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Stillwater Update
It has been an interesting spring fishing season in the Kamloops area. We had a good snowpack and a cool, wet spring which has seen many lakes fill almost to record high levels. While good for the general aquatic ecology of the lake, this large amount of water flushing through has kept water temperatures down. This has slowed the intensity of the chironomid emergences and we have been seeing quite sporatic hatches. It has been common to have a good but short emergence one day and almost nothing the next. We are finally getting some warmer weather trends so the chironomid emergences should become more predictable. Some lower elevation lakes are seeing some good callibaetis mayfly emergences as well.
We had some good deepwater chironomid fishing this past weekend at Roche Lake. By deep I mean anchoring in 32 ft of water and suspending #16 and #18 pupa 3 ft off the bottom. It is not easy casting 30 ft of leader plus an indicator. Really wide, slow casting strokes and short overall casts ie. 30 ft is enough to hook fish.
I also wanted to let you know that Phil Rowley and I have opened an online store that has consolidated our flies, books, DVD’s, stirke indicators and jig hooks. Follow the link to the store from my website. Phil and I will be adding more products for the stillwater fly fisher as we test them out.
Have a great spring season on the water!
Filed under: On the Waters
Nice post thanks for sharing with us.
stillwater fly fishing british columbia
Comments on lake trout in Bridge lake
From what I can see the lake trout population in Bridge lake has really grown to the point where they are now very abundant. I would think the char are feeding heavily on the juvenile kokanee in the lake. I am not surprised that you are seeing lakers in the shallow water prior to any significant numbers of rainbow or kokanee. I suspect you will see the rainbows and kokanee on the shoals as soon as the heavy mayfly emergences begin. This lake is famous for abundant mayfly hatches. The kokanee may not venture into as shallow water as the lake trout are but expect to find them in water 15 to 20 feet in depth. Best is yet to come for Bridge lake rainbows and koknee!!
I was at Bridge last weekend and experienced the same thing. Caught only lakers on chronomids and mayfly nymphs. Hooked one small Kokanee that made one jump and came off.
Also there were hardly any signs of rainbows or Kokanee.
Does anyone have suggestions as to where to find the rainbows and Kokanee in Bridge?
Hello Brian,
Curiosity got the better of me last weekend, so I headed off to Bridge Lake with visions of monster kokanee cruising the shoals. Alas, it was not to be. Instead the shoal at the west end of the big island was teeming with dozens if not hundreds of…(drum roll) lake trout, er, char, in 2 to 12 feet of water! Mostly 2 – 5 lbs or so, with some much larger. No obvious spawning behaviour either, just chowing down on vast numbers of #20 and smaller chironomids. Go figure. Saw a few (very few) fish among them that could have been kokanee or ‘bows, but hooked only lakers. Boring, but fascinating in a weird sort of way. All the best.