PETER HOPE LAKE
Fishing Reports
Less than an hour outside of Kamloops, Peter Hope Lake is one of my favourite lakes- and not just for fishing! Beautiful cabins and hidden arms of the lake make this a great lake to explore. Read more about Peter Hope Lake
November 4, 2021
This will be my last fishing trip to Peter Hope Lake for the year. There was no one else on the water which was not surprising for November.
​
I put on full winter gear and went for it, and I am glad I suited up because it was cold!
I set up with my pink and glow Chrome's dodger with 18 inches of leader to a pink kokanee wobbler. On the other rod I used a chrome and pink Chrome's dodger with 14 inches of leader to a pink wiggle hoochie.
The fish were marking in distinct zones. They were between 30 to 40 feet and then from 60 feet to the bottom. Trolling was slow: over the course of two hours, I caught one rainbow on the wiggle hoochie and lost one fish on the kokanee wobbler.
​
It was time for a new approach. I reeled in my lines and set up my rod for jigging with one of my new tungsten jigs with a single barbless hook. This proved to be a good move. I caught three kokanee and two rainbows, all from between 60 feet and the bottom.
One of the three kokanee I caught today was a big spawning male. This I found very strange since Peter Hope Lake has only been stocked with all female triploid kokanee. I imagine that once in a while a few slip through.
Set up one: A Chrome's pink and glow dodger with 18 inches of leader to a pink kokanee wobbler.
Set up two: A Chrome's pink and chrome dodger with 14 inches of leader to a pink wiggle hoochie
​
Jigging setup: A yellow and orange tungsten jig
the Strategy
THE CATCH
PHOTO GALLERY
click to enlarge
It was strange to catch a big spawning male kokanee today since they are supposed to be all female.
kokanee: 3
rainbows: 3
october 18, 2021
When the weather co-operates, fall fishing can be super relaxing. Today was one of those days. It was calm and about 12 C.
​
The kokanee were hard to come by, but the rainbows were hitting steady. The fish were mostly scattered through the lake with only the odd small school. There was one exception to that: I found one large school of rainbows near the sunken island in about 45 feet of water.
I set up with my pink and glow Chrome's dodger with 18 inches of leader to a pink and yellow kokanee wobbler. On the other rod I used a chrome and pink Chrome's dodger with 14 inches of leader to a pink kokanee wobbler.
Both setups worked equally well today. The fishing started off quick- I caught a nice kokanee only a few minutes after putting my gear down to 50 feet. Over the next hour, I lost two kokanee near the boat and released two rainbows.
​
It was all rainbows for the rest of the day. I caught and released two more while trolling, and then caught and released four while jigging my ice flasher and a green and red tungsten jig.
Set up one: A Chrome's pink and glow dodger with 18 inches of leader to a pink and yellow kokanee wobbler.
Set up two: A Chrome's pink and chrome dodger with 14 inches of leader to a pink kokanee wobbler
the Strategy
THE CATCH
PHOTO GALLERY
click to enlarge
Lots of rainbows caught and released today, but only one kokanee.
kokanee: 1
rainbows: 8
September 23, 2021
For many kokanee lakes, the kokanee season is ending. The mature fish turn red and green, spawn in creeks or shorelines and then die off.
​
This is not the case for many stocked lakes. Many lakes like Peter Hope have been stocked with all female triploid fish. These female fish will usually live well beyond a typical kokanee life cycle and will stay chrome.
I arrived at Peter Hope at around 9:30 and went out past the drop off and turned on my fish finder. I was marking lots of fish down at 50 - 60 feet and several at 25 feet. This was true of every spot on the lake that I went today- the fish were seemingly everywhere.
I used my pink and glow Chrome's dodger with 12 inches of leader to a pink kokanee wobbler. On the other rod I used a chrome and pink Chrome's dodger with 14 inches of leader to a small pink and purple spoon.
THE SETUP
I started out fishing at 25 feet and I quickly caught two rainbows- one on each rod. When I reset, I went to 50 feet and after about an hour I caught a nice kokanee on the pink wobbler. I took a break from trolling and jigged for an hour using a Gibbs gold and silver flasher with the pink and purple spoon. I got one bite and landed another nice kokanee. I went back to trolling and caught one more nice kokanee on the pink wobbler and lost one on the pink and purple spoon.
Some of the kokanee in this lake have gotten quite large! My biggest, almost 3 pounds, gave me a good fight.
Set up one: A Chrome's pink and glow dodger with 12 inches of leader to a pink kokanee wobbler.
Set up two: A Chrome's pink and chrome dodger with 14 inches of leader to a small pink and purple spoon
the Strategy
THE CATCH
PHOTO GALLERY
click to enlarge
The kokanee are looking nice and healthy. My biggest today is just under 3 pounds!