Kootenay Cutties and Bulls

Taking some time to explore different areas of the province I decided to head out to the Kootenays for some West Slope Cutthroat trout and Bull Trout.  In this region some of the rivers hold cutties in numbers that will wear out out a fly in short order and bull trout that exceed 33 inches (90 cm) and 15 to 18 lbs (7-9 kg).  My trip has started in late August and early September and there was always a risk of forest fires.  As it turned out two lightning storms ignited the mountains above my campsite and eventually the entire east Kootenay back country was closed to all activities including recreational fishing.  However for the days that I was able to fish the results were spectacular.

The first thing is to find a nice forestry camp site and set up and then invite some friends over for a beer.

Once the introductions have been made and the beer is finished it was time to go down to the river and see which flies would work.

This being late August there was a small mayfly hatch but none of the stone flies seemed to be hatching anymore.  That didn't mean that the trout forgot what stone flies look like it just meant that there weren't a whole bunch of naturals on the surface to distract the trout from the artificial I was tossing out there.  A stomach pump showed that the trout were still trying to fatten out but mostly all that was available to them was very small size 20 or smaller larvae or other invertebrates that you could barely see or the occasional flying ant.  So, when you tossed a big (size 8) or medium (size 12) stone fly, it was like tossing a piece of steak out among hungry wolves.

There was no hesitation to attack the fly.   On more than one occasion I could see the trout shoot up from the bottom, turn in the current and launch into the air after it had grabbed my fly.  Looking like a mini great white shark inhaling a seal, they race up to grab their quarry and then the fight would be on. 
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The bull trout were another story though as they were approaching their spawning period and having migrated up from the lake and lower pools in the river they were a little harder to entice.  It was a thrill to see them stacking in the deep cool crytal clear pools amongst the rocks and up against the sheer cliff side pools.   Any deep pool that was on the outside curve of the river against a rock cliff held any wheres from 10 to 20 fish, some exceeding 33 inches in length.  The males were in beautiful spawning colours with red/orange bellies with the white slashes along the sides of the pectoral fins.  In some pools the females were stacked four to six fish on top of each other.

While it is hard to guage the size of the fish in the photos above, most of them were at least the size of the fish below and males were often considerably larger.  When one took the hook there was no mistaking that you had a bull trout on the line as they fought as hard as any salmon of equivalent size.  The rushes made the reel sing and if you could hold them (and some I couldn't) they would do a number on my leader which at 14 pounds for the bulls was sometimes severely less than adequate strength.

The thing about the big bull trout that I forgot and soon paid for, was that they will swallow a 12 inch cutthroat thrashing at the end of your line and to do so they grip it with rows of very large and sharp rasper teeth.  Therefore, when you try to hold their mouth open and extract your 8 inch streamer fly, you should use extended needle nose  pliers.  I didn't have mine with me so my hand got shredded more than once!

The other thing about the Kootenay region is that elk, deer, moose and grouse hunting opens while the trout fishing is still great.  So if you are not successful in your morning hunt, you can head back to camp for a good solid breakfast and coffee and when the sun has warmed up the river, you can head down with your bow or rifle strapped across your back (there are copious bears, both black and grizzly in the area) and your rod in hand with a pocket full of flies.  Then, since some rivers allow up to two cutties per day, which, when dropped into a hot frying pan with some butter and potatoes go along very well with a cold apple cider!

Another nice feature is that the logging roads leading to and from the river are a favourite place for grouse to hang out and while they are a good challenge for marksmanship with a bow, a steady aim can get you some great poultry for dinner if you get tired of trout.

Last but not least, when the bull elk start to bugle, it's time to interrupt the fishing for a bit (as this fellow did) and get out there for some substantial meat for the freezer.  This fellow was just taken to the meat cutter to be formed into excellent steaks and roasts for the winter.  Now we are off to find a bigger one in the next week and then try and make it back to the coast in time for the spring salmon, coho and the fabulous chum salmon runs that will be in the coastal rivers in a week or two.  Until then, tight lines and enjoy the great outdoor adventures B.C. as to offer.