FraserN

Go to hogg park campground. Good fishing for small rainbows.

These pictures inspired me in part to make a trip to the oldman today. I got one 16 incher that looked like one of those, and a few smaller cutts. It is starting to slow down now, and the water was very cold. But I think it was worth the trip. The mountains are nice in the fall months.

I upgraded from my old style korkers, which were unsatisfactory, and fell apart fast with the heavy use I put on them on the Bow. The new korkers are a lot sturdier, and entirely adequate for the Bow, but not recommended for Cutty streams. I took two serious falls on the slippery rocks on the highwood this season and injured my left leg twice. The rubber soles were not up to such a fast flowing and slippery substrate. I would look for something with more grip for these type of streams.

I had the reverse of this on the upper highwood a few days ago. There were some nice cutts lying in the bottom of the pools I was fishing. Soon, the drakes started hatching and floating down the river. Incredibly, the cutts just ignored them for about 2 hours. Nothing I tried could get a rise. I was just stupefied by this situation. Last year, on the oldman, when the drakes hatched, it seemed like every fish in the river was rising. I have fished cutts in streams alot, and they always find a way to surprise me. Not the toughest fish to catch most days, but once in awhile they can be unbeleivably picky to an insane degree.

I have an 8 wt t@t that I have used on the Bow since 1996. It is a great rod, nearly indestructable, and can cast as far as you want. It is a little stiff, but that is probably due to it being an 8wt. I think a 7 wt. is a better choice for the Bow.

For a first steelhead, that is a beauty. Will be tough to top that one.

I have had my best luck with large, dark olored wooly buggers, about size 2.

I have caught several brook trout and one bull trout in the bowness stretch, and they are also a cold water char. I am still waiting for my first laker here. It does not surprise me that you caught it where you did. That is a deep pool which would provide ideal cold water habitat for those fish.

The recent paper by mr. Stelfox is of great interest. I did not know that the extent of hybridization of Brook trout with Bull trout is as severe as it is. In any case, I have noticed an increase of brook trout on a small stream that I regularly fish, namely Fish creek. I have caught and removed a few brook trout in the past few years, from places which only have contained rainbow trout in the past. I have never caught a cutthroat trout from upper fish creek. I presumed that they must have been displaced by the Rainbows many years ago.

Dave (Jensen) wrote an article that claimed the reason for the larger sizes in the ram river drainage for Cutthroat trout is that the waters are colder than southern streams, so that the fish in the ram live several years longer because of their slower metabolism. Hence the reason they grow larger than their southern counterparts.

The turquoise green water in the second shot is what the experience is all about. I really enjoy fishing any mountain stream.

That is what it is like up here. There is every kind of fish in the river. The only one I have yet to catch is a lake trout. Nice going on the laker.

Brook trout spawn in the fall. So do Brown trout. It looks as if a brook trout got into a brown trout spawning area somewhere on drywood creek, producing the fish your showing in the picture. Interesting.

I used to use grey sunglasses, but now I use a pair of clip-on, yellow/amber ones. I much prefer these over the grey ones.

Good job on the site. Keep up the good work.

beautiful rod.

I fish Edworthy park a lot, and I agree that it can be tough. Its better below Bonnybrook. But if you are going to fish up there, I recommend Elk caddis 14-16, pmd 14-16, and some stonefly nymphs. Also, lower your expectations, because there are less fish than the lower Bow, and the ones you catch are significantly smaller, as well.

It looks like an easy fix. Just put on some epoxy and slip it back in. Should be no problem.

Black and dark brown is what I use for streamers on the Bow most of the time. Works just fine in high run-off water.

I have caught a lot of grayling. Any dark colored nymph like an idaho, or prince in size 12 or 14 will work well. As for dry flies, a 14 adams is good. Sometimes a terrestrial pattern that is a small black ant is deadly.

That is so very typical of a Glenmore pike. I have caught many out of there like that one. Not the largest, but alot of fun on the fly. That is what counts.

I am getting too old to tent also, and will be going to the crowsnest pass soon, so I will have to look for a place to stay somewhere down there.

I would say that those are undoubtedly earrthworms.

I do the same thing every spring and late fall. Significant time is spent warming the hands in colder weather. Unfortunately, fly fishing requires the need to manipulate line with exposed fingers, which makes them vulnerable to the elements. This is the reason that I now fish only the afternoon hours at this time of year.

I may get a pair. My current pair of korkers are so badly worn out, I have to repair them after each trip. They lasted 2 years before falling part. But I like the fact that they are so light, and the interchangeable soles have worked really well for me. I just wish they were more durable.