Learning how to catch a fish can be an exciting process. While spending countless hours fishing on the water can yield results, I find pre-scouting, researching, and discussing fishing techniques with people willing to share some knowledge on a specific water body and fish species behaviors can help speed up the learning process to success.
Choosing where to start fishing first can change depending on the time of the year. The way a lake is fished can also be determined based on the target species and their seasonal behaviors or patterns. Depending on the size of the lake, choosing a starting point can seem overwhelming until you break down the lake into manageable areas or zones.
Before each fishing trip, I always do as much research as I can before leaving home. I study bathymetric maps by searching for areas that might hold fish. My favorite mapping program is the Navionics app by Garmin. This app comes with an annual fee (and it went up considerably from last year), but I still find it worth the cost to help narrow down productive areas on a lake. Depending on my target fish species, I compare these bathymetric maps to Google earth, then I print a map and mark out areas on the lake that will be my starting points. When on the water, I can then plan my angle of attack based on wind direction, weather patterns (clouds and sun) and what I see when on the water. Most people I have talked to say that they have yet to find an accurate bathymetric map and I can agree with them, because there always seems to be features that do not line up when on the water. Some people might even argue that using these maps is a waste of time. Personally, I find them useful because often I find productive areas on lakes within a couple of hours to a few days that would take me twice as long without the help of a map.
Our most recent trip brought us back to Rainbow Resort on Canim Lake, BC. This was our third time staying at this resort. The resort location and features have ticked all the boxes for me on what I look for in a fishing resort. The cabins are all located lakeside, and all have amazing views of the lake. Having a campfire close to the lake, listening to the waves, birds and watching the sunset makes for a relaxing way to end a day of fishing. To top it all off, fish can be caught from shore as well, right in front of the cabins. The hosts, Taylor and Shay have always been welcoming, accommodating, and have made each stay feel more like home after each visit. A friendship has been formed and I look forward to many more years ahead.
I have always been interested in learning about how to catch lake trout in the fall. This was my first trip fishing for fall lake trout, and it did not disappoint. Thanks to a well mapped fishing plan, I was able to find lake trout that were willing to bite. My understanding of fall lake trout fishing is to find areas that have gravel and rocky bottoms. It took a while to find active fish, but when I did, I was excited to see all my pre-planned scouting pay off. Most fish seemed to be caught over hard, rocky bottoms close to soft, muddy bottoms. Surface temperatures averaged 54 degrees Fahrenheit, and the outside air temperature felt like I was coho fishing on a cold, wet river on the coast. Thankfully, my waders and rain jacket kept the wind and moisture from wicking too much heat away and it only took a couple of hours to warm up by the campfire after dinner. I was not able to find fish in shallower water like I had hoped I would. I believe this was due to high water temperatures. However, I did not cast into shallow areas of the lake, those under 30ft, or troll over these areas. My thoughts on searching these areas with the boat were that the boat noise would scare fish in shallow water away, due to the water clarity which was much clearer than in June. Fish were marked between 50 and 90 feet of water. Active, biting fish were found in 60 to 70 feet of water. I noticed that fish in ninety feet of water seemed curious of our lures and stuck around longer on the fish finder. Of course, this might have held true based on a larger cone diameter of my fish finder at depth. I also caught a burbot as bycatch while searching for a fishing location which was a nice bonus.
We tried multiple colors and sizes of jigs this trip and ended up with two jigs that caught fish. The most productive jig was a two-ounce Gibbs Fishing Extreme Glow Minnow. I have come to like this jig because it is heavy and reaches the bottom quickly compared to other jigs. For finicky fish, there is an ounce and a half option available. This jig caught about 90 percent of the lake trout (thankfully I had extras to go around on all the rods). The second productive jig was a discontinued green Gibbs Zak Attack which is basically a Buzz Bomb lure, but without all the holographic flash in it. For some reason, Ethan bought a couple of these on sale at Cabelas in Abbotsford and he wishes he had more. They have been working well for him and especially well when he uses his favorite jigging technique.
It was interesting seeing what methods were working to catch lake trout this fall. Our normal jigging technique includes dropping to the bottom, then jigging up and down from six inches to a foot off the bottom. On each jig, we make sure our jig hits the bottom with enough force so that we can feel it hit. This helps us decipher if the bottom is soft or hard. In the summertime, a softer bottom seemed to be more productive, but this fall a hard bottom seemed to yield better catch rates. Hitting the bottom with force also helps send sound waves into the water which attracts lake trout to come in and investigate. I also believe that hitting the bottom when it is soft helps pull sediment into the water creating an effect of a dying bait fish. We also throw in a couple big jigs to help send sound waves out to attract fish. It is important to note that when making large jigs you lower your jig in a controlled manner with your line tight. By doing this you will be able to detect a bite if a fish bites on the way down. While our normal jigging methods worked and caught fish, Ethan’s jigging method seemed to be the most productive this trip. His method involves letting the jig lay flat and motionless on the bottom for a few seconds after a few jigs. It was amazing to watch how many bites he got this way. Setting the hook was based on guessing when he thought the fish had the jig in its mouth. Another interesting experience this fall was the number of fish that were hooked in the pectoral fin and belly. I have had this happen before when jigging for lake trout in the past, but not at this frequency. I have even had them get the hook in their tail and I believe when hooked in the tail they were trying to knock out or stun their food before they ate it. The “bite” when some fish were hooked in the fins and belly felt and looked like a bite. From what I have heard, these fish sometimes like to lay on their bait almost as if they are saving it for later. My thought on the increased foul hooks is that lake trout prefer to lay on their food pre/post spawn to conserve energy. This way they do not have to work as hard to find food. What are your thoughts on this?
I am always intrigued when learning about how to fish for a new species. As much as I love getting up early before the sun rises, I have been noticing a pattern on lake trout bite times over the years. To me, it seems that there are two main feeding times in a day, late morning and early afternoon. I have also been questioning the thought process that lake go off the bite when it is cloudy or stormy out. While I have seen this hold true a few times at a couple of lakes, I have also seen this to be false at a couple of lakes. As the saying goes, you cannot catch a fish if your line is not in the water. I believe (to some extent) that lake trout feed when they are hungry, regardless of their current environment. What this means to me at this time is that there will always be factors that affect if a fish will bite or not. It’s a numbers game. The more time spent searching for active fish, the higher the odds of finding one that is willing to bite. There might be instances like lake turn over or hot temperatures that put most fish off feeding, but I have noticed that not all fish will be affected. We witnessed a storm this summer and the fish were biting as soon as the storm passed. That being said, I do believe that there is a correlation between the length of time when a storm or cloudy weather passes and when the bite turns on. For example, we spend hours searching for fish and could not find any under a cold cloudy sky. Then, when the skies opened up and we could see blue skies, I decided to search the same lifeless areas again to see if the fish arrived. As “luck” would have it, we found fish everywhere and the bite turned on.
Our last day spent at Rainbow Resort was a day I will not forget any time soon. Since the resort was closed, our new friend Taylor was able to come fishing with us. We joined Taylor on his pontoon boat, which had lots of room for all of us. It was great to talk more about fishing, our interests outside of fishing and the year ahead. We were able to catch some nice fish this day and learn a few more things about the benefits of a pontoon boat. I was impressed at how stable the boat was when we found ourselves all on one side looking down into the water for one of the lake trout to come into view. It was a great platform for everyone to stand on and watch as the lake trout burped. Watching bubbles come to the surface is something that will never get old in this fishery. As the wind picked up, we started finding it harder to jig from the pontoon boat. Pointing into the wind helped slow our drift, but we eventually found ourselves heading back to the resort to checkout and pay for our cabin. It was a sad day having to leave, but also a happy day. Another chapter of the 2024 season was over and we found ourselves preparing for the fall rainbow trout fishery coming up on Dragon Lake, BC.
I am excited to share the videos we made for our YouTube channel, so stay tuned to this blog post or my channel for those videos coming soon.