake today, from the dock and my boat and saw absolutely zero fish, not even a single jump. Just some tiny fish in the shallows near the dock. Which was very unlike two weeks ago when I saw many, even though those lakes were listed winterkill (Paska & Stake) and Harmon is not. Pretty strange to me. Just some tiny ones in the shallows near the dock. Worst part is that somehow my 8'6 UL okuma celilo and c10 reel feel off from my rod holder without me noticing. If anyone has one to sell to me I would appreciate it, I really like that rod for float fishing for trout.
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Fished Island lake and Paradise lake on the connector. Skunk. Tried leeches, and trolling a dry fly think it was a sedge fly. Saw a bunch of white sedges on the water. Decent amount of jumpers but no bites. ( Island). Paradise only small ones jumping around.