STUMP LAKE
fishing reports
Stump Lake is producing kokanee in the one to two pound range as well as some big rainbow trout. Read more about Stump Lake
Ice update
December 31, 2021
There was 4 inches of solid ice a few meters out from the boat launch. I wandered out further, testing along the way and it tapered to 3.5 inches about 100 meters out. I didn't push it past that. I set up a line but did not mark any fish. I think I needed to be out farther for kokanee or much closer to shore for rainbows. A beautiful bright day though!
Novemeber 29, 2021
What a treat to find some sunshine at Stump Lake today. When I left Kamloops it was heavily fogged in.
I got to the lake at around 9:30 and started scanning different spots with the Garmin Striker 4 until I found the fish. It took 30 minutes of searching before landing on some big schools on the north east side of the lake.
I was marking fish from the surface down to 30 feet with the odd mark at 40 feet. I put my gear down to 25 feet with a 75 foot setback and I was quickly into a double header, both rainbows. While resetting, I caught another rainbow at the surface before I could lower the downrigger.
When I reset I went to 40 feet with both rods. This proved to be slower, but I did land two more rainbows and two kokanee over the course of a couple of hours
My next strategy was to set a top line out at 2 feet deep with the second line at 40 feet. I quickly found myself in my second double header of the day! The deeper line caught a rainbow and to my surprise the top line caught a kokanee. I caught two more rainbows on the surface line and another two while jigging. I found that the fish were quite concentrated to one spot on the north east end of the lake, about 50 meters square. Any time spent outside that area yielded no results.
the Strategy
Rod one: A Chrome's dodger with 16 inches of leader and a pink and purple Chrome's single spinner tipped with shoepeg corn scented with anise oil
Rod two: A Chrome's dodger to a Chrome's pink and yellow spinner tipped with shoepeg corn scented with anise oil
THE CATCH
Lots of action today with two double headers!
kokanee: 3
rainbows: 9
PHOTO GALLERY
click to enlarge
July 5, 2021
It has been a few weeks since I have been able to put a line in the water. Air conditioner breakdowns and nearby scary fires have taken precedence over fishing.
I was thinking that with the drastic heat we have been having in Kamloops that the fishing would have slowed down, but that is not at all the case for Stump Lake.
Today is the first day ever that I have wished for rain while I was fishing, but we need it!
I launched at the paved boat launch at 9 a.m. and fished right out front in 70 to 80 feet of water. I put on a Chrome's dodger and a pink and purple Chrome's smile spinner. On my second rod I used a Chrome's dodger and a pink wiggle hoochie. I used a 40 foot set-back and trolled between 40 to 50 feet deep. I caught two very quickly on the smile spinner trolling at 1.4mph.
I changed up my second rod to an orange and yellow smile spinner and quickly caught two nice chromers on it. The last fish took the pink and purple smile spinner. My limit was filled in 90 minutes! It was a good day.
While cleaning these fish the three smallest had a pale orange colour meat, while the two biggest had a much healthier looking deep orange meat.
the Strategy
Rod one: A Chrome's dodger with 16 inches of leader and a pink and purple Chrome's smile spinner tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
Rod two: A pink Chrome's dodger with 16 inches of leader to a pink wiggle hoochie.
THE CATCH
The kokanee were hanging out between 35 to 60 feet deep. It didn't take long to fill my limit.
kokanee: 5
rainbows: 0
PHOTO GALLERY
click to enlarge
june 17, 2021
I haven't been to Stump Lake for a while so I wasn't 100% sure where the kokanee were hanging out. I had some ideas of where they might be, but I still planned to take some time to explore to find them.
As I was pulling by the north end of the lake I noticed about six boats on the other side of the lake from the highway. This seemed to be the logical place to start looking for kokanee.
Usually if there are a few boats in one area it is for good reason and today was no exception.
I put one of my new Chrome's pink and chrome dodgers and a Chrome's single pink spinner and tipped them with my favourite shoepeg recipe. On my other rod I put on a Gibbs dog tail dodger with a Chrome's pink wiggle hoochie also tipped with shoepeg. I used a 50 foot set back and put the rods down to 25 feet. The first kokanee of the day came at 25 feet on the pink Chrome's single spinner. This beauty was my personal best out of Stump Lake, measuring in at 19 inches and weighing 3.28lbs.
As the weather got warmer the marks on the fish finder began to get deeper. The rest of my kokanee were caught between 30 and 40 feet deep. Between 10:30 and 12:30 I was able to fill my limit. I landed four on the spinner and landed one on the hoochie. I lost as many as I caught: three lost on the spinner and two lost on the wiggle hoochie.
All the boats around me were catching kokanee as well. June fishing at its best once again!
the Strategy
Rod one: A Chrome's pink and chrome dodger with 16 inches of leader and a pink Chrome's single spinner tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
Rod two: A Gibbs dog tail dodger with 16 inches of leader to a pink wiggle hoochie tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
THE CATCH
Five caught and five lost today. Most of the action was at about 35 feet.
kokanee: 5
rainbows: 0
PHOTO GALLERY
click to enlarge
june 2, 2021
Last time I was on Stump I had so much fun catching big rainbows while jigging a chironomid that I didn't go searching for the kokanee like I usually do. So today, I decided to put more effort into finding the kokanee. It helps when a friend fills you in on where they were catching them.
I arrived at 9:15 and cruised straight to the middle of the north end. I began marking fish at about 40 to 50 feet of water, with the odd fish at 25 feet and a fair number near the bottom.
I put on of my new Chrome's dodgers and a Chrome's single purple and pink tiger stripe spinner and tipped them with my favourite shoepeg recipe. On my other rod I put on a Gibbs dogtail dodger with a Chrome's wiggle hoochie also tipped with shoepeg. I put the hoochie down to 40 feet and the spinner down to 30 feet. Soon I landed a three pound rainbow on the wiggle hoochie from 40 feet down. I took a quick throat sample of the rainbow and found lots of large olive green and black chironomids. This lead me to believe that there was a good chance that the fish near the bottom were mostly rainbows.
When I reset the hoochie I put it down to 30 feet and I quickly caught another rainbow. Meanwhile, on the other rod with the spinner, I caught one kokanee and another rainbow. I moved both rods up to 20 feet and within 30 minutes I caught three more very good sized kokanee, all on the Chrome's pink and purple spinner.
While cleaning these fish I found it interesting that the one kokanee I caught at 30 feet was full of mostly chironomids while the others from 20 feet were full of only zooplankton.
It was only 10:30 am and I had caught four kokanee and three rainbows. I had brought a homemade device with me to attach my underwater camera to my downrigger cable. It was a success! I typically use about a 60 foot set back when I am fishing at 20 feet in depth. The only way to make the camera work was to shorten my set back to two feet- not ideal, but I gave it a try. Fishing was much slower using such a short set back but eventually after an hour and a half of recording I finally caught kokanee number five, and also caught it on camera!
the Strategy
Rod one: A Chromes dodger with 16 inches of leader and a pink and purple Chrome's single spinner tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
Rod two: A Gibbs dogtail dodger with 16 inches of leader to a pink wiggle hoochie
THE CATCH
The kokanee were down 20 feet while the rainbows were near the bottom foraging for chironomids.
kokanee: 5
rainbows: 3
PHOTO GALLERY
click to enlarge
May 31, 2021
I have heard good fishing reports for Stump Lake over the past couple of days and decided to go check it out.
I started out by cruising around scanning different areas with the fish finder, trying to find some kokanee schools. I ended up at the same spot I fished last time (see the depth chart on April 23 fishing report) and began seeing lots of fish along the bottom in about 30 to 40 feet of water. I trolled this area with traditional kokanee gear for an hour and a half, catching two rainbows and one kokanee.
I took a throat sample of the kokanee I had caught and found silver greyish chironomids with black stripes. Unfortunately, I didn't have a great replica in my fly box. I put on a Williams' wobbler with 12 inches of leader and the closest chironomid match that I had.
I watched the wobbler marking on my fish finder as I lowered it to the bottom. It was only a matter of seconds before a nice rainbow hammered the chironomid off the bottom.
I continued jigging over the next three hours and I caught one more kokanee and ten very good sized rainbows, with the biggest being just over 6 pounds. I had so much fun catching rainbows that I didn't go searching for more kokanee. Maybe I should have, because I talked to a friend that had very good success on the north end of the lake out in the middle. He and his friend both caught their limit of kokanee.
the Strategy
Rod one: A Gibbs Dogtail Dodger 16 inches of leader and a pink Chrome's single spinner tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
Rod two: A Chrome's dodger with 16 inches of leader to a pink wiggle hoochie
Jig Setup: A Williams Wobbler, 12 inches of leader to a grey chrome chironomid
THE CATCH
I was finding some big rainbows today!
kokanee: 2
rainbows: 13
PHOTO GALLERY
click to enlarge
April 23, 2021
This time of year can often prove to be tough trolling for kokanee. Often the fish are not schooled up in deep areas of the lake. Instead they are scattered about, foraging on what ever they can find.
Today was a typically tough early season kind of day. I searched the deepest area of the lake but only marked the odd fish at 25 to 50 feet deep. I couldn't get any fish interested in my gear, largely because there were not many fish.
I went on the hunt for kokanee. I tried this at Paul Lake a few days ago and it worked well. I cruised for about a hundred yards and then stopped and checked out the area to see if there were any fish on the fish finder. I only spend about two minutes doing this before I move on to the next spot. I ended up at the same area I fished back in March and this was the first spot that I was marking fish fairly consistently. The fish were in very shallow water, only 16 feet. I dropped my gear to 8 feet and made a couple passes. Two passes, two kokanee.
A couple of fly fishers saw my success and headed my way. The two boats quickly swept in and anchored in the same small area I had caught the two fish, so I decided to head north to search for more kokanee. I checked everything from deep water to the the shallows, and even the sunken island. Unfortunately I marked only a handful of fish on my search.
Back at the boat launch I talked to a couple of fly fishers who had been fly fishing down the south west side of the lake. They managed to hook three nice kokanees on chironomids also in shallow water while fishing for rainbows.
the Strategy
Rod one: A Gibbs Dogtail Dodger 16 inches of leader and a pink chromes single spinner tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
Rod two: A Macks bling blade with 16 inches of leader to a pink wobbler tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
THE CATCH
PHOTO GALLERY
click to enlarge
The new spinner blade was appealing to at least two kokanee today!
kokanee: 2
rainbows: 0
March 30, 2021
Ever since the ice has been off, I have been looking forward to the opportunity to get back out on the open water. Today was that day!
I arrived at 9am and fished until 1:30pm. There were a few other boats at the lake at the south end, most likely targeting rainbows.
Like usual, I was out in search of kokanee. I started right out in front of the boat launch and headed east across the lake. I was marking only the odd fish at all different depths of the water column. I kept adjusting my downrigger to try and stay on the fish but nothing was biting. I ended up finding the most fish on the east side of the lake (as marked on the depth chart) in 20 to 30 feet of water. I was able to catch one kokanee and two rainbow trout, and lost two others.
I caught the all three fish around 10 to 15 feet deep. The pink kokanee wobbler caught one kokanee and one rainbow, while the Chromes pink single spinner caught one rainbow.
the Strategy
Rod one: A Gibbs Dogtail Dodger 16 inches of leader and a pink chromes single spinner tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
Rod two: A Macks bling blade with 16 inches of leader to a pink wobbler tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
THE CATCH
PHOTO GALLERY
click to enlarge
I found the fish in shallow water today. Catching three fish, one of which I released, and lost two others.
kokanee: 1
rainbows: 2
Ice Off!!!
March 24, 2021
The north end of Stump Lake is now ice free and can be accessed via the main boat launch!
February 24, 2021
There were not a lot of fishers out today and I think I know why: fishing was super slow.
I headed out to the deepest part of the lake, where I have been having success over the past couple of weeks. The ice looked really sketchy and patchy, but I was happy to find 12 inches of hard ice about 150 yards in front of the main boat launch.
I was out for 4.5 hours, from 9:00am to 1:30pm. I marked a few single fish from 30 feet down to 70 feet. I chased the fish putting my gear right where the marks were on the fish finder but I couldn't keep their interest for long. At 11:30am, two large schools came in at the same time at 20 and 40 feet deep. My line was at 30 feet so I reeled up to 20 feet and was excited to see that the school at 40 feet followed me up. Now there was one massive school of kokanee at 20 feet and I quickly caught my one and only kokanee of the day.
But they left just as quickly as they came in and by the time I got my line back in the water they were gone and didn't come back.
the Strategy
Set up one: A Gibbs Dogtail Dodger 12 inches of leader and a small weighted hook tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
Set up two: A simple pink and purple spoon.
THE CATCH
PHOTO GALLERY
click to enlarge
Tough to catch em today!
kokanee: 1
rainbows: 0
February 16, 2021
Most of the reports coming off Stump Lake report that fishing has been very slow.
I made it out today hoping that the reports were wrong, but they were right. I had to work for the kokanee today. I wasn't seeing much near the surface like I did last time so I started to chase the marks on my fish finder. The fish were marking all over the water column.
I was out for five hours, from 9:30am to 2:30pm and I caught my three fish in the span of 30 minutes between 1:00pm and 1:30pm. The first fish I caught at 10 feet, the second at 30 feet, and the third at 70 feet. I lost one other fish and had four bites throughout the day. All fish were decently-sized, but nowhere near as big as the 2+ pounders I found on the 11th.
I found it interesting that when I cleaned these fish I found that their stomachs were not very full. I only found a few Daphnia, which is a change from last time (Feb 11th) when their stomachs were bulging full with Glass Worms and Daphnia. I guess the fish are not feeding aggressively right now, which is probably why fishing was slow.
the Strategy
Set up one: A pink and green F.S.T spoon, 12 inches of leader and a small weighted hook tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
THE CATCH
It was a grind to catch some today. There was very little consistency to where the fish were marking
kokanee: 3
rainbows: 0
PHOTO GALLERY
click to enlarge
February 11, 2021
Another very cold day at Stump Lake, but I am glad I went out! After yesterday's cold and unproductive day, I didn't think I'd bother heading out again today. But when I went to bed last night, I couldn't stop thinking about all the aquatic invertebrates like Daphnia and what looked like Glass Worms in the top 15 feet of water. I came to the conclusion that, even though I had marked fish at 60 feet, fishing in the top 15 feet of water would be best. I had to put this to the test!
That theory proved right! I caught my limit of kokanee in an hour and a half, plus I caught two rainbow trout. I set up about 150 yards in front of the main boat launch in 83 feet of water but I focused my efforts at 10 feet deep. Even when I marked fish deeper I ignored them. The fish that are along the surface seem to be the ones that are feeding. I first used a flasher bait combination and caught two kokanee with this type of setup. I then switched to a small bait-less pink and purple spoon. The spoon drove the fish crazy and they were attacking it. I caught three more kokanee with it, and a couple of rainbow trout.
PHOTO GALLERY
the Strategy
Set up one: A Gibbs Dogtail Dodger 12 inches of leader and a small weighted hook tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
Set up two: A simple pink and purple spoon.
THE CATCH
I caught five kokanee, the biggest just over 2lbs. I also caught two rainbow trout and lost two other fish.
kokanee: 5
rainbows: 2
click to enlarge
February 10, 2021
What a cold day! I braved the -22 weather, bundled up in my tent and three bottles of propane for my heater. I fished about 150 yards in front of the boat launch, where fish were marking at 10 feet and between 50 to 70 feet. I only caught one rainbow and lost another fish in the 3 hours that I was there. I saw both kokanee and rainbow trout on the underwater camera, but the fish were only mildy interested in my gear. I used a Dog tail Dodger with 12 inches of leader to a weighted hook with shoepeg corn. I tried other baits but corn kept their interest for the longest.
the Strategy
Rod one: A Gibbs Dogtail Dodger 12 inches of leader and a small weighted hook tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
THE CATCH
8 inches of solid ice and lots of fish marking but not biting.
kokanee: 0
rainbows: 1
TODAY'S VIDEO
Ice update
January 26, 2021
I went out onto the ice in front of the boat launch, wearing a fishing pdf and holding ice picks. I drilled several test holes as I ventured out. The good news is that there is 8 inches of good ice by shore, and about 6 inches of good ice 500 feet off shore. This was more than I was expecting, given how recently the ice formed. The bad news is that this is an ice update and not a fishing report because I only marked four fish over the course of three hours.
Ice update
January 21, 2021
The lake is still open water to the north and frozen over on the south. The far south end has about 7 inches of mostly solid ice. I tested a spot a little south of the main boat launch and found a total of 3.5 inches near shore (2 inches of good clear ice and 1.5 inches of white ice, which is about half as strong as clear ice)- not enough for me to try heading out to deep waters. I gave the far south end a try, but fishing was slow. I saw two rainbow trout on the ice fishing camera over the course of three hours. Another group on the ice had caught one rainbow before I got there, and nothing while I was there.
January 12, 2021
Today I have my own tale of the big- and I mean BIG- one that got away!
Trolling in January is a common practice on lakes like the Okanagan and the Shuswap, but not on Stump Lake. This was a first for me.
The south end of the lake right up to the paved boat launch is iced over, but the ice is not enough to fish on unless you have a survival suit on and an inflatable rubber ducky around your waist. The whole north end of the lake is open water.
I arrived at the lake at 10am and stayed until 2pm. The weather was way better than I expected. The lake had a beautiful calmness to it today and- surprise, surprise!- I was the only boat on the water.
I started fishing right in front of the main boat launch and I skirted the edge of the ice. I had my first fish on before I could get my line out to 100 feet. I lost that one but a few minutes later my rod buckled over, and seconds later an huge tail swished behind the boat. I reeled the fish right to the boat after it took several runs. This rainbow trout was around 30 inches long and I am sure that it would have hit double digits on the fishing scale. The hook popped out right at the boat, after a few man-tears I went back to fishing.
I marked a few fish at 40 feet but I had no luck when fishing at this depth. When I fished along the surface, I caught one more small rainbow and at around 1pm I landed two chrome kokanee that both weighed in at the 2 pound mark. I was trying a new lure that looks much like a Flat-fish and it caught all the fish. On the other rod the wiggle hoochie let me down.
What an awesome day!
PHOTO GALLERY
click to enlarge
the Strategy
Rod one: A Gibbs Dogtail Dodger 16 inches of leader and a pink chromes wiggle hoochie tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
Rod two: A Macks bling blade with 16 inches of leader to a pink wobbler tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
the Strategy
Rod one: A Gibbs Dogtail Dodger 16 inches of leader and a pink chromes wiggle hoochie tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
Rod two: A Macks bling blade with 16 inches of leader to a pink wobbler tipped with shoepeg corn scented with garlic and anise oil
THE CATCH
The pink wobbler!!!
I lost a monster rainbow today about 30 inches long
kokanee: 2
rainbows: 1
