OneMoreLastCast

Another thing to try here is to do a search. Type in "Streamers" or "Nymphing", etc. and you will find a lot of information that should help. Often by doing a search you will find the answer to your question. The search app is in the upper right hand corner of every page.

I don't think Max meant to offend you. I am pretty sure he was just letting you know that if you are asking a question as vague as your's, you might have trouble getting the answer you are looking for. Don't take it the wrong way. I have yet to see anyone on this board that would purposely try to offend someone, especially someone new to the sport and this board. I would have worded the question, "What are the most common nymphs, and in what sizes, used on the Bow River?" Just trying to help buddy, and welcome to the board.

I can't wait to get down there in September. I've already got my BC license, so I'll have to suck it up and only pay the classified fees. The St Mary can be a tough one if you don't know the right access points. It makes for a great float though, as well as the Elk. Good to hear you had a nice trip.

Here’s a very effective Caddis Pupa Pattern to try that is fairly simple to tie. Unfortunately, some of the pictures didn’t work out, but the ones that did, should be enough. I tie these in Gold and Green and have good success with both on most of the streams and lakes in Alberta and BC. Works very well when tied with no weight and fished in the surface film as well. Hook: Pupa Style size 12 -16 Ribbing: Larva lace, color of choice, transparent Under Ribbing: Pearl Flash-a-bou Beard and Collar: Dark Partridge White Collar: Fish Fur or equivalent Legs: Rubber Legs of choice. (Mine are strands from a bungee cord). Thorax: Course Dubbing, color of choice. 1. Weight Hook and tie on thread. 2. Tie in Ribbing with round side against the hook. 3. Tie in Flash 4. Wrap Flash over weight to cover and tie off. 5. Wrap Lace over Flash and tie off. 6. Tie in White Fish Fur on back, Tie in Partridge Beard on the under side and Wrap Partridge Collar. 7. Tie in Rubber legs and dub in Thorax. 8. Whip finish.

9. Dub heavy against the PT legs, tie Straw forward for first case and then tie it back again. 10. Before tying the Straw forward for the final case and head, tie on the eyes and Antenae. 11. Dub around eyes and bring thread back behind the eyes. 12. Tie down the last Wing case, move thread infront of the eyes and tie down the Straw over the eyes to form the head. 13. Cut off the Straw and Whip Finish. 14. Apply glue or Hard as nails to head and wing cases to strengthen. Finished Golden Stone with 3 wing Cases Finished Brown Stone with 2 wing Cases

Most of my Fly tying is done in a hotel room with a Travel Fly Tying kit, so I have to often get by with the materials available to me. I threw this pattern together because I was going to be fishing where the Stone Flies were the ticket and it turned out to work pretty well. It's not the fanciest, but it's turned out to be the most effective. I apologize for not being able to give the exact materials for the tie, all my dubbings are put into a holder for convenience of travel. Hook: Medium long shank size 6 - 12 Dubbing: What ever you think will work Ribbing: Stretch floss Legs: Pheasant Tail Tail/Antenae: Biots to match Wing Case: Swiss Straw to match Eyes: Mono Eyes, (Or eyes of your choosing), in Black. Size Small. 1. Wrap weight from just above the hook bend to 1/3 from the eye. 2. Wrap Thread over weight and make a small dubbing ball at the top of the bend. 3. Tie in Biots for tail using the dubbing ball to “Flare” them to the sides. 4. Tie in Stress Floss for rib 5. Dub to just past the ½ way mark of hook and bring ribbing to the same point. 6. Tie in Swiss Straw leaving enough length to be tied down 3 times for 3 wing cases, or tied down 2 times for 2 wing cases on smaller Stones. 7. Dub heavy up against Straw. 8. Tie in Pheasant tail on both sides, “Pheasant Tail” Style.

Along with the story of how the Brown Trout got into the Bow, a similar situation brought the Rainbows originally. This is the story and when talking to different biologists when my Dad was still working at the Sam Livingstone Fish Hatchery, DNA tests have confirmed the stories to be true on many different occasions. I will see if I can get anything "Official" to see if we can't either confirm the story, or prove it false. I like to think of it as being true myself, although as we know, with all of the different sub-species stocked since 1920 and crossbreeding, etc., it is unlikely any Rainbows with true Steelhead origin still exist. Oh, and welcome to the board Jim, "The rainbows arrived in the Bow River back in the 1920's while on their way to Banff National Park. A train wreck kept them from being stocked in Park lakes and rather than letting the stock go to waste, a quick, wise, and eternally impacting decision was made as someone suggested releasing the trout into the river, the Bow River. Not so long ago, the rainbow trout were confirmed as a steelhead stock by Dr. Robert Benke of Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. Brown Trout were stocked as a result of an accident while Parks Canada were stocking some lakes in the Banff area. A wagon broke down in Carrot Creek and rather than let the fish die in the tanks, the wagon operator released the load of Browns into Carrot Creek, approx 40,000 fish....the rest as we say is history, this was the only recorded stocking of browns into the Bow River system. Both stockings can be attributed to the desire of colonial settlement influence, as the fish were introduced to bring a feeling of "home" to the fishermen of mainly European origin. These Rainbows and Browns today are an diverse combination that will have you excited all day long... 2000 challenging trout per mile. Anglers who spend several days on the river have a realistic opportunity to land trout of 24 inches or better. " Copy/Pasted from: http://www.thebowriver.com/river_information.htm

If I'm ever the person on My deathbed, not mobile anymore and near my end....I hope someone takes me to the River for one last time.

Fishing or Work?....Come on, that's too easy. I can't really talk though. Often when I'm fishing, I'm getting paid anyways....It's good to be the boss

Looks like it would be a blast in a pontoon. I bet you could out fish them then with a fly rod.

There'll always be another fishing trip....easy answer for me.

I'd also talk a couple of Grizzlies, a cougar and a donkey into helping me with a great practical joke I have in mind for a trip in September....

Here's an idea for something to do on the river if the weather stays hot and we are responsible enough not to fish Plus, it might make the rafters think twice about floating through your favorite run once the water temps go back down. Click here if the movie does not play.

I would ask the Crows/Ravens to sleep in a little later. I would explain what headlights really are to the Deer, Elk and Moose. I would ask the Hyena's what's so funny? I would ask the Grouse to give me a little warning. I would explain the value of furniture and a good set of speakers to the stupid housecat.

Careful Greg. They might just be trying to trick you into exposing one of your spots. That is a nice picture though.

I'm not sure if Ralphie would. Being an avid Fly Fisherman himself, I can't see him supporting this. Unless he has a stake in the venue of course, which could very well be. Who knows.

The problem I've had for years, (mostly in the fight with WID), is the brutal waste of "Dead" water that piles up in the spring all around the province that eventually becomes breeding grounds for mosquitos and then just evaporates. I actually saw a watering truck drive right passed a number of perfectly suitable "temperary" ponds to back up to the Bow and fill his truck. He then drove off and spread the water in a construction zone to keep dust down. He repeated this at least 20 times a day for weeks, even months. When I inquired and made my suggestion, Their response was that it would be too big a risk to the vehicles pump system. After checking around, I found out that the trucks have filtration systems to strain the water coming in from the river anyways, or the trucks pump system without filtration has openings big enough to suck up and pump out items bigger than a softball, so their response was utter BS. Trenching systems, Pump Trucks, etc. could be utilized to make these temperary water sources useful, but when people aren't willing and the government isn't willing to enforce, nothing will be done about it. We need to look at the Ancient Egyptians for an example of efficient water use. This way our rivers would not get into situations as often where they are at risk like right now. As far as fishermen voluntarily stopping fishing due to high water temps, we know that what people say, and what they do are two different things. Plus, even if every member on this board stopped fishing the waters at risk, it would definitely help, but we all know how small a percentage we are of the total fishermen. Also, it's pretty hard to force someone that earns their living this way to give up their paycheck, so they would be the exceptions allowed in my Regulation if I had my way to push it through.

I wish Sustainable Resources would get involved sometimes like they have for the Livingstone Range with the Forest fire risk. Them or the Fisheries Dept. As we know, only a small percentage of fishermen will actually take the responsibility to not fish a water system that might be hurt by them fishing it.

After reading that Glenbow booked his trip to New Zealand, I started thinking how lucky he is because that would be one of my Dream destinations to go to Fly fish. What are your top 3 fly fishing Dream Destinations and if you could invite anyone on earth, who would you invite? (2 people, dead or alive, pretend you have a time machine). Mine. 1. Chile 2. New Zealand 3. Alaska Both the people I'd invite are dead, but I'd have to say I would most want to fish with my Grandpa again, and Ernest Hemingway. I bet if this question was asked in other parts of the world, a lot of the answers would be the Bow river.

Another thing to try is to cast patterns like Leeches, Bow Buggers, Bunny's, etc. Up stream and let them sink to the bottom. Then with medium sized strips, bring it back just a bit faster than the current. This is effective in cold weather when the fish are deep, or in hotter weather when the fish are deep and lazy. Try casting a Clouser 45 degrees upstream and strip it back fast without letting it swing downstream at all. I like to start at the bottom of a run and do this, working my way up through the run. Hold on though, because the takes are very aggressive and you will often get snapped off on the take. You can also use this technique by casting directly upstream along the bank in water that looks "Brownie". As soon as it hits the water, start stripping it downstream fast. My favorite place to use this is while drifting. Cast to the banks and rip it back to the boat. The fish are often so focused on your streamer that they will almost run into the side of the boat. There are a few nice side channels that this technique works well on where you can cast across to the other bank and strip it back to you. One thing though, the clouser will not be too deep, so you will be able to see the chase and take most of the time. Although this can be very exciting, it can also cause you to miss a lot of fish. Don't ever slow down the strip, keep stripping at the same pace that got the fish interested in the first place and don't set the hook too soon. This is usually the case because adrenelin takes over and you pull the hook out of the fish's mouth. Most of the time, you don't have to set the hook because it sets itself. My favorite color for the clousers I use are Yellow/Red/Black and White/Red/Black both with flash and fairly bushy compared to the traditional Clouser patterns. I also use bigger eyes than usual, "I-Ballz". I'm told they discontinued the "I-Ballz" which is a shame, but if it's true, luckily I picked up the last 8 bags of them I saw at the store... So I should be okay for awhile. Good luck

Yes, Furnace Face, Moist and a bunch of others that went on to bigger and better things. We got to party with Furnace Face, Sons of Freedom and Coffin Break for part of the weekend. We were ski bums that thought we were pretty "out there", until meeting these guys. After that, we felt pretty normal and down to earth. I made the mistake of giving them my number and told them to call if they ever came to Calgary. This was on the Sunday and by Tuesday, the phone was ringing. I actually got calls for a couple years after occassionally from them looking for a place to "Crash". Oops. I never did let them stay, I was afraid of what might happen. It was a great weekend though. I was one of the idiots walking around covered from head to toe in mud.

Top to bottom I think. Downstream and above the highway 11 bridge, right through Red Deer is easy pickins' in a few weeks. Just cast out dries and you'll catch as many as you want. Great time to take kids fishing too. Speaking of not having your Fly Rod...The last time I was home, I took my Daughter and Nephew down to pick Saskatoons on the river bank of the Red Deer and while the kids were playing around, I couldn't help sneak up the bank to see if I could see anything. I don't know why I did this to myself, but now I know never to go without the rod. I watched what I thought was a decent size Brown or tow feeding like crazy for a good 10 minutes, just sipping off the surface never really showing itself. I caught a grasshopper and snuck upstream and threw it onto the water and went down to watch. I had the camera ready and by luck, I caught a picture of the aggressive take. I took some pictures of the fish feeding as well, but after I was done watching them feed and the kids wanted to go home, I decided I would risk spooking the one or two fish I had been watching. I snuck up the bank in the long grass and poked my head over the edge to see 6 really big Browns feeding like crazy. The smallest I would estimate at around 25" and the biggest was easily over 30". If the Browns in the Red Deer continue to thrive, it will definitely take some pressure off of the other rivers. I know I will be spending more time in the future on it after seeing those fish. Plus, it's a half an hour away from my house. I now know where they live and plan a return trip. Here are the pictures of them feeding. It's hard to see because they were sipping, but the last one is easy to see the one take the Hopper.

Thought of another that some here might have shared. 3 days of Independant bands at "Indy Fest" held at the Rodeo grounds in High River. Not sure of the exact year, but there was only one. I'm not sure why this didn't come to mind first, but it was my "Woodstock". 3 days of great music, partying and girls walking around topless. What more could a guy in his early 20's ask for? Best part of the weekend was partying back stage, drinking their beer and sitting on the side of the stage for the headline act, The "Sons of Freedom".

Thanks Birchy. I needed that, plus, I feel like doing that right now too as I sit at my desk.

I was at COP for Gowen. What a Strange Animal he was. I got free tickets years ago to a concert that I really didn't want to go to, but in the end I got talked into going. It turned out to be the best show to date I've seen.....Rick Springfield at the Dome. My first concert was "Toronto" in Vancouver when I was 13, and I was awe-struck, so it holds a place inside me. Decided to grow the hair out after the concert and give the Head Banger thing a try for a few years.