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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsKootenay Lake and its tributaries support 18 documented native fish species and four non-native species. Among the best-known are kokanee, rainbow trout, bull trout, white sturgeon, burbot, Westslope cutthroat trout, and mountain whitefish. The inventory covers the lake and tributaries; it does not mean every species occurs in every bay or is equally likely to be caught.
Notable fish in Kootenay Lake
The lake’s fish community includes sport fish, species important to the food web, and fish that are less familiar to casual visitors.
- Kokanee: A prominent native fish and an important part of the lake’s predator-prey relationships.
- Rainbow trout: A notable sport fish. The Government of British Columbia highlights Gerrard rainbow trout in its Kootenay freshwater fish management information.
- Bull trout: A native fish identified among the area’s sensitive fish.
- White sturgeon: Present in the lake system. The 2021 Kootenay Lake Fisheries Inventory and Mapping Project (FIMP) identifies the Upper Kootenay River population as endangered in its status table.
- Burbot and Westslope cutthroat trout: Native species also included on the FIMP’s sensitive-fish list.
Other fish documented in the lake-and-tributary inventory include mountain whitefish, lake whitefish, peamouth chub, suckers, dace, northern pikeminnow, and sculpins.
Complete documented species list
The FIMP lists 18 native and four non-native species. These are documented for Kootenay Lake and its tributaries, not necessarily every part of the lake.
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Native fish
- Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus)
- Burbot (Lota lota)
- Peamouth chub (Mylocheilus caurinus)
- Westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi)
- Kokanee (Oncorhynchus nerka)
- Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis)
- Largescale sucker (Catostomus macrocheilus)
- Longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae)
- Longnose sucker (Catostomus catostomus)
- Mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni)
- Northern pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus oregonensis)
- Prickly sculpin (Cottus asper)
- Torrent sculpin (Cottus rhotheus)
- Pygmy whitefish (Prosopium coulterii)
- Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
- Redside shiner (Richardsonius balteatus)
- Slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus)
- White sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus)
Non-native fish
- Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
- Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)
- Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus)
- Yellow perch (Perca flavescens)
What the inventory says about sensitive fish
The FIMP lists five sensitive fish: white sturgeon, bull trout, Westslope cutthroat trout, burbot, and kokanee. Its status table identifies Upper Kootenay River white sturgeon as endangered under the report’s B.C., COSEWIC, and Species at Risk Act columns. Those are the classifications shown in the 2021 FIMP; they should not be treated as a statement of current legal status without checking current official listings.
The report describes the lake foreshore as important habitat for kokanee spawning and white sturgeon rearing, and identifies kokanee and rainbow trout as keystone species in the Lower Kootenay River watershed.
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Kokanee numbers are historical context, not a current count
As cited in the FIMP, B.C. FLNRORD reported that main-lake kokanee spawner counts historically ranged from 250,000 to 2 million, fell below 40,000 in recent years, and were approximately 90,000 in 2020. These dated figures are not a current population estimate. The FIMP discusses an imbalance between predator and prey abundance as a leading factor in kokanee survival issues.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Fish presence does not determine what you may keep
Fishing rules depend on the specific part of the lake and the date. The Government of British Columbia’s 2025–2027 Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis separates the main body, upper west arm, and lower west arm. For example, it lists a kokanee daily quota of zero in the main body, along with daily quotas of one bull trout and ten rainbow trout; the upper west arm has kokanee catch-and-release rules with limited harvest dates. These examples are not a substitute for checking the current rules for the exact water and fishing date, including any in-season corrections.
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