Fishing Reports 2010 | Tunkwa Lake Resort

Dec.21/10

We have approx. 12″ of ice on the lakes right now. Fishing has been consistent with rainbows being caught at a variety of depths. Stable weather makes good fishing, when it is unstable the fish can be a bit moody in the colder water.
The usual presentations are working, but fishing some more aggressive lures like Jigging Rapalas or bigger Jigging spoons( ie: Bue Fox more-Slida) spoons have been working well.

Dec.9/10

Fishing success through the ice today, could best be described as fantastic!! The rainbows were definitely ‘on’ this morning, and it was literally fish after fish, and all released to fight another day. Fishing in the deeper areas of the lake, about 3 feet off the bottom, rainbows fell for a spoon with a small jighead on a 6″ dropper, tipped with a chunk of cooked shrimp, or dew worm. The flash of the spoon jigged, called the fish in to look at the bait tipped jig, and they could not help themselves. Some hits were violent, but most were subtle and very light. The trout fought extremely well, and using a reel with good drag system was a must, these trout sure pulled line out on there runs! This ‘early’ ice conditions, can provide some of the best ice fishing of the year. Ice thickness varied from 6-8″ of ice in the couple areas we drilled today.

Dec.3/10

Our ice fishing season has started!!

Ice thickness varies from 4″-6″ depending on the part of the lake, but we have not been all over the lake to know thickness in other areas, so use caution if you venture out form other access points.
Right now, rainbows are being caught on small pieces of worm or chunks of cooked shrimp. Typically some of the best ice fishing is at early ice.

Iced over!

Tunkwa froze over this past Saturday Nov.18.
It won’t be long until it’s safe for ice fishing.
Watch for updates here on ice conditions and ice fishing reports.

Nov.23/10 – we drilled and there is only 2″ of solid black ice, and about 2″ of white porous ice, definitely NOT safe.

Nov.25/10 – drilled and we now have 4.5″ of solid black ice out in front of the resort. We have not been elsewhere’s on the lake to determine ice thickness.

Nov. 28/10 – Ice was 6″ thick out front, but upon traveling out a bit farther, the ice was only 3″ thick at points, definitely still not safe! Snow on the alke is insulating the surface from the cold,and really slowing the ice making process.

October 31/10

Lake is still open, no ice even in the back bays. Fish are still being caught, but are up very shallow. pressure on them is next to known.

Oct.27/10

Fishing pressure has been very light the past while, but fish are still being caught. Active rainbows are very shallow, in and around the green weeds and feeding heavily. Fishing from shore is the best bet, with green leach patterns fished slowly in the shallows or on top of the weeds the best presentation right now.

Oct.13,10

Fish are in and off the weeds as of late, taking red and black leech patterns trolled or casting off the weed beds in various areas of the lake. Stomach contents reveal green and red large bloodworms and snails so fishing bloodworms on the mud bottom or working off the weed bed with leeches or a searching pattern should provide results.
Weather has been fair with near freezing temps(3-5Deg) at night with highs to the mid teens making for comfortable afternoons.
Fish are averaging two pounds with an occasional 3-4 lb fish angled.

Oct.08/10

Fishing has been very good, fish have been up shallow due to the consistent nice weather. Usual patterns are working.

Oct. 4/10

Some incredible weather bathed the Tunkwa area this past week, sunny warm days, with nice clear, cool nights. Fishing remained steady, with most hooking up. We had rainbow trout to 24″ landed last week. Feeding fish are definitely shallow, in as little as 2′ feet of water, or cruising on top of the wed beds. Fly anglers fishing floating lines seemed to fair the best, with K-Marts, dark coloured Micro leaches or Doc Spratleys producing best. Some success was reported fishing red or green bloodworm patterns, just off the weed beds, close to the softer bottom. Guests fishing worms reported mixed results, some getting into the trout but some not being able to get bit, despite fish moving all around them. Trolling action picked back up Sunday afternoon, with some good catches coming off Gold or Copper blades, with a plain hook & worm run about 18″ behind them. Weather forecast is looking great going into the Thanksgiving weekend, and some good fishing opportunities are still to be had this fall.

Sept.27/10

We’ve seen all extremes in weather up here at Tunkwa the past week! From 3″ of wet snow, to some heavy rain, to unreal gale force winds and warm temps into the low 20’s. Fishing pressure has remained relatively light, weather conditions have been keeping it this way. When the weather has co-operated, fishing has been OK. Rainbows are still feeding up relatively shallow, and black or maroon leaches are working well, as are PumkinHeads or K-mart specials. Worms under a float or tipped on a small gang troll or wedding band, has been working as well. We are starting to see trolled plugs like the HotShot or Kwikfish, producing as well. Weather up here now is very warm, and the week long forecast is looking the same, warm sunny fall weather is usually the key for some consistent fall action. Guest day tripping out to smaller, more protected lakes are having some success as well.
Salmon fishing on the nearby Thompson River is still producing Sockeyes, with lots of springs coming through right now, the Salmon season on the river is quickly coming to a close on the 30th of this month
.

Sept.20/10

Fishing pressure has been quite light since the last report, mostly due to the inclimate and wet weather. Trout that are being caught seem to be up shallower, feeding on top, or along the weed bed edges. Leach patterns, or darker attractor patterns seem to be the best go-to for fly fishers. Worms set under a float in these same areas are producing. Some surface feeding can be observed during the calm warm evenings, with fish most likely feeding on the chironomids hatching. A few reports of some success fishing boatman patterns, a hatch/migration worth watching for at this time of the year. We still will be experiencing some of the best fishing of the year, that can last right up to ice up, but stable weather is the key to getting in on this fishing, try to watch for a couple stable days or some extended days of sunlight, the trout can sense winter is coming, and will go on the feed-bag during the fall and late fall periods.

Sept. 14/10

A real change, for the better, in the weather as of yesterday afternoon, with lots of sunshine, and warmer temps. This seemed to get the trout fired up and moving again, as they could be seen rising all over the lake. Guests reported fishing certainly picked up in the afternoon. The sun and warmth also brought about a good hatch of chironomids, mostly about size 14’s, but the odd really big one in the mix. They were a pale grey or brown colour. With the clear nights, come cool nightime temps, and we should soon be noticing more ‘boatman’ activity on the water, due to this.

Sept.13/10

Unsettled weather the latter part of the weekend, made for some tougher fishing, but fishing was good during the stable weather periods, and all the usual tactics were producing rainbows. lake surface temperature varies from the mid 50’s to about 58F, and the lake water is staying very clear. Upcoming weather forecast is looking good, with some stable weather, and we should see the fishing getting back on track. Trolling Kwikfish or HotShot plugs, gang trolls and wedding bands all accounted for fish last week, with bright colours on the bright days, and darker colours on the dull days, being best. As always, worms fished under a float, set at the ‘hot’ depth for that day, continues to produce nice catches of rainbows. Chironomid action has died down a bit and we are seeing more trout falling for attractor patterns, like Pumkinheads, Doc Spratleys and darker coloured micro leaches. Often, at this time of year, fishing these attractor patterns at a very fast retrieve, can make the difference from no hook-ups, to constantly hooking up with hot trout. In the clear water, trout can be seen lazily following in your fly on a standard retrieve, but as soon as you start stripping it in really fast, and they see the fly ‘fleeing’ from them, they will react and take a swipe at it, fishing this way can be fun and exciting, and a full sink line works best, as it will keep the fly from rising up when worked quickly.
Reports coming in from neighbouring lakes are about the same, with action a bit slow, all depending on the weather.
Good reports are coming from guests that are day tripping over to the Thomspon river, fishing salmon. Beside the seemingly never ending run of Sockeys blasting through, there seems to be a lot more Jack Spring salmon in the river now, and there ferocious appetite and great fight, for there size, is providing some great sport, and excellent eats. Fresh roe fished under a float, in areas of the river that allow bait, is hands down, the best presentation for the Jacks and Springs.

Sept.7/10

We saw some pretty god days fishing last week during the warm stable weather. The usual chironomid patterns were working extremely well. Stomach samples of trout on the cleaning table, showed a lot of size 12 black chironomids. Trollers were also hooking up. The cold front that raced through the province on the long weekend, sure made the fishing a challenge, and at times it was not safe to be on the water with the the thunder and lightning, and heavy rains at times. When the weather calmed down, the fish returned to feeding. Trolling HotShots andKwikfish, gang trolls or wedding bands produced. Chironomid fishing had slowed down, and fishing attractor patterns or micro leaches were a better choice. Black reds or dark olive were good colours. The weather has improved somewhat today, and I have noticed some chironomid fishermen, set up just out from the resort, hooking into fish pretty steadily so far, so perhaps fishing has picked back up for them. Fishermen using worms are continuing to do well, even when the fish are ‘off’ and the fly anglers are struggling. Guests day tripping out to area lakes, are reporting the same, fish are on or off, depending on what the weather was doing.
Salmon fishing for Sockeye, or Jack Springs in the Thompson continues to be consistent.
Cool nights and lower daytime temps, coupled with some cool rains, have really made it seem like fall up here!

Aug.31/10

Some unsettled weather through the area had the fishing up and down a bit this past week. Fishing pressure for the most part, was light, but those getting out where into the trout. Some reports from our experienced chironomid anglers, indicated they had some stellar days, with many scrappy fish being caught, with quite a few in the 5lb range, even a couple well into the 6lb range!
Size 12 and even some bigger size 10, in brown/copper, static bag, maroon silver were hot. One had to experiment with the proper depth setting though. We have seen some good hatches of Bomber size chironies happening this past week. Trollers were picking up fish, on smaller Gibbs gang trolls, tipped with a worm. Also, worms set under a float continue to work well. Some reports of trout being caught on micro leaches under lower light periods, maroon, olive and black have been working. Cool nights have dropped Tunkwa water temps, and some days are really starting to feel like fall. The campfire ban has ben lifted up here, and guests can again, have campfires and experience a more complete Tunkwa fishing experience.
Some area lakes have been producing some nice catches for guest day tripping out. Also, guests just going down the Tunkwa Lake Road, to fish the nearby Thompson river, are still commenting on the incredible run of Sockeyes going through, and are limiting out on bright Sockeyes. Resident trout fishing has been slow, as has the Jack Spring fishery, mostly attributed to all the Sockeye in the system.

Aug.27/10

Fishing has been fair to good this week with the latter part of the week improving, as the water temp has cooled to 60F this morning from the 70F last weekend. Average fish size is up, with numerous fish in the 3-4 lb range being caught. Some 5 lb trout were caught and one which looked to be an honest 6 lber! all on chironomids. Guests during the week had very good fishing using the slip float method, with a worm. Trollers using a willow leaf dabbed with worm or a flatfish plug also have been having success. The ‘hot-bite’ times and location vary daily, making one search for feeding/active fish, and sometimes it’s best to sit and wait for the schools to cruise by, instead of trying to find them. Damsels, dragonflies, caddis fly, mayfly and the staple of the trout (chironomids!!) are sporadically hatching. The caddis are coming off in the wee hours of the morning making it an unlikely fly to use during the day, evening fish rises are for caddis pupae or chiromomid pupae, also being taken just under the surface. This can make for frustrating times for some fly guys not figuring out what the fish are taking. Some are getting fish on dry flies like the tom-thumbs or Lady McConnell’s, but parachute patterns are making the difference between shaking ones head or all smiles as the fish hit these subsurface insects.
We had are first frost this morning, a light frost, water boatman were in some of the fishes stomach contents and seen along the shore so it signals that fall fishing is now upon us suddenly after a few very warm weeks of sunshine. Fall fishing is one of the best times to get on the stillwaters, cool but warm sunny days, in hoping we all get an Indian Summer.

Aug.23/10

Fishing for the most part, remained good his past week on Tunkwa. Some unstable weather definitely put the fish off at times, but, all in all, there were still lots of rainbows being caught, with several in the 4 lb range. Cool nights are keeping the lake water temps low, and to the trout likings. Guests trolling are only finding moderate success as the trout are still feeding deep, closer to the bottom during mid-days, trolling in this zone is catching some fish. We are observing lots of surface, and sub surface feeding activity in the evenings, as the rainbows push up shallow and key in on the hatches. We are getting Bomber sized chironomids hatching off, and some smaller caddis as well. Stomach samples are still seeing lots of huge ‘minty’ green bloodworms though, an indicator the best of the hatch is still to come, like everything else hatching this year, things are behind normal.
Guests fishing worms off a slup float or suspended off the bottom, with a marshmellow or power bait have been doing the best. Chironomid fishermen have had some good days as well, with the usual patterns, in size 10 or 12longs working well, patterns tied in Anti-Statc-Bag, Maroon/silver, Black Electras, Green/red-Butt or KD’s, have been the best producers. Some guests have been having success fishing damsel pattern nymphs, as well as K-Marts and the reliable Pumkinhead patterns, all in olive. Weather forecast this week is looking fantastic, with warm, rain free days, and nice cool nights, perfect lake fishign conditions.
Guest day tripping to nearby lakes are having some great days as well, again mostly fishing chironomids.
We have had some guests day tripping over to the nearby Thompson River, reports indicate resident rainbow fishing has been slower, mostly due to the incredible numbers of Sockeye Salmon in the river. Sections of the Thompson opened this week to allow Sockeye retention. Fishing for Jack Salmon in the river has been spotty, with some days seeing good numbers around, other days, very few, but this will only pick up as the run progresses and strengthens.

Aug. 16, 2010

Fishing has been very good to excellent since the last report! Anglers putting in the time are being rewarded with good catches, with some nice sized rainbows in the mix. We had a guest catch a 7lb-3oz rainbow this weekend, which is the biggest we’ve seen so far this year out of Tunkwa! Lots of fish going through the cleaning table, and most are full of large dark coloured chironomids. There are lots of large ‘Bomber’ sized chironomids hatching on the lake surface, and big trout can be seen slurping them off the top.Guests fishing size 10 or 12-long chironomids, set less then a foot off the bottom, in areas of hatches, are doing well. Better chironie patterns have been the ‘anti-static’ bag with red or brown rib, ‘Christmas Tree’, Maroon/silver rib, KD’s or Black Electra’s. Besides the chironomid anglers, everyone is hooking up. Trolling black Wooly-Buggers, K-Marts and PumkinHeads are producing. Guest fishing worms on slip floats, or just off the bottom, with a marsh-mellow, or chunk of PowerBait, to float it, are doing very well, we are seeing lots and lots of trout being caught, and lots of happy guests. Believe it or not, mid-August is some of the best fishing of the year!

Aug.11/10

Fishing has picked up dramatically Wednessday as some anglers were into 30 plus fish to 4 lbs on Chironomids. Anti-static bag in sizes 14-10, brown with copper rib white bead(Bomber sizes) and black with silver rib and white fished in 10-13 feet of water. Throat samples have shown the darker green large chironomids in the fish which have the locals excited for the anticipated Bomber hatch(size 8-10 chiromomids) that hatch in early August that is famous for Tunkwa lake as the much larger fish key in on the hatch and the feeding frenzy begins and typically lasts 10- 14 days. With the high pressure ridge filling into the southern interior
beautiful weather will envelope the region with sunshine. Caddis pupae were sampled a few days ago and pupae imitations resulted in good fishing off the weed beds. Calibatis(Mayfly) have been hatching sporadically during the day with heavier hatches into the evening, along with the caddis are some very large chironomids that are of Bomber size coming out of the shallower bays like Bloodworm Bay. Fish are boiling in these bays in the evenings and one thinks to fish the “in the surface flies or dry flies as the fish appear to be on them only to do a throat sample and find Caddis pupae stuffed in their stomachs of fish taken for the dinner table. Water temps have dropped to below 70 Deg with a couple of cooler nights. Fish are nice and firm still so one for dinner on the bbq makes for a nice finish of a days angling. Trollers have had success with willow leafs dabbed with a worm and worm under a float did extremely well yesterday just off the point on the
peninsula in front of the resort.

Aug.9/10

Fishing this past week on Tunkwa/Leighton has been on or off, with some really good action at times……..if your in the right place at the right time. Trout are still feeding heavily on the bloodworms, and we are seeing a few Bomber Chironomids coming off, but not really heavy as of yet. Every morning, the lake surface has lots of spent shucks on it, but majority in a smaller size. Chironomids patterns in size 10 or 12(long) are the better presentations, with Static-bag, Black/silver, Chromie or Maroon/silver, the better colours. There have also been some good hatches of dark grey mayflies this week. Fly anglers have been having some success in the early or late day periods, fishing flies like tan coloured Tom Thumbs, up shallow on top of the emergent weeds. Fish are everywhere taking emerging bugs, but most anglers are have having a harder time dialing in and getting them to go when they are doing this. We have also seen some nice fish taken on Micro leaches, primarily in darker patterns, fished just off the weed-lines, midday, or on top of the weeds during lower light periods. Damsel and dragon nymph patterns will also be producing during these conditions. The worm fished under a slip continues to put trout in the boat. Guest trolling hardware, are reporting slower action, feeding trout are holding deeper, and reaching them trolling is more of a challenge.
Guest day tripping out to some local lakes at higher elevation are reporting some good catches, as well the nearby Thompson River is fishing well for resident rainbows. These resident river trout are terrific fighters, and readily rise to the surface for larger dry or stimulator patterns. If they are not rising, try high-sticking(dead drift) a large dark coloured, weighted stonefly nymph, as this will usually entice them to hit. There is also a large number of Sockeye salmon passing through the Thompson, and some early ‘jack’ Chinooks are starting to be caught in the river as well.

Aug. 03/10

Fishing remained steady for the most part this past week on Tunkwa. Again, everyone is catching some trout, with some anglers doing extremely well. Water temps are approaching 70F on the surface, and lake level is dropping slowly. Water is still extremely clear, with very little algae bloom. The rainbows are definitley keyed in on the abundant amount of bloodworms in and along the muddy bottom. We are seeing some sporatic hatches of calabaetis(mayflies) as well. We had many fish go through the cleaning station this past weekend and the most part, they were stuffed with large bloodworms, and the occasional fish had some scuds in the mix. We expect these Bombers size Bloodworms to beginning the transformation and start hatching over the next week and should last a good couple weeks. Best fishing success is to be had by fishing close to the bottom, in the muddy/marl parts of the lakes, again, if your in the weeds, your missing out. Also one has to be set up close to the bottom, within 6″ for best success. Fishing under an indicator seems to be the best presentation for fly anglers. Large(size 8-10) bloodworms in red or green are working well, as are ‘bomber’ sized chironomids in green/red-butt, K-D or Static Bag. Guest fishing worms under a slip float, set down deep, are doing extremely well if they are set up in the right area of the lake. Trout are rising up higher off the bottom for worms, so depth setting is not so critical as with fishing a fly. We also have had guest catch fish on Gang trolls, wedding bands and Kwikfish. Trolling a olive micro-leaches, or K-marts, on a full sink over the deeper parts of the lake is working as well. Weather is staying nice up here,warm days, with refreshingly cool nights, plus the occasional rain shower is keeping us nice and green. No wildfires in the area to worry about, but lots of hazy smoke blowing around, that makes for some unreal sunsets.
Reports from neighbouring Leighton Lake, indicate it is a bit spotty, but is having it’s moments, with some of the better action is happening either first thing or very late in the day.
It is a great time to be out fishing Tunkwa and Leighton lakes, no summer doldrums up here!

One of many for Justin, who had the ‘hot’ rod!

July 27/10

Fishing has certainly picked up. Everyone is catching trout these past couple days. Surface water temps are hitting the upper 60’s, but is definitely cooler down below. Algae bloom is still light, and the lake level has dropped a touch, but water clarity is still excellent. Trollers are catching trout on just about anything, from gang trolls, to Kwikfish plugs. The ‘K-Mart Special’ fly pattern in olive, has been working extremely well when trolled, or stripped in on a sink line. The resort is full of families with kids right now, and when they are not swimming off the docks, they are catching all kinds of trout on the worms, set under a slip float, trick is getting the worm just a foot of the bottom, in the muddy bottom areas of the lake, they need to be out of the weeds. A 4 lb -10 oz fish is the biggest so far this week we have heard of, but we have seen several fish right at the 4 lb mark coming in as well. Chironomid fisherman are starting to get into the trout pretty good right now as well. Large chironomids were observed hatching last night from about 8:30 to 10 PM in front of our cabins and back in the channel in front of our campground as well. They also hatched in 6 to 12 feet of water yesterday along the north end of Tunkwa. Bigger chironies patterns, in size 8 or 10 long are working. Bright, metallic green, maroon/silver rib, Static-bag or KD’s patterns are all producing, just make sure it is close to the bottom and not in a weedy area. Fish on the cleaning table are full of huge green bloodworms, looks like things are shaping up for the “bomber” hatch not too much longer!

July 21/10

Fishing has picked up dramatically at Tunkwa today, one guest was in by 8:00a.m. with his limit. Fish are “jumping all over” in a number of areas of the lake mentioned by guests this afternoon. Damsels are still migrating and large chironomid shucks are on the lake surface suggesting chironomid hatches in larger sizes have begun. Early this afternoon the ‘K-mart’ fly was doing very well, stripped in on an intermediate line off the weed beds and Goose Island. Water temps are hovering at 64 Deg and should rise with the sunny weather to 67 to 69, the chironomid hatches should really take off. Scuds, caddis pupae, bloodworms and now some black and green chironomids are in the stomach contents. Trollers using Gng trolls ahead of Kwikfish or HotShots are doing well today, worms on the wedding rings are also producing as well as the good ole’ worm and bobber, but the depth is the key to getting into quantities of fish. Weather outlook looks sunny for the weekend. Now, with a steady barometer and nice weather, fishing will be better than the past mixed bag of conditions.

July 20/10

Tunkwa surface water temps are holding around the 64F mark, and the water is still extremely clear. The algae bloom is still very light.
Fishing reports coming in from guests are mixed, but everyone is into some trout. We are still experiencing some great caddis hatches in the evenings. This past Sat. we saw our first adult dragonflies flying around the lake, with more and more of them around everyday. The past couple days, there has been a big migration of damselfly nymphs heading towards the shore. As well, the lake surface has lots of chironomid shucks, mostly size 12’s in a ‘carrot’ colour, but there are some bigger bomber sized ones in the mix. All this insect activity, and the fly anglers are having a tougher time dialing into them. Best fly action has come by drifting or stripping in an olive coloured ‘K-mart Special’, olive or Maroon leach patterns or caddis nymph imitators. Trick seems to be figuring out the right depth, for the time of the day. With the bright sunshine, and lower algae bloom, the fish are moving deeper mid day, and up in the shallows above the emerging weeds in the lower light periods. Couple trout with there stomach pumped today were full of tiny green bloodworms. Reports from guests day tripping to area lakes are reporting in general, the same kind of slower action. Guest fishing the old “garden hackle”(worm) under a slip float are hooking into trout as well, again just a matter of figuring out the right depth for the time of day. Some bigger rainbows fell victim to a slow trolled Kwikfish, fished just off the bottom in deeper areas of the lake. We saw fish to just over 4 lbs landed this past week, and some good tales of the big ones that got away!

July 12/10

Warm weather, and strong sunshine saw the Rainbow trout move a bit deeper this past weekend. Seemed everyone was catching some fish, with a few reports of some steady action and good numbers of fish being hooked by anglers really dialed into the hatches.

Trolling, using darker coloured Hotshots and Kwikfish, were hooking up, just weighting them a touch to get them a bit deeper. Gang trolls and wedding bands tipped with worms also produced. Worms worked as well, but the best action came using them under a slip float, set really close to the bottom in the deeper areas of the lake.
We had a couple reports of some great chironomid fishing, esp. later in the afternoon, some of the usual Chironie patterns were working, but in size 12 range, some bigger bomber sized ones were producing at times as well. Browns, black/silver, or anti static-bags patterns were all working.

Also a bit of surface action was seen matching the hatch to the smaller green caddis that have been coming off in good numbers.

Today we saw some serious wind and wave action, as well as a huge drop in temps, sure to put the fish off for the time being. The weather is supposed to be back to where it was starting tomorrow, and we should see some good success once the lakes settles down. remember to try fishing bloodworm patterns just after a big wind, they tend to get stirred up off the bottom, and suspend, the bigger rainbows cannot help themselves when offered such easy pickings.

Mixed reports from area lakes, but guests day tripping are finidng success as well.

Great picts and fish Ken, thanks!

July 6/10

Summer has arrived! Finally………………
Warm and sunny, just beautiful on the lake today!
Warm days, but nice cool nights, just perfect!!!

The aquatic bugs have started hatching as well, amazing what a couple days of stable warm weather will do to things. Surface water temp is around 62F mid day, and chironomids are hatching. Also, smaller caddis were all over the surface later this aft. Some steady action was seen today, fishing larger green/red butt chironies, then later in the day smaller KD’s. ‘Static’ bag and black/red chironies were working today as well. Guest drifting or trolling green bodied ‘Doc Spratleys’ are into trout, as well.
Any guests fishing worms, set just off the bottom, under a slip float, are into the rainbows as well. Great to see everything coming together for our fishermen guests!

July 4/10

Fly fishers experienced some good success late last week, keying in on emerging mayflies. Hare’s ear nymphs, Half-backs, prince nymphs, and “orange Sucker’ nymphs were all working off the bigger weed beds. We are also seeing some sporatic “travelling sedges’ coming off. Blonde coloured or light olive coloured damsel nymph patterns have been accounting for trout as well. Trolling black/ red or maroon micro leaches have been working for some folks as well. Guest fishing worms have been having the best success, landing good numbers of fish and some big ones as well. Weather forecast is finally calling for some summer like temperatures, and with the warmer temps, we should see hatches pick up and fishing be much more consistent.

A beautiful bright 23″ Tunkwa fish that pulled the scales down to 5.5lbs, great catch Jacquie!

An incredible sunset across Tunkwa, enjoyed most nights.

June 28/10

Sunny warm temps around Tunkwa this past weekend, but the high winds that pounded the province, were here as well. Fly fishers had a tough time on Tunkwa, sporatic hatches made it tough to dial into what the rainbows wanted. Lots of big trout are still being seen active on the surface, taunting anglers. Later in the week, some guests were having good success in the mornings, fishing TomThumbs(dries) across fish that were rising for Cinnamon caddis that were hatching……this is fly fishing at it’s finest! Fly fishing guests day tripping out to area lakes are reporting some success, and landing some trophy rainbow trout, up to 7.25lbs! On Tunkwa, guests fishing the good old ‘garden hackle”(worms) under a slip float are still doing very well, limiting out on rainbows in short order if they are set up in the right areas, worm fishing is deadly, even with finicky trout, they just can’t resist a lively worm. Trollers are still catching fish, with the usual presentations,……gang trolls, wedding bands, HotShots and Kwikfish, are making them react and strike them, it’s just matter of figuring out the right area, and correct depth.

Guest with a nice football shaped rainbow, tricked on a leach pattern, taken on one of his day trips out from Tunkwa.
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Bob & Major, pose with this beauty 24″ x 15.5″ taken on a fast stripped Pumkinhead fly, fished deep along a weed edge on a type VI line.

A nice Tunkwa trout that fell for Static bag chironomid under an indicator.

Guests from Australia in for a quick morning fish, and landed a few nice ones.

June 21/10

Tunkwas was bathed in sunshine this weekend, and storms passing though the area luckily skirted us. Surface water temp is approaching 60F in the afternoons, but has dropped back to the mid 50’s in the morning. The instability of the weather seemed to make the fish a bit moody, and they appeared to be feeding in short burst of activity. Some guests reported good catches if they were in the right area when the trout decided to turn on, but everyone is still catching some trout. Surprisingly for Tunkwa, some good catches are being made in the early morning hours, instead of our usual ‘banker hours’ fish. Some chironomid action was reported on chironies in size 12 in the Christmas tree colour, dark brown and black/red. Leach patterns fished aggressively seemed to produce some reaction strikes out of fish that were in a neutral mood, and burgundy or black/red patterns where the best bet. Pumkinheads and black Spratleys also were putting fish in the boats. Guests trolling dark coloured Kwikfish or Hotshots plugs did well on Friday, but reported the fish switched there preference on the weekend, and wedding bands tipped with worms were a better bet trolled. Worms under a slip float, set closer to the bottom, continue to work. Again, we are seeing some good size fish being caught by anglers, including fish to over 5 lbs, and of course, lots of tales about the bigger ones that got away!
Guest fishing local lakes, on day trips are still reporting good catches, but even they have slowed down a touch, most likely due to the storms and falling barometer.
Weather forecast is looking great for the upcoming week, and the Guest registered for the BC Outdoors Magazine, “Fishing with the Pro’s Weekend”, featuring Brian Chan and Phil Rowley, should have a great weekend!

June 17/10

Lake temperature is still holding at 56F, and bug hatches continue to be sporatic. Stomach samples from trout on the cleaning table, are showing lots of scuds and bloodworms in there diets, but very few chironomids. Pumpkinheads, and darker leach patterns are producing fish, whether drifted/trolled or fished under an indicator, and some chironomid anglers are having success, browns or black seem to be the best choices. Winds earlier in the week made it tough setting up, but stirred the water up enough to have bloodworms suspended in the water, allowing easy pickings for the trout. Bloodworms patterns in green or red are a good call when we have these conditions. Trollers fishing gang trolls, wedding bands or darker coloured hots shots are hooking up. Worms fished on a fast retrieve and allowed to free fall, have been producing some great catches for guest dialed in to this approach. Good reports are coming from guests day tripping, fishing some smaller local lakes, where mayflies are hatching and damsels are migrating, with the warmer water temps. Sun and warm daytime temps seem to be here, and we should soon see the lake warm up to more seasonal temps.

June 11/10

More unsettled weather throughout the region this past week, has made fishing tougher, but everyone is still catching some fish. Anglers covering water, targeting aggressive fish are doing well. Usual attractor patterns or lures, mentioned in previous reports, are still working. We are seeing some good size trout coming out of Tunkwa, including ones caught right off the bank.
The fist appearance of damsel flies was observed the past couple days, a good sign for the fly fisherman. Guest day tripping to area lakes are doing well, lakes at lower elevations have been fishing better. Today we finally saw some intense sunshine, and the weather forecast is calling for some beautiful, seasonable weather this weekend. We should see some improved fishing because of this.

A beauty 4lb plus rainbow, taken off the shore in front of this guests cabin, NICE FISH!

JUne 7/10

A little bit less rain in the area, amde for a nice change. fishign was sporatic, but some guests did very well, it seemed everyone was catching some fish. We saw several fish in the 3lb plus range come in, and had another rainbow just over 5 lbs caught and released.
Checking stomach contents on the cleaning table, we noticed a lot of bigger blood worms, mostly green, but some red ones as well, and scuds or small chironomids(darker green) making up the rest of there diets.
Trolling Kwikfish or Hotshot plugs in darker colours put fish in the boat. Guest fishing worms under a float continued to do very well, just a matter of being in the right areas. Reports from guests fly fishing indicated trolling leaches, pumpkinhead patterns was the best bet. Anglers set up fishing chironomid fishing, did get into fish, but had to wor for them, size 14 Tunkwa green chironies or #16 static-bag patterns were worikng, but blood worm or scud patterns under the indicator produced as well. Some stable warmer weather in the short term forecast will help intensify the hatches and sure to improve the fly fishing.

June 3/10

Fishing appears to have picked up, this morning, one of our guests landed a nice pair of 3 lb rainbows, along with a number of smaller ones. Worms fished under a float, trolling leach patterns(or other attractor patterns), or gang trolls tipped with worms, are working well for anglers. Warmer weather is rising the water temperature in the lake, so the aquatic insects will start to pupate very soon. We’ve had hatches of small to large (bomber) chironomids, coming off the past few weeks, with a lull during this past week, but with the warmer weather and intense sunshine, the hatches are expected to intensify any day now. Nearby lakes at lower elevations have had good chironomid hatches and Mayflies as well, and have been fishing well for guests day tripping out to fish them. Weather has been a mixed, sun/cloudy/light showers the last few days but finally consistent sunshine today.

May 31/10

Unstable weather again passing through the area, made fishing sporatic for all. Fish are scattered throughout the depths, and are being a bit moody, even active jumping fish, seem to be really down compared to normal. Despite this, guests are still catching fish, with slow trolled leach patterns the best bet for the fly anglers, and the worm being the best bet for guests fishing gear. Tuesday forecast is calling for sun and warmer temps.
Several guests are doing day trips out to some smaller, local lakes, and reporting some good catches. Neighbouring Leighton lake has been fishing similar to Tunkwa and has been fishing a bit moody as well.

May 30/10

Weather has improved from the rainy last week, and the fishing has really picked up. Seems everyone is catching fish, with some scoring lots and lots of numbers of trout. Biggest trout landed this weekend we heard, was just over 5 lbs, a great fish in any ones books! Water temp. is 53F, and we are still seeing lots of smaller chironies hatches, with some bigger ones in the mix, also more and more mayflies are showing up. Lots fo fish on the cleaning table, many with scuds, but we are seeing more chironies in the stomach samples. Fly fishers are having mixed results, with darker green size 12 chironies seem to be the colour of choice. Larger Maroon leaches were hot as well. Earlier in the weekend, trollers fishing Hotshots in dark colours, and kwikfish in frog colour, were working. As the weekend progressed, boats trolling smaller gang trolls, like the Gibbs “Mini-Troll” tipped with a short leader and a plain piece of worm on a small hook were really producing, trolled over the deeper parts of the lake, at varying levels, the trout have been all over them!! With some sun and stable weather, we should see the fishing just continue to escalate.

May 26/10

Beautiful morning this morning along with some much warmer temperatures. Fishing late afternoon yesterday, fish were taking the odd calabetis (Mayfly) pupae grey in color, but fish were turning onto the smaller chironomids, as the larger ones were not hatching. Fish were actively taking size #12 “Tunkwa” green chironomids, #12 brown, copper ribbed/gold bead chironomids and anti-static scud patterns were producing as well. Fish were feeding in 13 to 14 feet of water 3 to 4 feet above the bottom. Worm fisherman did very well casting close to shore with a float 3 feet above their worm in 4 feet of water. Pan fried last night, these fish were delicious. Trollers also did well with flatfish in perch and cracked frog, or gang trolls tipped with worms. Stomach contents showed fish are still feeding on scuds and small black chironomids. Sunshine and some much nicer weather are forcasted for the weekend.
Report just in from a guest….. the Mayfly’s are coming off heavy in front of the resort campground, swallows were active earlier today but are on the move to find the new heavy hatches.

May 25/10

A beautiful morning on the lake today with lots of fish movement starting…too bad the long weekend weather wasn’t like this.
We had lots of unstable weather pass through the area, this past weekend, making the fishing spotty, but it seemed everyone caught trout. Chironomid fishing seemed to slow down a bit and he anglers who trolled were doing bests. Lots of trout on the cleaning table, and they were absolutely stuffed with scuds, hardly any chironies despite the strong hatches going on. Anglers that keyed in on this switch in diet did well. We are starting to see the first signs of mayflies hatching as well. Trolling, Flatfish and Hotshot plugs proved to be the best producers, with darker colours or bright reds/orange the best ones. Green, or glow coloured wedding bands tipped with worms also worked well. Guests trolling larger leach patterns in blue/maroon, egg sucking leaches and similar flies, did well at times as well. Scuds patterns slow trolled or drifted put fish on the end of the line as well. We are continuing to see some bigger trout, with one guest reported landing a 26″ rainbow this past weekend. this nicer, more stable weather should see the fishing turn more consistent again.

May 18/10

Guest reproted the rainbows really turne on yesterday, esp. in the afternoon. Chironomid hatches were thick in the air, and fish were feeding heavily on them. Many better than average, sized fish were caught, with some really good numbers of fish as well. Larger size 12- long Chironomids, tied in bright green or copper/brown, either with a white bead, fished 1′ off the bottom in 12-15 feet of water, were the best producers.
Guests trolling HotShots and Kwikfish plugs, or leach patterns, also reported some good action.
Some unsettled weather has moved into the region, and we will see how this effects the fishing.
Lake level has dropped a bit, but is still quite high, and water clarity is excellent from what we can see in front of the resort.

May 16/10

Absolutely incredible weather all week, including the weekend, sure helped improve the fishing. Water temps are slowly rising, and more chironomid hatches are being reported. The cleaning station was very busy yesterday, with fish up to 4.2lbs, several reliable reports of even bigger fish being caught but released as well. Instead of the tiny chiro’nies in there stomachs, we’ve just started to see larger and darker ones, some up to a size 10 in there stomachs. Some guest are really ‘on’ the fish, and catching large numbers of them, while others are working harder, but are into fish as well. Many regular guests are commenting on the larger than average size of the rainbows trout this year, which is really good to hear. Chironomids are the best producers for the fly anglers, with smaller size 16 being the best size earlier in the week, but now, larger sizes up to 12’s are starting to be equally effective. Anti-static bag patterns, darker greens as well as copper or browns are working. Drifting or trolling leach or pumpkinhead patterns are working as well. Guest trolling Kwikfish and HotShot plugs are also reporting good success. Drifting worms just under the surface is also working well. From the looks of things, fishing is going to keep getting better and better, and we should see some incredible action this week!

May 10/10

Some unsettled weather passing through the interior this past weekend, made fishing success very spotty, but it seemed most guest we talked to, were catching some fish. Weather sure has improved with today being our first nice, sunny and warm day! Fish responded to the nicer weather, and by later afternoon and evening, guests were reporting catching more rainbows. Mix of various types of presentations are working. Flatfish in brighter colours, trolled just under the surface, was working, as awre worms under a float. Flies slwoly trolled, like the Pumpkinhead, Wolly Buggers or Leach patterns also were catching trout. Best action still is in the shallows, and flies fished sub surface, even in the surface film, were producing. Chironomids tied in copper, red/black or chromie patterns seemed to be best. water temps vary between 42-48F, depending on where, and who we ask. With the weather forecast looking really favorable, fishing should only keep picking up as the water warms, and the hatches come off in full flurry.

May 06,10

The sun returned after a number of days of unsettled weather, chironomids started to come off late yesterday evening in size #16’s as the water temperature lowered to 42 Deg from 46 earlier in the week. Spring is slowly returning with milder temps forecast this weekend and into next week which should make for better fishing and a bit more comfortable conditions. Fishing has been spotty with some anglers doing well if one finds the fish, fish have been taken on maroon and black leeches and micro leeches, bloodworms and black chironomids close to the bottom.

May 02/10

Depending on who you talked to, fishing was fair to good on Tunkwa, with rainbow trout up to 2lb’s caught in shallow(2-5ft) water, inside the more protected bays. Leeches and micro leeches patterns in burgundy, black or black/red were successful when trolled slowly in deeper water. The birds were working small chironomids coming off the 46F water.
#12 olive ‘Bird of Prey’s’ were doing well casting into the trees…er…treed shoreline edges, as the rainbows were in very shallow water. Bruce’s StaticBag scud patterns were successful around structure. One group of guests did very well last Friday catching more fish then they could count, while others got skunked or others into 5-8 fish, location was a key factor, you ahve to find the actice trout, as these fish hit every fly cast at them…..
Pumpkinheads and immature damsel patterns also fished fair. A low is moving in late this afternoon with showers/rain tonight, then clearing with a possibility of thunderstorms tomorrow with cooler temps until later in the week, when temperatures are supposed to rise, and should continue warming up water temps.
Tunkwa’s lake level has risen rapidly the past week with oxygen and nutrient loaded runoff being carried into the lake from the many creeks that run into the lake from the surrounding mountain sides.

Apr.28/10

Water temps are staying about the same, and lake level continues to rise. Night time temps the past couple nights have stayed way above freezing, in the 6 -8C range, and unstable weather has made fishing a bit challenging, but the trout are out there, and feeding as well. The trout are moving into the shallows to aggressively feed, and when they come in, they make there presence known with much surface activity. Best tactic is to keep moving, stopping to fish only where you see the fish activity. Today we encountered a lot of mid day activity in 7-9 feet of water, on a last step into a shallow bay, fish were all over the place on this small drop off, besides being on the surface, the graph was constantly lit up with fish on the screen. Quite a few fish in excess of 3 lbs where seen clearing the water. Heavy hatches of greenish micro sized chironomids were noted coming out of the shallow bay, but some a bit bigger and darker, #16/14, were mixed in with them. Action was had with smaller(14’s) dark chironomids, and black micro leaches/BMW’s, fished under strike indicators or stripped back on a slow sink tip line. Fish were also taken today fishing along submerged deadfall trees on some protected shorelines, attractor patterns like Pumpkinhead and Spratleys worked. Plan on loosing some tackle fishing this way, but fish are actively feeding in the old dead branches. As soon as we get some steady weather, and a warming trend, fishing should go like gang busters!

Apr.26/10

Yesterdays sunny/calmer conditions helped warm the Tunkwa’s water a bit. A temperature reading off the resort dock this morning showed 42F, with water out front still being very clear. Small chironomid husks/shells could be seen on the surface, and some smaller copper, with a reddish-butt, adults were observed in the surface film.

April 25/10

Fishing the past couple days could best be described as only being fair. Tunkwa Lake level is rising quickly, as the frost is coming out of the ground, and feeder creeks are swollen to the top of there banks. Lake water temps are around the 39F/4C mark, so still is very cold. Weather was mixed, with night time temps dipping below freezing. Seemed the best fishing came in the middle of the day, when the sun came out, causing a bit of a feeding flurry if you were in the right spot at the right time. The shallow end of bays, in 3′ to 4′ of water were best, and productive presentations were red micro leaches, red bloodworm patterns, BMW’s or PumpkinHead flies. Trollers out over the deeper parts of the lake reported very little action. Fish can be seen moving and jumping in the shallow areas, throughout the day. Today, I saw the first bunch of swallows swooping over the lake picking up small chironomids that were hatching. Fishing will improve as we get some stable sunny weather. Last of the ice came off neighboring Leighton Lake, later Friday afternoon.

April 21, 2010

The last of the ice left yesterday afternoon and the fishing season has started with a bang. Many of you know our Joedy, our resident ‘fishin nut’, who was the first to fish ice-free Tunkwa this spring. Fishing from the shore of the resort last night and early this morning, he was able to land 8 beautiful rainbow trout up to 1.5 pounds. The fish are aggressive and are jumping everywhere on the lake. Joedy’s fish were caught on a flashy green micro leech.

Ice is as good as GONE!

There is only a trace amount of ice left and the fish are hungry and jumping! We have cabins and boats available right now – call us!

April 19, 2010

Mild temperatures and moderate winds have significantly deteriorated the ice on Tunkwa Lake. As of yesterday afternoon, we would estimate that 90%+ of the ice is honeycombed and there are large fish-able areas open right now included the area in front of the resort. Lots of fish activity was observed over the weekend with a few huge ker-plunks! The weather is forecast to be very mild for the next 2 days and we expect ice-off by Wednesday. If you are eager to be the first to fish Tunkwa this year, you might want to plan to be at the resort for Wednesday!

Apr. 13/10

Some unseasonably cool weather last week, coupled with some really cold nights, sure didn’t help the ice deterioration much, although the high winds we had a couple days, did pile some ice up along the shoreline. The effects from yesterday mid teen Celsius temps, along with the bright, warm sun, saw the ice darken and start getting water on top of it. Today’s warm rain, and ensuing flush of warmer water from our feeder creeks, will help really spread things along. We were all off on our guesses for ice-off this year, instead of a record early one, we will probably end up with just an average one, coming off mid April….soon!

April 5/10

Ice continues to erode away along the edges, with a bit more open water everyday. Night times have still been dropping below freezing, producing an ice skim on the open water areas, but not lasting for long. Some intense winds this past week, has created some wave action, again helping the ice go. Soon!

March 29/10

Not much new to report. ‘Ice-off’ continues to be happening, with daytime temps often hitting into the double digits Celsius, coupled with lots of strong sunshine, and some moderate breezes, with all working at eroding the ice quickly. The lake level has risen a bit from some recent snow run off, and lots of open water can be seen all along the edges of Tunkwa, with a couple of the small bays already open. At times, tiny chironomids can be seen hatching from the little bits of open water. There is still lots of deep snow in the mountains around Tunkwa, which has still to make it’s way into the system, but that typically takes a long time to happen. We still predict an early ice off here, and we should see an early jump start to the open water fishery. Watch here on our fishing reports for updates on the ice leaving, and keep an eye on our web cam, to give you instant visual update on what’s going on out on the lake. Anglers fishing a couple of the nearby lakes already open, are reporting some good catches of rainbows on attractor fly patterns.

March 24/10

Ice conditions along the Tunkwa shoreline are deteriorating fast, making getting onto the ice a risky proposition right now. We have had several very warm days, coupled with warm breezes, effecting ice quality fast, the open season will not to be too far off! Keep posted, or watch our web cam for the ice off. A couple nearby lakes, at lower elevation, are open and have been fishing well the past few weeks.

March17,10

Warm weather has melted some of the lower snow in the basin here and snow that fell last Friday morning, the lake has about 17 inches of ice still on it as guest last week had slow to satisfactory fishing with fish to under 2lb’s and one story of a big one getting stuck in the hole. The line broke close to the top of the hole after a 15 minute fight with the fish, cold hands and some excitement made it difficult to grab the fish as it was stuck in the hole, dropping inch by inch with every attempt to grab it eventually dropping down into the lake to be chased one more time in it’s life. Guests on the weekend did fair better with a number of fish at 2lbs and one 4lb fish for them to take home. Fish bit on worms and cooked shrimp and some raw shrimp.
Morgan and 6-Mile lakes are now ice free for a few weeks as this unseasonable mild winter and early spring has brought ice off much sooner than in recent memory. I’m expecting ice off mid April to the third week of April, two to three weeks early.
Guest are still ice fishing as the ice is still safe for some time now.
The birds and wildlife are about, a wonderful sound of spring in the air the past week or two as snow falls in the hills of Forge and Bose Mountain this afternoon giving us some much needed moisture.

Mach 9/10

Seems like winter has returned to Tunkwa, temps dipped down to -17C last night, and the lake could be heard groaning, making ice all night. Daytime temps, with the bright sunshine is getting back up there. Fishing pressure was relatively light this this past weekend, with reports of a few fish being caught, and some light biters letting you knwo they were still there. Some fish caught today, being caught just below the ice surface, sititing high in the water column. The rainbow trout are still out there, and being mobile to keep moving until you find them, seems to be key lately. Ice is still at 17″ and holding hard. Couple of the local lakes, at lower elevations, had there ice come off last week, allowing some anglers to get a good jump start on there open water fishing.

Feb. 28/10

Weather was beautiful up here this weekend, lots of sun and mild daytime temps. Cold nights are keeping the ice in great shape. This week we had the Regional Fisheries Biologist in to take oxygen readings/tests in the water, under the ice. Readings came back with excellent results, with lots of oxygen throughout the water column, in fact, water near the bottom in the deeper parts of the lake, read almost the same as the upper layers of water, typically the richest water in later winter. This really came as no surprise, as we had a big influx of water, from all the rain this past Nov. and vegetation we can see looking down the ice holes is still green and vibrant.
Fishing was tougher this weekend, and fish really seeemed to be off, some good bites and action came at first light, then reallly slowed down the rest of the day. We had the Western Canadain Rep. for Humminbird electronics in this weekend, and we had a chance to field test some of the great new fish finder units from Humminbird. Although fishing at less then peak times, these units showed us many active fish, and we could really watch on the screen, the fish coming in to inspect our offerings, but would not bite, a bit frustrating, but still really impressive to be able to see and interput what was going on under there. Ice fishing with electronics, make a huge difference, and can really add to the ice fishing experience. If any of you are at the Outdoors Show, at the Tradex this upcoming weekend, stop in the Humminbird booth, and check out the units, and you can get an idea of what we are talking about. Also, I will be helping our friends at Shimano out at the show, so please stop by and say ‘Hi’.

Feb. 21/10

Another beautiful weekend up on Tunkwa, sunny and clear days, with cold nights. Fishing was a bit slower this weekend, with the rainbows seemingly off a bit, but fish were still being caught. Fish are still up shallow, and taking the usual presentations. Best areas are still of the weed edges, in 6 -9′ feet of water. Cold nights are still seeing ice being made during the nights.

Feb. 14/10

Ice fishing reports coming in from almost all of our guests were very good, lots of rainbows being caught, including some better than average sized ones. Better action seems to be up shallower on Tunkwa, from 4′ to 9′, with fish suspended off the bottom in the mid range of those depths. Many fish are still feeding heavily on scuds, but we are now starting to see more bloodworms making up a good part of the fish diets. Some anglers fishing bloodworms imitators found good success. Fish are fighting good, and 6lb line is mininum one should be using, one big fish even broke a guests rod on the fight. Weather continues to be unseasonable mild, with sunny, daytime temps hitting +4, but nights are still cool and below freezing. The lake continues to make ice, and no problems with slush on top, but reports indicate Leighton is getting slushy on top. It’s a great time to be planning your ice fishing get-a-way!

Feb 10,10

Fishing has been good for our guests this week on Tunkwa, the largest being 3lbs caught on cooked shrimp. Fish have been caught in Farmers Bay, off Goose Bay, Rock Bluff, Goose Island and off the Provincial Park boat launch. Temps have been +4 during the day to -5 at night. A system is approaching from the Southwest today, a slight breeze to 10km with overcast skies and snow developing in the mountains to the West in the past hour. Forecast of 3cm is predicted late this afternoon and into the evening, a much needed snow fall.

Feb 5th, 10

Little pressure on the lakes this week made for good fishing for the few who were out, being quiet is a key for fishing shallow lakes. One of our guests had non stop action the minute they started fishing, their holes all very close to each other made the best ice fishing trip ever for them. One toddler tossed his rod towards his hole as a larger fish made his reel scream and kept pulling scaring him,lol, good times!! Most fish were from 16 to 17 inches with one being 22 inches. Fish were caught 5 inches below the bottom of the ice in 4-6 feet of water. One could see the fish nibbling at their offering thru the hole in the ice and the take by more aggressive fish making for a neat experience. We are getting a light snow fall this morning with clearing expected latter today and the out look looks dry with some cloud for the next 5 days. Temps range from -2 to + 5. There is no water on the ice unlike higher elevation lakes with more of a substantial snowfall pushing water up thru crascks in the ice. Thickness of the ice at Tunkwa is 13 to 18 inches, with 3-4 inches of snow on top.

Jan.31/10

Tunkwa area finally received a much needed snowfall this weekend, with a few inches falling on us. Temps remained very mild, daytime just above freezing, with night time temps just dipping to below freezing. Ice is still anywheres from 12 – 18″ thick across the lake, with the only open water near the neck down into Corral Lake. There were many people out fishing this weekend, but reports indicates it was a bit slow, and the bite seemed to be off. Most of the fish that were caught, were by anglers away from the crowds, we cannot stress this enough, a stealthy approach is needed to be successful on these shallow alkes. Again cooked shrimp or krill, seemed to be the best bait. Beside the usual scuds in there stomachs, were are starting to see some green blood worms making up part of there diet now.
This snowfall has made the area look like a winter wonderland again, just a great time to be outdoors.

Jan.24/10

Some bright sunny weather has made being out on the ice incredible as of late, don’t forget to bring your sunglases and sunscreen! Cold nights have kept the lakes making ice. With a bit of leg work, ice fishing continues to be good, moving around quitely and keeping on active fish seems to be key. Fish in shallow water are very spooky, at times, even footsteps with scare them away. Many fish in the 16 – 17″ class are being caught, these fish are great fighters, smacking baits hard, and pulling out lots of line, plus they are superb eating. Best bait as of late seems to be small pieces of cooked shrimp, fished on a smaller jig head, with glow colour heads seem to be more effective then just plain painted heads. We have received a shipment of very small, coloured/cured krill shrimp, that have been working well on pressured fish, offerring them a bait closer in size to the scuds they are gorging on right now, works. A flash spoon above any bait, really helps to call them in from a distance. Fishing bait under a small sensitive float or a strike indicator is catching fish as well, bights can be gentle and a sesnitve float will easily dectect them, and increase your chance in hooking up. Fish are still up shallow, just off the weed beds in the lower light periods, and often move deeper as things brighten up. Best bights seem to be the first 40 min’s of light and then the last 20 min’s in the afternoon. Tunkwa has been fishing best at first light, while Leighton seems better at last light. We are noticing, on the graphs(fish finders), more fish swimming up higher, way above the bottom, often in the 3-6′ range, these fish will eagerly chase you bait down if you lift up to them. Rigging up a graph or fish finder makes a huge difference out there, letting one know when an active fish is around there bait. Without a finder, try looking down the hole, cover your head to keep the light out, and you will be surprised at how clearly you can see the bottom and how many trout will come in to look at your bait! It is a great time to be on the Tunkwa/Leighton hardwater.

Jan. 13/10

Ice fishing continued to be pretty good on Tunkwa today.
Rainbows to 4.5 lbs were caught anywhere from 18′ to as shallow as 9′ today. The best presentation was a krill shrimp fished on a dropper under a hookless flash spoon. Jigging the spoon agressively would bring the rainbows in for a look, and today they hard a hard time resisting the krill shrimp. Several larger fish were lost at the hole todoy, as pulling a big fish through on a light leader is a challenge. Fish were figting extremely well, and a reel with a good drag system was a must. Temps today started off at -4 C but rose to just above freezing, it was overcast with a good breeze.

Jan. 12/10

Some unusually mild weather has been with us the past few days, but not too worry, it has not effected the ice one bit, only packing down the snow, and forming a few puddles on our ice rink. Ice thickness is still close to 16″. Anglers moving and finding active trout are hooking up, we had one of our guests stop in a few minutes ago and reported landing 6 rainbows this morning. All trout fell victim to a small piece of cooked shrimp fished under a sensitive float, some fish up high, just belwo the ice, but the bigger ones closer to the bottom. Bites are very soft and subtle, easily missed. As we get more people out there, we think the pieces will all come together on figuring out this new ice fishery on Tunkwa!