Fish Story on Kootenay Lake
By Kerry Reed (Reel Adventures Charters)
It was a beautiful Spring day so I decided to take a day off from the big boat and we loaded our 12ft aluminum boat into the water at the north end of the lake. Since we were planning on fishing for smaller trout and maybe the odd Dolly, I only brought my 6ft spinning rods with me. But, I did bring a few of my big fish lures just to experiment with.
So, we headed out for a couple hours of fishing. We let out one spinning rod with a crocodile spoon for the small trout and the other spinning rod had a Bill Norman on it in hopes of hooking into a Dolly.
Only about a half hour went by and my spinning rod started to bend. Slowly at first, then starting to pull line. I handed the rod over to 13yr old Nicole to fight the fish. We thought it might be a bigger Dolly at first. But after about 15 minutes of fighting this fish, we finally got a glimpse of it. With a big hooked jaw and a bright red stripe, we now knew this was a big Rainbow. The cold water seems to take a bit of the fight out of the fish.
But once this fish saw the boat, off it goes screaming a couple hundred feet of line. Wow, I hope the rod can handle it. Good thing for brand new line, even if it was only 8 Lb test. Nicole fights the fish for another 10 minutes. Bringing it close to the boat and then watching it scream line again. Finally I think it's beginning to tire out, so I tell her to try to bring it in. But, there is one more dilemma. No Net !!
Since we were only planning on fishing for small trout and in my haste of loading the boat and gear, I didn't bring a net. Oh well, we have to try to land it some how.
I told Nicole to try and turn the fish sideways near the boat. The fish didn't like that and out it goes again. One more try I said. We only have one good chance at this.
So, she reeled it closer again and got it along side the boat. I kneeled down on the floor and reached into the water. With one hand around it's tail and one hand under the belly, I managed to pick the fish up and lay it on her lap. Talk about lucky.
A Giant Rainbow in its spawning colors. This was a beauty. So, we quickly got a few photos and measurements and placed it back into the water to revive. After a few minutes of reviving, this fish was ready to go. Off it went. What a sight to see. We should see this fish in the next few weeks up at the spawning grounds.
Congratulations to Nicole for landing this baby and even more grateful to see you let it go.
So, that goes to show you why I love fishing on Kootenay Lake. And also it's never a bad time to go fishing. Any day can produce a fish of a lifetime.
Tight lines……………….
Your guide,
Kerry Reed
Reel Adventures Charters
Nelson B.C
250-505-4963
www.reeladventuresfishing.com