Bone Fish of the North...
The Kamloops Trout-Page 1

article and photos by Gordon Honey

I have passionately pursued Kamloops trout (Kamloops trout are a rainbow who's family tree includes Steelhead) for some 30 years as a hobby cum, obsession, and a profession for the past 5 years. I am one of those itinerant guides.

This past winter I, and fishing partner (my wife), made our first journey to nirvana, we went BONE fishing. Over the past few years I have read various articles and talked to friends who have preceded us in this piscatorial endeavor, but being a hard-core skier I was happy remaining in the grips of winter. (fool that I was)

As we began preparations for our trip my search for information on Bones their habitat and feeding habits escalated. I undoubtedly read every article and book that I could find. As I began absorbing the information in these various works, a common thread between Bones and my Kamloops trout began to weave a pattern in the fabric of angling that blends a similarity of habits and techniques that are too frequent to ignore.

Reading and doing can sometimes be as expected, or so vastly dissimilar that it may shake your faith in the printed word. So, off we ventured to experience first hand that of what I had only read.

My discoveries led me to believe that some of the things in my reading were profoundly true and others were to say the least somewhat embellished. Bone fish I found, as trout, could be easily fooled when conditions were right and extremely spooky and impossible when conditions were not so, such is fishing!

The majority of the material I read created an almost mystical aura in "Stalking The Bone", traces of this may well be true but to a relatively experienced angler catching bones is not terribly difficult casting ability being the most important element. The average cast for a trout in a lake would far exceed that for a bone.

Our first bone fish trip was a result of conversations and a trip from expert bone chaser and professional photographer Brian O'Keefe, that lead us to the Bahamas, Abaco Island and to Gay & Petes at Sandy Point. We had an incredible time, caught reasonably large bones, 8 to 9 pounds. However a cold front scattered the fish, this interference of nature once again added to the thread that weaves this pattern of sameness that appears to bind these two majestic fish closer and closer.

One must however experience things first hand before true opinions and observations can be brought forward with any authority and therefore hopefully be believed.

Here then are my observations founded on both my experiences and vicariously through the experience of others.

The trout fishing that we do in the Kamloops region of British Columbia is on lakes some large, some small, so therefore the basis for my analogy of trout to bones is based on lake flyfishing and not on streams.

Kamloops Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

Habitat: Generally found in lakes or stillwater, are extremely bright silver in color with dark green back and readily take an artificial fly just like Bones.

Bone Fish Albula vulpes

Habitat: Generally found in the tropical oceans of the world, slightly larger bodies of water than our lakes but the stillwater parallel applies, again the coloration is similar.

Gordon Honey      gordon@flyfishingservices.com