public launch & Multnomah County River Patrol station

wing dam & rock pile north side of dolphin

Here's a beauty. And the fish look good too. More Columbia River Walleye

Columbia River Walleye.

spectacular day for fly fishing the lower Columbia River

"Between Castlegar and the US border lies a unique stretch of the Columbia River that offers anglers a world-class rainbow trout fishery. This section of the river begins at the bottom of Keenleyside Dam and runs about 40 kilometres to Waneta, at the US border. Rod Zavaduk, from Castlegar Sports and Fly Shop, says that there is a lot of shoreline fishing available, and “most locals have their favourite back eddy or run come summer.” Fly fishing on the Columbia River is world-class, he says. “The Columbia has a reputation of being one of the premier rivers for fly fishing because of its hatches starting April/May and lasting into October. There are stones, mayflies, salmon fly, midges, chronomids, huge caddis in June and July, good terrestrial – cicada, ants, hopper, termites, and last the October Caddis. The big attraction to the Columbia is its dry fly fishing. A fisherperson can dry fly starting in April right through to October. But the nymphing and swinging streamers will give more action April to June and Sept till November.” Zavaduk adds that since the river never freezes, people can fish all year long. “And the other attraction is the size of rainbows, averaging 3-5 lbs. with many hooked but never to be seen. Fish are healthy and hot. There are reports of 10-15 lb fish landed every season. Patterns mostly used are nymphs and streamers in the early season, ants and cicadas dry flies for April, May and June, caddis and mayflies in May, June, July, and August. Streamers and Nymphs are good from September, all through the winter. Zavaduk notes that, “there are just a few boat launch sites and with the big water volume and speed of the river it is recommended that your boat be at least a 14 foot with 20 hp motor or bigger.” Beaver Creek Provincial Park is an excellent location to set up camp right along the river. There is a paved single wide boat launch. It is recommended that launching trailer-towed boats should only be attempted by vehicles equipped with four wheel drive. The shoreline is rocky and not recommended for boat mooring to shore. "

Fishing Report from Reel Adventures

Kootenay Lake: Although the fishing tourism is way down, the main lake has still been producing lots of the usual 2 – 4 Lb Rainbows, with a few Bull Trout also from 2 – 6 Lbs. Some of our best days see up to 20 fish being caught. But, an average day would produce between 8 – 12 fish. Lots of action to keep our guests busy. We have been mixing it up a bit lately as far as fishing location on the lake as well. We have fished the extreme north, the extreme south, and the central portions of the lake and have found the better fishing to be from the central portion and south. Lighter gear is the ticket for fun now. Still lots of excitement catching these 2 – 4 pounders on a fly rod or lighter spinning rod. But, be prepared to break a few fish off if you manage to hook into some of the bigger fish still around. Either way, there’s still lots of action and lots of fun to be had on the lake. The West Arm has been producing some nice fish as of late. It seems that some of our bigger fish have been cruising the West arm in search of food. There have been a few surprises coming in lately. Fly fishing has been a blast in the past few weeks. Lots of 2 – 4 Lb Rainbows, but were also hooking into some Rainbows and Bull Trout up to 8 Lbs in the Arm. This is a pleasant surprise when targeting the smaller fish. Lots of opportunity for fish this summer. Looking forward to the tourist season and hoping to get lots more people hooked on this great sport. Columbia River: The river was on fire for the early months of April, May, and June. Lots of fantastic days floating the river with both floating and sinking lines. As the water remained low, the seams were plentiful and the fish remained very active. Lots of Rainbows between 2 – 5 Lbs were being caught. Also started to see more Walleye showing up in the fishery. Now, with the rising water, the fishing holes have changed a bit and the fish are moving around. The back eddies are producing well, especially after the crazy caddis hatches that we had early in the season. Usually these hatches don’t start until this time of year. A sign of the times I guess, as our seasons seam to be getting earlier every year. June and July should see some of the largest caddis hatches of the year and should put these fish back into a frenzy. Also, the Walleye should get to be more plentiful as the summer continues. Looking forward to the next couple months on the river! More Fishing Opportunities: It’s that time of year again when we spread the boats out to maximize our fishing presence. For the next few months we will have our boats stationed at the following locations: 1 boat on the Columbia River, 2 boats on Kootenay Lake, and 1 boat on the West coast of Vancouver Island in Ucluelet. So, no matter what your fishing preference is, we can accommodate. Looking forward to a busy summer. What are they biting on???? Not a lot of secrets out there at this time of year. The main lake has been producing most Rainbows on the usual bucktail flies. Common colours have been grey/white, black/wht, green/wht. The common numbers of these flies are: 210, 215, 221, 222, 234. Also catching some Rainbow and Bull trout on apex lures and my favourite Lyman plugs. Check out some of the new Lyman patterns as they have been producing well for us. On the River we have been catching most of our Rainbows on the fly. Dry lines with elk hair caddis have been working well on the hot days. And on the cooler days, or when we can’t seem to catch on the dry, we have been drifting nymphs through our favourite holes. On the days when we are not flyfishing, we have been spin casting with spinners and spoons, as well as bottom bouncing with bait. The bottom bouncers or jigs have been producing best for the Walleye. Lots of different techniques to use on the river and lots of different fish to be caught. Lets Go Fishing! Tight lines………………. Kerry Reed Reel Adventures Sportfishing Nelson B.C 250-505-4963 www.reeladventuresfishing.com

Columbia River toad!...

Columbia River toad!