Lake Koocanusa Houseboating/Fishing Trip

[DarkAisling]

Lord help me. What a miserable trip. We just got back an hour ago, and I don't think I've ever been so glad to be home!

Son #2 took most of the pictures on his camera. I can't post any of those until after he comes back from his dad's on Sunday. He took some on mine, and I can post some of those.

We barreled out of the house early Monday morning, and made our way to the lake. We stopped at a fly shop along the way: to get our licenses and some advice. As we soon found out, if you're going to be fishing in Koocanusa you "should" be fishing for Kokanee. Cool. We're game. Problem is, we don't have the right gear. No worries, we should be able to get some at the lake (so advises the young, and I mean around 12-years-old, man who was helping us). The young man insists that trolls and wedding rings are the way to snag Kokanee.

Long story short . . . we couldn't purchase the gear at the lake. Either all of the stores were sold out, or they don't stock those items in the first place.

So, we wound up trolling with spinners, marshmallows, and bacon. Interesting to note is that BC lakes allow the use of single barbed hooks (in most cases). I didn't figure that out until yesterday.

We discovered that Dolly Varden really seem to like bacon. Some one (wasn't me, but I won't name names), dumped bacon fat where it wound up in the water. The water was instantly teaming with itty bitty Dollies. We were beached when that happened, and promptly got the boat back out on the water. The bacon fat probably drew every bear in a ten kilometre radius. :mad3:

We mostly wound up fishing at the wrong time of day. Combine that with our poor angling skills and incorrect gear, and we got skunked again :o

Houseboating itself was a disappointment, too. The boat was rented from "Sunshine Houseboats," and while the couple that own the operation are awesome, they're woefully understaffed. The boat had some "deficiencies" (a nice way to put it). The one my sister-in-law and her husband rented for us all was called "Pin-Yacht-Colada," and was a "Sunseeker Executive." We had to get maintenance out there a few times.

It was pretty windy the whole time we were there, and it was a challenge to pilot a big boat like that as a result. There were some pretty tense moments.

This log jam tried to eat the boat.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bKySdrQ8G1M/SoYQ7g43c9I/AAAAAAAAA-0/rER5pE6n7e0/s640/IMG_0946.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bKySdrQ8G1M/SoYQ_PpvyqI/AAAAAAAAA-4/y8WPDBJvzuo/s640/IMG_0943.JPG

Fortunately a gent who worked for the houseboat company (and who also suggested we beach beside the log boom) is a beachcomber. He was able to get the boom back under control.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bKySdrQ8G1M/SoYSUHvNQ0I/AAAAAAAAA_U/W2wQBb0XQxk/s640/IMG_0960.JPG

A lovely rainbow after all of the rain we endured!
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bKySdrQ8G1M/SoYQfwdLHTI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/fUE1z2Q3kZI/s640/IMG_1002.JPG

Also, we had two wasp stings (very aggresive wasps at this lake), an allegric reaction to lobster, and I broke my little toe :(

I might try houseboating again . . . but at the Shuswap.

I might post some more pics on Sunday.

[seahawkfisher]

gotta love those vacations that you will remember for all the wrong reasons; sounds like the week i spent in cuba this past spring - wont be going there again...
cheers

[DarkAisling]

gotta love those vacations that you will remember for all the wrong reasons; sounds like the week i spent in cuba this past spring - wont be going there again...
cheers

Oh no! I've never heard of anyone having a bad Cuba trip. But then, I've never heard of anyone having a bad houseboating trip either.

[WayneChristie]

sounds like a wonderful vacation :lol: my sympathies on the toe, been there done that way too many times. sounds like you need a restful AOF gathering to get you back on track again. Just think how relaxing it will be in comparison!

[hal53]

Oh no! I've never heard of anyone having a bad Cuba trip. But then, I've never heard of anyone having a bad houseboating trip either.
been to Cuba quite a few times ( 7 or8)...only people complaining were the ones that didn't realize they were going to a Communist country...that is still living in the early 60's
just my 2 cents.....but a fact...

[seahawkfisher]

being communist does not give them the right to advertize a 2* resort (at best) as a 5*

communist or not, when i stay in a 5* resort, i expect to get 5* service, food, and accomidations, not the drivel they provide there (granted it was spring break and the hotels were full). They do not offer 5* but call it that when you are booking; when you spend 2200 plus 200tax, a head for a week, i would like to think you could get fresh fruit for breakfast (we are early risers ta boot!) and beer at the beach. not to mention when you look at the conversion rate to get CUC's, all of your excursions cost WAY more than what's comprable in mexico.
(sorry for the rant and the thread hijack :( )
cheers

[DarkAisling]

Just think how relaxing it will be in comparison!

After this trip, I'm going to be relaxing at home for a couple of weeks! No way am I going camping just to spend three days whimpering every time I take a step.

I broke the stupid thing the first night out . . . then I continued to make things worse every time I had to help beach the boat. Beaching can usually be done by two people, but as there was so much wind it took five of us on a couple of occasions.

Houseboating can be a LOT of hard work that one doesn't read about in the glossy brochures.

i would like to think you could get fresh fruit for breakfast (we are early risers ta boot!)

You're not supposed to eat the fruit as it is usually washed in the local water. Hep is really easy to contract from fruit and salads. Your travel agent should have advised you of that. I booked a trip to Cuba a few years ago (didn't go, long story), and that was one of the first things the agent advised me of. She was VERY insistent that only cooked food should be eaten in Cuba.


(sorry for the rant and the thread hijack :( )
cheers

I'm not worried about it.

[hal53]

After this trip, I'm going to be relaxing at home for a couple of weeks! No way am I going camping just to spend three days whimpering every time I take a step.

I broke the stupid thing the first night out . . . then I continued to make things worse every time I had to help beach the boat. Beaching can usually be done by two people, but as there was so much wind it took five of us on a couple of occasions.

Houseboating can be a LOT of hard work that one doesn't read about in the glossy brochures.



You're not supposed to eat the fruit as it is usually washed in the local water. Hep is really easy to contract from fruit and salads. Your travel agent should have advised you of that. I booked a trip to Cuba a few years ago (didn't go, long story), and that was one of the first things the agent advised me of. She was VERY insistent that only cooked food should be eaten in Cuba.



I'm not worried about it.
lot of mis-information in that post from some body who hasn't been there....trust me , it's safe....BTW I'd find a new travel agent!!!

[DarkAisling]

lot of mis-information in that post from some body who hasn't been there....trust me , it's safe....BTW I'd find a new travel agent!!!

She'd been to Cuba several times, and was exceptionally knowledgeable about a lot of things. She told us that while the produce should not be washed in the local water and should be safe, it was a possibility that it would have been. She advised us about the best things to bring as gratuities (school supplies, cosmetics, and shiny shirts), and was an absolute wealth of information.

[seahawkfisher]

don't forget the fish net stockings lol
cheers

[DarkAisling]

Oh, something funny is happening to all of us! We're having a very hard time getting our "land-legs" back. The floor is still heaving beneath us, and we're holding onto things as we walk around. It's pretty funny. :lol:

[pdfish]

Oh, something funny is happening to all of us! We're having a very hard time getting our "land-legs" back. The floor is still heaving beneath us, and we're holding onto things as we walk around. It's pretty funny. :lol:

The joys of houseboating!!

[RonkyTonk]

I just got back from Qubec City and I don't speak french:rolleye2: Beautiful place to visit but the most un Canadian I have ever felt being in Canada. If that makes any sense!! could have been an awsome trip but I think I would have rather broken my little toe!!lol

[Diablo]

Funny enough i just got done with a houseboating trip with sunshine. Beautiful lake, not so nice boat. Had a few mechanical problems generally stuff that should have been looked after before we got the boat. But live and learn i suppose.

[DarkAisling]

Funny enough i just got done with a houseboating trip with sunshine. Beautiful lake, not so nice boat. Had a few mechanical problems generally stuff that should have been looked after before we got the boat. But live and learn i suppose.

What was the name of the boat you were on?

We'll be doing another houseboating trip next summer (we figure the trip will be better if we have an idea what to expect), and if we go through Sunshine again we'd like to know what boats to avoid, and what ones to try to get. We wouldn't take the Pin-Yachta-Colada again. The two bathrooms were nice to have, but the sofa smelled like something had died in it. Most of the mattress covers were stained. It didn't have the TV and DVD player that it was supposed to have (great for kids who are stuck inside in the rain). Also, it was missing the awning/cover up top, so we didn't have any shade. The alternator belt on the boat was shot, so we frequently had to stop in the middle of the lake to drift while the generator charged the batteries. They did bring us out some free fuel as a result, but that kinda sucked.

Did you try fishing from the boat? If so, how'd that go?

[BigIrv]

Yes, if anyone else has good experiences or bad it would be nice to know what, and which boats to avoid. I am planning a trip there for the end of September.
Any advice would be great.

[Diablo]

I believe we were on Her-yot. We had the same problem with the generator, but we just ran it as we were running down the lake. We had the awning but our hottub didnt work the entire week. And we also didnt have the TV. We fished a bit off the back or the boat when we were beached. The best spot we found was kind of behind this little island with a few sailboats moored beside us, didnt catch anything major at all we didnt bring the right gear just a bunch of 1 maybe 2 pound i believe dolly varden. there were spots towards the US side with more driftwood so we avoided those but we never had anything as bad as you were in. I would be interested to see what other houseboat companies are on the lake i dont think i noticed any.

[DarkAisling]

DayDreamer Houseboats are another Koocanusa operation. http://www.houseboats4you.com/ Apparently they're temporarily out of service due to storm damage. They're a smaller operation than Sunshine, and have smaller boats. It does look like they'll do a better job of prepping you . . . they take you out to handle the boat and show you how to beach.

I did see "Her-Yot" while we were out there, as well as "His-Yot." Neither of them looked to be in great shape. There was one boat out there that I quite liked the look of: "Ryamval." I don't know what class "Ryamval" is, but I think I'd try to get that one next time we go out. I didn't go inside it, but I did get to see through it. It looked like a really nice boat.

We were running our generator and our engine at the same time, but maintenance informed us (after we'd been doing this for two days) that "Pin-Yachta-Colada" will only charge off of the generator if the engine is off.

Also, our sledgehammer broke when we were driving in one of the stake (which was severely bent). Thankfully we had brought a big ax on board and we were able to use that instead. I noticed that there was another broken sledgehammer on the dock when we got back to the marina at the end of the trip.

We had a scare as a result of the bent stake. Just before the boom tried to eat the boat, a stake pulled out of the beach and we had to fight to get it back in (that's when the hammer broke). I now know that undamaged stakes are really important. The bigger the bend in them, the bigger the hole they make, and the less firmly they're planted in the ground.

The boom we were caught in didn't look threatening at first. It wasn't until a storm picked up, and one of the lines holding the boom in place broke, that it got a little ugly. Being that maintenance told us to beach there (and helped us, as the storm was moving in) we weren't worried about it. We brought a Sea-Doo with us, so after watching the beachcomber handle the boom the other-half was able to push the boom back easily using the Sea-Doo until it was safe to take the boat back out on the water.

It sucks that your hot-tub didn't work, but ours (while it worked) was pretty gross: full of algae and other stuff that I didn't really want to get in the water with. The hot tub filled with lake water, so whatever is in the lake wound up in the hot tub.

Oh, we did get a look at the one "Little Sun" boat that they have. It is indicated as being a two person (or two adults and 2 kids). It looked like it was in pretty rough shape. It was really small, too. It is no where near as cute as the photo on the website (none of their boats are).

We also got a look at a couple of their "seasoned" boats: the "Kooca" and "Sunshine" models. I would not rent want of those. Those are definitely the "party boats" and are in pretty rough shape.