May 21, 2023

Fishing is not always about catching fish or taking photos of sunsets and sunrises, it’s much more than that.

Over the last couple of years, I have been enjoying learning new fishing techniques and learning about fishing for new species with conservation and education in mind.

While catching fish is fun, I also enjoy exploring while learning about a new lake and the area surrounding it. The experience of catching a fish is simply one variable in the equation to my definition of success. While this variable of catching fish can range from zero to a daily limit, the answer to the equation of fishing is always best solved by reflecting on the learning experience and the people we meet along the way. All the variables add, subtract and multiple to form the experience.

Since I started kokanee fishing, my goal has become to fish as many kokanee lakes as I can in British Columbia. This weekend, I was able to check one more of those lakes off my long list of lakes to fish.

My trip planning began a few months ago when we decided to visit family in Kamloops. Choosing a lake to fish was a difficult task as there are many great kokanee lakes surrounding the Kamloops area. I chose Stump lake as my first kokanee lake to explore, because I have heard that this lake undergoes an algae bloom later in the summer which makes the kokanee taste muddy and inedible to many anglers. I wanted to catch a few fish before the bloom came so I could see for myself the quality of early season kokanee and compare them to kokanee in the Cariboo region.

Before I fish a new lake, I like to do some research and planning so I can maximize my time on the water. My normal routine is to ask questions when needed, study bathymetric maps, Google maps (and the area around it). I look at geographical features like the topography of the area and water drainages. I try to find out typical wind direction in the area and then break the lake down into manageable “zones” and fish it methodically like a small lake while I search for active fish. I also print a lake map to bring with me, take screen shots of the lake on my phone and look for natural wind breaks that could help create feeding currents for kokanee to hang out in.

Social media is also a great resource before fishing a new lake. I search old posts and read the comments to try and learn about the lake I’m about to fish. YouTube is another great resource and I love watching local videos to help speed up the learning curve.

My favorite way to learn about a new lake is talking with anglers at the boat launch. There are many great people willing to help you learn once you get there and even after. I find talking with people after a day of fishing can help educate yourself on what you didn’t learn so you can improve on your experience.

The adventure began at the local gas station filling the truck in preparation for a potential exploration trip around the lake and the surrounding area. Then, I had to find and buy cubed ice at another gas station before heading out of town towards the lake.

The winding road and green landscape to the lake was breath taking. The hillsides and lakes the highway meandered through had me thinking I was in a different part of the world. Everything was different compared to what I was used to in the Cariboo and Omineca regions.

Unfortunately, the Rec Site was closed for construction (until June 30th) that I wanted to launch at. It turned out that I took the wrong road in anyway. I ended up launching at the busy launch on the side of the highway. It was a bit concerning as you have to line up on the highway (at the crest of a hill) to prepare to back down the old road to the launch. My understanding is this old road used to lead to a nice launching area with picnic tables that are now submerged underwater. Be careful if launching in shallow lake conditions as these tables will show no mercy on your boat prop.

When I got to the bottom, I had to jack knife my trailer to get my boat in the water. I would find out later that backing further down at a straighter angle would make launching easier as the water stayed deeper there.

It was great meeting people at the launch both on arrival and departure. It’s amazing how much you can learn from a conversation with like minded people. For those I talked to yesterday and today, it was great to meet you and thanks for saying hello.

The weather made staying cool a challenge at times, but thanks to my long sleeve UV sun shirt and a few bottles of water I was able to stay cool and fend off a sun burn. I also enjoyed wearing my sun glasses all day which seem to be helping with my eyes the older I get. Everything seems more noticeable for some reason now and everything little detail helps the comfort level on the lake.

I targeted the end closest to Merritt first. The wind had not picked up at all the first day and I wanted to explore this area before moving to an area that was said to hold decent schools of fish most of the year. After a few hours of trolling around and only one fish hooked and one school found, I made my way to the rec site to view it from the water.

I was impressed with the work that is taking place at the rec site. There’s a great boat launch there with a turn around spot being made. There was even a great fishing dock in place which many memories will be created on.

I found a few schools of fish in the bay adjacent to the rec site and luckily was able to land 2 out of the five fish I hooked. I felt a little rusty on my netting job and lost the first fish at the net. Throughout the day I tried different dodger and lure combinations to see what worked best. Surprisingly, an orange wiggle hoochie hooked one fish (and I lost it), while “Sarah’s” infamous pink Paulina Peak Tackle micro hoochie did most of the catching.

While I was marking fish at 15ft, I ended up settling on an 80ft setback and fished 12ft down off my Scotty Fishing Products downriggers. As the wind started to pick up, I was able to get down to kokanee trolling speeds which helped the bite. I really need to break down and buy a kicker motor soon. While the Minn Kota service department and warranty process is less than ideal, their availability compared to MotorGuide motors makes not purchasing one almost impossible. That being said, I’m still tossing up the idea of a small gas kicker motor. Will my procrastination ever stop?

Today, we finished touring to the other end of the lake where the wind was blowing. In fact, I noticed that the wind actually had 2 directions throughout the day which will make my game plan on my next adventure here slightly different than it was this trip. I didn’t find the wind to be too bad even when it was trying to white cap. Maybe I haven’t seen nothing yet?

I tried something new today in the wind and it worked well. We anchored our boat and started jigging for kokanee (I’ll need to get a longer anchor rope if this becomes a regular practice). I was excited when the first fish bit shortly after dropping to the bottom. Then, the second fish chomped down on my Kokanee Slammer and I was hopeful that we would put more fish in the cooler in a hurry. Sadly, I was wrong. As soon as the fish started biting, they stopped. It was a strange experience. They were everywhere and checking out our jigs but not interested in biting.

When we got back to the place we were staying at I had to see what the fish was eating. I could not believe it! This fish had a full stomach. It was as full as I had ever seen a kokanee stomach. And, most of what it had eaten were some of the biggest chironomids I have ever seen. As I sifted through the stomach contents, some of the chironomids came alive and started trying to swim again. What a cool experience!

I was happy to finally be able to explore another kokanee lake in British Columbia. While some of the anglers I talked to said the fishing was slow, I was content with catching a couple fish and learning about a new lake.

I look forward to returning to this lake in the future one day. Next time, I’ll plan my return closer to the algae bloom to see if finding the fish is easier. The kokanee seemed to be schooling up around 15ft along most areas of the lake, so finding them later in the season shouldn’t be too difficult (time will tell). Next time, I look forward to exploring more of this lake and hopefully I get to meet a few more people along the way.