Personal Best Rainbow - Kalamalka BC

[Brandonkop]

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obt1_m22Bo8

Kalamalka lake over the past couple of years has been known to give up some Big Kokanee. While trolling for them I had a big Rainbow Trout take the lure. This Monster is my personal best rainbow trout to date and was caught trolling on a down rigger at 50 feet. It was a very hot afternoon and he faught to the death, leaping and jumping right out of the water in the near 80 degree water did him in. Sadly was not able to release this big rainbow trout after trying for a long time.

Now that's a Rainbow Trout Selfie

[sanjuanworm]

Looks like a salmon

[spinN'flyfish]

Looks like a decent sized steelhead. Nice job.

[pickrel pat]

Gerrard strain or no?

[Brandonkop]

Originally Posted by pickrel pat

Gerrard strain or no?

You know I'm not actually sure if Kalamalka was ever stocked with the Gerrard Strain. I wish they would that would be great because there are lots of small kokanee in there for feed. The Lake trout are up to 35 pounds so I don't see why the Gerrard's couldn't get large in there. To me it doesn't really have the characteristics of a Gerrard like the larger head and deeper coloration, but who knows.

[fish gunner]

What color was the flesh ? One possible indicator .very long for its weight without deep post spawn coloration imo . Beauty bow of any strain . Gerrard and black water strains are the only bows that feed on schooling larger bait fish . The school appears as a massive single body at distance . Cutts& brookies though very rare exist in kootaney lake niether have adapted to feeding on the schools of koke.silver bullet no matter what or where. Congrats on a new pb

[pickrel pat]

Ya, the Gerard's I've seen had deep bodies, that is so long and sleek it almost looks sea run.

[tight line]

Beauty Bow!

[Brandonkop]

Originally Posted by fish gunner

What color was the flesh ? One possible indicator .very long for its weight without deep post spawn coloration imo . Beauty bow of any strain . Gerrard and black water strains are the only bows that feed on schooling larger bait fish . The school appears as a massive single body at distance . Cutts& brookies though very rare exist in kootaney lake niether have adapted to feeding on the schools of koke.silver bullet no matter what or where. Congrats on a new pb

Flesh was kind of reddish orange in coloration, not very bright more dull like rusty.

Here's two other rainbows 18 and 19 inch ones. They sure don't get fat like in alberta at Kalamalka lake. Looks like they're worried about their figure.

Notice the straight tail on the one on the right, I thought that was interesting.

[RavYak]

Yeah all 3 of those are what I would consider very skinny compared to what I have caught here. What length was the big one?

[ddddd05]

nice rainbows!

[goldscud]

No stocking there since 1964. Looks like the lake trout are better competitors for food sources available

[MrsSteelhead]

SWEET! They look like the steelhead here in Oregon.

[Mike Rae]

Terrific rainbow, congrats

[1bluZebec]

Nice job

[waterninja]

wow! Thats a great bow. Bet it gave you one of the fights you ever had. Congrats.

[fishinggeek]

Rocket. Nice catch

[Brandonkop]

Originally Posted by RavYak

Yeah all 3 of those are what I would consider very skinny compared to what I have caught here. What length was the big one?

The big one was a little over 27 inches long.

Yup sure did fight good. Released off the downrigger and in no time was leaping right out of the water 75 feet or so behind the boat. Looked like a toad out there spashing around. While reeling it in I dug my camera out of the bag and filmed what I could, but the fish was already close to the boat. See what you catch when you're not ready. I troll for hours with the camera running and nothing... stop the camera and bang you catch them, haha!