Kootenay Lake Angler Incentive Program
On most Kootenay waters, bull trout are catch-and-release. On the main body of Kootenay Lake, the opposite is true — anglers are rewarded for keeping them. Here is why the rules flip, and how the program works.
Why harvest is encouraged
Kootenay Lake's fishery is built on kokanee — the landlocked sockeye that feed the lake's famous Gerrard rainbows and bull trout. When the kokanee population collapsed, the province leaned on anglers to relieve predation pressure while the forage base recovers.
The Kootenay Lake Angler Incentive Program pays anglers to harvest bull trout and rainbow trout from the lake's main body, with rewards tied to entering catches and returning the heads of marked fish. It is an unusual position for a fish that is protected almost everywhere else in the region — and a reminder to read the regulations water by water.
This is a Kootenay Lake main-body measure only. On the lake's tributaries and on the wider East Kootenay's cold rivers, bull trout remain a protected, catch-and-release fishery.
At a glance
- ▸ Where: the main body of Kootenay Lake only.
- ▸ Which fish: bull trout and rainbow trout.
- ▸ Why: reduce predation on a recovering kokanee forage base.
- ▸ How: harvest, enter your catch, and return the heads of marked fish for rewards.
Confirm before you keep a fish
Limits, eligible waters, and reward details change season to season. Confirm the current rules and enter catches through the official program and the Region 4 (Kootenay) regulations before retaining any fish.
Official BC angling info open_in_new