Kamloops BC Fishing Report

By Jordan Oelrich, Interior Fly Fishing Co. | Last updated: September 27th, 2019

As the leaves begin to turn colour and nights begin to touch the freezing mark at higher elevations, water temperatures also begin to drop on the infinity of lakes in BC’s interior. Though many anglers are chomping at the bit during the dark days of winter, anticipating the first chironomid hatches of springtime, what is often overlooked is the productivity of fall stillwater fishing.

As water temperatures begin to drop, fish will begin sliding into shallow water in search of staple food sources such as leeches, scuds (freshwater shrimp) and chironomid larvae (bloodworms). Many lakes also experience phenomenal chironomid emergences during the months of September and October.

Lower elevation lakes in the 2,000ft range are just beginning to reach the 60F mark, while higher elevation lakes are in prime fall fishing mode. The longer the season extends, the better the fishing will get as fish will feed voraciously in anticipation of another long winter beneath the ice. Below are a few tips to help you find, and catch them.

Location

Fall fishing often means moving around often to find schools of active fish. In the last few weeks before the ice forms on our lakes, fish will feed heavily during multiple periods throughout the day. Seeing signs of activity such as rolling or jumping fish will often reveal where activity is taking place. Though jumping fish are not always feeding, simply being able to locate them is a large step in the right direction. Also, do not be afraid to move every 20 to 30 minutes if you are not seeing or hooking fish.

What to Fish?

Fall mornings are typically cool, and can yield some excellent fishing in shallow water as fish forage around on marl flats, or tight against bulrushes. Leech and shrimp imitations fished on floating lines under strike indicators are a deadly effective tactic. The reason for this is the ability to keep your presentation suspended in their feeding zones indefinitely, without touching the lake’s bottom. These two imitations also fish well near ledges and drop-offs with intermediate or full sinking lines. 

Another method to keep in mind is fishing chironomids in the fall. In both the larval and pupal stage, chironomids are fished in three primary methods: suspended under a strike indicator, on a floating line with a long leader (roughly 10% longer than the depth of water you are fishing), or by “dangling” beneath the boat with full sinking lines. As a general rule, start within a foot of the bottom and continuously experiment with bringing your fly up the water column; it is not uncommon to find fish suspended partway through the column during a chironomid emergence."

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!

Jordan Oelrich
Interior Fly Fishing Co.
Ph. 250-463-2266 | info@interiorflyfishingco.com