Yesterday, I put in a 12hr shift on the lake and another 7hrs was spent driving to and from it.
Some might call me crazy, while others might say I have an addiction. Either way, I had a great day fishing and do not remember the last time I went fishing from the moment I woke up to the time I went to bed.
My day started at 4:45am when my alarm clock on my phone went off (technically speaking, I might have hit snooze a few times). I had packed all my gear the night before and was ready to start loading my truck. All I needed to do was brew some coffee, make some breakfast for the road and load the truck. Time flew by this morning. The weather was looking great while driving from Quesnel to Williams Lake. I was excited for the day to come. Then, when I arrived in Williams Lake I was saddened to see cloudy skies ahead in my future. I almost changed course and started thinking about all the other great lakes we have in the northern Cariboo like Tyee, Mcleese, Chimney and Ten Mile to name a few. Instead, I reset my cruise control and kept my bearing and sights on Bridge Lake.
I decided to fuel my truck at the Interlakes store and pick up some ice and food before my final destination. I noticed a few interesting things that I have not noticed before. As you fuel, there is a large fir tree that seems to be leaning quite drastically beside the station sign. At first glance, I thought “they should cut that tree down so it does not fall on something.” Then, after studying the tree while fueling, I thought that it really gave the location another notch of character. The second thing I noticed was later in the day. I bought 4 bags of ice with the anticipation of catching 5 large kokanee. Under normal circumstances, the ice would have melted while drawing out the heat from the fish. This time, I had one frozen block of ice in my cooler and one very cold kokanee.
The weather network was calling for partially cloudy skies and 21 degree weather, which seemed par for the course this year. The outside temperature in the morning was reading 11 degrees and so I had to make a decision when I arrived. I almost chose to wear my waders, which I would have taken off later in the morning. My sweater was all that was needed to help fight the chill of this brisk Cariboo morning. Later, I would re-learn the lesson of “make sure you wear sun screen,” even during partially cloudy skies (which later turned into a full blown blue bird day). Unfortunately, I will be left with a stinging in my neck and a burning sensation in my elbows and arms until my skin can heal. If I had only applied the sunscreen I had on my boat when I was thinking about it, today would have been more pleasant when waking up.
My morning embarkment started with a plan as always. I decided to use our previous Ten Mile Lake gear as the starting lineup for the day. I also had a few sections of the lake ear marked for a “test run” to see if I could find any schooling kokanee. The first hour proved successful as my fish finder quickly started marking active fish. I had landed my first kokanee of the day after only five minutes of fishing. I was ecstatic. Could this finally be the day that Bridge Lake kokanee fishing was going to fish well again?
The next few hours would prove to be a bust. I tired many different combinations of dodgers and lures only to come up empty handed. What was going on? It was clear that the lake was going thru a turn over of sorts or was just recovering from another Cariboo storm. There was debris and plant matter scattered around the surface. I kept clear of these areas to avoid getting plant matter on my downrigger cables and fishing line (later that day I would make up for it by trying one of these areas). I made several figure eight passes thru the kokanee I was marking with different speeds, presentations and scents. There seemed to be nothing I could do to entice a bite. Then, as if someone turned off a switch, I had lost track of the kokanee I was marking. Did they move closer to shore? Did they go deeper into the lake?
I tried a few more areas surrounding my morning “hot spot” with no success. Time was ticking, so I decided to change gears and retire my kokanee rods for a few hours. I was marking a lot of lake trout between 30 and 70ft, so I planned my attack and tied on a tube jig from Chad on one rod and a white buzz bomb on the other. My goal was to try and learn about lake trout. I’ve been curious about their behaviors and when they feed. To me, this information is valuable and I’m hoping to learn more about lake trout fishing to help me target kokanee more effectively. What I found interesting was how shallow the lake trout were. I was marking quite a few at 30 and 40 ft. Were they feeding on kokanee? Was this why the kokanee fishing was slow? One of the lake trout I hooked was a decent size. A passerby, came over to watch the fight. He asked if I was going to bonk it. I kindly said no and that I would be releasing it. One thing he said has stuck with me and I’ll be thinking about it for a while I’m sure. He said, “those guys are hard on the kokanee population.” Should I have kept it to save a kokanee? I honestly have not eaten lake trout before. I practise what I preach to my family. If you keep it, you eat it. I’ve heard they taste great fresh, but not so good frozen.
The afternoon “bite” time was coming, so I switched back to kokanee fishing. I tried a few new locations on the lake and a few more dodgers and lures. Nothing seemed to be working. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve had trouble finding active kokanee on Bridge Lake this year. I had one good day earlier this year, but that’s it. One thing is for sure, out of the last six trips I’ve made to Bridge lake this year, every trip has been worth it, even though most trips I’ve returned home empty handed. I’m starting to learn that it’s “not always about catching fish” even though catching a few makes the experience that much sweeter. I have really been enjoying fishing Bridge lake. There is so much to explore there and there’s only so much time in a day. Over the years, I hope to be able to explore most of the lake and find some great locations that I can target as the years go on.
As the sun started setting and was glaring in my face, I was surprised at how quickly time had gone by. I decided to flip back over to lake trout fishing one more time. This time, I wanted to see how they were behaving in the evening. In my experience, they seemed more lethargic as the sun was dipping behind the hillside. Could this be the answer I was looking for? Would this help me discover how to become a better kokanee fisherman?
As I headed for the boat launch, I was amazed to see how clear of a day it was. I had spent so much time watching my rods and fish finder that I forgot to look up and enjoy the sky. The clouds that were there in the morning had moved on and the sky was the clearest I have seen it this year while fishing. I was sad to know that I would not be returning in the morning. All I could think was, “the kokanee fishing is going to be on fire tomorrow.” Instead, I enjoyed the clear skies, welcomed the moon and took in the Cariboo sunset that was showing on the big screen.
On the drive home, I was hoping to grab a bite to eat at the Interlakes store. Earlier in the day, I had picked up some amazing breakfast sandwiches and a smoked meat sandwich (which came with one candy for dessert) and I was looking forward to what was on the dinner menu. Unfortunately, I had been fishing for so long that the store was closed. So, I finished a left over peanut butter sandwich and two apples for dinner instead. For a drink, I was thankful that I had packed enough water for the day. I had remained hydrated, which is important when fishing for extended periods of time.
As some people have noticed, (it might be hard not to see) I really love fishing. I think about it every single day. On the drive home I was thinking about the correlation between lake trout and kokanee. Was there even a correlation between the two species that affected the kokanee fishing? I witnessed lake trout feeding mid-day which seems to be close to the time when the “bite” turned off. What part of the puzzle was I missing? The last piece that I haven’t tried to fit into the puzzle yet, was waking up super early and fishing kokanee in the early hours of the day. I like my sleep. Will it be worth it to wake up and fish for kokanee earlier when the lake trout are at rest? There is only one way to find out. Next time (next year), I’ll be fishing Bridge Lake as early as possible to see if this makes a difference. Or, could this just be wishful thinking. Maybe lake trout are not to blame, while high waters and cooler water temperatures might be affecting kokanee behaviors more?