Spring Aluminum Hatch at Kamloops Area Lakes
by DaveO
(Kamloops)
Morgan Lake
It's the middle of April already and the only place that I had gotten word on was Kamloops Lake were some venturous fisherman were doing ok out past Cooney Bay with both spinning gear and fly fishing gear.
After sending the 'Princess' off to Alberta for a week, I got my stuff together and headed up to the 6 Mile Lake / Morgan Lake area, just above the beautiful resort of Tobiano on Kamloops Lake.
As I was heading up the hill I saw a vehicle coming down so I decided to wait for it. I figured if he was heading home at 10:30 am, something must be up. I flagged him down and had a short conversation... he was heading home because the wind was too cold for him. I thought that was odd, as Kamloops Lake was half-glass.
I continued my journey and to my surprise, the wind was creating quite a chop on the 8 boats... yes 8 (doesn't anyone work anymore?). I watched for a short spell and decided to move on to Morgan. With an east wind I knew that I would be able to find some shelter at Morgan.
When I arrived at Morgan there were 4 vehicles parked, one at the east end, one in the middle and one at the west end. I decided that with the east wind, the west end would be the best for me (I hate fighting the wind to get back to my vehicle the end of the day). I knew that there would be some quieter water in the small bays on the north shore.
I finally got on the water just before 11:30. No one else that I talked to was catching anything. I anchored up on my favorite spot (not in a bay) and got promptly blown off my anchors. I then wandered to the north shore and huddled down for a couple of hours and had no luck at all. I was fishing a booby. A couple of young guys from Ashcroft anchored behind me and they started getting into fish within 15 minutes. They were using a black leech on a slow sinking line in about 6 to 15 deep.
After they left, I took up their position and rigged up a second line, my floater with a strike indicator, and put on a black and red micro-leech. Again, not much happening for me. A few other fellows were also hitting fish with the black/red leech on the troll but I just couldn't make it happen.
As the afternoon wore on the wind started to die, leaving opportunity to anchor back at my fav spot at the west end. I moved over and anchored a couple of times and finally, just before 3pm, I hit my first fish and I got it on the floater with the leech. Within the next hour I caught 3 more fish, nothing of any size but it still put a measure of success on the day for me.
Also, during the afternoon, the Live Fish truck showed up and dumped a bunch of new fish into the lake. They were about 1/2 lb each so they should provide for some good sport throughout the year. The survivors will grow to 16"-18" before the end of the season.
The 2 guys from Ashcroft had said that they started the day at 6 Mile and said that no one was catching anything.
I may head up there this weekend but then again, it could be very crowded. Perhaps I will go in the middle of the week again.
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Other Lakes... Swan Lake in Vernon is now ice free. White Lake near Salmon Arm is partially open and should be ice free by the end of the weekend. And the Roche Lake area lakes are still very much frozen.
Jacko and Edith Lakes should be the next to be ice free, probably within the next week.
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Wanna Know the Best Times to Fish the Kamloops Area Lakes?
Find out here on our Free Solunar Tables
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Been Fishin'? Let us know how you did. Enter your story here at the BC Freshwater Journal.
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