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Vancouver Island Browns


Doubletap

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We have two rivers with Browns, on Van Isle and 5 or 6 lakes. They are no longer stocked, but remnant populations are still present.

 

The lakes produce the largest Browns, as there is plenty of feed in the way of Kokanee and stocked Rainbows to pack on the pounds. My largest from a lake went about 14lbs (based on length x girth measurements), while my largest river caught only went 24''.

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There used to be some big ones in the Cowy (I've seen them to an estimated 15 lbs while snorkeling through the canyon) but years of bycatch by bait fishermen (usually fishing for Steel) and ignorance ("Geez - look at the size of that thing - lets bonk it!) have made large ones few and far between.

 

There are still a few lunkers hiding under the log jams, but nowhere near the number you enjoy on the Bow.

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Ha ha - yeah, looots of Kokanee in that lake! The picture doesn't show it well, but check out it's cheek - it looked like it had a walnut in there!

 

I was fishing it last winter, and landed one that went 26''. After letting it go I noticed a small pool of blood under the net in the bottom of the boat. Damn, I thought, it wasn't gill caught and there was no blood in the water when I was readying it for release.

 

Then I noticed that there was tufts of fur in the blood! Some small critter had met its end in the maw of that big Brown. Needless to say, I no longer trail my fingers in the water there!

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Guest Jeremie

from what i've fished cowichan river at skutz falls gave me the biggest brown ever it was 29" and weighed almost 9 pounds and then i got one in cowichan lake at 31" and much slimmer but the same weight

 

the river is nicer to fish but it gets to hot in the summer fish it in april and may and june otherwise it gets to hot

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