REGULAR STORE HOURS: Mon - Fri: 9am - 5.30pm 
The Shuswap Lake is still on fire with some great Rainbow and Lake Trout being caught in the top 30` of water. The Shuswap Bucktail along with some of our other locally tied patterns are giving anglers opportunities at fish into the double digits. A type 6 or heavier wet line trolled slowly along the shoals will yield some great results and days that could see 20 or more fish to the boat. The Shuswap is a very large lake and we get asked where the best spots to fish are, it is hard to pin point exact hot spots due to constantly moving food sources in the lake. The predator fish in the Shuswap make up a large portion of their diet on other fish, from sculpins to coarse fish, with the majority of that fish diet depending on salmon fry.
The fish that are being caught this year are long and slender and we keep hearing from people that are concerned about their condition. This is a cyclical swing that relies on our returning salmon numbers and when we have poor salmon runs in the fall, there are no fry in the lake for the rainbow to feed on for the following year. The salmon fry for the most part spend a year to a year and a half in the lake before making their way to the ocean. It is during this first year that our Rainbow take advantage of their large schools and feed heavily on them, of course if we have poor salmon returns in the fall, there are not as many fry in the lake for the Rainbow to feed on and they become slender and lean. Our salmon runs for the past 2 years have been pretty bad and the Rainbow are showing that. This year we are hoping for one of the largest Sockeye runs in our lifetime to come to our lakes and rivers which will put millions of fry in the lake next spring, these fry will make the Shuswap their home for a year and our Rainbow will feast like kings! The spring of 2015 will be good but the spring of 2016 will be amazing and we will see schools of salmon like we did in 2012.
The shore line of the Shuswap lends its self to some great fishing in certain areas. The bluff in Sunnybrae, Harolds Park, towards the log booms, and Murdock Point are 3 spots that will give you some great fishing. Cast Crocs, Panther Martins, Meps spinners and Dick Nites from the shore, over the drop off and count to 10 to allow it to sink. Start a slow retrieve and be ready because you never know what is going to take your lure or how big it will be. The Shuswap is one of the most regulated lakes in the province and has several regulations that need to be followed to protect this world class fishery. Single barbless hooks must be used on ALL flies and lures along with a full bait ban which means you CAN NOT use worms, powerbait or any other type of attractant to catch fish which includes scents. This fishery is as good as it is because of these rules and as a man who grew up here and remembers how terrible that lake was to fish before they were implemented, I fully support the changes. Along with the lure and bait bans, you must purchase a tag to retain Rainbow or Lake Trout out of the lake. These tags give you ONE fish per day and FIVE fish per year. There are size limits on these fish as well, Rainbow must be 50cm from the nose to the "V" of their tail and Lake Trout must be 60cm. We have a good relationship with our local officers and we know that they are doing regular patrols on the lake now. Please comply with the regulations and enjoy some amazing fishing!
If you have any questions, please feel free to come on into the shop and we will gladly get you the gear and put you into the locations that you need to be to increase your odds of catching some fish on your next outing.
Enjoy Your Outdoors!