(continued)

.....for a bit but all we managed were a bunch of bites.  So, we went back to the troll and picked up a nice Laker on a gold Apex and had several other real good hits on that same lure.  That was it for the fishing!

We had a group of what I will refer to as "uneducated boaters" paddle (photo) by us when we were at Murdock.  A group of about 8 canoes, all loaded up with kids, paddled by, coming from the north side of Murdock.  The wife had the binos and saw that at least 6 of the persons in the canoes did not have any lifejackets on!  This may not seem strange except it would appear that this was a group of kids being supervised by adults, the adults of course were the ones without the life jackets on.  It hasn't been that long since I plucked those kids out of the drink up at the Narrows and returned them safely to shore and now, more of the same.  Guess I'll have to send some mail to the local clubs and find out who's in charge.

One other Dufus to mention, actually Rob sent me the pic.  He was fishing down in the Salmon Arm end when this (photo) blithering idiot went by him not once but 5 times!!  Rob finally got up on the bow of his boat when the moron again went by and Rob tried to bring it to the boaters attention that he was a total idiot!  The guy left but returned about 5 minutes later and did the same thing!  Only another month or so left Rob, guess us anglers got to hide or something, cannons are illegal on the boat!

July 25 2010  (0800-1300)

We decided to take a chance on the lake, again, and headed to Murdock Pt. to give that a whirl.  Needless to say it didn't take long and this (photo) idiot showed up!  There was a whole line of houseboats coming in and staying well away from where I was fishing.  This moron cut out of that line and cut less than 30' from in front of my boat!  I yelled "something" at him and he just had a stupid "deer in the headlight" look on him.  Not long after that this (photo) Dufus showed up, buzzing us at less than 50' off the deck and about 50' off our starboard side.  I believe this is the same guy that buzzed Kev a couple weeks ago,  photos sent in!

OK, back to why we went out, fishing.  Two small Lakers at Murdock, both on blk/gry Apex at 68' and then we left, headed for Hermit.  Two more Lakers here, both on the big, all chrome Coyote, and back to back.  I saw Lakers marking on the bottom, put that hook down and less than a minute there was a fish on.  Got that off and put it back down, fish on again, both at 98'.

We started a slow troll out of the bay and towards Crescent Bay and the Cop Car Apex line just ripped out of the clip and the line spewed out!  A huge fish about 75 yds behind the boat took a couple of jumps and then headed straight down.  After 3 more runs I finally got the fish close enough to the boat to tell it was a decent size salmon, one more run and big jump and the hook was out!  What a fight!  Salmon are in!

For our last stop we hit Semaphore Pt., the wife wanted to try a little jigging again for Lakers, I think I've got her hooked!  There were very few marking off the point and with all the boat traffic I opted to troll for a bit instead.  It didn't take long and this (photo) bad boy hit!  Wow, so that's what catching salmon is like!  Drive 12 hours to the west coast and fish for 4 days and then catch more and bigger fish back at home!  This sucker wouldn't quit, we had to shut the boat down and drift with the wind and after about 10 minutes finally got it to the boat.  Helen netted her first salmon and did a fine job of it.  While I don't net all of the salmon I catch out of the lake, if they are played out I do net them and then tail them beside the boat to revive them.  I don't know how many runs it took but, it was a battle royale!!  I gave it a good 5 minute ``recoup`` time before it started to kick again, a quick pic and away it swam, what a fish!  I should have known that the salmon were in when I saw all the boats flogging the tracks area and by the outer marker.  Not many anglers fish there other than me, unless the salmon are in.

Anyways, a zoo at the launch when we got back, didn't have time to take pics of the Dufus's or those terrible scantily clad women hanging around, just disgusting!  Fishing's good, get out when you can!

July 23 2010  (0800-1230)

Well I'm back from the big salmon trip, had a great time but we missed the fish by a day or so.  But, there were fish in Shuswap today!

The wife and I got out and fished one spot for the AM, from Semaphore Pt to "Val's Pt." and back.  Lots of fish marking, I'm assuming Kokanee, in that 30-60' of depth.  In the first 2.5 hours we boated 3 lakers, biggest 10lbs, and 2 rainbows, biggest 5 lbs, now that was some good fishing!  One Laker took the grn/grn flasher/Coyote spoon, 2 on grn/prl Apex, all at 68'.  The rainbows both took a all chrome Coyote spoon at 46'.

It of course wouldn't be a summer day without one Dufus to disrupt things, actually we had 2 or 3 but only got this (photo) pic.  This guy was fishing earlier and then headed in, came right up our stern and then cut out and cut in front of us!  We had a couple other wakeboard boats do the same thing, when is summer over?  Between that and the idiot people parking cars/trucks in the truck/trailer spots, it was quite a day!  Complaint in to the District!

Rob Stearns was out on the lake in the Tappen Bay area.  He was using the Captains trick of putting a Ford Fender onto the cannon ball and then run the lure behind that.  He drop a Cop Car Apex to 38' and something immediately smacked it, bending the rod over into the water!  But, as quick as it was on it was also gone.  He got it hooked back up, lowered it down and bang, it again got hit but this time he boated and released a real nice bow around 4 lbs!  He kept that rigging down there for the duration and took another bow, this one a bit smaller than the first.  That was it for his evening fish, which can sometimes be the best time to be out there to avoid the "crazies" as he says!  Thanks for the report Rob!

July 13 2010  (0800-1230)

Today was the best day on the lake so far this summer.  Number 1, I needed a jacket and Number 2, was that there were next to zero tourists on the lake!  Albeit windy and raining, the first two items made it quite nice out there.

I started at Murdock, a real quick Laker on a new blu/whi Gibb's spoon at 48', not much for size.  Then a short time later another Laker on the big blu/chrome Coyote spoon, which then took a 3 lb bow as well, both at 68'.  As the wind and waves picked up so did I and met Tom up at Annis Bay.

Nothing at Annis Bay itself but, that point of land just before the little cabin gave up this (photo) nice bow almost as soon as the grn Canoe spoon was put down to 78'.  I just got that same spoon down and the line again ripped out of the rigger clip.  This fish felt heavier than the first and took a couple of good runs but, according to the reel line counter I lost it about 74' behind the boat somewhere!  Tom then came through the same spot and had a fish on but lost it right away and that was it for this area.

For the last spot I tried Semaphore Pt and it gave up Lakers like they were Taliban suicide bombers!  Four in about 45 minutes, the biggest 7-8 lbs, grn Canoe spoon again, still at 78'.  That was it for the outing, friends coming by in the afternoon and I had to go home to figure out how to fit a 44' motor home pulling a 20' boat onto my driveway, along with all my toys!  Tomorrow should be even better fishing with that frontal "high" system coming through, best get out there early though!

Here's a pic sent in on how to not dock your boat!  It apparently let loose (photo) from its mooring during that big storm we had come through here a couple days ago.  Oh well, one less wakeboard boat on the lake...................'nuff said.

July 10 2010  (0800-1130)

We had a "Harbercraft" convention on the lake today.  Bruce with his 2125, Kev with his 2025 and me with the little 1925!  We spent our morning at Annis Bay and for lack of better words we slaughtered the fish!  Kev led the pack, 9 Lakers to the boat and 1 small bow, biggest Laker hitting the 10-12 lb (photo) zone.  I was second with 4 Lakers and 2 bows to the boat, and Bruce brought up the rear with 2 Lakers. It was a mixed bag when it came to the hooks.  Blk/whi and Cop Car Apex's and blu/chrome Coyote and blu/yel Gator seemed to be the best, pulled in that 50-90' area.  There were tons of fish marking along the tracks again, just past the little cabin.  We did a quick lunch at Old Towne Bay and then called it a day, after Bruce and I tested out Kev's new boat!  Road test coming on that one for sure!  Good day guys, 1 week to the salmon!

July 6 2010 

Kevin, his wife Doree and his boss Mark (from Harbercraft) got out for a bit of an evening fish.  Fishing got good about 7:30 PM and they boated 5 Lakers like this (photo) one that Mark took.  Best hook was again the blk/whi Apex but this time in shallower water, 60'!  While out there they got buzzed by this (photo) idiot!  Its bad enough when they crash and kill themselves but at this height he's got no room for error, and that's when innocent people die.  Anyways, they had a great time out, thanks for the report Kev and glad to see you got Mark out of the office!

July 2 2010  (0730-1230)

The Mrs. and I headed out for a morning fish, starting out at Marble to meet up with our friends.  Did I mention no one was there or showed up or radioed us while we were out?  So much for my big list of friends!  Oh well, we trolled around Marble for about 2.5 hrs, one fish on and lost and a couple other bumps on the chrome Coyote spoon at 62', but that was it.  Tons of fish marking right on the bottom just north of the lighthouse.

So, with no friends around, we pulled the lines and headed back to Murdock and trolled from there over to the tracks, not a bite but a mess of weeds every time the line was put in.  We did manage to attract this (photo) species to the boat, Fed Fisheries!  Great guys, even when the wife couldn't find her license right away.  Half way through the warning ticket she found it, sorry about that guys, no stat there!  Great to see them out on the water.

Last stop was at Semaphore Pt., two quick legal Lakers on a blk/gry Apex at 96' saved me from the skunk.  We then jigged a bit, lots of bites and the wife lost one on the way up.  What a zoo out there!!

June 28 2010

Kevin was out to Marble again, this time with Matt and his daughter Adriana.  They whooped the Lakers again, 9 to the boat, best hook still that Skunk Apex.  Adriana even caught her first rainbow (photo) ever!  While on the boat the bow barfed this (photo) up, a good lesson for the kids to let them know just what fish eat!  This (photo) is just one of the Lakers Matt caught, it was taken on a blk/sil Lyman at 44'.  Thanks for the report Kevin, maybe see you this Friday.

FYI, Jordan is coming up this weekend for a camp out and Steve from Revy is also going to be on the lake.  Could be a major meeting of the minds! 

June 25 2010

So I've been out of town for a week, sorry!  In my absence Kevin and his buddy Brian were out and about in Kev's new boat!  They went back to their hot spot by Marble Point again and again got into fish.  Brian hooked into 4 Lakers like this (photo) and rainbows like this (photo).  Their best hook was again the skunk Apex at 55' and this (photo) was their bucktail of choice.  On their way back from Marble they gave the Eagle a shot but no takers there, thanks Kev and nice ride!

Marv was out a while ago and got into lots of bows up north of the Totem.  He gave in and told me his secret weapon, Cop Car Apex trolled down between 25' and 35', 2.5 to 3 mph, go figure!

June 22 2010  (0800-1130)

The wife's cousins, Wilf and Adele, were up from Winnipeg for a visit and had time for a quick morning on the lake.  First time for both of them to get out on Shu, Wilf loves fishing but doesn't get out as much as he would like.

So, as with most "clients" that want to just catch anything, I hit the Laker hole south of the Totem and we were into fish (photo) in less than 10 minutes!  Over 2 hours we boated 4, lost one right behind the boat and lost 3 on the hook set.  That and numerous bites made for a good time, yup, chrome Coyote again at 116'.

For our last spot we hit Murdock, again, less than 10 minutes there and we had another Laker on (photo), 2 boated here and 2 lost on the hook set (I tried to teach him!) and again bites in-between.  Not a bad morning, they both left with smiles on their faces and threatened to come back!

June 21 2010  (0730-1130)

A quicky morning out but another fish day!  The threats of hurricanes and tornadoes doesn't seem to have affected the Lakers so that's what came to the boat again.  I started out at the tracks, a few marking but no bites so trolled over to Murdock.  Just shy of there the big chrome Coyote spoon got whacked big time down at 68'.  About 10 seconds later a bow in that 3-5 lb range hit the surface and got air a couple times, the last time throwing the hook!

As I cruised by the Pt. the Coyote took a smaller Laker at 72'.  The thing came to the boat like a stick on the line but once at the boat went nuts!  I got it off the hook and it went straight down but, then popped back up!  I got my rig ready to put it back down and was in the middle of my 180 turn to go pick it up when a big female eagle swooped down and took the fish!  Her little ones will no doubt have a great feed on that one!  Over the next hour and change I took 3 more Lakers and had bites in-between, all but one on the Coyote spoon.

With Murdock mastered I did a troll by the Eagle and then over to the tracks, all without a bite.  There were some fish marking but not as much as usual. Once at Semaphore Pt. I put the jig on for 15 minutes and gave that a whirl, no bites.  With lunch already gone and my last cup of coffee almost done, I pulled the lines and headed in, good fishing!  While at Murdock this (photo) boat went by, not a PFD seen on any of them and with the lack of freeboard on the boat, any big wave would go right over the thing!  Smarten up people!  (Ya I know, I should wear mine more often too!)

Kevin Linkletter and his wife Doree were out this past weekend ,camping  up at Marble Pt..  They were doing up a nice breaky the one morning and this (photo) fella dropped in for a bite!  They actually didn't have any problem with the bear but campers should always be aware these critters hang around the camp sites.  Here's Kev's report:

The wife and I spent the weekend on shuswap, camped on a nice beach just
past marble point. The weather was fantastic, Saturday morning we had
rude uninvited guess for breakfast, I guess he could smell the bacon.
Marked heaps of fish and hooked into lots the flavor of the
day......skunk apex.  We tried all different lures, the ol'skunk @ 55ft
slayed them all weekend.  Doree caught her first Laker (photo) and really nice
bow (photo). I hooked into a nice laker (photo) myself, all of these + many more @ 55ft.
Buck tails on the surface in the morning worked well for slayin' the
trout. All catch & release

Sounds like a great outing Kev, I did want a pic of your new boat though!

Brad Nowicki was also out this past weekend, he did mention Marble Pt in one of his past emails.  They landed 3 Lakers in the 2-5 lb range, all on a Cop Car Apex at 75'.  The following day they took another Laker on the same hardware. Brad asked where the bows were, beats me Brad, I've been kinda hooped on them as well.  Kevin and Doree got into some good bow action at Marble when they were out, mostly on bucktails!

 

June 16 2010  (0630-1230)

Another Dragon boat day for the wif so another early morning for fishing!  I was going to hit Annis first thing but after seeing all the fry action by Val's Pt along the tracks I pulled in there and flogged it.  Two small bows on and off as quick and one big ass Northern Pike Minnow!  Now it was time for Annis.

Annis proved to be a total bust, not much marking and not so much as a bite.  Here too there was alot of fry activity along shore and off points sticking into the lake.  Along with that, there were fish going after the fry but, they looked like squaw fish!  Bruce showed up in his boat about 0930 with coffee so that ended that area.  I picked up the lines and we headed south of the Totem where fishing for Lakers was as hot as ever!  In about an hour and a half I boated 4 nice Lakers and lost one on the way up, chrome Coyote spoon again.  Bruce got 2 to the boat, both on a big chrome flasher with blu/whi hootchie.  All the fish were caught down at 108'.

Kevin sent in a report from "the other" side of the lake, fishing the Magna Bay area.  Here is his report: "June 11th 6pm till 830pm fished Magna Bay .Depths between 20 and 80 ft. Boated 2 fish, one small bow and one small laker.some fry action, also lots of fish showing around Ross creek, made 3 passes though there with no results.  Lures I was using was a cop car apex for the bow at 33ft and the laker took a lime green coyote spoon at 44 ft. Sat the12th 0630 to1000 one nice laker across from cedar springs campsite in front of the condos at 66ft on the same coyote spoon. then over to do a few passes in front of ross creek.  Had 2 fish on there but nothing to the boat. One fish hit a Ruby eye spoon at 40 ft and ! fish a apex red at 28 ft.sat 230 pm to 430pm went out with the wife to try some jigging near the bluffs, lots of fish marking in the 80 to 120ft range, a few hits but again nothing to the boat. fish were hitting a the line was dropping so was hard to get a good hook set. was jigging a small silver, red deadly dick spoon, and a small white buzz bomb. I also have a few pics im going to try to send u for your wtfs. These losers show up and set out a distress flare on the bluffs so there parents could take pics of them jumping though it into the lake below. all this happened within 50 ft of us,so much for the fishing."   

Thanks Kev, the morons are in the appropriate WTF folder!

June 12 2010  (0800-1400)

The Mrs. did a trip with me out onto the lake today.  As long as the air temp is above 25C and there's no rain and its not windy and there's not much boat traffic she's in!!  Good thing she doesn't read this stuff.

Another real nice day out, to hot for me but so was the fishing.  We started at Annis, lots of fry activity along shore just before the little cabin but, it was Lakers that were working them over and not rainbows.  Total for 3 hours were four legal Lakers, one on grn/whi Lyman (38'), one on silver Apex (48') and two on Cop Car Apex (84') and one bow on a Cop Car Gypsy at 28'.  From here we moved to Murdock, nothing there or along the booms.  When we hit the Eagle we took 2 more Lakers on blu/whi Apex at 68' and another rainbow on a gold Lyman at 32'.  Not done yet!

We trolled over to the tracks, took one more Laker on the blu/whi Apex again at 84' and then the wife wanted to jig!  So, we worked Semaphore Pt for about an hour, only this (photo) Laker brought in but 2 were lost on the way up and lots of big hits on the cod jigs!  Not a bad day at all! 

We had a couple of close WTF encounters but I was busy with fish when they blitzed us so couldn't get a pic, summers here!

June 10 2010  (0630-1200)

To disprove the rumor (that I started myself!) that I was a "fair weather fisherman", I chose what was supposed to be a crappy day out!  Unfortunately, it turned out to actually be a pretty danged nice day out, weather wise and fishing wise!

I put in at Murdock first, quite a bit of junk in the water so surface fishing was out of the question.  I did however pick up a smaller 14" bow on a blk/whi Gypsy spoon at 22' and 2 Lakers on a white/spotted Lyman at 54'.

From Murdock, an emergency pit stop found me at Marble Pt and, after dealing with the emergency, I put the lines in.  I put a big, all chrome Coyote spoon down at 114', tons of fish marking on the bottom in that 100-130' depth.  It wasn't a minute and the first fish was on and, over the course of the next hour and a half, 5 more Lakers were boated, 2 lost on the way up and numerous bites in between.  Along with those fish one 3 lb bow was taken on a blu/whi Lyman at 28'.  When the fish are marking like this (photo) it only makes sense to fish for them.  Fish like this (photo) were almost the average with the others being a couple pounds less, the biggest almost 10 lbs.

From here I trolled around Marble Pt and headed south to the cliffs, figured I may as well give the fish's lips a rest for a bit.  Lots of fish marking right at the point again, but it wasn't until the cliffs that I took 2 more Lakers on that same spoon and down at 108'.  I did a couple of laps in this area and then again pulled the lines up and headed south.

The final spot was at Semaphore Pt., lots of fish marking deep again.  I no sooner got the Coyote spoon down and the rod was bouncing, again!  I lost the fish about half way up to the surface, but, got  the hook down right away and immediately got another fish on it! I did a couple more passes and got some more bumps on the rod but no fish.  I tried some bucktails along the tracks and off of Silver Sands but no action on that.   Not a bad morning out!!