Brook Trout, or “Brookies”, are a member of the char family and inhabit many lakes throughout the interior of British Columbia. They fight differently than a lot of our rainbow trout, preferring to hang underneath the boat over launching themselves into the air. Typically the runs consist of short bursts, typical with many char species.
The 1756 G3 ready to do work on Corbett Lake, BC
Phil Rowley putting a nice rainbow in the basket caught in shallow water
Brennan Lund with an after-hours rainbow caught on the surface at Corbett Lake
The evening shift. Photo: Brennan Lund
Brian Chan explaining what ingredients make a productive trout lake
Steve hooked up on a nice Corbett Lake rainbow
A nice fish that took a size 18 dark brown/copper rib chironomid pupa 6 feet under the surface
Marty hooked up on a nice rainbow caught on a chironomid
Best flies for lower elevation lakes that have already turned over and are seeing prominent emergences have been chironomids in the way of the Zucchini, Black/Red Rib, Chromie/Brown Rib in sizes 16 and 18.
A nice rainbow that recently fell victim to a UV Sunburst blob on an SA S3/S5 full sink with the double-hand strip technique
A method that is more commonly seen fishing Tarpon during a Palolo worm hatch, the double-handed strip is actually very effective for fishing patterns such as water boatmen, boobies and blobs. The steady but erratic retrieve accompanied by a few pauses is a great way to trigger a reaction bite.
Lakes in the 3,000-3,500 elevation mark are icing off, with some of the lower elevation lakes already finishing the turnover stage and clearing nicely. The best flies for us last week were UV Tequila blobs fished on Scientific Anglers’ SD S3/S5 full sinking line in the morning, with #18 chromie/brown rib being the chironomids of choice.
Arbor: Reels come in three primary arbor diameters: Small arbor, mid-arbor and large arbor. What does this mean for you? Because fly reels are a 1:1 ratio the larger the arbor means the more line pickup per rotation. In English, that means it will be easier to catch up to a fish that is running towards you. I like a mid to large arbor reel with a smooth ingoing click (or no click at all) that allows for speedy pickup to eliminate the amount of slack line a fish will have to work with. Less slack line = fewer fish lost.
One of the first things I will adjust while fishing during turnover is my expectations. Turnover is often the most challenging and inconsistent period of the season, I do not fish a lake in turnover and expect to have outstanding results. I have had good fishing during turnover, but more often than not it does not present much consistency.
Early season means cold water. Cold water means that fish aren’t going to be cruising the shoals at Mach speeds in search of food. Sometimes the first few weeks that a lake is ice-free involves doing some searching to find feeding fish. Don’t be afraid to move around a little bit more than often and you will be rewarded.
The Stillwater Fly Fishing App has made it easier than ever to carry a plethora of information with you in your pocket anywhere you go. I have used this app since the day it came out and it is a lifetime of valuable information packed into one smartphone app.
How could this happen though? All of a sudden my 20 inchers were 16 inches long, my 22 inchers were 18 inches long, and all of a sudden I gained a whole new appreciation for the “twenty-inchers” that I had been landing left right and center the last few years.