Kootenay Lake Rainbow (photo fixed)

[tacklerunner]

For those of you who fish Kootenay Lake for the ever elusive 20 pound Gerard Rainbows, the following link will show you some photos of my buddy who got a 26.2 pounder last weekend.

http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc416/tacklerunner/262lbrainbow.jpg

I'm very envious.

[abhunt]

WOW!!!!

It has always been one of my dreams to catch one of those.I have tried fishing for them before but with very little success.Gonna give it another try this spring!!!!

nice fish man!!!

[tacklerunner]

WOW!!!!

It has always been one of my dreams to catch one of those.I have tried fishing for them before but with very little success.Gonna give it another try this spring!!!!

nice fish man!!!

Been my dream too... and I've spent 25 years trying and trying and trying and that's his 3rd one over 20 lbs :sign0176:

[WayneChristie]

Photoshopped.!!!!! its obviously 27 pounds :sHa_sarcasticlol: nice fish, even one of those in a lifetime would be great! what a beautiful fish.

[zabbo]

Beautiful fish! One of these days.........

[Brandonkop]

Beautiful Fish!!! 1.5 more years and I'll be done with Residency and moving back to Canada... I think I'm going to move to BC though, maybe Salmon Arm, Nelson or some other town on a nice big lake with big fat fish like that!!! I've been watching on healthmatchbc.ca and there are some internal medicine positions available. I'm already dreaming about my boat with the downriggers singing waiting for one of those fat bows to bite!

Awesome fish, I might need some tips in a few years cause I'll be a total green horn.

Brandon

[Albertafisher]

That is one of the most beautiful fish I've ever seen! Great job!!

[marlin1]

nice gerard , man that thing's head is huge

[Coulee]

Flipping hell!

[thunderjet]

I would say he is on his way to Lardo to start making babies, looks like he has been up top for a while too. Beautiful fish!!

[marty1]

Now that's a rainbow.Ive managed a couple over twenty and a bunch between 10-15 but would trade them all in for that one.that is one nice,clean looking fish.congrats

[AK47]

Stupid question, why they are called Gerrard?

[AK47]

Nevermind, googled it:)... found this neat video.

http://www.fwcp.ca/version2/forms/videos/index.php#gerrards

[tacklerunner]

The fish are named after the post office and settlement of Gerrard which was the end of the CPR railway line. George Bentley Gerrard was a bank manager in Kaslo in the 1900s.
The majority of the unique Gerrard rainbow trout spawn at the Gerrard site on the Lardeau River.
The largest sport-caught rainbow from Kootenay Lake was 16 kilograms (35.5 pounds) and was hooked in 1976. Gerrard rainbow trout consistently reach sizes in excess of 10 kg (22 pounds).

[tacklerunner]

Nevermind, googled it:)... found this neat video.

http://www.fwcp.ca/version2/forms/videos/index.php#gerrards

Yah that's a great video. A few weeks back a charter guest caught a 15 or 16 pounder which they kept. Upon cleaning it, the fish had 13 fresh kokanee in it with most of them still alive. The 14th one unfortunately for the fish was and imitation and had hooks in it. Talk about agressive feeding.

[tacklerunner]

Oh and by the way, many years ago before the countless dams were built, all lakes and rivers in the West Kootneys flowed into the Columbia River one way or another. At that time it was clear sailing right to Astoria on the Washington/Oregon border where the Columbia enters the Pacific Ocean. As a result, the Gerard Rainbows are basically landlocked steelhead as are the Kokanee a form of landlocked Sockeye Salmon. There's also a healthy population of native Bull Trout and Dolly Varden in Kootenay and other lakes which also can weigh in at 20+ pounds.

[lone wolf]

Beautiful fish - absolutely stunning colours !!

[deepfried]

Beutifull fish , maybe one of these years Ill get out there !!!

[rielbowhunter]

thats a beautiful fish!, i have fished a lot for them but have yet to get a big one, caught 8 lbs dolly there thought.

[Walleyes]

Thats a beut allright,, heck of a fish..

[Jwood 456]

Nice!

I've fished that lake before and have heard about 35+lb gerards being caught out of there.

The year I fished that lake, I didn't have the right fishing tackle to catch a gerard. I did catch alot of decent 2 to 4 pounders though.