Well that was an awesome year but it’s time close off 2012 and move on to 2013! Thanks to everyone that contributed reports, stories & pictures last year and we’re really hoping to see even more of you on our … 2013 Fishing Reports post!
Tight lines & good times in 2013!
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Ice-Off??? Still waiting for Williston to freeze
lol … should I add “ice on” to the title? 😉
Very slow at Red lake this morning only hooked 2 in about 6 hours, they were moving a lot just not biting, no one else around me seemed to be having much luck either.The muskrat that kept popping up through the hole was entertaining though.
Thanks David! You still did better than we did there yesterday … hopefully that means it’s picking up!
all i heard is the muskrat is still red ,, and got skunked today ,,wade
ANyone know where to catch burbot?
Kamloops Lake
nicola lake
where you live theres burbot almos every where in BC Kamloops area lac le roch ,chu chua are the legal spots
outlawdot
So I couldn’t stop thinking of Burbot after your question yesterday, and seeing how ice fishing has been so slow, me and a bud headed out to Kamloops lake for a fish … and did great! 🙂 By the time we got out there and set up we only had a couple hours to fish but in that short time we managed 6 to shore … 3 keepers ranging from 4 – 6 lbs and 3 that we released unscathed to grow a bit more. Here’s one of the keepers:
Burbot on the rocks!
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Fun time … glad you mentioned it Steve! 😉
Glad I could be of help Rob!
If you don’t mind me asking, what were you using? And you fishing near cooney bay? Bud has been catching them at lac le roche, so we might pull an all nighter this weekend and sleep in the ice tent. Haha
Squid. And yes close to the bay. Good luck at LDR … sounds like fun! 🙂
I was in Kamloops lake yesterday,too. however, after losing 2 spinners near that bay on the rocks along with the strong wind, i just had enough and left. how do you fish there Rob?
Ya the wind can get bad there. We usually don’t go if it’s windy. Last night was nice and calm – a perfect evening! I don’t fish with spinners for burbot. Hardly any retrieve at all. Just let it sit or move it very slowly (twitch) on the bottom till you feel them bite then BAM! 😀
thanks Rob.by the way,do you mean you just let the bait sit right on the bottom or make it a couple ft above?
Right on the bottom is my preference.
Big fish. I’m guessing that Burbot are good eating. Were you fishing in the dark or can you fish for them any time of the day?
I suppose you could fish for them anytime of day but they are definitely more active at night.
great eating fish ,, i wouldnt eat them from kamloops lake ,, i read some tests afew years ago and fish were very high in lead ,, i would at least call fish and wildlife to see if thier safe to eat ,,wade
There is no consumption advisory on Kamloops lake Burbot & I know many people who have eaten fish out of it for many years with no adverse effects. Having said that I limit my intake of fish from that lake to a few burbot per year.
PS … yes they taste great!
i have caught them from lacduroche ,birch,dunn lake ,, is there an advisory on rainbows from kamloops lake
The 2009-2011 Fishing Synopsis currently lists only 3 areas in B.C. with consumption advisories and none of them are for any Kamloops lake species. The 3 advisories are all for mercury in lake trout and/or bull trout in Jack of Clubs Lake (Region 5) and Pinchi and Williston lakes (Region 7).
I grew up in Kamloops so have heard all the Kamloops lake rumours but have never been able to find anything official. I would be curious to see the report you reference re the high level of lead in its fish.
Hey Rob!
Sooo me and a bud headed out to Kamloops lake to do some burbot fishin and didnt have much luck .We caught some squaw fish earlier in the day and started to fish for burbot around 4:00. We only fished till about 5:30 . I was wondering what time you usually fish for burbot. I am new to burbot fishing and would love to catch one. Any help would be appreciated. Thx
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I’ve been told they’re most active right at dusk but I’ve never been able to get my $hit together that early so all of my experience has been later in the evening. Try to find a spot that you can cast into some fairly deep water and then let it sit on the bottom with the odd tug every so often. It is not uncommon for me to let everything sit for up to 15 minutes before moving it at all. Keep a close watch on the tip of your rod cause they mostly take it very lightly and it would be very easy to miss if you weren’t paying attention. Hope that helps …….
Thanks for the help Rob. We headed up to Lac des roche and caught a few through the wee hours of the night. Looking forward to some deep fried burbot tommorow night for dins.
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Awesome!
Momma’s very simple yet very delicious fried burbot recipe!
OK Kamloops Lake is free of ice . So why not out of a boat and jig for them. I know when the ice is on the bay , it is good for jiggin for them. Yes I know they shut access down for us. and even now its chancy going from any of the boat launch’s in Kamloops . Kamloops needs to wake up and start pushing our Mayor more for the Rivers we have Or do we find that is like asking for money from their personal stach. AND yes theres always Savana area for a boat launch
WHY NOT WASTE THE GAS TO GET THEIR? THATS SURE THINKING GREEN
I agree Outlaw … such a beautiful resource so close to home and no access! In the meantime I just look at it as motivation to get some exercise! 😉
Its good if you can walk that distance , packing the gear with you. But we must not forget the handicapped Fisherman. We have more in Kamloops Lake than the Lake Trout, DollyVardens (Bull Trout) ,Burbot(Ling-cod) ,Carp, Bull Heads, Suckers ect And the Sturgen. They netted this fall in there nets,( I hope Brian Chan got wind of that one ) Theres his proof we do have Sturgeon in our Lake. What kind of Fisheries biologist is he.
Slamming Brian Chan isn’t going to score you many points on this site Dot!
Brian Chan’s contribution and legacy to the fishing opportunities we enjoy in Kamloops and throughout the Province is unparalleled. We have been very fortunate to have someone like Brian for as long as we have. Dot your comment about his character and contributions to our freshwater fishery are ignorant and baseless. He is world renowed and does amazing work with very few resources.
Let’s keep this thread to fishing reports please guys. If you like I can open up a separate debates forum …. 😕
Sorry Guys Brian Chan does know alot . But I think ITS got ever thing to do with his budget and his goverment backing. My appoliges go to Brian Chan
outlaw
Aside from the fact that Brian was not working within the Provincial Fisheries Branch for almost a decade prior to his retirement (he was with BC freshwater fisheries), even when he was with the Province he was a small lakes bio. In that position, he was never tasked with ascertaining the presence or absence of sturgeon in Kamloops Lake. I’m sure if he was asked, his response would have simple stated the facts: at that point, there had been no verified/documented report of sturgeon capture in the lake. There has been anecdotal crap for years, like your grandpa’s sister’s ex-husband’s mistress saying she saw them sunning themselves off the bluffs at Cooney Bay, but that was just because she was drinking cheap whiskey while she was tanning her leather skin and had carbon monoxide poisoning from smoking unfiltered Marlboros.
Ok, we now have a documented capture from the lake. That’s still a far cry from a thriving population.
Dot, you can jig for them in a boat but you’re right, the nearest launch that is safe at this water level is at Savona. I fish this side of the lake for them and not all spots are created equal. I would guess that side of the lake is the same and you’re going to have to put in some leg work to find productive spots.
As for ice-fishing there, I bet there will be ample ice by the end of this week, but beware. In past years I have ice-fished there and the ice does form after a good cold snap, but it seems to degrade and get patchy really quickly in the absence of really cold weather. There seems to be a lot of upwelling and bubbles, so when you make a hole it gurgles and sputters! Kinda freaky, and good enough reason to be ultra-cautious.
Has anyone been up to Heffley lately?
What lake is completely hopping? Doesn’t matter which as long as it is in area 3… Please help…
Haven’t heard of any lake really “hopping” lately but Harrison reported on our facebook page that Red fished good for him the other day.
OK hows coony bay for at least some ice
outlaw
Probably “some” outlaw but I think I’d still wait a bit …
Anyone know if monte lake or kamloops lake are frozen at all?
Again, from our facebook page, “Last I heard is that it (Monte) wasn’t, but that was 5 days ago, so its possible, but bring your floatation device just in case, lol.”
This just in … Monte lake is frozen AND the Kokanee are biting!!! 😆
How deep do you have to fish to catch Kokanee?
Hey Ron I usually fish between 15 & 30 feet at Monte. Good luck!
Do u fish.them like trout just off bottom. Never fished Kokanee any tip would be appreciated I think were gonna give it a shout on Thursday if it warms up enough
They’re not always on the bottom so you have to fool around a bit to find the zone. I have caught them at 15 feet in 50 feet of water!
Also something shiny is a good idea … and if it spins even better! 😉 Good luck & please let us know how you make out!
Thanks will keep you informed
caught a nice one today about 2lbs pretty slow other than that
8)
Got a 3lb bow and a 2lb brookie at edith today it was pretty slow except for those 2 fish
Thanks for the report Sam!
Are you the same guy that posted on FlyBC that the rainbow exhibited spawning characteristics? If so I don’t think it came from Hull but rather that the triploid process is not perfect and the odd fish gets by unaffected. I say this because I’ve experienced the same thing on stocked lakes with no in or out bound creeks.
Rob: Do folks ice fish Hull? I was talking to a fellow at Edith on a slow day (there have been a few for me) and he mentioned that there were big rainbows in a lake up the road but that there were quite a few spawners. I’m pretty sure he meant Hull. I’ve never tried it.
hull is private you need permission to fish there.
hmm … haven’t fished it in a while but when my son was younger we used to hike in on a nice sunny winter day and I’d watch him have a blast catching fish after fish (lots but no big) through the ice. Nobody ever gave me a hard time for being there and often there were others on the lake doing the same thing. Wish you wouldn’t have told me it was private … 😳
Hull Lake is on George Little’s property. There was open access for many years but George built a gate because people were starting to party by the lake, have campfires (which his old sign requested people didn’t do) and leave a mess. Same old story as many other places. A few cakeholes ruin it for everybody. Anyway, a few years back I asked Mr. Little if he minded people hiking in to Hull from the main Edith road. He was really good about it and said basically it was Ok, but please don’t leave a mess or wreck anything. Since then, myself and others I know have hiked in for a fish here and there. The fish are not big, and some are not the most aesthetically pleasing, but it’s OK for variety, particularly at this time of year when the fishing can be fairly spotty at many lakes.
I’m not sure if I would advise people to just freely go in without permission, but I’d be fairly comfortable hiking in and fishing the lake so long as you were respectful of the place. Having said all that, most of the time I would not go through considerable effort to fish Hull.
OK Hull is George Littles , but the other one Was the Haughtons Last time I knew. 🙂
Hi Ron,
Well Hull is the only lake I know of “just up the road” so that’s what he was probably talking about. There are quite a few blackish (spawners?) in it but I have never seen any BIG rainbows. Actually I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fish over 2 lbs come out of it but I don’t fish it much.
Theres one more up there , But i been told that theres a few homes up there now. so guess i need to find out and drive past Edith to find out.
outlawdot
Used to fish hull many times before i when i was younger it is a beautiful little pond but now it has a gate on it so i haven’t been there in a few years…
Anyone fish Heffley or Mcconnel in the last few weeks? Feel like hookin in to some bows for the smoker.
Haven’t heard anything bout Heffley but heard the fishing is still quite steady at McConnel.
Update for monte lake.. I have a new run and drive past Monte at least once a week now, So can keep everyone posted as to what i see.. Friday there were about 10 to 12 tents up there and 5 tentless guys on the lake, must have been producing for those numbers…If I come upon any other lakes will keep everyone posted as well for them..
Kewl! Thanks FN! 🙂
Late update for Monte Lk:
Sorry folks, kinda late but two of us fished the north end for 5.5 hrs on Friday morning (the 20th). Very slow. Two for me and 4 for partner (one was a big (2lbs) ripe tomato that was released). 6 others were there and only two of them lost 1 each in the time we were there. One of the guys did manage two small rainbows too.
Not sure how the weekend was.
I’m new in the Kamloops area looking for good ice fishing any tips where to go???
i tried LAC LE JEUNE today, although no luck…not a bite,
yesterday, i tried RED LAKE and seen a couple beauties swim right by my hook, I guess I should of had shrimp instead of worm!…oh well…seen one gentlemen catch a nice brook and a few others go home empty handed, the drive up there in the car this time of year was rough though, i was thinking of trying PAUL, PINATAN, MONTE tomorrow?!?!
outlawdot
From my sources Monte seems very hit & miss right now. My friend was back there on Wednesday and said everyone was struggling to get anything but he was told by others there that they had done very well the day previous. Go figure.
Paul Lake can be quite location specific when it comes to ice fishing. I’ve done OK in front of the condos in 8-12ft of water but never exceptionally well. The numbers in the lake seem to be up quite a bit and the size is down, so maybe that’ll improve the odds there.
Pinatan used to produce well for us although it’s been many moons since I’ve been there. We used to fish the east end near the creek from the little lake, but it’s a long walk. Lots of dudes used to fish around the islands at the west end too. I have never fished there but suspect that it would be fine too.
Stake was good but the fish are small.
I know this doesn’t always hold true, but generally the best fishing is in the first hour or sometimes two of daylight. Heffley Lake is prime example of this. You’ll show up at 9 and get skunked, and then talk to someone else that had gone home from there with their limit by 8. Like I said, it isn’t always like that, but I’ve found more often than not. Do your best to be out there at first light and you’ll always catch those days when that’s the active bite. Plus, it’s very nice to have gotten out and caught some fish and then still have time to do some errands, get some lovin from the lady, watch some tube, clean the truck, or whatever else tickles your fancy when you get back.
Try try Edith, it’s close to town and accessable by car. Lots of spots to fish just look around for some old holes. Then keep drilling holes till you get on them, one day I limited the next nothing. Seems to be like that everywhere right now. Good luck
Check out the Tunkwa Lake resort website under fishing reports. Some nice fish being caught although somewhat hit and miss like the other lakes. It’s paved all the way to Tunkwa so it won’t be a tough drive for a car, unlike Red lake.
Thanks to everybody, much appreciated!
Good afternoon fellow fisher people.. I drove by monte lake today and truth be known, believe it or not there was at least 40 people on the lake, I have never seen so many vehicles on that parked around that lake ever before.. Even an Ice shanty out there, lol..
Even, try Red Lake, Edith, Hull if it is accessible,Horseshoe, Black, big and small Heffley, there is a few to start.. 😀
I am wondering how the river is this time of year. I used to fish backedies in the Columbia. I have seen some good backeddies around town. Any tips