The Field Journal
Rivers & Lakes · Stocked Stillwater

Kaufman

A stocked stillwater in the Bull River watershed, surface area not recorded, carrying Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout and Brook Trout and topped up by the provincial stocking program.

Kaufman is a stocked stillwater in the Bull River watershed. Surface area not recorded.

The water

Kaufman sits in the Bull River watershed, covering surface area not recorded.

Stocking

For an angler judging whether the fishing is worth the drive, the stocking record is the fishing report. Kaufman is a put-and-take angling fishery, stocked with catchable game fish: 15 recorded releases totalling 13,484 fish (Westslope (Yellowstone) Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout), last stocked 2010-10-21.

Stocking record

Kaufman — 13,484 fish stocked, 1982–2010

Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Brook Trout. Source: Province of BC — FIDQ / FISS Fish Releases via the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC.

YearRainbow TroutCutthroat TroutBrook Trout
2010·1,000·
2005·500·
2003·500·
2001500··
1999500··
1997500··
1995500·500
1993500·500
1990500·500
19834,734··
19822,250··

Stocking appears to have wound down after 2010. Confirm whether it is still topped up or now fishes as a residual, wild population. The chart below shows the full release history.

The fishing

Kaufman fishes as a put-grow stillwater: work chironomids under an indicator over the shoals in spring, then leech and attractor retrieves along the drop-offs as the shallows warm. The stocking record below is the truest read on the size and cohort of fish you will find.

waves
Stocked Stillwater
Bull River watershed
egg
Stocked
put-and-take

Access & the rules

Confirm the launch, parking and any motor/float or seasonal restrictions for Kaufman locally before you commit a day; the map shows where the lake sits in its drainage.

gavel

Before you fish

Confirm the current BC freshwater fishing regulations (Region 4 – Kootenay) before you go. Official synopsis: gov.bc.ca fishing regulations.