Photo: Kerry Reed

The winter pattern has begun on Kootenay Lake.

The past month had some fairly consistent fishing for this time of year. Maybe due to the warmer water temperatures, but this winter has been better fishing than last winter, for sure.

January started out with some mild weather and beautiful days. We took advantage of those days and got out on the water as much as we could.

Most days were successful with multiple hook ups and some good fish to the boat. Rainbows up to 10 pounds and the odd bull trout up to eight pounds were caught throughout the month.

As we moved into February, we finally got a bit of a cold snap in the weather. This has dropped the water temperature by a few degrees and the fishing has changed a bit. We are used to the change in conditions and have adapted our techniques to keep putting fish in the boat.

The winter pattern has begun. Fish are feeding heavily for a day or two, but then they don’t need to eat for a few days. What does this mean? It means you just have to be out there to find out. Some days are producing up to a dozen fish. And then some days are more like two to four fish. The trade-off is: bigger fish. Most of the small fish have gone into hiding, but the bigger ones still need to eat.

So, we just have to put in our time and will be rewarded.

As stated in our previous columns, we are running a winter special. And if you happen to be on our mailing list, or you frequent our website, then you can take advantage of this promotion. What a great way to spend a day, in a heated boat, taking in the spectacular scenery. Check out this link for your special offer.

What are they biting on?

With the cooler temperatures we have slowed down our presentation a bit.

The rainbows trout are still chomping on the surface. Lux flies #203, 204, 210 and 222 have been our favourites this month. As well, the Gibbs Croc in brass/fire stripe or hammered brass/fire stripe running straight behind the boat has been working well.

And for the bull trout, we’ve been getting the odd one on the surface, however most have been caught on the downriggers between 80 to 150 feet. Our favourite Gibbs flashers in the STS or Bon Chovy pattern, followed by the green pistachio or green oil slick hoochie have been working best.

Remember, this time of year you will need to vary your speed and experiment a bit, but put your time in and you will be rewarded.

Hope this helps with your next adventure.

Tight lines …

Captain Kerry