Short Version (for those that just like photos): 4 days, only 1 lake fished, 41 rainbows caught, 8 kept, and biggest wild rainbow of the year.
Full Report: First fall BC trip for me since 2021 when our annual trip got pushed from July to September due to COVID. My PB rainbow trout was caught on that 2021 trip, so I was hopeful for more big wild rainbows this time around (no triploids!). We slogged through Seattle traffic Friday afternoon and made it to a Kamloops motel by 10pm.
We rolled into camp on Saturday morning, grabbed bagged lunch and boat keys, and headed out to our favorite lake. The day started slow with snow flurries and only 4 fish before late afternoon...trolling leeches and FABs was not working like it had on my last fall visit. Late afternoon I was plying the shallows with bloodworm and microleech flies under my indicators and I finally got hot with 5 fish in 45 minutes including a 21" fish with a girth of 12" that weighed in at 3lb-14oz. Great way to finish the first day.
Sunday morning was frosty and the local spruce grouse were out. With a sunny day in the forecast we headed back to our lake. Slow again in the morning, but after 11am I started seeing my bobber go down in the shallows. I worked my way along the shore picking up the occasional fish. Mid-afternoon I spotted a good-sized fish cruising and got it to take my balanced leech on the first cast (3lb+). I settled into a downwind bay and the bobber started going down every cast. I picked up a 22" beauty that looked just short of 4lbs (released...saving for something bigger) and then another 3lb+ fish. My dad joined me in the bay and picked up the 3lb fish pictured below. I found another bay in the late afternoon that put out another 5 fish including a 21", 3.5lb fish that I released. With 15 total fish and 4 of them over 3lbs it was definitely one of my best days ever on the lake.
Monday was the day that we had planned for a more remote lake, but with rain and high winds forecasted we ended up defaulting back to our favorite. The day started slow and I only had 2 to the net by noon. I rolled into the 1st bay that had been hot for me the day before, but after about 15 minutes I'd only had a few bobber downs that I'd missed. Then my bobber went down hard in about 6' of water and contrails of bubbles were the only sign of it as my line streaked toward the middle of the lake. I was deep into my backing within a few seconds and my dad recommended pulling anchor (easier said than done with one hand)...I decided to keep focus on the fish and I was able to get it turned with 10-20% of my backing remaining. It made a few more runs, but at that point I knew I had it as long as the hook held...only question was how big it would be since we still hadn't seen it. It was surreal to see the size of it as I brought it up from the depths into the net...measured in at 26.5" and 14" girth. I went on a cold streak breaking off the next few fish and only catching one fish the rest of the day for a total of 4...sometimes the toughest days yield the best prizes. We weighed the fish in at 6.5lbs...biggest fish of the year in camp!!! I joined camp operator Rob for the cleaning to see what the fish had been eating...surprisingly there was nothing in the stomach other than a few very small shrimp. Looking back, one of the coolest things about catching this fish was having my dad anchored nearby to witness it and celebrate with me...the few bigger fish I've caught at the camp were when I was alone on the lake.
For our last day of fishing on Tuesday we landed back at the same lake hoping lightning would strike twice. I had early morning success for the first time with 4 fish before 11am on balanced leeches. The wind had been from the SE all week, but this day it switched to from the NE. On a hunch I decided to try a bay that hadn't been productive earlier in the week, but was now downwind. As I rolled in I spotted a school cruising the shallows. I anchored as close as possible without spooking them and started with a balanced leech...too much splash. I switched to a booby fly and had one rise before I pulled it under, but it missed and I got no further interest. Finally, I tried stripping leeches with an intermediate line...bingo! I picked up a few and watched as now 50+ fish in the 2lb+ range were cruising the shallows (only visible during sunny or calm moments). My dad joined and we each picked up a handful. Most of the time a cast to a single fish would be ignored, but a cast to a group would cause the fish to compete for our flies...one of the best shallow water sight fishing afternoons I can remember. I picked up a few more under the indicator in the late afternoon for a total of 13...not a bad day on a tough lake.
Wednesday we rolled out of camp before 6am. We were the last guests to depart for the year and the fall colors had definitely come in during our stay in camp. Made it through Seattle before traffic picked up. Home in time to get the smoked trout packaged (with dogs waiting at feet for scraps) and enjoy some postseason baseball. Overall it was a great experience putting my fall fishing tactics to use.
Full Report: First fall BC trip for me since 2021 when our annual trip got pushed from July to September due to COVID. My PB rainbow trout was caught on that 2021 trip, so I was hopeful for more big wild rainbows this time around (no triploids!). We slogged through Seattle traffic Friday afternoon and made it to a Kamloops motel by 10pm.
We rolled into camp on Saturday morning, grabbed bagged lunch and boat keys, and headed out to our favorite lake. The day started slow with snow flurries and only 4 fish before late afternoon...trolling leeches and FABs was not working like it had on my last fall visit. Late afternoon I was plying the shallows with bloodworm and microleech flies under my indicators and I finally got hot with 5 fish in 45 minutes including a 21" fish with a girth of 12" that weighed in at 3lb-14oz. Great way to finish the first day.
Sunday morning was frosty and the local spruce grouse were out. With a sunny day in the forecast we headed back to our lake. Slow again in the morning, but after 11am I started seeing my bobber go down in the shallows. I worked my way along the shore picking up the occasional fish. Mid-afternoon I spotted a good-sized fish cruising and got it to take my balanced leech on the first cast (3lb+). I settled into a downwind bay and the bobber started going down every cast. I picked up a 22" beauty that looked just short of 4lbs (released...saving for something bigger) and then another 3lb+ fish. My dad joined me in the bay and picked up the 3lb fish pictured below. I found another bay in the late afternoon that put out another 5 fish including a 21", 3.5lb fish that I released. With 15 total fish and 4 of them over 3lbs it was definitely one of my best days ever on the lake.
Monday was the day that we had planned for a more remote lake, but with rain and high winds forecasted we ended up defaulting back to our favorite. The day started slow and I only had 2 to the net by noon. I rolled into the 1st bay that had been hot for me the day before, but after about 15 minutes I'd only had a few bobber downs that I'd missed. Then my bobber went down hard in about 6' of water and contrails of bubbles were the only sign of it as my line streaked toward the middle of the lake. I was deep into my backing within a few seconds and my dad recommended pulling anchor (easier said than done with one hand)...I decided to keep focus on the fish and I was able to get it turned with 10-20% of my backing remaining. It made a few more runs, but at that point I knew I had it as long as the hook held...only question was how big it would be since we still hadn't seen it. It was surreal to see the size of it as I brought it up from the depths into the net...measured in at 26.5" and 14" girth. I went on a cold streak breaking off the next few fish and only catching one fish the rest of the day for a total of 4...sometimes the toughest days yield the best prizes. We weighed the fish in at 6.5lbs...biggest fish of the year in camp!!! I joined camp operator Rob for the cleaning to see what the fish had been eating...surprisingly there was nothing in the stomach other than a few very small shrimp. Looking back, one of the coolest things about catching this fish was having my dad anchored nearby to witness it and celebrate with me...the few bigger fish I've caught at the camp were when I was alone on the lake.
For our last day of fishing on Tuesday we landed back at the same lake hoping lightning would strike twice. I had early morning success for the first time with 4 fish before 11am on balanced leeches. The wind had been from the SE all week, but this day it switched to from the NE. On a hunch I decided to try a bay that hadn't been productive earlier in the week, but was now downwind. As I rolled in I spotted a school cruising the shallows. I anchored as close as possible without spooking them and started with a balanced leech...too much splash. I switched to a booby fly and had one rise before I pulled it under, but it missed and I got no further interest. Finally, I tried stripping leeches with an intermediate line...bingo! I picked up a few and watched as now 50+ fish in the 2lb+ range were cruising the shallows (only visible during sunny or calm moments). My dad joined and we each picked up a handful. Most of the time a cast to a single fish would be ignored, but a cast to a group would cause the fish to compete for our flies...one of the best shallow water sight fishing afternoons I can remember. I picked up a few more under the indicator in the late afternoon for a total of 13...not a bad day on a tough lake.
Wednesday we rolled out of camp before 6am. We were the last guests to depart for the year and the fall colors had definitely come in during our stay in camp. Made it through Seattle before traffic picked up. Home in time to get the smoked trout packaged (with dogs waiting at feet for scraps) and enjoy some postseason baseball. Overall it was a great experience putting my fall fishing tactics to use.
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