Fresh Banff National Park Fishing Reports

Well, I thought we were out of the woods and headed into spring, but apparently not! Oh well, one last blast of winter and we should be good to go. In saying that, we have still been on the water a bit, so here’s your latest fishing report: Kootenay Lake: Similar to January, we had some good days and some slow days in February. Typical for this time of year, as the water is at its coldest and the fish metabolism has slowed. February saw more Bull Trout than Rainbows, but definitely getting some nice ones. Our latest group of skiers from back east were rewarded with some nice fish. After skiing/snowboarding for 5 days in a row, they were looking for a break. A day to rest their legs and found something fun to do on their rest day. As I explained to them about the current conditions and the lazy, winter fish, I kind of set the bar low. The crew wasn’t concerned about the fish, but more excited to get out on the water in the mid of winter. We started out with a few bites, but nothing coming to the boat. But then, when the magic hour happened, the fish became more aggressive. First fish to the boat was a beauty 9 Lb Bull Trout. What a start! Not far after that, we caught and released a chunky 7 Lb Bull Trout. These guys were losing their minds. Not expecting a lot, and mostly used to catching 2 Lb fish back home, they were pleasantly surprised. The fishing slowed down late morning so we moved locations and tried a different approach. Hoping to hook a few Rainbows, we put on the lucky Gibbs Croc spoons and and a couple buck tails. Only one strike on the surface in a couple hours, so we decided to switch back to using the down riggers. Early afternoon the bite began again. A couple more Bull Trout hooked before we ended our day. What a great way to spend a ‘rest day’ from the ski hill. We had a few more trips throughout February, although the quick cold snap shut us down for a few days. Most other trips managed to hook into a fish or two, although the bite seemed to slow down. As March has rolled in, we look forward to the weather hopefully changing for the better. As the water begins to warm up, the fish will become more aggressive. Spring break is fast approaching and the phone has started ringing again. Looking forward to getting everyone out on the water during the break. We still have a few dates available if you’re looking at getting out. What are they biting on??? Bull Trout have been biting on the usual flasher/hoochie combo, hockey sticks, or Lyman plugs on the down rigger. Our favorite combo has been the Gibbs STS flasher, followed by the green spatter back or the green pistachio hoochie. Favourite depths have been between 100 – 160ft. Try adjusting depths according to where the bait is showing up on the sonar. On the surface, we have been dragging our favourite Gibbs spoons. The Skinny G (outfitter or no bananas), or the brass/fire stripe croc have been working best for us. Also getting the odd fish on the buck tails as well. Lucky numbers have been buck tail #**hidden content**. Trolling speed is still a factor during the cold water months. Our best speed lately has been between 1.8 – 2.3 mph, but definitely need to experiment with that. That’s it for now. Hope this helps with your next adventure Tight lines……. Captain Kerry

Happy New Year Everyone!! Congratulations for making it through another crazy year. We were lucky enough to have lots of support from our locals to help keep us in business, and for that we are thankful. Here’s the latest fishing report: Kootenay Lake: December was a weird month. Lots of wind, lots of temperature changes, but we still managed to get out there. A couple more corporate trips to end the year, and a bunch of family outings as well. We did actually re-schedule a few trips that were supposed to happen in between Christmas and New Years, because of the deepfreeze temperatures that week. Lucky for us, the weather warmed up the following week and we were able to get the groups out before leaving town. The fishing has slowed a bit, as we are now in cold water season. But, some of our days have been pretty productive. It seems like the fish will feed heavily on one day, but then don’t have to eat for a few days. So, we’ve been having one excellent day of fishing, and then a few average days of fishing. On the good days, we’ve hooked into more than a dozen fish. And on the other days it’s been more like 3 – 6 fish. Either way, it’s a great way to escape the winter doldrums. Some fat Rainbows up to 5 Lbs and a few good Bull Trout up to 10 Lbs have been coming in lately. We expect to see some bigger Bulls throughout the next couple months, as they like to stack up in certain areas where we find the feed. With warm temperatures forecasted for the next little while, we are looking forward to spending a lot more days on the lake. Stay tuned….. What are they biting on ??? Here’s the trick: The water has cooled to 40 degrees. It’s time to slow down your presentation. We have been catching on a mixed bag of Buck tail flies and/or Gibbs/Delta spoons. The magic flies have been lucky numbers **hidden content** (or Lux Flies #**hidden content**). And the lucky spoons have been the usual Brass/fire stripe or Brass/fire wing croc for Rainbows. And for the Bull Trout, we have been catching on the Gibbs/Delta Lemon lime flasher with a green spatterback hoochie. Magic depths have been between 101′ and 163′. Hope this helps with your next adventure. Salmon/Halibut season 2022: We are already looking forward to this upcoming season. If it’s anything like last year, we are in for a treat. We have finalized most of our dates for this summer with many returning guests. Keep an eye out for the final confirmation emails and deposit requests coming up soon. There may be a couple dates left to fill, or we can get you on another boat if you still haven’t planned your trip. Drop us a line if you need a hand with arrangements. Here’s to an amazing up coming year. Tight lines……….

We are back from the West Coast! And what a season it was! This season would be rated up in the top 5 of my career on the west coast. There seemed to be fish just about everywhere this year, which was great in case the weather didn’t allow us to get to our planned destination. There always seemed to be a back-up plan. July started out with big seas, but not a lot of wind. So, we were able to fish on the outside edge, but near the shoreline. The salmon were consistent along the beach for our first couple of weeks. Our daily routine was to fish the beach for the first couple hours of the day, or until we caught a limit of Chinooks, and then head offshore for some Halibut fishing, or coho fishing, or both. On the windy days, we would head inside the protected islands to fish. And, most days we were lucky enough to catch a mix of Chinook and Coho. The inside fishery remained strong throughout the whole season, which was a pleasant surprise and a good feeling to always have a plan ‘B’. Halibut fishing was unbelievable for the whole month of July. Thanks to the regulation change, we were able to target our possession limit in one day, which made for some busy days at the cleaning station. A lot of days where clients were able to bring home their 2 undersized or 1 oversized. Once August hit, the Halibut slowed down a bit for the first couple weeks, but ramped up again for the last half of the season. It might have just been the fact that more people were around during August. Either way, it worked out just fine. If the Halibut weren’t chomping, then the Salmon were. Always some good action to be had. We had a lot of new groups join us this year as well. And, lucky for most of the new groups, the weather cooperated on their first trip with us. That’s always what we hope for when newcomers join us. The new groups got spoiled with great fishing. I think we may have set the bar high for these groups. Big shoes to fill next year. Lots of fun stories developed throughout the summer as well. From Blue Shark encounters, Bald eagles, humpback whales, Orcas, Sea lions, otters, sunfish, and too many others to list. We fly fished for coho, spin cast for coho, spin for bass and bottom fish, jigged for halibut, trolled for salmon, This was a great season. Check out this cool video our guests put together from their trip in July. We are already almost 80% booked for next season with returning guests, so I think everybody had a great time. Already looking forward to next year. And now, back to our Kootenay reports. Kootenay Lake: The lake remained productive throughout the summer months. Usually by the time August hits, the water temp has warmed up so much that the fish get lazy and the fishing slows down. However, this summer, the fishing remained good. July was consistent with lots of fish caught, and even some bigger Bull Trout to the net. And August, we were only fishing the mornings due to the heat, but most mornings produced a good number of fish. The Rainbows slowed down a bit during the hot, smokey days, but the Bull Trout kept everyone busy. One observation from this summer is that: the Rainbows and Bull Trout all seemed to have full bellies. Usually during the warmer months, our fish have empty stomachs and are a bit lethargic. However, this summer we found small Kokanee in their stomachs and the fish seemed more active than normal. Maybe something is changing in the lake, but what ever it is, we liked it. Hope to possibly see some bigger trout this fall if they continue to feed well. Despite the heat and the terrible smoke this summer, our guides did manage to have a pretty decent season. Lots of cancellations due to smoke, but still managed to get some groups out. And now that September is here and the weather has cooled, we look forward to the fishing getting even better and better. Stay tuned… Columbia River: Our guides kept busy on the lake mostly this summer, but when they did get out on the river, it produced very well. During July, the water remained high and the fish were moving around. We had some good days for Rainbow, and even a few Walleye throughout the month. And, throughout August we seemed to be catching more Walleye than Rainbow. Now that September is here, the Walleye are thick and the Rainbows are putting on the feedbags again. The cooler temperatures mean it’s feeding time. We should see more and more Walleye and expect to see some big Rainbows coming up. Stay tuned… What are they biting on??? Let’s start with what was killing it on the west coast. My favourite Gibbs/Delta spoons were the best for us. Skinny G was on fire, as well as the Kingfisher spoons in 3.0. Our favourite patterns were: cookies & cream, herring aid, maverick, white lightning. And for the bottom fish, we were slaying with the Jumbo anchovy in all colors. They seemed to work for everything. We caught: rock fish, ling cod, halibut, and salmon on the jigs. On Kootenay lake it’s been a mixed b

Hey Everybody, It’s June and seems like Summer is almost here. We had some pretty hot days to finish the month of May, and June has started off with some pretty hot weather as well. Although, the past few days have cooled off and feels more like spring again. In saying that, the water temperature warmed up to its optimal temp, and the fish have been feeding consistently. Here’s the latest report: Kootenay Lake: The water temperature has been perfect lately. Except for the screaming hot days, the fishing has been very consistent for us. We’ve seen some chunky Rainbows coming in lately, and a few big Bull Trout as well. The rainbows are still the average Kootenay size of 2 – 3 Lbs, but we’ve hooked a fewover 4 Lbs lately. However, the Bull Trout seem to finding some food and have been a bit larger. Biggest one being around 10 Lbs in the last few weeks. Watch for Kokanee Fry entering the lake at this time of year, and that should put the Bull Trout and bigger Rainbows into a bit of a feeding frenzy. We also had another flying ant hatch recently. This brought all the fish to the surface and fishing was fantastic for a few days while they were chomping. If you managed to time it right, the fish were gorging themselves. But, if you were a few days late to the party, then you would’ve noticed the fish were stuffed and not interested in eating for a few days. So, some mixed reports. A couple hot days of fishing, and then a couple slow days of fishing. It’s all about the timing. June is another of our favourite months on the lake and should continue to provide some good fishing until the water gets too warm. Stay tuned…. Lower Arrow Lake: Some fun fishing happening over on Arrow Lake right now as well. The Kokanee fishing has been very good, with limits of fish coming in a couple hours. Also, while Kokanee fishing, a lot of people are hooking into some decent Rainbows as well. It all makes for an exciting outing. With the good numbers of smaller Kokanee in the lake, the Bull Trout are also putting on the feedbags. One of our guys managed to land a beauty Bull around 16 Lbs the other day, as well as a bunch of smaller Bulls. Those are some quality fish. Kokanee fishing should remain good on the Arrow, and the Rainbow/Bull Trout fishing should be pretty decent until the weather gets too hot. So, get out there… Columbia River: The river has been producing some good Rainbows lately. Some of the most popular pools are providing some excellent fishing with nymphs. And, some good hatches have been happening lately as well and providing some good dry fly fishing. Rainbows between 16 – 24 inches have been the norm. Walleye fishing has been picking up a bit as well. There’s been a lot of boats out there on the fair weather days. Most Walleye between 16 – 20 inches as well, however there’s been a few bigger ones caught. My favourite Walleye fishing doesn’t begin until August/September, but there’s still a bunch out there to be caught at this time. West Coast Salmon/Halibut: We will be heading west with one of our boats real soon. The reports from our guide friends who are already fishing in Ucluelet have been great. The Salmon fishing has been hot. The fish are close to home and decent size. Halibut fishing has been good as well, with some great quality fish coming in. Can’t wait to get out there. We did have one cancellation for later in the summer, so have a couple days to fill if anyone is interested. It’s gonna be a great year! What are they biting on ??? Surface fishing is where it’s at. Kootenay Lake fish have been chomping on the bucktail flies during the choppy days. Our favorite colors lately have been the #15, #21, #26. We’re always running a couple bucktails on the surface, however our favourite spoons have been providing some killer action as well. It seems like the spoons work for the first couple hours of the day, then the flies turn on later in the day. Favourite spoons lately have been the Gibbs Delta Skinny ‘G’ in the Outfitter, No Bananas, and Herring Aid patterns. I like to run these spoons directly out the back of the boat and right on the surface. On the river, it’s been good fly fishing with an indicator and nymph. Also spin casting with 3/8oz Gibbs/Delta crocs has been providing some good fish. The Walleye have been coming in on the bottom bouncers or some of our yellow curly tail grubs. Fishing season is upon us, so let’s get out there! Tight lines….

The weather has been awesome, and the fishing has been awesomer! Haha, a little humour never hurt anyone. With this great, spring weather, we have been spending plenty of time on the water. So, here’s your latest fishing report: Kootenay Lake: The creeks are flowing and the water levels are rising. This is the beginning of our spring fishery. With the levels rising and new food items appearing in the water daily, the fish are starting to come alive. It’s like a switch just turned on. A week ago, the fishing seemed spotty, but we had a few good days. However, this week seems like the fish have put the feed bags on. A couple great days with over 20 fish to the boat has made for some new found excitement. It seems that all the fish are looking up. So, our presentation has been mainly on the surface. Our trolling speeds are picking up, which makes for some exciting hits. The fish have to commit when you’re trolling faster, so expect some screaming reels. With travel restrictions in place, we have been mostly taking out some local, family groups. And what fun it has been. One day last week we celebrated an 18th birthday with a family and they were rewarded with plenty of action. Mostly Rainbows right now, however the odd Bull Trout is making an appearance. The next trip out, we celebrated a 7th birthday with a family, and again were rewarded with some awesome fish and lots of excitement. These trips are becoming some of our favourite trips. With lots of excitement and lots of memories being made. A typical day on the lake lately has seen up to 20 Rainbows between 2 – 4 Lbs, and the odd Bull Trout up to 10 Lbs. The water temperature hasn’t quite reached that optimal number, so we’re really looking forward to what the next month has in store for us. New this spring: look for some tagged Rainbows and Bull Trout that may have some reward tags in them. Fisheries is conducting a project to help collect data in hopes that these tagged fish will be reported by the fishermen. Keep your eyes peeled for the orange or green tags that could be worth some $$. Just need to clip the tag off and phone in with your tag number. The fish can be kept or released. May and June are my favourite months of the spring fishery. So, stay tuned… Columbia River: The river is still low and the fish are still holding in the usual spots. Fly fishing for Rainbows has been good using indicators with nymphs, as well as swinging a woolly bugger on a sinking line. Most tail outs are producing well and some of the bigger fish have moved into the deeper holes. This is big fish season on the Columbia. The Walleye fishing has been hit and miss, but we’re still getting a few right now. It’s always a bit slower around the spawn time. They should begin feeding again soon, and it will only get better and better as the summer goes along. May and June are always nice days to float the river. What are they biting on??? On the lake the Rainbows are coming to life and everything is on the surface. Our favourite techniques are buck tailing on top, or dragging spoons a couple feet down. Lately its been a quick morning bite on the Gibbs/Delta croc, and then later in the day switching up to the buck tails. Our favourite croc has switched to the Gibbs/Delta Brass/Fire wing. Its been hammering the bows. And the lucky numbers for our flies have been #**hidden content**, and 226. The Bull Trout have been fewer, but starting to see some quality ones. They have been slowly coming to the surface as well. In fact, we’ve been catching a few on the Gibbs/Delta Skinny G trolled long line with a couple ounce weight. Our favourite colors have been the ‘Outfitter’, ‘Irish cream’, and ‘No Bananas’. Usually the Bulls don’t spend too much time up top, but this water temperature is prime for them to come up. They will retreat back down to the depths once the water warms a bit more. We’re also catching them on the down riggers between 100ft and 150ft. Best presentation has been the Highliner flasher in Lemon lime or STS pattern, followed by the green hoochie. On the River, its been a mix of fly fishing and spin casting. The shore fishermen are having luck with the Gibbs bottom bouncer with bait. And, on the boat, its been good swinging flies for Rainbows or bottom bouncing for Walleye. Hope this helps with your next adventures. Tight lines….. Captain Kerry Reed