LAKE FISHING

Bucktailing for Gerard Rainbows on Kootenay Lake

Bucktails and really big fish are a combination few anglers will forget

The Gerard strain of rainbow trout are the stillwater heavyweights of B.C.’s fishing world. They co-exist in a unique relationship with the lake’s resident population of kokanee, which are landlocked sockeye salmon. Feeding on the annual outpouring of kokanee smolts from small creeks and streams allows Gerards to gain monstrous size, often more than 20 pounds. Kootenay Lake boasts one of British Columbia’s greatest populations of this unique strain.  They are predators, pure and through, and anglers who strip bucktails or trail streamers in the right place at the right time can bank on arm-jarring runs that many would associate with fast river steelhead. This is a big lake, and experience counts — anglers are well advised to find the services of a good guide to help them in this unique fishing quest.