Ed Gudjonson has landed his second $1000 prize package from the Kootenay Lake Angler Incentive Program, part of an amazing run of six prizes won by Ed and the friends who fish from his boat.
Rainbow and bull trout caught from Ed’s lucky boat, Girlfriend, have generated two $1000 prizes for Ed, a $1000 prize for his friend Marv Fehr, and two $1000 prizes and last year’s grand prize boat and trailer for Ed’s uncle, Allan Mather.
They aren’t finished by a long shot.
“We plan to hit the lake pretty hard before I get busy in the summer and try to win this year’s grand prize truck,” said Gudjonson, a Creston area farmer.
KLAIP is a citizen-driven initiative intended to reduce the over-abundance of rainbow and bull trout in the lake and promote the recovery of their main prey, the endangered kokanee salmon. Anglers harvest rainbow and bull trout in the main body of Kootenay Lake and then drop off the heads at local depots to enter a monthly draw.
Ed and his companions fish at least 30 times a year from Girlfriend, a 24-foot Weldcraft with a heated cabin.
“We started keeping track in May of last year and since then we’ve put 318 fish in the boat,” he said. “We’d like to hit 400.”
Ed fishes all over the southern body of the lake, especially around Rhinoceros Point, and they typically pull in 25 to 35 fish a day.
“We will run downriggers or fish on top, change the lures with bright colours on bright days and dull colours on dull days, whatever works,” he said.
Gudjonson will receive a $500 gift certificate for Woodbury Resort & Marina and a $500 gift certificate for Jones Boys Boats.
“Allan and Marv shared part of their prizes to pay for fuel, so it’s working out pretty good,” said Gudjonson.
HOW TO ENTER: Anglers must bring an intact fish head to one of four return depos operated by co-sponsors Balfour Gill & Gift Gas Station, Woodbury Resort, Crawford Bay Market, or Wynndel Foods & Outdoor Gear.
More than 5,000 entries have been submitted so far this season.
All entries are eligible for this year’s grand prize, a 2022 Ford F-150, with the off-road Tremor package, provided by Nelson Ford. A 2022 Polaris side-by-side ATV from Main Jet Motor Sports has already been awarded.
Kootenay Lake Angler Incentive Program is managed by the local West Arm Outdoors Club with support from B.C. Wildlife Federation, Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Ministry of Forests, with the support of local merchants.
The Ministry urges anglers to continue to participate in this program and harvest their catch within quota limits to support the recovery of Kootenay Lake’s kokanee salmon.
More information on the Kootenay Lake Angler Incentive Program: https://bcwf.bc.ca/kootenay-lake-angler-incentive-program/