Today was a text book day, or as close to what one can expect with this unseasonably warm weather.
We started our morning off like all others, except today we brought Austin’s friend along to show us how to catch the most fish and at a consistently larger size. We started weighing our bigger fish in the net and then subtracting the weight of the net. Today, we caught two 5lb rainbows, a handful of 4lb rainbows and lots of 2 to 3lb fish. One person would call it beginners luck, while another person would say he had a great teacher.
We started our morning off in a race to beat the first light of the day. After sleeping in, we loaded up our gear as we anticipated rain in our future. We packed an extra dry bag full of sweaters, gloves and toques. Today was the first day in over two months that warranted us bringing the umbrellas.
After a light dusting of rain drops and a quick safety discussion on boat safety, we were on our way. The quick boat ride to our first starting location gave us time to also discuss how we fish in the boat with three people. Safety casting directions and lengths of line allowed at the end of our rod tips was discussed, which made the day flow smoothly except for a few equipment malfunctions we had. We put away our umbrellas and got ready to fish some of the calmest water of the season.
The morning would prove to be the most productive as always. However, the lower water temperature helped carry the bite times further into the later part of the morning. If I had to guess, I’d say we are still in the Early to Mid Fall fishing season here on Dragon Lake when comparing notes to the Go Fish BC article I shared and read this week. I would eventually talk to a friendly angler at the boat launch later in the afternoon who heard the water boatmen (or backswimmers) were spotted on the lake a few days ago.
We were catching most of our fish along traditional transitional zones (now that’s a tongue twister). Depth seemed to be more in the shallower zones of 10 to 15ft of water. Most fish hit almost as soon as the spoon hit the water. I am convinced that casting spoons is more than just a piece of metal in the water. The sound from the lure hitting the water (sometimes shape and weight make a difference) to the sound waves the lure gives off play a role in the aggression of the bite. While the Kamlooper spoons are still going strong and leading with the most fish to the boat, I picked up a few smaller Gibbs Fishing spoons at Canadian Tire in Prince George this week and they might be making more of an appearance at the end of my line as the season progresses. Our smaller Gibbs Koho 35 and Kitimat 45 spoons both got fish today which is exciting because their action on the water is different than any other spoon we have.
It was great to see a few other boats on the lake casting spoons. Each boat we saw was doing well and hooking fish on a consistent basis. Could this gear fishery become more popular than fly fishing one day?
We tried a new spot to us this trip and it produced a few fish. There was also an aggressive fish that kept missing our lure right beside the boat in this location. Then, as if something was chasing bait fish, we saw schools of goldfish jumping out of the water all around us and even swimming right under our boat. It was interesting because this was the first school of goldfish I’ve seen this fall. We saw bright orange, gold and brown fish jumping all over so we casted in amongst them hoping to catch Walter, but had no luck.
Eventually, we drifted far enough away from the school of goldfish, but would soon find one floating on the surface. While not the biggest we’ve seen, this one was too big for our rainbows to eat. This is why the electro fishing program is needed to continue. Or, a thought crossed my mind today, could we corral these fish and eradicate more in the fall using a seine net?
I look forward to experiencing this fall fishery well past when the snow flies. If we’re lucky, we will be fishing well into December, although I highly doubt it. When will the first ice be this year? I hope I can break through it with my boat before I have to put it away for the winter.
Here’s a video from last year before the lake froze. If you haven’t done so already, please subscribe to our YouTube channel, youtube.com/@FougereFamilyAdventures