I Almost Decided Not to Fish, but I'm Glad I Did! | Fishing with Rod

Many lakes in Interior British Columbia have experienced early ice-off due to the warm spring we have in 2024. This means an early start of the lake trout fishing season! I had to drive to the Okanagan for an overnight business trip, and I decided to stop by a lake to fish for a few hours, which turned out to be the best decision!
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Camera:
Rodney Hsu
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Rodney Hsu
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My name is Rod, and I am an avid fisherman, fishery advocate, conservationist and educator in British Columbia Canada. On this channel you will find:
🔸 700+ fishing episodes & video tutorials!
🔸 Targeting many different fish species including salmon, trout, steelhead, sturgeon, bass, pike!
🔸 Exploring new fishing spots in the Pacific Northwest and Beyond!
🔸 Conversations on current fishery and conservation issues!
🔸 Fun outdoor adventures with me, my friends and family!

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks for watching! Have you ever had an unexpected awesome fishing day? Be sure to subscribe and comment below. ► Instagram: instagram.com/fishing_with_rod ► Facebook: facebook.com/fishingwithrod

[@richardwilliams7925]

Hey Rod. Im looking for a lithium battery for my boat and noticed I believe you are carrying one on board. Any recommendations??

[@rosac9086]

Your laugh when you caught that big one makes me so excited to get out on the water!

[@FishingwithRod]

That was my raw excitement, transforming into a five year old whenever I catch a fish like that. 😄

[@TristanThompson-le6lv]

Thos days when your not about to go at first most of the time ends up pretty well 🔥

[@FishingwithRod]

Definitely!

[@hilden.]

Great content as always, Rod!

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks!

[@rexrizon]

great content Rod, cant wait to see more of the still water videos.

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks! More to come!

[@TheFishingDoctorsAdventures]

Got be excited to make the drive up now!

[@fatzoe123]

Love the vids Rod -- Thanks for the content

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks for watching!

[@andrewwood4013]

Great trip. Thanks for sharing. Cool technique.

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks Andrew!

[@ericbaes6749]

That was an awesome day of fishing, man. Now I'm getting excited for fishing.

[@FishingwithRod]

You and me both!

[@edboutdoors3632]

What a amazing video Rodeny this summer I'll be in bc and would love to join ya on a fishin trip!

[@FishingwithRod]

It’ll be a fun trip for ya! Not sure if our timing will align because of what I have already planned with the fam, but touch base later. 🙂

[@Goats22]

'Seeking for more recognition of achievement...' Haha! You have to tell your fishing friends about the big one!

[@FishingwithRod]

Nooo, the wife! My fishing friends already know I catch big ones. 🤣

[@theofaber6866]

Nice fish Rod.

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks 👍

[@reesebender6756]

Great video with lots of beautiful rainbows. I noticed that those fish were all hatchery fish. BC must have a great program of stocking your lakes. Do you know what size the fish are when stocked in that lake? The dorsal fist is a dead giveaway for trout raised in a hatchery, at least for Rainbows. We can only use one rod here in Oregon and don't have quite the uncrowded conditions like you seem to find. I enjoy all of your (and Linda Lee's) videos. Keep them coming!

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks Reese. Regarding our stocking strategy, it really depends on the region in BC. In this particular region (Thompson-Nicola) where I was fishing, the average weight of fish go into these lakes is around 10g. They're not the target species until at least a year later. Specimens like the one at the end of the video have spent 3 or 4 years in the lake. The lakes are high in nutrients, therefore can sustain this kind of growth. Our coastal lakes on the other hand, are not as productive. Fish go into our coastal lakes are usually around 250g, and are expected to be targeted and caught right away. Regarding the splits on the dorsal and pectoral of that fish, it could be from a couple of reasons actually. The damages on the dorsal fin are not uncommon on fish coming from the hatchery, even after they have been in the lake for a couple of years. That split on the pectoral on the other hand, is very likely from the rubber mesh of the net. I have a separate video from February this year which focuses on fin splits caused by nets and how they may impact the survival of a post-released salmonid.

[@reesebender6756]

@@FishingwithRod Thanks for the information, Rod. Our hatchery winter and summer steelhead show the eroded dorsal fins, even as adults. This doesn't happen with hatchery Chinook or Coho salmon. I have never seen any research on this issue. We have 3 volunteer run hatcheries in the Coos River system and release up to 2.2 million Fall Chinook presmolts into Coos Bay annually This results in a significant fishery that brings up to 7 million dollars into the local economy!

[@sherylarsenault8078]

Sweet

[@FishingwithRod]

Hope you get out soon!

[@dragonflytoo]

😅.... Calling wife ......I call my brother in Ontario❤😂. Thanks Rod.

[@FishingwithRod]

😂

[@MTBLures]

Your prayers were answered ❤

[@FishingwithRod]

😃

[@Claykoy]

on fire!

[@FishingwithRod]

🔥

[@singlegirl1993]

your video is very good. great youtube❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@ChipDarby13]

How can you leave when they’re biting?! 😮 This has me excited for Spring fishing!🎣

[@FishingwithRod]

They were still biting frequently when I was leaving... 😒

[@precipitate1978]

Not sure if you have the same Moby as me but mine has a 30" ruler on the handle, just line the dorsal fin up with the opening of the net from the handle.

[@FishingwithRod]

Yeah I was actually thinking about that afterward, why didn't I just use the measurement on my Moby handle. 😂 My estimate was between 22" and 23" long from my hands, which kind of matches the diagonal length of the tub when the fish sat in it.

[@campickford4153]

Great video ! , you never did mention what lake or area other than okanagan

[@FishingwithRod]

Thanks! I was in the Thompson-Nicola region.

[@SunnyIlha]

Rod, your fishing show is partly about rods. 😆

[@FishingwithRod]

😂

[@3RDPeakAdventure]

Great video and thank you for sharing. What is the rod holder you had? Thanks

[@FishingwithRod]

They're Scotty R-5 rod holders. scotty.com/product-category/rod-holders/r-5-rod-holders/

[@3RDPeakAdventure]

@@FishingwithRod thank you very much for your reply

[@diehlm01]

Hey Rod, could you tell me who installed that frame on your Tacoma for the boat?

[@FishingwithRod]

Yep! That’s an electric boat loader made in Kelowna by Load My Boat. www.loadmyboat.com

[@craigmike6779]

This looks like one of the lakes around merritt

[@FishingwithRod]

It does.

[@scotmclellan5190]

Hey Rod how is that new electric motor working? What type of battery does it have? Do you feel the price of it is justifiable. Just wondering how it would compare to a minn Kota endra max with a lithuim.Thoughts??

[@FishingwithRod]

The battery is 1276 Wh / 48V lithium. I am loving it more and more. I don't even charge it during my entire multi-day trips anymore, and it's fast...

[@davisguse9062]

What lake is this?

[@townieoutdoors8121]

ONE MORE CAST ! 😂

[@FishingwithRod]

😄

[@jordanpaulis7549]

What lake were you at Rod? I live in the Okanagan and I don't recognize this one

[@FishingwithRod]

I was on my way to the Okanagan. This was in the Thompson-Nicola region.

[@jordanpaulis7549]

Nice I'll take a look out that way, I appreciate you and all the great content you put out, I've been looking for a good lake to take my daughter to try to introduce fishing to her, any suggestions would be helpful, we haven't lived in the Okanagan very long and pretty much going to be shore fishing to start out.

[@FishingwithRod]

Yep, send me a direct message on Facebook or Instagram. I'll be able to provide some suggestions. :)

[@lastking1525]

Hey brother 👋 you know where's is a good place to catch carp???

[@FishingwithRod]

No.

[@johnrem1354]

What brand was the rod holder that you were using?

[@FishingwithRod]

They're Scotty R-5. scotty.com/product-category/rod-holders/r-5-rod-holders/

[@FishingwithRod]

They're Scotty R-5 rod holders.

[@fastandfun20043]

@@FishingwithRod how do they work when you're connected to a downrigger?

[@FishingwithRod]

You wouldn't be using these R-5 rod holders to downriggers, there are other rod holders more appropriate for that application. These ones are best for fly and spinning rods. If you go to the website listed above, you'd be able to see all the options available.

[@johnrem1354]

@@FishingwithRod Thank you

[@fishingreporter2784]

This lake usually is good at ice off until shiner show up in big number . I am glad that big fish survived the winter kill

[@FishingwithRod]

Shiners!? No worries, just gotta use giant chironomids. 🤣

[@fishingreporter2784]

@@FishingwithRod shiner will take chironomid nonstop, no chance to present to the trout

[@stephenwade5916]

What lake is this gentlemen???

[@dwh58]

Luckiest man alive, Rod !🤪

[@longway4442]

Bro I love your videos and been following you for years, but really does anyone or yourself know what happened to kiddy

[@FishingwithRod]

She’s not filming with me anymore.

[@longway4442]

Sorry to hear that, hope she is well. Thank you Rod.

[@longway4442]

Kitty

[@danamills2946]

I see you carry your bad casting and retrieving habits over to fly fishing as well 😂

[@FishingwithRod]

Yesss! Just to get you to comment on it and increase engagement. 😍

[@Mo_Taser]

That's not a trout. That's a salmon disguised as a trout.

[@FishingwithRod]

😄