It's been a while, but I got the call from my friend Blake of Pisces Outdoors to meet up super early for a morning of Kokanee Salmon fishing at Stampede Reservoir. Blake sells handmade fishing lures on his website and he will be getting his fishing guide license soon so he can bring fishing charter customers out on his boat. He's a lot of fun to fish with and there is always new fishing info to learn from him.
I arrived a bit early so I could get some sunrise photos at the lake. There was a little color to the sunrise but there were no clouds so it wasn't the most impressive one.
Here's Blake's boat as we were launching. We are usually one of the first ones to launch when we get out but there is going to be a big fishing derby next weekend so there were tons of fishermen out the "practicing" for the event.
It was one of the slowest mornings I've ever had fishing with Blake. Everyone we ended up talking to was having a super slow morning as well. Everyone was concerned about how unproductive the derby was going to be in a week.
Blake is out at this lake a lot. He recognized these planes and even knew the pilots names. They were having fun flying very low around the lake, putting on a good show for us.
The lake level is very high this year. Same story at all the local lakes after this incredibly big winter. So... Much... Snow...
We needed it and I'm happy to see everything nice and full. This is an island most summers. But as you can see, it is mostly under water this year.
Fish ON!!! We finally caught a few Kokanee. Four total. It is a very low number compared to most outings with Blake but that was a similar story for all the fishermen we talked to.
Here's the setup that was working best. We also tip the lures with a couple kernels of corn. The Kokanee usually can't resist this set up but this was an unusually slow day.
Even though it was slow, I ended up with two Kokanee in my belly for dinner, and two Kokanee in the freezer. Successful enough!
Thanks for looking and I hope you are all having a great weekend too.
Scott Thompson
Scott Shots Photography
www.ScottShotsPhoto.com
That's crazy
How will someone recognize the planes and even know the pilots in it? It is weird and also intelligent...
Having a boat costs a lot of money. Let me say that Blake is rich...lol
Right?! I guess Blake sees them on a regular basis and the pilots are also part of a facebook fishing group that he belongs to. B.O.A.T = Bring On Another Thousand... Always repairs to be done it.
Nice fishing for dinner hehe..
Indeed! Always great to catch your own dinner.
Looks like a nice day out on the lake. I always feel like high water makes fish move around. Harder to find. But now that I say that out loud that sounds like the kind of story a fisherman would make about a slow day lol
Definitely an excuse... lol.
But yeah, the water was very clear with not a lot of visible zooplankton. I learned that the Kokanee will often filter feed and when the zooplankton is plentiful, the fish grow big fast and are more active.
Hope all is well @steven-patrick!
Glad you didn’t leave empty handed! The water levels this year are indeed quite high everywhere! That’s a great thing though, it’s better than low and droughts.
Some great shots, love the sunrise!
Glad you like the photos! And yes, I'll take high water levels over great fishing any day. We needed it badly. I don't want to jinx it but there has been no wildfire smoke in the air this year and it's been great.
That looks like a great day out! I love the photos of the sunrise and the lake. It's too bad the fishing was slow, but it's still nice to get out on the water and enjoy the scenery.
I'm glad you were able to catch a few Kokanee in the end. They're a delicious fish, and I'm sure they were a nice addition to your dinner.
Thanks @malos10! Glad you like the photos. Kokanee are my favorite local fish for eating. They are a smaller local fish and don't fight very hard but mmmmm are they delicious.
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What a great day, it looks like a beautiful place and that fish must be delicious!
Great day indeed! And Kokanee Salmon is by far the best tasting local fish, so good.