Fishing Chain Lakes

Back in the day, it seemed like every other weekend I would go fishing with my dad. I think it's been a couple years since I've headed out with him, but this morning Tom and I got up bright and early to join my dad for some fishing in the Chain Lakes Provincial Park.

Fishing hats and life jackets-- a must!

My dad and I started out fishing on the banks of rivers and creeks, and about 15 years ago, he invested in a Zodiac, which has served us well over the years. At the time, we didn't have a truck or any kind of towing vehicle, so an inflatable boat was very convenient for us. We got roll it up for storage and fit it into the trunk of the car. Experience has taught us that this boat is also quite durable!

Zodiac inflatable boat.

Tom was pretty keen on paddling (despite the fact that we had a motor), so when we first shoved off from shore, he paddled us away from the other boaters unloading their boats.

Tom paddling.

Over the years we have collected quite a large collection of bait. My favourite are the flies, because they are so colourful and life-like looking. We didn't do any fly fishing on this trip, but I took a peek at the lures anyway.

Fly collection.

We tend to favour spinners when fishing at Chain Lakes. We've had a lot of luck with them over the years, specifically with a gold and black spinner that we now refer to as, "Old Faithful." Old Faithful is pictured below in the center row, on the right hand side of the container.

Spinners, spoons and Old Faithful.

My dad made the first catch of the day-- one of many little rainbow trout which barely measured 8 inches in length.

First catch of the day.

Tom was not far behind, eventually catching four fish. But all of the fish were little guys, and caught and released all of them.

Tom's third catch of the day.

Tom with his fourth and largest catch of the day.

In addition to the fishing, we also enjoyed some beautiful weather and some lovely scenery. The wild flowers were in bloom along the shores of the lake, and there were herons and hawks flying by over head.

Wild flowers blooming on the shore.

Eventually we were drawn back to shore by plain old hunger! We enjoyed an elaborate build-your-own sandwich lunch, provided by my mom. She also included my requested Rice Krispie squares! Delicious!

Dad steering us back to shore.

In total, we caught and released eight rainbow trout. Tom caught four, my dad caught three (two with Old Faithful), and I caught one (with Old Faithful). My count was very close to being two, but my first real bite of the day fought so hard that it snapped my line, and made off with my spinner and hook! 

Happy me!

I declare, fishing Chain Lakes a success!