DECEMBER 2020 - KOOTENAY LAKE FISHING REPORT


NEEDLESS TO SAY THE WALLEYE ON MY FACEBOOK POSTING ON THE

RIGHT WAS NOT CAUGHT ON KOOTENAY LAKE , BUT WAS CAUGHT BY STEVEN'S GRANDSON .  YOU CAN SEE TRUCK TIRE MARKS ON THE ICE SO YOU KNOW THE LOCATION IS A LONG WAYS NORTH OF HERE . NO HAND AUGERS ARE BEING USED HERE . I REMEMBER HAVING TO ADD AN EXTENSION ON TO MY POWER AUGER TO GET THROUGH THE ICE. WITH COVID TRAVELLING RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE WE HAVE NOT BEEN DOING ANY CHARTERS ON KOOTENAY LAKE . THIS PHOTO DEFINITELY INSPIRES US TO GET OUT AND DO SOME ICE FISHING . NO PROBLEM STAYING 6FT. APART IN THIS SPORT .


NOVEMBER 2020- KOOTENAY LAKE FISHING REPORT


NOVEMBER WEATHER KICKED IN WITH COOLER WINDY DAYS AND

AS EXPECTED OUR CHARTERS FELL OFF . AS YOU CAN SEE ON OUR FACEBOOK POSTING ON THE RIGHT WE WERE CATCHING BULL TROUT 

UP TO 25 INCHES , OR 60 CM . LONG . WE PULLED OUR BAYLINER OUT AND STORED IT IN OUR HEATED SHOP FOR THE  WINTER . DURING THE WINTER MONTHS WE LINE UP CHARTERS ON KOOTENAY LAKE WITH LICENSED ANGLING GUIDE - STEVEN RAKESTRAW , WHO WILL TAKE YOU OUT IN HIS 18.5 FT THUNDER JET , WHICH HAS A PROPANE HEATER INSIDE .


OCTOBER 2020 - KOOTENAY LAKE FISHING REPORT


OCTOBER STARTED OUT WITH BLUE SKYS, SUNSHINE  AND WARM TEMPERATURES AND ENDED UP WITH CLOUDY , WINDY  , COOL WEATHER TOWARDS THE END OF THE MONTH . AS ONE WOULD 

EXPECT WATER TEMPERATURES CONTINUED TO DROP AND ACTIVITY LEVELS IMPROVED , WITH US CATCHING BULL TROUT 3 TO 5 LBS.

AND RAINBOWS 2.5 TO 3.5 LBS. WE OBSERVED FISH LINED UP ON THERMOCLINES AT 80FT AND RAN OUR DOWN RIGGERS SET FOR

THIS DEPTH AND  CAUGHT BULL TROUT PRIMARILY . OUR RAINBOWS

WERE CAUGHT MAINLY  OFF THE SURFACE BEHIND OUR PLANER BOARDS . YOU CAN SEE SOME OF OUR CATCHES ON OUR FACEBOOK POSTINGS ON THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN. 



SEPTEMBER 2020- KOOTENAY LAKE FISHING REPORT


SEPTEMBER WAS ANOTHER MONTH OF FUN ON KOOTENAY LAKE .

WE HAD A LOT OF SUNNY CALM DAYS ON KOOTENAY LAKE , AND

AS THE WATER TEMPERATURES STARTED TO COME DOWN TOWARDS THE END OF THE MONTH ACTIVITY LEVELS INCREASED WITH US CATCHING MORE RAINBOWS OFF THE SURFACE . WE CONTINUED CATCHING BULL TROUT OFF OF OUR DOWN RIGGERS . AS THE 

WEATHER COOLS DOWN , OUR 30FT. BAYLINER WITH ITS FULL HEATED CABIN , BATHROOM , AND COVERED FISHING AREA 

BECOMES THE IDEAL CHARTER BOAT . FROM OUR FACEBOOK 

POSTINGS , YOU CAN SEE OUR CLIENTS ENJOYED THEIR DAY AND

THE RAINBOWS AND BULL TROUT THEY HAD FUN CATCHING . 

KOOTENAY WILD WILL BE PLACING OUR BAYLINER INTO STORAGE 

MID NOVEMBER SO WE SUGGEST YOU CONSIDER A BOOKING IN THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF NOVEMBER .


​AUGUST 2020 - KOOTENAY LAKE FISHING REPORT


AUGUST WAS THE MONTH FOR PUTTING SMILES ON CLIENTS FOR ​KOOTENAY WILD . WE HAD BEAUTIFUL SUNNY DAYS WITH CALM WATERS AND ON MOST DAYS WE WERE REWARDED WITH RAINBOWS AND BULL TROUT ON OUR DOWN RIGGERS THAT EXCEEDED 20" OR  50CM . YOU CAN SEE OUR RESULTS ON OUR FACEBOOK POSTINGS . 

WE HAD MANY NEW CLIENTS TRAVELLING THE WEST KOOTENAYS FOR THE FIRST TIME , WHO STAYED AT KOOTENAY WILD'S GUEST SUITES FOR THEIR ACCOMMODATION , AND ENJOYED THEIR DAY FISHING ONBOARD OUR 30 FT. BAYLINER . WE HAD A NUMBER OF GRAND PARENTS THAT CHOSE KOOTENAY WILD FOR THEIR CHARTER AND WERE REWARDED WITH HAPPY GRAND CHILDREN . 


JULY 2020 - KOOTENAY LAKE FISHING REPORT

July started off with some cooler weather and some rainy days , but along came summer , everyone decided they wanted to travel BC , and get out and enjoy Kootenay Lake . Our 30ft Bayliner was  a favourite choice for families , having a full cabin & bathroom , an upper deck and a​ covered fishing platform . We had a number of large groups up to a maximum of 6 . We were catching mostly rainbows off the surface and bull trout on our down - riggers . A number of rainbows and bull trout were caught exceeding 50cm (20") . Even though our water temperatures reached 70F or 20 C , towards the end of July we still pulled in some nice fish .


JUNE 2020 - WEST KOOTENAY FISHING REPORTS

Families have decided to vacation in BC and come out and enjoy a day on Kootenay Lake . This June our weather ​was less than desirable , but your always comfortable and safe in our 30ft. Bayliner . We have requests for fishing charters , fishing charter / tour combo's , and West Arm / Kootenay Lake Boat Tours . We have been experiencing high water levels as one would expect this time of year . With our cooler than average weather the water temperatures are staying cool , which should result in better fishing for the month of July . 


MAY 2020 - WEST KOOTENAY FISHING REPORTS

Once again due to Covid - 19 virus concerns , travelling restrictions prevented our return customers from coming our way , but we did go out , as you can see on our May 13th Facebook posting , for a partial day and our guest ​had an enjoyable day catching rainbows . Due to a very rapid rise in the water levels there was a lot of debris floating in the water in the later part of May , making fishing more difficult. Currently the water has cleaned up and as you can see on the photo on the right , taken today , the rainbows are biting . Our tourists have decided to come back to the Kootenays and we are booking charters ​for the second half of June on into our summer months .


APRIL 2020 - WEST KOOTENAY FISHING REPORTS 

Due to Covid - 19 virus concerns , no charters we conducted by Kootenay Wild , but we did conduct our annual spring adventure up to Duncan Lake , and had a very enjoyable day on the lake . You can review our April 9th Facebook posting on the right hand column . Bull Trout are the main event and we had fun catching and releasing in a beautiful mountain setting . The bull trout I brought home I filleted out and was surprised at how dark red the flesh was and it lasted me four meals . I have never tasted better fish and never encountered a single bone . Kootenay Wild anticipates conducting charters in the month of May on Kootenay Lake .


MARCH 2020 - KOOTENAY FISHING REPORTS 

​With the Covid-19 virus in the picture , my time was spent ​in my shop doing taxidermy projects , and not doing charters . I did a posting on the right doing a comparison between a bull trout replica that I recently completed and a Duncan Lake Bull Trout , angling guide Steven is holding . The replica was intentionally made lighter as per the clients request . Replicas are bone white to begin with  and when painted are never as perfect as the real fish . Depending on where the fish is caught and the time of year one can observe significant colour variations for the same species .


JANUARY 2020 - FEBRUARY - KOOTENAY FISHING REPORT

Cold weather and snow made for great skiing and working on Taxidermy projects but very little fishing was done , as is normal for Kootenay Wild at this time of year . Typically ​the very cold water temperatures slows the feeding patterns down and in general the fish are less active .  The end result is " one day its chicken but most days it's feathers" . Typically the rainbows are coming in 2 to 3 lbs. ​and the bull trout are in the 2 to 5 lb. range , on their feeding days . Currently I am doing a replica on a bull trout that was 30" long and a girth of 18 ".


DECEMBER 2019 - WEST KOOTENAY FISHING REPORT 

In the month of December more time has been spent on snow removal than on fishing on Kootenay Lake . We have had so much snow that I have gotten little taxidermy done either . Every time we have had a heavy snow fall we end up with the power being off and then we have to run our generator . We are hoping to get out in January and do more fishing . On our December outings we caught rainbows in the 2 to 3.5 lb. range primarily , trolling on the surface . We did not catch that many bull trout trolling . We are planning on jigging for bull trout in January .


NOVEMBER 2019 -WEST KOOTENAY FISHING REPORT

​We enjoyed a great month with weather on our side on every outing . Towards the beginning of the month , as your can see on our Facebook posting on the right , we were catching two bull trout for every  rainbow , with the trout pushing into the 20 inch range . You can also see from our pictures , the beautiful coloration the rainbows have with the colder water temperatures . On our Nov. 21st Facebook posting , you can see the rainbows  we have been catching are fuller in the body on average . Towards the end of the month rainbows on the surface were ​predominant over Bull trout on the down riggers . 


OCTOBER 2019 -WEST KOOTENAY FISHING REPORT

We are into our wonderful fall season with all the colourful  shorelines . With the cooler weather water temperatures continued to drop and we caught predominantly rainbows off the surface and bull trout off our down riggers , that can be viewed in our Facebook postings .  Our 30 ft. Bayliner with it's full heated cabin and head is ideal for conducting charters in cooler weather . Our insurance​ allows us to take up to 7 passengers , so we end up doing a lot of ​charters for family birthday celebrations and company outings . We are looking forward to fishing in November , anticipating larger fish . Our largest rainbow caught to date in our bayliner is 22lbs. landed  in the month of November .


SEPTEMBER 2019 - WEST KOOTENAY FISHING REPORT

By the end of September water temperatures dropped to ​58F and activity levels increased dramatically . As you can see on our Facebook postings on the right we were successful in catching rainbows , in the 2 to 3 lb. range ​primarily . On our last charter our clients from the USA  fished with us on Kootenay Lake for three days and took back 20 rainbows - cleaned , wrapped and frozen in their cooler . No matter what the weather is like , you are comfortable in our 30 ft. Bayliner with its' full heated cabin ​and bathroom and will enjoy your barbecued lunch on board . Kootenay Wild has three suites available as well​for your accommodation .


AUGUST 2019 - WEST KOOTENAY FISHING REPORT 

As one would expect , in August ,  with the heat kicking in , Nelson broke 100 degrees F. or 38 degrees C . and Kootenay Lake water temperature broke 70 degrees F. or 21 Degrees C. As a consequence , we had some fabulous hot  sunny days on the water , but the fishing results ended up being somewhat unpredictable . One day was chicken and the next day was feathers , so to speak , but my clients all enjoyed just being out for the day on Kootenay Lake . As you can see from our Facebook posting on the right , our fish size also fell off to 2.5 to 3 lb. Towards the end of the month , activity levels started picking up ​with us catching up to 10 fish / day and keeping about 5 . We are anticipating water temperatures to start declining in September and activity levels to pick up.


JULY 2019 - WEST KOOTENAY FISHING REPORT

Kootenay Lake kicked off with Kokanee Fishing on July 1st and 2nd in the West Arm . The main harbour and Sunshine bay were full of boats and a great time was had by all the participants. ​We had a mixed bag weather wise for the month that had an impact on the lake in keeping the temperatures in the low 60's and helping the fishing activity . Rainbows were caught in the 3 to 4 lb. range and bull trout in the 3 to 5 lb. range . No matter what the weather conditions are like , our 30 ft. Bayliner has everyone fishing comfortably all day long . Photo's from our reports can be viewed on the right off our Facebook postings 


JUNE 2019 - WEST KOOTENAY FISHING REPORT

How nice it was to have summer temperatures and great days fishing both on Kootenay's main lake and on the West Arm. With water temperatures increasing to the mid 50's F. , the surface activity was excellent resulting in more fish . We caught ​a number of rainbows exceeding 50cent. or 20 ". Your typical rainbows were 2 to 3 lbs. , with some 3.5 to 4.5 lbs. Your typical bull trout were 3 to 4 lbs. , with a few up to 8 lbs. As you can see ​from my Facebook postings on the right we caught some nice fish in the Arm and on the main lake .



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230 Mountain View Drive, Nelson, BC, V1L 0A7

Fishing Reports for kootenay Lake, Duncan Lake, trout lake and the west kootenay region.

Kootenay Wild Outdoor Sportsman Services Ltd.