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Fishing...Everyone's
favorite pastime! More days than not, the fishing is HOT! Some of the best fishing you will find is right outside the Lakewood Inn marina! There are many species of fish in the lake, including Gerrard Rainbow Trout up to 30lbs!, Dolly Varden up to 25lbs!, Kokanee Salmon, Whitefish, Ling and more. And let's not forget ice fishing at nearby Fish and Bear Lakes! |
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Many of the lake fish are caught using the trolling
method. Successful fishermen often catch the big ones on polar bear flies, Lyman plugs and
hockey sticks. ;-) The local bait and tackle store is always stocked with the current
'hot' lures and Doug can point you in the right direction.  Check out Doug's Fishing Report! Need a boat?... No problem! Lakewood has a variety of boats equiped for your fishing enjoyment. We even have fishing rods and tackle available a. For the quiet seekers, there is a canoe and peddle boat available. Feel like taking a hike or going shore fishing?... Of course you can always fish right off the shore of Kootenay Lake! Many trout are caught by fly or spin fishing right in front of the resort! There are also many area lakes and streams that are brimming with fish. You can drive to nearby lakeshores, or hike into a variety of lakes or creeks. The creek mouths are always a favorite of fishermen of all ages. Need a guided fishing trip?... We can recommend a variety of guides
that offer a wide selection of tours. Many different types of trips are offered, including
1/2 and full-day lake trips and hikes into alpine lakes. So whether you are in search of
that monster rainbow trout, or are looking to fill a bucket with kokanee for the tastiest
dinner around, give us a call. We can help you find a Guide that will fit your
needs We have been here long enough now to see the trends of the lake and notice when things are different. I still get out there fishing whenever Sue says to go (either for fish or just to get me out of the house), or when a buddy comes over, or when it's calm and sunny, or when it's calm, or when... :-) So things that seem to remain the same; Rainbow fishing in the spring, from mid-spring to the start of summer. Rainbows are still the fun fish to catch (or try!) and barbless hooks make it a challenge to bring into the boat. Reports of the big ones returning (17plus lbs) are making folks happy. Their disappearance the last few years is thought to have been caused by mudslides into their spawning areas in the early Spring of 2002. Still there's always lots of 7-12lbers - good for smoking, eating and catch and release. Kokanee; they just seem to be getting bigger and bigger! Now we're advising folks to release the small ones, since seeing them 1-2lbs is really common. Best time for Kokanee fishing is early June to mid August. In mid-August they start their spawning journey. If you have never been to the Meadow Creek Spawning Channels, be prepared to see a river of red! It is simply incredible. Dolly Varden; these fish can be caught all year if you know the depth their hanging at and what particular colour their biting on. The biggest changes seen have been to the boating laws. Starting September 2009, all folks will need a boating license to operate a boat - youth under 20 need one now. Go to www.boatingsafety.gc.ca for more information. A bit of good news is that you can also obtain your fishing license online now at www.fishing.gov.bc.ca. You can expect more enforcement of the basic boating laws including, noise restrictions, careless operation and universal shoreline speed of 10km within 30m. Also as of 2010 there will be no dumping of black or grey water into fresh water lakes. Well it's the 1st day of rain in a while, guess I better get out of here before the words "household chores" are spoken in my hearing. Happy Fishing Doug
What a great year 2007was! Lots of good fishing in the spring and early summer, with Many Rainbows and Dollies coming in between 5-15lbs. Although the Kokanee run wasn’t the best I’ve ever seen, there was an upside, as they were overall bigger than in previous years… and I caught a nice one, just over 2 lbs. Sue actually filleted this one and smoked it up…Delicious! The fall had some of the best fishing in years, pretty near impossible not to catch something. In fact this year’s High Liners caught 260 lbs of fish in 5 days! They released most of them, to be caught again another day. Several 17+ pounders were also caught. This abundance of fish has had Sue smoking and canning up a storm - nice to see those shelves fill up. The good fishing trend seems to be carrying on into 2004, already several Rainbow over 12lbs and Dolly consistently over 10lbs, have come in. There has been no set lure that has caught this bounty, but rather a variety, each working at different times. With that said though, the “Jack” Plug - a pink, yellow and blue spotted one - has been very consistent. Now the Lake is calm… and the air warm… guess I will go and try my luck. Good Fishing! Doug
Fishing,
fishing, fishing! It doesn’t matter if I catch any or not, I’m always
happy to be out there and Sue’s always happy to have me out of her hair.
However... there is some excellent fishing going on now. We’re seeing
lots of Dollys in the 3-7lb range and Rainbow Trout up to
10lbs. The Ant Hatch has started, so most fish are on the surface.
Folks have been having great luck with Black and White Flies. Sue
often sends me out at night when she sees the Kokanee hit the
surface, I don’t mind. :-) The Big Trout will be starting soon and I’m gearing up for them! My favorite Silver Plugs are all sharpened and I’ve put new 12lb test line on my rod. This season I’m going for “Mikey”. He’s taken my lures, broken my line and generally caused a nuisance. I’m sure he weighs 50lbs and is smarter than your average fish... so wish me luck and Good Fishing! Doug
Well,
the Fall and early Winter just flew by and we seemed to be busier than
usual. One of the busy things was a much-enjoyed trip to Mexico!
While there we swam with the fishes…great fun! Just
before the November fishing derby, Sue told me to get her the Winning
Lure. I picked her up the ugliest, biggest one I could find (in her
favorite color!). Its called a Quick Fish and did it ever work! She
got 2 good bites before a big Lake Trout took it for his own. Santa
even put one of these in my stocking (Yes, I was a good boy)! I’ve had
great luck bringing in several 5-7 lb. Dollies and a couple of 4+lb Rainbow Trout. When
I was out on the lake on Saturday, I saw clouds of Kokanee on my
ever-faithful fishfinder. I landed a few for Sue’s breakfast! Now I plan
to go fishing every chance I can. The lake is nice in the winter sun, with
huge Icicles glistening and the Eagles soaring. Until next time,
Good Fishing! Doug
We’ve had a summer of wonderful Fishing, the Rainbow and Dolly Varden just keep coming in. Most are in the 2-5lb ranges. They seem to be liking Gold Crocodiles with orange stripes. Also some bigger Dollies have been caught deep - 120ft. Weather has been generally sunny and hot, but we’ve had enough good storms to keep the lake turning over… which may explain the consistently good fishing. With the August full moon coming up, it’s time to start thinking about fall fishing and dreaming about beating Sue’s 20.5 lb one. I better start practicing now! Good Fishing! - Doug
The fishing is Hot, Hot, Hot right now! We’ve had an 18.3lb Rainbow
Trout, 12lb Dolly and many of both types in the
6-10lb range. To make things more fun - the Kokanee are
also biting! The other night sitting on my deck, having just got back from fishing, Sue
and I saw a Rainbow (had to be 25lb!!) jump out the water at least 10
times! Quite spectacular! The best fishing story of the Spring happened
just last week. Two fishermen (go figure) were just leaving Beachcombers Marina (the other
guys). As one of the lines was going out, a Seagull came down and grabbed the lure. Trying
to put some slack into the line and hopefully get the seagull to spit the hook, the boys
put the boat into reverse. This seemed to be working… until an Eagle flew
down and grabbed the Seagull! The Seagull did spit the hook, but did not escape
the Eagle. The friend who told me this story said he saw someone taking pics… if I
can track some down I’ll put them on the Website. Hope the fishing is as good where
you are. Good Fishing! - Doug
I’ve been so busy getting the resort ready that I haven’t had much fishing time. However… every boat I get back into the water has to be tested! This takes several hours and the real way to test a boat is not to go fast but very slow and have the weight of a line behind you (or so I tell Sue). :-) The Gerard Rainbow Trout
are starting to spawn! This is an awesome sight and there are always folks at the base of
the Trout Lake viewing stand – a short jaunt from Lakewood Inn.
Seeing these 30-40lb fish leap out of the water several times in a row is
an exhilarating experience and well worth the scenic drive. I love fishing in the Winter… especially the sunny days when your sunglasses and a sweatshirt are all you need. Or the snowy days when you can lose sight of the shore and become cocooned in the boat. But best of all is the taste of a fresh winter catch of Dolly Varden! Whichever way Sue cooks them - fried, baked, barbecued or smoked - they are truly delicious. Folks have been catching lots of these wonderful fish, usually in the 5 to 10 lb range… but one guest recently caught a 19 pounder! The big Rainbows are out there, but still down quite deep. I’ll wait until Spring before fishing for them. Have a good winter and Good Fishing! Doug
It all started when my neighbor Gerald caught a 24# Rainbow a few weeks ago. Yeah, the Big Ones are back. The Lake is finally cold enough for them to start nearing the surface, and this only upsets Sue, as now she needs a sauna to be able to go swimming. :-) This past weekend we saw lots of Fish coming in...all Folks who braved the waves caught some - ranging in size generally from 3-15#. Most put up an good fight and it made for fun fishing. Generally, they were on the surface and flies or small pink-purple plugs were working well. Let's hope this keeps up for next week's fishing derby, and afterwards I hopefully will win the big prize. I'll take Sue to Mexico to swim. Good Fishing! Doug
The weather is hot and so
is the fishing! This has been a great year so far with lots of Kokanee and mid-size
Rainbow Trout coming in. The Kokanee are larger than the last few years and it’s not
unusual to see them up to 11/2 lbs. There’s nothing more exciting than having your
light gear on and hooking into a 3-5 lb. Rainbow Trout! They often put up a better fight
than the larger ones. The children this year are doing wonderful and are bringing in
good-sized Trout and Dollys from the bank. Seeing their smiling faces with their first
fish is a beautiful sight. Have a great Summer and Good Fishing!
The big guys
are coming back! We’re seeing Trout and It was a
great summer for Kokanee and small Trout. We have a lot of new smiling faces on our
picture board. I like the ones of the children the best - you can tell it’s the start
of a life long hobby and as we all know – ‘What can be better than
fishing?’ (Sue would say Gardening but what does she know). The first of the Fall
fishing derbies is Canadian Thanksgiving weekend and excitement is high with the great
fishing lately. We will let you know the sizes of the winners next report. Until then -
Good Fishing! Doug
Sue caught a
20lb 8oz Rainbow a few weeks ago and has been preening ever since. J I guess
I’ll just have to get out there and get mine. Until next time – Good Fishing!
Doug
The fishing continues to be very good; I’m seeing lots of Trout, Dolly and Kokanne come in every day. The children are especially having a good time catching them off the breakwater. Sue smoked up a batch of kokanne the other day and we were amazed at how fast 50 fish can disappear. The lake temperature is rising. While this makes it swimmable for us, the big fish are down very deep. To have a chance at them, you have to get your line down at least 150 ft. Well, time to take more pictures. Good Fishing!
Well, the fishing
has been awesome for the past few weeks and shows no sign of slowing down. Its pick your
fish time! Kokanee are biting on Kokanee Kings and Super Duper’s. Dolly Varden
(we’ve seen up to 13lb) are still going for Silver Plugs and Black and Silver Hockey
Sticks. Rainbow Trout (up to 17lbs so far) on Polar Bear hair, and for real excitement
they also seem to like Kokanee Kings. This is the most fun - when you hook into a 4-6 lb. Trout on small rods
with light gear. The other day Sue and I were out and she hooked a Trout on her Kokanee
rod, the fun really began when her reel came off her rod and I reeled it in while she held
the rod! We probably would have landed it but Sue was laughing too hard. Well, time to get
out there, good fishing!
The fishing is HOT right now! All the signs are here, we see eagles and osprey hunting and catching daily. Our guests have been coming in with Trout up to 13 lb, Dolly 4 to 10 lb and the Kokanee are also starting to bite. The unsettled weather seems to make the best fishing days. Most folks are using flies on the surface for Rainbows and silver plugs for Dolly approximately 20 ft down. Wedding rings and Kokanee kings and bouncing with the tasty morsels of Kokanee. It will just keep getting better as Spring progresses into Summer. Good fishing - see you on the Lake!
Unfortunately there
has been little time for fishing these past few weeks. I’ve watched the other boats
go out and heard at Bill’s (our local fly and tackle shop) that there have been some
nice Dollies come in. By and large however the fishing is slow right now, due in part to
extremely low lake temperature 38%. It is starting to warm up and the water level is also
rising. I have hopes that by next week's derby, the bite will be on again  Doug's Fishing
Report February, 2000
This month started off with a big fish. Guest Shawn Lee caught a 22.5lb rainbow on Feb. 2nd, beautiful fish. While nothing else that size has come in lately, there have been several nice Dolly Varden ranging from 7-15lbs, also a few more rainbows as well. Don’t forget the Dolly Varden Derby sponsored by Woodbury Resort, it starts on Fri Apr. 21st until noon on Sun Apr 23rd. Always a lot of fun. We still have a couple of cabins available. Good Fishing!
Sue and I went out the other day and chased the sun around. While no fish were caught, we got a great tan, not bad for January. Our neighbor fishing guide Gerald Franklin has reported several nice fish caught on his charter boat, one was 23.7 lbs! Another smaller 10lber he cooked up for our dinner, thanks Gerald, very tasty. Rainbow trout are on the surface and biting on polar bear flies, seemingly preferring blues and purples. Dolly Varden are down between 60 and 100 ft., same colors in Lyman plugs Click HERE for more fish pictures! Lakewood Inn |
