Hawgstoppah

LOL.. Rick.. remember our run out to bullshead? You, sir, are the ONLY person I know who can talk that whole entire time. I was like, holy CRAP we're here already? I'd do that again with you anytime! 3 hours go by pretty quick!!

That pretty much summed up a fun day out there! After you left Rick, I went back down to that side channel... and was into THREE more biggun's!!! Landed one at 21"... the other two got off and one was signifigantly larger than any of my other fish by a long shot. It was one of those endless moments for me when seemingly stationary and doing nothing, the hook just popped/slid out of him about 1 minute into the fight while he was holding unmovable in about 3ft of water, in plain view. All I could do was go "wow". so when ya coming down again? Oh and PS: today sucked. switch day. bad weather tommorow. the fish knew it. I got one early but the rest of the day was tough. Neil got a couple smaller ones.

If it makes you feel any better I chased a particular rainbow on the Crowsnest for literally years. I even had a name for it. "Iron Lips". If I was lucky enough to stick it (4 times) it shook the hook without seconds. I had people I took to this fish hook it a total of 16 times. I fished for it well over 200 times over 3 to 4 years I would say. The score? 0 for 20..... We never did get it landed. All but ONCE the fish was off within 3 seconds, the other fight lasted 15 minutes and about 500 yards of river and right almost at the net it just popped off, and winked at us as it slinked back into the deep. Through the grapevine I heard someone had landed it.. and it was even larger than I guessed it to be (and I thought around 28-29 inches). So enjoy your time trying to catch this fish James and enjoy the defeats too... tip your hat to the fish when it screws off on your first cast, and when you finally do catch it... you'll have a great moment!!!

I know it's sometimes overused... but... that's EPIC!!

I wonder what kind of weight there talking on the ones that are "large" . might be pretty good for bulls.

The one I landed was probably only about 19'ish? sure had a funny round face. no pics, none were taken, she fought pretty hard and was returned a.s.a.p...I find myself taking fewer and fewer pics now... even of unique stuff. How many fish pics can a guy have, anyways? It did look rounder, like the sundance fish, for sure. If yours was caught a couple years ago Gil, it would only have been about 14 inches or so at the time you got it, to possibly be the same fish

I fish in BC and love it. I confess!! Too bad I can't go for chrome this year...

Saw a white bear cross in front of me in the yukon, while driving. It was somewhere around the Kluane Lake nat'l park... near destruction bay... on the alaska highway. At the time I assumed it may have been a lost polar bear? This is about 100 miles northwest from whitehorse. Might be getting pretty close to the area described by Peter, though...

I can't stop eating CAKE.

Sweeeeet!!!! Nice job guys.

You, sir, are absolutely NUTS! I love it! keep the pics coming...

People made fun of folks like me who kept count of fish, kept stats, and kept records. Every fish I caught years ago was documented, time of day, water temp, wind, cloud or sun?... barometric pressure? and of course fly, depth, water type. I know what to tie on and when. Maybe not every single fly in your box, but there's a time for everything... some stuff works better under certain conditions.. on a rainy day, for example, this time of year... I'd go with a large sjw, small sjw, and a baetis nymph, and hit riffles in the 3-6ft depth, that are slowish but at the heads of a pool. After which I would rig up my dry rod and start hunting the banks with a #18-20 b.w.o. If it was a bright sunny day I'd be using a hopper dropper rig in medium to shallow fast riffles and deflections right along the banks, and expecting fish in the 2ft deep water zone often. The hopper would be yellow bodied, and probably foam, and the dropper would be a small copper john, lighting bug, or hare's ear, and fished approx 18 inches from the hopper. At about 930 -1130a.m. I'd be stalking along the banks in very slow sections observing for any large fishing rising to trico's... and if found, I'd fish those on a 9ft 5x tippet, size #20-22 trico spent wing. If I had to nymph on a day like this I'd use a peeking caddis (poor man's prince will do), golden stone, and a sjw. In moderately fast deep riffles, maybe 6ft deep. (8-9ft leaders) I don't mind sharing. Can't see why it seems to bother you to no end to do so...

I am still LMFAO at this post... everything from calling jenny craig to getting it a pair of sweats that say "juicy" made me laff so much... still does when I look at it. Simply the thread title of the year...

Rad! nice mix of fish. Is that a brittany spaniel or a springer? I had a sringer growing up but that one of yours I just can't tell which it is... great dog though... brought back a lotta memories chillin' streamside with mine... well, WHEN he'd actually stop for 5 seconds and chill instead of race through every possible inch of terrain!!!

I think we're using different words to get at the same thing. Your presentation changes depending on location. If your not willing to adjust what's in your presentation, your day will go badly. If your willing to adjust to each situation accordingly, you will have a great day. There are a few presentations I use on the Bow that are suitable for any water type, and work in almost all holding zones. I assume your hot fly and / or technique is similar, and hey... I for one don't blame you for not wanting to share everything. Especially if you guide on it. I don't know if you do or not but if your a guide that has other boats asking what you are using becuase you are far out-producing them, ye might want to cut off your flies at the last bend before MacKinnon's

I guess your definition of presentation and mine are a bit different. Presentation to me, is "fishing wherre the fish are feeding" exactly. Your friend that stands on the bank false casting is not making good rpesentations then. Presentation to me does not involve line in the air unless your dry fly fishing to a specific trout that is feeding on the surface. Presentation on the Bow is all about mending and getting nymphs down into the feeding lanes. I used to tell folks... that you can cast like sh*t and mend like a god and catch a ton of bow river fish, but the opposite will not net a single one. I've watched the most beautiful casters fail to catch fish because they couldn't figure out how to mend or grasp the concepts. The fish are in feeding lanes, once your there, and know why the fish will be there, either you can guess what fly will be best .... like coming up on a deep pocket after a long shallow fast riffle, flip a rock or two in the shallow riffle section collect some bugs, match whats in it, or try a golden stone kinda thing... it's not rocket science. Now if your rolling them all on a dry, props to yah! I usually only fish to them on hatches, or this time of year on hoppers

well since I won't be going steelheadin' this year I decided to spend a bunch of time trying new sections of river within a 45 minute radius of home. I have not been dissapointed at all with what I have found... perhaps some new "favorite" water has been discovered for me. Had a great day of rising fish on one stream, and some sweet hopper fishing on another. So many rivers, so few time!!! Here's a brown and rainbow on small dries, caddis and / or small BWO.. I can't remember if these pics were taken b4 or after I switched the BWO out becuase it got totally wrecked by fish LOL... and then a big toad of a bow taken on a hopper... one thing that's nice down here this time of year... I don't think I've watched an indicator for ages!!!

sweet pics! get the rod!!!

Wow... Blue 49, Red 52, HUT HUT HUT!!!!!! that is indeed a football!!! That's also the first time in YEARS that I have heard anyone use the word "rump". Made me seriously laugh out loud..

Sounds like ya had fun Rick. That road was better than normal if you were able to get the minivan up there. I tried earlier this year with my honda and it was like... no way!!! On the hooksets I have great success with watching the riser start heading back down... once his nose is back underwater I set firmly but not too hard. I seem to hook about 80% or more fish that rise to my dry. I do miss little guys this way. Yesterday on a southern stream I was into dry fly bigtime in the rain... fish eating bwo's all over the place... problem was the biggun's and little ones were in the same places... so I set too slow on a lot of little guys and set too fast on the biggest one I saw... doh!! (it was a friggin hawg). which reminds me. I got a couple pics I was gonna post.

What are you using?? LOL I give as little info as possible about exactly HOW my flies are fished, but I have no trouble sharing what was used... 90% is presentation most of the time.

Ha!!.... tell old snubs to leave me alone when I'm chasing Bow River fish... *grin* I'd love to come into Sundance someday and try for them big old girls... I love big stockers... there just as much fun as anything! You cut any holes in that fence anywhere for us "outsiders"?? I promise I'll whack a couple perch!

very nice thanks for sharing I'll have a hard time sleeping for the next 2 years !!!

nice shots, as usual!

Please, please, please still call the RAP line if you haven't already done so. Let them know exactly where this was. Give them the details. Let them know the license plates of the campers in the area. Give them everything you can. We can be disgusted at these kinds of things or we can act on them. The gov't based "need" on the amount of calls received... so call, call, call... even if you see an old bait can down there. Great pics of a wonderfull river + fish ... crazy you got that much room on it to yourself though, almost unheard of!!