02-01-2008, 11:15 PM
[cool][#0000ff]Ahhhhh...but "fight" is a subjective thing. Not something you can quantify and expect universally. Variables in fish health, water temp, nutrition, etc.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, I will agree with you that all other things being equal, those Kammies do put up a tussle. I'm from Idaho and I caught BIG ones from Lake Pend O'Reille when I was just a kid. Had one actually break the wooden handle on one of those old trolling rods when it hit hard on the strike.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Have also taken them on their home turf in BC and other lakes into which they have been established. Great fish. But...again...I have to side with PBH on the size issue. I have seen them "max out" at 18 inches in beautiful lakes that you would think were ideal to grow big fish. Why? Who knows. But there was some limiting factor.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Also saw some of the bigguns from days of old in the Gorge, including the 26 pound beautiful male caught by Dale Canty on a fly rod from his float tube. Saw some other ones swimming that scared me. Caught some smaller ones and had a great time. In those days they were fat on the abundant chubs in the Gorge, competing with the huge browns and macks. When the chubs were gone, all of them switched to kokes. Too many predators for a stocked and managed prey species. Bad fishy.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Never had a chance to rassle with one from Mantua, but I know a few dedicated fly flingers whose eyes glaze over when they tell of epic battles with the kamloops that lived there for a time. Planted fish survived okay, but could not spawn and did not live long in the warm summer waters.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are lots of lakes that we would like to have "turbo bows" in, but as my mama used to tell me "Wishing does not make it so." It is okay to dream, but sometimes we just have to live with reality.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]But, I will agree with you that all other things being equal, those Kammies do put up a tussle. I'm from Idaho and I caught BIG ones from Lake Pend O'Reille when I was just a kid. Had one actually break the wooden handle on one of those old trolling rods when it hit hard on the strike.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Have also taken them on their home turf in BC and other lakes into which they have been established. Great fish. But...again...I have to side with PBH on the size issue. I have seen them "max out" at 18 inches in beautiful lakes that you would think were ideal to grow big fish. Why? Who knows. But there was some limiting factor.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Also saw some of the bigguns from days of old in the Gorge, including the 26 pound beautiful male caught by Dale Canty on a fly rod from his float tube. Saw some other ones swimming that scared me. Caught some smaller ones and had a great time. In those days they were fat on the abundant chubs in the Gorge, competing with the huge browns and macks. When the chubs were gone, all of them switched to kokes. Too many predators for a stocked and managed prey species. Bad fishy.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Never had a chance to rassle with one from Mantua, but I know a few dedicated fly flingers whose eyes glaze over when they tell of epic battles with the kamloops that lived there for a time. Planted fish survived okay, but could not spawn and did not live long in the warm summer waters.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]There are lots of lakes that we would like to have "turbo bows" in, but as my mama used to tell me "Wishing does not make it so." It is okay to dream, but sometimes we just have to live with reality.[/#0000ff]
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