Kootenay KingFisher - Fishing Charter BC

ARTICLES

The following is reformatted from an article that was published in BC Outdoors Sport Fishing Magazine in November-December 2002. To view the original article, with photos and illustrations in PDF format, click here.

by DAVID C.KIMBLE

It was not by accident that I chose Arrow Lake as my winter trophy-trout destination. The line to the planer-board drew back like a bowstring and with a simple turn of the big trout's huge head, the fishing line snapped free from the Scotty release clip. The spinning clip shot forward and my guide, Brad Stubbs, yelled, Fish on!" I grabbed the rod from its holder and madly reeled in the slack and set the hook. The muscular Gerrard rainbow trout thrashed through the icy waters of upper Arrow Lake peeling 40 or 50 yards of line from the reel and then turned, running up past the boat, threatening to entangle the other lines before Brad could get them out of the way. Ten minutes later the fish in the net spelled success and my digital scale read an even nine pounds. It was the largest of 12 trout I caught with Kootenay Kingfisher guiding services during my two-day fishing trip in mid January and I went on to retain three, including a six-pound Dolly. It once again gave testimony that winter is the very best time to fish for trophy-size rainbow trout.

As huge as this lake is, it is truly a wilderness lake with Nakusp, a city of less than 2,000 people, being the only major population centre on its banks. The views from the lake are beautiful, with spectacular snow-covered peaks climbing from lush green forests. Wherever anglers look they will see rivers and creeks cascading steep mountainsides into the deep clear waters of Arrow Lake. And that depth was a surprise. Even though officials at the Keenleyside Dam near Castlegar had lowered the water level of this huge 220-kilometre (136-mile) long lake by 70 feet, Brad's fish finder seldom read depths shallower than 900 feet, and that was sometimes only a stone's throw from shore.

Looking Back

Before 1969, there were two Arrow Lakes, upper and lower; these two bodies of water were joined by a 32-kilometre (20-mile) stretch of river. The huge Keenleyside Dam raised the water level creating the present 220-kilometre long Arrow Lake that stretches from Revelstoke in the north to Castlegar in the south. This is an extremely long, but narrow, lake never getting more than two kilometres wide. BC Hydro also constructed the Revelstoke and Mica dams above Arrow Lake. Over the next 25 years, the placement of these dams would adversely impact on the fishing productivity of this much larger lake. As the traditional trout fishing declined, fisheries explored a number of options in an attempt to bring back fish stocks. This included stocking the lake with the Gerrard strain of rainbow trout. When the Gerrards didn't do as well as expected, fisheries officials also discovered that kokanee numbers in the lake had declined by 90 per cent. Fingers were pointed and blame flew over the stocking of a little freshwater shrimp called mysis, that ate the zooplankton and phytoplankton, a primary food source for midge-sized kokanee. Fishing was closed for several years to figure out just how to solve the problems. The Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, working with Ministry of Lands and Parks and BC Fisheries research scientists, found the Arrow system, like Kootenay Lake, was suffering from a nutrient deficiency caused by the trapping of nitrogen and phosphorus behind upstream dams.

Fertilization Solution

All of this information led to the Arrow Lake Fertilization Program, now the largest lake restoration program in the world. The program is a joint initiative between BC Hydro, MoELP and BC Fisheries and costs nearly $800,000 annually. The resulting kokanee numbers in the Arrow system are four times higher than they were in 1996 and kokanee now average 30 centimetres (12 inches) in length. Gerrard rainbow trout are once again being stocked into the lake and 10- to 20-pound trophies are caught nearly every weekend during winter months. Dolly Varden taken from the 38-degree Fahrenheit waters of Arrow Lake from December to April might well be the very best tasting freshwater fish in all of BC. These too are often caught between 10 and 20 pounds. In short, Nakusp, on the upper portions of Arrow Lake, has now become the number one destination for knowledgeable anglers seeking large numbers of huge, trophy-sized rainbow trout.

Planer Technique

During winter months the large rainbows are very close to the surface. I use long, 250- foot lines and move the boat in wide circles or serpentine maneuvers to keep my lures or flies from being dragged straight behind the boat. I was pleased to find out that Brad uses planer boards to accomplish the same action. The planer boards are set at an angle that pulls them out and away from the boat in the same fashion that a Dipsy Diver pulls the line down. They are connected near the
front of the boat with a very strong line - 150-pound test minimum. The lure or bucktail fly is lowered about 80 feet behind the boat and then clipped to the planer board line with a special clip made by Scotty that looks like a downrigger clip attached to a shower curtain ring. The pull of the lure at trolling speed draws the ring out and away from the boat, sliding down the planer board line as far as the angler wishes simply by controlling the amount of line coming off the reel set in the free-spool position. Once in place the brake is set on the reel, the drag is checked and the rod can be placed in a rod holder until there's a strike. This method is excellent for trolling two or three lines from each side of the boat.

In theory, the boat frightens the fish off to one side. The sound of the planer board makes sure the fish doesn't go too far and the lines clipped to the planer board line will go right over the trophy trout's head. When a fish strikes, it moves well behind the boat and Brad has time to get any other line or lines out of the way before the angler plays the trout in to netting position. A dozen trout in two days proved to me without a doubt that the system works.

Return Trip

In March, I returned to fish with Kootenay Kingfisher guide service again, this time accompanied by fishing partners John Bennet and Richard Kier. It was below freezing and the wind was howling and we were all questioning our sanity. The doubt faded when the downrigger line popped free and John caught his first Dolly, which weighed in at eight pounds. Shortly after that it was Richard's turn as an eight-pound Gerrard rainbow smashed into an Apex lure trolled off the stern with an eight-ounce slip weight. We were all having fun and that is the bottom line. Fishing for oversized trout
during the winter is totally fun. _

Two Scotty electric downriggers will get your lines down for the Dolly Varden. Brad uses top-of-the-line Shimano Convergence rods mounted with Ambassador 6500C reels. He has a wide colour assortment of Lyman plugs and Apex lures and follows the old proven rule of using dark lures on dark days and light-coloured lures on bright days. When the wind blows the surface into whitecaps he quickly switches over to bucktail flies. Brad ties Rapala knots, allowing the plugs to move with the maximum action they were designed for. He checks the sharpness of the hook every time it comes out of the water. He always makes certain the action on a plug or fly is perfect before letting the line out and uses a cover-up scent to mask any human odour on his lures.

For giant trophy trout, Brad prefers to stay on upper Arrow Lake, however, if clients prefer, he will quickly trailer his boat to Kootenay Lake, Slocan Lake, Trout Lake or even Kinbasket Lake. During late spring, summer and early fall he is often called upon to guide fly fishermen into one of the hundreds of high lakes in the West Kootenay area.

Brad Stubbs is a full-time, year-round professional fishing guide. During late fall, all winter, and early spring, most of his clients go for giant trophy rainbows, trolling from his custom designed 22-foot Crestliner welded aluminum deep V
cruiser. The boat has a broad beam and a good heating system, making it both safe and comfortable even in
bad winter conditions. The big Volvo inboard-outboard pushes the cruiser to a smooth 32 MPH at 4,000 RPM, meaning that clients aren't going to be wasting any time getting to where the big trout are waiting to be caught. Kootenay Kingfisher Guiding Services has teamed up with Murphy's Landing, a beautiful resort on the north end of Nakusp
to offer special package deals for fishing and accommodations. The beautiful cabins have all the comforts of home for up to six guests including everything one needs to cook for one or for a gang. Their fishing packages even include a trip to the local hot springs. If you're ready for some winter action, ready to fight the giant trout of winter, check Brad and Katrina Stubb's Web site at www.kootenaykingfisher.com or by telephone at 1-800-838-5269.

The following is reprinted from an article that was featured in the Revelstoke Times Review in February, 2002. The article was written by David Rooney, Editor:

"The words "winter fishing" evoke images of wind-swept, ice-covered lakes, small wooden shacks, holes drilled through the ice and afternoons spent patiently waiting for fish to take bait lowered into the icy depths. Those images would hold true anywhere in Canada except B.C. Interior lakes such as the Upper Arrow where winter fishing means open water and the excitement of angling for trophy-size rainbow and Dolly Varden trout.

"Fishing is what I know best and this is some of the best fishing you can get anywhere in Canada," said fishing guide Brad Stubbs as he set out with a party of four on the last day of January. "You just wait and see if it isn't true." As he spoke, Stubbs, the owner of Kootenay Kingfisher Guiding Services in Nakusp, steered his Crestliner Eagle away from the ferry dock at Shelter Bay toward deeper waters.

It was a chilly, overcast day. There was no wind but it was snowing lightly and constantly. The fishermen and their guide were virtually alone on the still, glassy-green surface of the lake; their sole companions the inland gulls and a solitary eagle that glided above them.

The Upper Arrow can reach depths of almost 1,000 feet, Stubbs said. But the quarry they sought weren't that deep. The trout would be feeding at much shallower depths — between 70 and 50 feet of the surface.

This wasn't like fly casting in Alberta's Bow River or even spin casting for bass, pike or walleye in Eastern lakes. Once he reached a spot he judged — and his fish finder confirmed — as a likely spot Stubbs set to work setting out two outriggers and deepriggers, one of each on the port and starboard sides of the boat.

Each outrigger looks like a miniature catamaran attached by a nylon cord to the Crestliner. The lines on the fishermen's four rods are set with Lyman plugs. The line from one rod on each side is attached to a snap-away clip about halfway from the outrigger to the boat. The lines are weighted so they sink down towards the fish.

The deeprigger on each side of the Crestliner consists of a stainless steel wire line attached to a lead plate that sinks to a pre-determined depth, carrying with it a snap-away clip to which is attached a line from a fishing rod. A small motor lowers and raises each weight. When all the lines are set, Stubbs sets the Crestliner in motion. But for the guttural chug of the Crestliner's engine there was no sound. It glides north across the barely rippled surface of the lake trolling for hungry trout.

Within minutes there's a strike on the port outrigger and Ernie Buhler, a trapper from Big Eddy, grabs the rod. He expertly sets the hook and jerks the rod, causing the line to snap free of the clip. His eager companions watch as he reels in his catch.

It's a two-pound Dolly Varden — not the monster Buhler was hoping for, but one he decides to keep anyway. "Who knows?" he asked, as he unhooked the shimmering green, pink and silver fish. "We might not get anything else. But then, maybe we will. You never know. People have caught 21-, 26- and even 28-pounders in here. A guy in Nakusp pulled in a 28-pound bull trout. That was the record."

Stubbs nods at Arlyss Peters, a minister from Revelstoke. "Arlyss, here, caught a 14-pounder a couple of weeks ago," he said. "He's even got a picture of it — so we know it's not just your regular fish tale."

Rainbows and Dolly Vardens aren't the only game fish in the Upper Arrow. Stubbs said there are Kokanee and even yellow fin trout, a species native to the Columbia River, although he noted "you don't catch that many of them anymore."

The 33-year-old Stubbs has spent a lot of time learning about the Upper Arrow and its finny denizens. A native of Kenora, Ont., he started guiding in the Lake-of-the-Woods region when he was 19, he came to B.C. 12 years ago and after several years logging decide to go back to what he knows best — guiding.

"It's a passion of mine," he said, as he talked about his young business. Kootenay Kingfisher wants to attract business from Albertans and Americans eager to land the whoppers that haunt the depths of B.C.'s lakes. Besides guiding fishing parties on the Upper Arrow he can guide anglers to nine different mountain lakes, some of them accessible only by floatplane, Stubbs said.

Although most of his clients come here during the summer, the months of May and November through March may be the best times to fish for some species, he said, adding that conditions on the lake itself can affect the fishing. Dolly Vardens will strike at a lure during calm weather, but rainbows seem to prefer choppy, even rough, conditions. "I'll be surprised if we catch a rainbow today," he told retired logger John Markstrom. Markstrom, no stranger to this lake, agreed.

They were right. Not a single rainbow went for the lures that day, but the Dolly Vardens weren't shy. The party of four pulled in five more of the delicately tinted fish. One was a six pounds; each of the rest weighed about eight pounds. That would be a pretty respectable size from the point of view of an Albertan or American, but there are larger fish out there and the tantalizing lure of a monster fish that weighs in excess of 10 pounds caused the fishermen to release two of the eight pounders.

"I could keep this one, but there's got to be a big one out there waiting for us," said Peters as he released the last eight pounder. "And if there isn't? Well I'll take the consequences."

Alas, the big boy Peters dreamed of didn't strike that afternoon. He's still out there cruising the deep and waiting for just the right moment to strike at a lure."

Photo by David Rooney

Telephone: 1-800 838-5269 (Toll-free from Canada and United States)
1-250-265-4199 (All other countries)

E-mail: info@kootenaykingfisher.com

Mail:        Kootenay KingFisher Guiding Services
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