FraserN

I would choose the Elk river if I was going to come in August. The trout are easier to catch: they are about the same size, and it is a beautiful environment. The Elk river in summer is hard to beat, if you can afford going to B.C.

Amazing shots. The picture of assinaboine pass brings back a flood of memories. I don't know how many times I stood on that exact place at Marvel lake, hoping to get one of those huge Cutthroat trout on the end of my line. It was now over 20 years ago. I really need to get back there some day.

For neoprenes. Aquaseal is perfect. For small holes, clean the wader area with alcohol and apply directly on. Bigger tears require taping the back and keeping the seam level. It works very well. I fished the entire season on waders that are ready to be junked. Just kept repairing them.

I agree. I am much more careful nowadays. I have gone in the river a few times, but my big fear is hurting my knees. I hurt my ankle this year but it is manageable. So many people have hurt themselves on those greasy rocks. As for winter fishing, I no longer do this because of the dangers involved, as well as the slow angling success.

The first one has beautiful shades of purple. Now I remember why they were my favorite fish when I was little.

I have used pheasant feathers from my bird hunts for many years. There are a multitude of uses from nymphs like teeny flies, to streamers and dries. The pheasant feathers are so versatile, their use is only limited by your imagination.

There are small, hammer handle sized pike there. A size 2 or 4 yellow or green bucktail imitating a perch might get you a fish, but I find October at the reservoir to be very slow fishing.

A good read. It is rather fascinating: the differential mortality on fish species a severe flood event can have. On the Bow river in NW Calgary, I noticed numbers of large dead brown trout after the recent flooding. In over 20 trips I only caught 4 brown trout, which was more than some capable flyfishermen, who got none. The rainbows, on the other hand, faired well. I got more bigger (16"+)rainbows this season than in several years combined. And they all were in good shape. Being originally a California steelhead stock made these rainbows far more capable of handling the massive torrent, than the browns, which appear to have taken a very substantial reduction in numbers.

Two legends fishing famous waters. Amazing.

I like the city picture. We have an amazing skyline.

I find a big rod to be not entirely appropriate for presenting small flies to small trout, especially on the Bow. I had a lot of trouble with heavier rods because I kept losing fish, especially in the fall on tiny BWOs. The rod is too stiff at 7wt. and larger, and the hook set is too hard. Sometimes, the little guys did get yanked right out of the water. Definitely overkill, although it lands small fish quickly, even on light tippets down to 6X.

I have not fished the Elk river since 1999. After the B.C. government introduced the trophy fees, it became too expensive. Sadly enough, the experience of fishing the Elk was indeed a high quality one which I got a lot of satisfaction from. Hearing these stories, I am not sure when, or if, I will fish the area again.

I always wear socks, but even with that, I have a permanent smell in my waders that cannot be gotten rid of, even with ammonia. Over time, neoprene holds odors of all kinds. I'll have to replace them soon.

Just bought some fly fishing materials there. It is great to have a fly shop this close to me.

I always use the surgeons loop. It is very strong.

Some lines do this, especially floating lines. I just replaced my degraded, cracked line. I knew it was done when I tried to super glue a lot of the cracks. It held the line for a sizable Stillwater rainbow, but it made casting like a stiff cable. Just replace it and forget about line in that condition. Too much hassle to deal with.

I have caught a few whitefish on nymphs this year on the NW stretch, but I think its just being in the right place at the right time. More or less a bit lucky. The numbers on this stretch went down years ago, and have not yet recovered. Just my opinion, though.

Wonderful post on what is likely my favorite river. It sure took a pounding when I saw the canyon a few days ago. Lets hope it recovers quickly.

Thanks for the tip. I may get a pair. I am on my second pair of korkers and they are falling apart again after only one and a half seasons of use. I really like the korkers system, but they just aren't durable enough.

As an example. One stretch, where I fished today in Silver springs. The mid stream island is mostly gone, the river is wider and much deeper and slower. Stepping off the bank into what was normally shin deep water near shore is now waist deep for hundreds of yards downstream. The sandstone cliff above my head has lost much of its face. Sandstone boulders, some the size of small cars are jumbled just below on the bank. This place is radically changed, having lost all its inshore structure, it will take years for fishing to recover here.

I have been caught in several storms over the years. The worst was on the the bow near Cochrane, where I almost got struck by lightning. I tend to stick it out and keep fishing. The latest incident was last week on the Oldman, where a nasty storm rolled in and I was trapped on a bar in mid river. I did decide to stop when the lightning flashed all around me. The water had risen from all the rain, so wading the swollen side channel to the bank was fun. I waited it out under a tree. I don't need to catch fish that bad anymore, so it is best to deal with storms by quitting for a while.

There should not be any problem with that. As long as the hook was not in the gills. A hook in the corner of the mouth commonly causes a bit of blood when removed. I have seen it a lot of times in fish I have caught. The fish will be fine.

Unreal. Some of the boulders are sizable, but no trouble for the flooding river to pick up and deposit miles downstream at policemans.

I really love fishing for Arctic grayling. Am a little nervous about the visitor you may have shared the bank with, though.

Amazing. The river has changed completely.