No boat, No waders, No problem
Jacko Lake - November 10

by Ron W
(Kamloops)

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Walter lives in Jacko Lake Sept 27

by Ron W
(Kamloops)

I started the morning up in the Laclejeune area. Looked at Lodgepole but there was a camp of what looked to be tree planters set up all around the lake so I gave it a pass. I foolishly decided to give McConnell another try. There was very little moving and I didn’t see a single boatman flying or in the water . The other fishermen on the lake didn't seem to be catching anything either. After a few hours of futility I left in disgust and decided to go to Jacko Lake.

At Jacko I saw a few boatman and fish moving along with a lot of fishermen on the water. I also saw some nice fish being caught. I caught a small one on a boatman and lost another on the sinking line before it happened.

My V boat jerked around as if hit by a sudden gust of wind and started moving. This struck me as very odd since the wind was calm at the time. I realized a big fish was pulling my floating line which was secured across my float boat under my stripping apron. I had a flashback to the scene from JAWS where the harpooned shark takes the boat for a ride. As soon as I got the rod in my hand the fish went on a run deep into my backing and I was helpless to stop it. At this point I knew I had a monster. The fish didn’t so much jump as breach when it came up. I could see that it was incredibly fat as it rolled at the surface. After towing me around and a few more runs it tired and I managed to bring it near the boat. It was too big for my net and had a distinctive red stripe and mild spawning colour so I decided to try to let it go . Fortunately the boatman wasn’t buried too deep and I managed to position the fish across my legs while I took the hook out. It took a while to revive before it swam off.

A few years back I caught a 27 inch fish on Jacko that weighed 7 pounds. This fish was clearly bigger and very thick and deep. I would estimate it at 30 inches long and in the 10+ pound class.

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KAMLOOPS AREA LAKES

BC Fishing Resorts

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Brookies School at "Red Lake" - June 4

by Ron W
(Kamloops)

Took the road to Red Lake in the hazy morning sunshine. I was impressed with the California Big Horn sheep on both sides of the road just up the hill from Tranquille. I wasn't as impressed with the access to Red Lake. There is only one small pullout area with a rough boat launch and no facilities.

Fortunately for me the "brook trout" were rising and swimming in a large school just in front of the launch area. If they had been at the other end of the lake I would have been in big trouble. I'm kicking a float boat and wouldn't have had the horsepower to search out the fish.

I started fishing with a leech but couldn't get a bite despite all the fish around me. I switched to a chromie chironomid on the sinking line and had a bite every 10 minutes or so. The fish weren't large, but they were chunky. I would have thought that with all the competition for food they would have been skinnier, but they seemed well fed. I've never fished for Brook trout seriously before and was suprised by the size of the school. There are also rainbow trout in the lake but I didn't manage to hook any.

Kamloops Area Lakes
Duffy Lake- morning May 29

by Ron W
(Kamloops)

The weather forecast was hot and windy for the afternoon so my mission was to catch fish early and often. I arrived at the "Duffy lake - KamloopsAreaLakew\" around 8:30 and started trolling and casting a big black leech on a sinking line along the dropoff. There were hundreds of chironomid husks on the surface and a few hatching off.

I went with the bigger is better theory. A fish would have to inhale a hundred chironomids to match the nutritional value of one big juicy leech. My theory seemed to pay off as I had a strike approx every 15 minutes. I solidly hooked six fish, landing four of them for the morning. The largest was just over 22 inches and I would guess weighed somewhere between 4 and 5 pounds. I was off the water by 11:00 am just before the wind started to kick up.

Kamloops Area Lakes
Badger and Spooney - May 27

by Ron W
(Kamloops)

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First time on these lakes so wasn't sure what to expect. Kicked across Badger and got to the Spooney back-channel around 10:00 am. I noticed that there were a number of dead fish in the shallows so I surmised that there had been a partial winter kill. Also observed at least seven eagles soaring over the north end of Badger. Thought this might be a bad sign of more dead fish. It turns out that there is a small creek at the north end of Badger that the fish use to spawn. The eagles are opportunists and pick off the spawners.

Very small chironomids were coming off steadily with the odd fish rising. I tried casting a leech on the sinking line while I let a chironomid dangle on the floating line. After about half an hour a small fish managed to hook himself on the chironomid (black with red ribs). He was chunky and in good condition.

I spent the next hour or so exploring the handle and "spoon" section of Spooney. It's quite shallow in spots and is full of cattails/ bullrushes so there is plenty of bird life in the reeds. Also observed some large shrimp and snails in the shallows. I thought that this smorgasbord of rich food could produce big fish.

I re-emerged into Badger near the Southern end into a cloud of chironomids. Tried a very small (size 18) black and silver on the sinking line and almost immediately hooked a nice fish. He went airborne and threw the hook. Then got a strike on the floating line and played a very energetic 18 inch fish. Even though he had spawning colours he jumped four times and put up a good battle.

After I released him the wind started to pick up and I decided to let it blow me back to the north end. Usually I have to fight the wind in both directions but the wind was blowing from the south all day. I noticed a few mayflies hatching off so I tried trolling the mayfly nymph on the sinking line. Got a strike and then hooked an acrobatic fish that managed to get off after going airborne a number of times.

Before I left I talked to a fisherman who had been camped at Badger all week. He told me it had been very slow and he had only caught six fish over 5 days. Spoke with another couple who had been trolling and they didn't catch anything.

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Kamloops Area Lakes
Dependable Duffy Lake
Doesn't Disappoint - May 25

by Ron W
(Kamloops)

Duffy Lake is one of those rare lakes where I usually catch a fish or have some bites. This is in contrast to lakes like Lodgepole Lake where I'm skunked most of the time.

The downside to Duffy Lake is that the fish aren't that big. Most are in the 10 to 15 inch range. Maybe 10% are 16 to 20 inches in length. Fish above 20 inches are few and far between. Duffy is stocked with triploids so most of the fish are prime silver. Spawners are extremely rare.

Duffy and the nearby roads and trails are very popular with dirt bikers and ATV enthusiasts. When they are buzzing around on their machines it sounds like a thousand angry mosquitoes on steroids.

I started fishing around 9 am and had a strike about every 15 minutes. My leech had a dull hook so I didn't get a solid hookup on my first 6 attempts. I was using a black leech with a bit of green dazzle and stripping it quickly. After changing to a newer leech I managed to catch and release a couple of small ones.

I also caught a few small ones using a black chironomid. Around 10:30 I managed to land a 15 inch fish and then caught a slightly bigger one. Both of them had small black chironomids in their stomachs.

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Jacko Lake - May 15
In Search of a Friday Fish Meal

by Ron W
(Kamloops)

It had been over a week since I'd had a fish for dinner and I felt the need to enhance my brain functions with Omega 3 fatty acids. I headed up to Jacko Lake in the morning and was on the lake around 8:30. The lake was almost dead calm which was a pleasant change from the gale force winds that have been raging this spring.

There were spawners splashing in the boat launch area but not much activity elsewhere. There were a few chironimids coming off along with tiny "no-see-ums" that I couldn't identify. Strangely, the swallows were almost completely absent. I tried a shrimp, a bloodworm and a chironomid without any success. I caught lots of weeds but nothing else.

Finally I went to my most reliable fish producer, "Chan's Ruby eyed leech" on the sinking line. I enjoy fishing the leech because there's really no wrong way to retrieve. Everything from dead drift to quick strips has produced fish for me at various times. Because Jacko is so weedy and filled with debris I find casting and retrieving much better than trolling. That way I am continually checking the hook for weeds and clearing it with each cast.

Around 10:00 I hooked and landed a silver slab approx 16 inches long. It's stomach was full of shrimp with the odd chironimid mixed in. Around 11:00 I caught a 15 inch fish and started to head in to shore. I talked with a few other fishermen who described the fishing as slow. I left at noon and 20 minutes later the fish were sizzling in the frypan.

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White Lake - May 13
Kamloops Area Lakes

by Ron W
(Kamloops)

I made the one hour drive to White Lake in the morning with the hopes that the weather would hold. As I got to the Shuswap I saw some threatening clouds but it wasn't raining. I launched my pontoon boat at the day use site in the southwest part of the lake (first part of the lake you see). The rain was holding off and there were half a dozen boats in the bay.

White Lake has been through turnover and the water is crystal clear. It really is a nice lake with green treed hills on the sides and snow capped mountains in the distance. There are white bottomed shoals(marl) and weed beds all around the shoreline and the water is various shades of blue and green depending on the depth and bottom cover. A couple of red winged blackbirds were noisily attempting to drive off a great blue heron from their nest in the reeds as I started fishing.

There were numerous chironimids coming off, mostly small, with the odd big one mixed in. I noticed that a few of the folks anchored in deeper water were catching fish on what I guessed were chironimids. I was having trouble trying to gauge the depth of the water because of the clarity.

I had no success on the floating line so eventually tried the sinking line. I finally managed to catch and release a small (approx 12 inch) fish. After another hour of catching nothing I switched to a small leech. Almost immediately I hooked a larger fish. As I brought it closer to the net I could see that it was a nice chunky fish approx 16 inches in length. I was picturing it fried with onions and served with rice and beans when it gave a final frantic twist with a head shake and threw the hook. It lives to fight another day and I'm having wieners for dinner. Perhaps I'll apply more pressure next time and wait until after it's in the net to make dinner plans.

I had a few more strikes on the leech but didn't manage to make a solid hookup. As I was leaving the lake around 1:00 pm I noticed small mayflies coming off. I talked with a fisherman who had caught and released at least half a dozen and he told me he had been using a small mayfly nymph fished close to the bottom. If I had been more observant earlier I would have given that a try.

I saw several small fish rising throughout the morning and most of the fishermen nearby managed to hook some fish. From what I saw, I would say there are lots of fish in White Lake in the 10" to 17 inch range, but the big ones were making themselves scarce. I'm guessing they would be hard to fool due to the very clear water.

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Learn from the Legend

"The Pleasure of His Company - The Fishing Diaries of Jack Shaw"

A Great Present for Dad!
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Jacko Lake

Morning of May 6

by Ron W
(Kamloops)

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When I was at Jacko Lake last week the water was very muddy and the lake had turned over. My thinking was that the lake should have settled by now and that the fishing would be improving. When I arrived at the lake around 9:00am there were already a number of fishermen on the lake and others launching their boats. I recognized a local fly fishing guide and author so I reckoned that I was at the right place.

When I left at noon there were approximately 20 vehicles parked around the boat launch area and Brian Chan from Fisheries BC showed up with a cameraman. I talked to the cameraman and he told me they were filming 5 minute segments for Shaw TV called Go Fish BC that will air in June and feature interior lakes.
The weather was relatively calm compared to the gale force winds we have been experiencing lately. The water clarity had improved over last week. When I launched my pontoon boat around 9:30 there were hundreds of swallows darting and skimming over the water near the shoreline. I took this as a sign the chironomids were hatching although I had a hard time seeing them. They were quite tiny. I tried casting a leech on a sinking line while I let a chironomid dangle on my floating line. Around 10am a fish managed to hook itself on the rod I wasn't holding. I landed a 16 inch trout, my first of the season.

Other fishermen were catching fish as well although I didn't see any big ones. I watched one chironomid fishermen catch and release approx half a dozen small ones in quick succession. He was using a size 14 black with red ribs while I used a black ice cream cone with silver ribs. I had a few more strikes but the fishing seemed to die down as lunch time approached and I left the lake to the fishing celebrities.

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Four Strong Winds Blow the Ice off Jacko

by Ron W
(Kamloops)

Went up to Jacko this afternoon to take a look.

The wind was howling and there were whitecaps racing across the lake. The strong winds had shattered the ice sheet into shards that were tinkling like wind chimes as they pounded against the shore by the boat launch. I didn't even try fishing since I have a float tube and once unintentionally pierced my ear while trying to fly cast in a strong wind.

There were approx half a dozen brave fishermen out on the lake trying to find shelter in the bay near the mine. I talked with a couple young fellows who came to shore. They had a rowboat and had spent more time windsurfing than fishing so hadn't had any luck.

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Jacko Lake Sept 29

by Ron W
(Kamloops)

The weather forecast was for wind, hail, thunderstorms and snow on the Coq. I thought I'd head out on the chance that the predicted apocalypse wouldn't materialize, but stay close to home in case the forecast came true. I decided to go to Jacko Lake where I had caught my biggest trout ever a few days earlier.

The weather turned out to be almost ideal with partly sunny skies and a slight breeze from around 8:30 am to around noon. There were about 6 other fishermen on various corners of the lake. The fishing seemed to start out slow for everyone and there were no fish caught in the first hour or so. I was using a ruby eyed leech on the sinking line and trolling along the northern shore.

There were some fish rising, but I couldn't see what they were taking. Just after 9:30 I had a strike and caught and released a skinny 15 inch fish. A bit later I noticed some swirls near the shoreline so decided to stop and cast in towards them. After a few casts I was rewarded with a solid strike and battled a lively 20 inch silver fish. After landing it, I gutted it and examined the stomach contents. It had been eating mostly small black snails along with a few shrimp.

I repositioned myself and started casting again. After about 15 minutes I hooked a slightly shorter but chunkier fish. It put up a very good fight before coming to the net.

I fished for another hour both casting and trolling but didn`t manage to solidly hook a fish despite a couple tugs. When I cleaned the second fish it had snails, caddis cases and a leech in its stomach. I guess the fish are feeding on a fall smorgasbord in preparation for winter.

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KAMLOOPS AREA LAKES

BC Fishing Resorts

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The Search for Waterboatman
Kamloops Fishing Lakes
Sept 22, 2009

by Ron W
(Kamloops)

I've caught fish on waterboatman before, but have never managed to hit a feeding frenzy while the boatman are making their fall egg laying flights and dives. Normally, they start flying in September when the frost hits the higher lakes but this year has been unusually warm.

I started my fishing at Jacko on Tues morning. I didn't see any boatman but did manage to catch one fish on a boatman pattern. Unfortunately he swallowed it so deeply that I had to cut off the fly to release him. I left around 10:30 and headed higher in the hills to Lodgepole.

When I got to Lodgepole Lake I was pleased to see the odd boatman landing on the water and diving. I had a floating boatman on my sinking flyline and a sinking boatman on my floating flyline. The fish didn't seem that interested at first and I only managed to hook one fish in the first hour of fishing. Around noon the boatman landings increased and the fish started rising and splashing.

I caught several small fish on both the sinking and floating lines over the next 2 hours. Even the small fish seemed to want to swallow the fly and a few of them were hooked deep in the mouth on the back of the tongue. Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to interest any bigger fish and the largest I caught was was a pair of 15 inchers. I kept them for dinner and their stomachs were empty so I concluded that they had just started to hunt for boatman. The most productive pattern seemed to be the ultimate boatman which I purchased at the Kamloops Fly Shop.

It's probably too soon for the boatman peak flights since even the Lac le jeune area hasn't had frost yet. I'm thinking with cooler weather forecast for next week, I may be able to catch some better fish and finally hit the fabled, full-blown, fall feeding frenzy with the water boatman.

Roche Lake- Sept 17

by Ron W
(Kamloops)

Decided to give Roche Lake and surrounding area a visit. I took a side trip to check out the new recreation site on Bleeker. The site is very well done with picnic tables and an outhouse above the aerator shack. The lake however, looked shallower and weedier than ever. I'm not suprised that it suffered a winter kill. To my untrained eye it looked no deeper than some backyard ponds, although I've been assured it has few deep holes.


Started fishing Roche around 9:00 am off the west campsite and immediately hooked a nice 18 inch rainbow on a waterboatman. I released it and had another bite on the next cast. I foolishly thought I might be in for a great day. Tried the boatman for another hour on both the floating and sinking lines as I kicked my float boat towards the south end. I didn't get a touch.

Fished around electric island with both a chironomid and a leech for another hour without a bite. The wind started blowing from the south and I allowed it to blow me back towards Monster Bay. I noticed some fish rising near the reeds and had a strike on the chironomid. Looked to be a nice 17 or 18 inch fish. Just as I was mentally sizing it up for the frypan and reaching for the net it broke free. Before I had time to lament my loss an almost identical fish struck on the other rod with the leech. The end result was the same, the fish got off just as I was about to net it. I'll have to remember to maintain constant pressure when fishing with barbless hooks in the future.

Went in for lunch and then headed back to Monster Bay around 1:30. I was determined to bring home a fish for dinner. By this time, the wind had really picked up. It was quite a workout kicking against it. I tried a shrimp on one line and a leech on the other with no success for about an hour. A few very large fish could be seen and heard splashing so that kept up my interest level. Finally, I had a hard strike on the shrimp and was immediately broken off. Before I could regret my poor knot, a smaller fish struck on the leech. I managed to land a 16 incher that would make a nice meal. I let the wind blow me back to the campsite as it was really howling. I had a couple more strikes but didn't managed to solidly hook any more.

McConnell mystifies Sept 8; Jacko justifies optimism Sept 10

by Ron W
(Kamloops)

Went up to McConnell on Tues morning. It was very cool and a lone rabbit seemed frozen in place as I turned into the Provincial park site. I scanned the shoreline for insects but didn't see any activity. I did see small shrimp with orange dots in the middle scurring around the shallows.

I tried shrimp and leeches for over 2 hours without getting a single bite. A gang troller did manage to catch a fish on a ford fender and worm combo. I didn't see any fish rising which I took as a bad sign. Even the loons were swimming away from me rather than looking to steal a fish off my line. I gave up and took a look at Jacko Lake on the way back home.

The water at Jacko was very low, but clear, and there were a few fish rising. I decided it was worth a try another day.


On Thursday morning I arrived at Jacko around 8 am. I was surprised to see 4 vehicles already parked and the fishermen on the lake. The early fishermen apparently gets the worm which catches the fish. There was a lot of flotsam and jetsom on the water which I assumed had been stirred up by the wind on the previous day. There were also several small frogs paddling on the surface.

As I got out on the lake I could see fish rising and porpoising. It looked like they were taking something on the surface but I couldn't see what it was. There were a few chironomids coming off but they were tiny. I talked with a fly fishermen who had been catching small ones with a leech under an indicator. I tried the leech on both the floating and sinking lines but didn't get any bites. I also tried a small shrimp and a bloodworm thinking they may have been stirred up from the bottom by yesterday's winds and waves. Again, no luck. Finally I tried Mr Big Fish Small Hook's mean green fishing catching machine chironomid. It's black with a white bead head and has very flashy green ribbing. A fiesty 16 inch rainbow managed to hook itself firmly in the top of the snout while I wasn't holding the rod. I also managed to miss another one while I was holding the rod.

The bites and rises ended around 11 am so I decided to head in. I put a ruby eyed leech on the sinking line to troll back. Just as I was getting to the launch area I had a vicious strike. A large fish cleared the water and then went on a series of runs. It was a real torpedo of a fish and gave me a good battle before I steered it into the net. It measured 23 inches and I would guess was over 4 pounds. It was a nice way to end the fishing day.

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KAMLOOPS AREA LAKES

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Red Lake Aug 24 -The Search for Brain Food

by Ron W
(Kamloops)

After not catching a dinner worthy fish last week despite fishing the flats at Roche with Mr Big Fish and catching just small fry at Lodgepole and McConnell, I was desperately in need of Omega 3 fatty acids. I decided to give Red Lake a try now that the nights are cooling down the water. It was quite cool when I arrived just after 8 am and I had to put on a coat. The only other fishers on the lake were a pair of loons and a family of otters cruising around in the bay.

When I launched my float boat I could see some fish rising. I don't have a fish finder so I have to rely on rises, sighting fish or knowledge of the lake to find trout. Brook trout tend to school in very large numbers so a big part of the battle is finding the school. The school was still in the same spot as it was when I visited Red in the spring. I could tell from the splashes that most were small brook trout with the odd bigger one mixed in. I didn't see a rainbow jump at all.

The other part of the battle is figuring out what they will bite. I tried a leech and a Red Spratley but could not entice a nibble. I noticed that chironomids were starting to come off after 9 am. Most of them were medium sized with a fair number of bombers mixed in. Back in the spring I had success with a chromie chironomid on the sinking line so I gave that a try. Sure enough, I quickly caught and released a couple small ones and lost a few more.

I also tried a chromie on the floating line but just managed to catch one fish over the space of an hour. The brookies seemed to prefer chasing the fly up from the depths with a more aggressive retrieve. Fishing really started to pick up between 10:30 and noon and I had a strike on approx every second cast on the sinking line. I ended up catching 7 fish and losing about the same number. The biggest one got away (naturally) but I kept a few dinner sized fish to take home.

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