McConnell Lake - 12.08.2009
by mrbfsh
(kamloops)
Fishing the Shoals at McConnell Lake
McConnell Lake sit high up in the hills near Lac Le Jeune and Stake Lake. Easily accessed from the old Kamloops - Logan Lake highway, the lake sits at an elevation of just under 4300'.
It's been many years since I last fished McConnell... not because I didn't like the lake, it just didn't appeal to me because it was in a Provincial Park (which tends to be busy) and beside the road. I must say that when I did fish it, I was in canoe and I didn't venture very far from the launch.
This was to be a late afternoon and evening fish. I checked the solunar tables for any feed periods that may occur. Luckily, there was a major feed starting at 5:23pm. I had contacted my friend KJ (it was his suggestion that we go there) and he said that he would meet me at the lake after work.
The weather was overcast with dark rain clouds lurking in and out and a gentle breeze that occasionally turned into a stiff wind. As the evening moved on, the sky cleared giving us a beautiful sunset with some quietly active trout rising.
Without putting any lines out I slowly made my way toward the islands to the left of the launch. I wanted to get an idea of the structure. I really like my Humming Bird fish finder... the depth sounder on it is great for marking the bottom as well as the ability to pick up fish and the depth that they are situated. As I got closer to the island I found a ledge that went from 19 feet to 23' in a hurry. That's where the fish were. My fish finder was finding them at 22', just above the bottom. I thought that I would try a wet line and a dry line.
I caught my first fish on my first cast at the start of the feed period. I had thrown out a wet line with a small booby (black and silver with white boobs)and it sat for about 7 or 8 minutes as I put together my dry line with a long 22'leader. I hit the fish on the last part of the retrieve, almost directly under the boat. It wasn't a big fish but it gave me hope.
KJ made it out to where I was shortly after I caught the fish and he too was picking up fish on his finder just as he cruised over the same ridge.
Fish were rising but we could not see what they were going for. I threw out my dry line with a long leader and chironomid to partner with the wet line. Although the fish continued to rise they refused to take whatever else we had to offer. It wasn't until just before the sun went down when we both changed our flies on the dry line from chironomids to surface sedges.
We both started getting gentle rolls to the surface flies that we offered. I hit the first fish and KJ hit one (but lost it) just after I landed mine.
There was a short flurry as the sun went down. I landed 2 more small rainbows and KJ landed one before we called it an evening.
I will return. When I was tracking the fish I found that there seems to be a healthy population of big fish. I was also talking with an old-timer at the launch and he said the fish will go to 10 lbs... I like that prospect.
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