Reel Adventures Charters Fishing Report
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Kerry Reed of Reel Adventures Charters has been a busy guide, taking a host of anglers on Kootenay Lake charters. Reed has also found time to hand out a few tips in his monthly report.
Kootenay Lake
Winter fishing is here.
What does that mean?
Well, it means big fish.
Now that the water temperature has reached its coldest, the big fish come out to play. This is the time of year when we seem to catch our biggest Dollies, and the Rainbows all seem to be big.
We’re not catching as many fish as in the Fall, but all fish are quality fish at this time of year. Because the temperature has cooled down, it means the fish have slowed down.
That means it’s time to slow down your presentation. So, our speeds now have slowed to between 1.8 – 2.5 mph. That doesn’t mean the fishing has slowed down, it just means that we can’t cover as much water as the faster speeds, which in turn means fewer fish.
However, the trade off has been worth it.
Rainbows up to 24 pounds and Dollies up to 17 pounds have been caught. Also seem to be losing some big fish this time of year. Some break the line, and some of the smart ones spit the hook.
These of course always seem to be the biggest fish that bite the hook. Maybe we’re getting close to that 30 pounder. Just need to keep him on…
We’re still catching fish on the surface and down deep. Seem to see most of the fish stacked up in the 120 – 150 feet depths. However, when they decide to feed, it seems to happen more on the surface. So, you definitely need to mix it up a bit.
We will be heading to the Calgary Boat and Outdoor Show next weekend, so stop by and say hi. Booth # 356…
What are they biting on ???
The fish are still scattered throughout the water column, so we are fishing both on the surface and down deeper. Bucktail flies on the surface in the usual colors are working well. Blk/wht, Grey/wht, Purple/wht are working well.
My favorites have been: # 228, 215, 224, 207, 203, and lately the 210. Some common names are: grey ghost, bleeding gill, and November special.
Also we’ve been using the downriggers for both Rainbows and Dolly Varden (Bull Trout). Some of our best depths have been 100′, 120′, 140′ and even below 150′ lately.
We’ve been using our favorite flasher & hoochie combo, or my favorite Lyman plugs are working well. Plug #’s 10, 16, 32, 100, and 160 have producing some good fish for me as well.
The water temperature is around 40 degrees now, so remember, slower fishing but bigger fish.
Some of our biggest fish should be caught in the next couple of months !
Winter is here, so Let’s Go Fishing !!!
Tight lines……………….
Kerry Reed
Reel Adventures Charters
Nelson B.C
250-505-4963
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