scel

I fish the Thompson River system every year for a couple of weeks. The Rainbows and bulls will sit just a couple metres behind spawning salmon to eat the eggs. Best success is to match the size and colour of the actively spawning species, but seems more important to match the size than the colour of the dominant spawn---sockeye eggs are smaller than chinook eggs. Painting a little red dot of nail polish on the side of the bead seems to be more valuable than the actual colour of the bead. Last year, we were out with a DFO biologist. He had fished with an 11mm bead in mid-September. Three of us were out together mid-October. He was using the same 11mm bead from mid-September. My friend and I had both caught 5+ fish on an 8mm bead but he had not yet caught anything. He looked at the bead we were using, facepalmed himself, then started catching fish with an 8mm bead. The trout did not seem to care if the bead was yellowish or pinkish, but definitely preferred the red dot over the plain beads. These are trout that could afford to be picky though. I am not sure how it would translate to the Bow. Like I said---I have only had whitefish eat egg patterns.

In salmon rivers, it almost feels like you are cheating fishing eggs. On the Bow River, I have caught whitefish on egg fly patterns. Quite honestly, though, if I fish an egg, I use a trout beads and a toothpick with a dark hook dangling about 3-5 cm below the stoppered egg. It is more effective than any fly I have used. The separation between bead and hook means the hook set generally misses the small mouths of a whitefish, but trout hookups are unaffected and (so far) seems to avoid the risk of trout swallowing the hook. Great looking flies btw.

It is really difficult to read the tables on your phone. It is 2 print pages per PDF page. At the very least, the PDF version should be split into single print pages.

I voiced the same concern. My wife schooled me. You are not wrong in that birds will often carry mites. These mites, however, do not eat the feathers. They eat the bird. A bird with mites will often look like its feathers are disappearing, but that is a side effect of the blood sucking bites. Once the host is dead, there is very little reason for the mites to stick around. Without a blood-serving host, the mites have little interest in other feathers. As a decontamination protocol, the feathers go immediately into a plastic sample bag. With as much of the air removed as possible, the plastic bag then goes in the freezer for at least 2 weeks---most of the time for 4 or so weeks.

My wife is an avid birder (also a professional biologist). It is my understanding (which is admittedly completely second-hand) that feathers simply do not 'ruff off' especially in the winter time. Many owls start breeding at this time of year. There are a surprising number of nest sites within city limits. There have been many strong north and west winds over the last couple of days. Since owls (and other birds of prey, like a sharp-shinned hawk) will just roost somewhere and pluck off some feathers before eating, it is very likely there is a nest site relatively close by. it is kind of a crappy picture, but this hawk was sitting in my back yard only 4m away, but he was sitting under a massive group of cedar waxwings (which is what I would guess the bird your feathers are from) in the mountain ash right beside the tree he was sitting in. https://photos.app.goo.gl/tIRSSxtVIdIW8wEG3 My wife picks me up feathers all the time. My personal favorites are Canada goose and swan flight feathers---biots for stoneflies, copper johns, and prince nymphs. They also tend to be part of the 'non-edible' group, so they are easy to salvage. Post a picture of your find. Collectively, we can probably figure out what it is.

Thanks mate.

I have had this happen to me on the Bow and it was singly the most terrifying experience of my life. I only floated about 80m or so downstream, but I was deposited on the opposite side of the river in neck deep water. It was only a 15m scramble to the bank. I had to walk about 1km to get to a bridge, then 1km backtracking on the opposite bank to get back to my car. I had scared the absolute sh!t out of myself. Thankfully, I had unconsciously done something that prevented this turning into a real disaster. I wore my GorTex jacket outside my waders, such that it covered up my bib and wader buckles, so very little water actually got into my waders. GorTex worn as the final layer over the waders has saved me from other random shallow water falls. I never wade deeper than my knees now.

Country Pleasures was the catalyst of my love of fly fishing. Whenever I needed something new to me (a first trip to the salt or to get started tying), I went to Country Pleasures. Their advice and wisdom was the most consistent. I went in on Saturday for a restock to bare walls. This feels like a break-up. I cannot believe it is gone. Stupid Country Pleasures. I guess that means I can see other stores---they probably are good too. I mean, someplace else has to sell Dai Riki hooks. I will work through DEPRESSION and ACCEPTANCE later. Best wishes.

Barry Mitchell's book is probably the definitive guide, but Jim McLennan's runs a close second. If you are running solo, once you are in Alberta, a Backroad Mapbook for Southern and/or Central Alberta and Google Maps will take you to most of the great trout streams in Alberta and get you sorted with good local camping information. The famous Forestry Trunk Rd is mostly crown land, so access is generally limited by vehicle power and/or personal willpower.

Not really. If I were to guess, water levels are lower now. However, back then, the reservoirs were dumped in early May, then there was no run-off. There was not really a heat wave like this summer, but the long days, and low water levels allowed the water temperatures to get dangerously high. Right now, the longer, relatively cool nights allow the rivers to cool down.

Dams are a Catch-22. On one hand, they cut off habitat from fish. On the other hand, something especially important for trout populations, a bottom fed outlet provides cool oxygenated water with potentially more stable flow. A final thing to consider is how dams create somewhat protected habitats. Adding a fish ladder on the Oldman would help the bull trout move around, but it would also allow the rainbow trout to move around (for example). I know there is already considerably cross-breeding, but there is still a fairly good population of mostly cutthroat trout.

The felt totally picks up the mud---that is why they are not permitted in the parks. It is there; you just cannot see it. The mud gets deeply packed into the felt soles and takes something like 10x longer to dry. After a quick wash with a garden hose, the vibram soles will dry in a few hours. It would literally take a pressure washer to clean the mud from the depths of felt. The average male is 180-200lbs. when you walk, you roll the boot, so probably 1-2square inches are in contact, so it would take 90-200 psi to blast the mud out of a felt sole. So, think about it...even if you use a disinfectant, you would still have to walk through a cobblestone laden wash-bin in order to force the disinfectant to the base of the felt sole. Fine...just dry out the boot. The density of the felt is designed to take the wear of a couple hundred PSI. The water is sponged into the felt, so once it is in there, it takes a great deal of time for it to evaporate out without forcing it out the same way it was forced in. I do not know anyone who meticulously squeezes the water out of their felt boot soles. Yeah, regardless of the disease and its vector, you always have to thoroughly clean and dry any transmission source. It is the same for the common cold. It is the same for measles. It is the same whirling disease. So, felt and vibram both have to be cleaned and dried. Yeah, cleated vibrams get muddy, but you can see it. I would hazard I could clean 90% of it with a garden hose, and completely dry it. The same is simply not true with felt.

My wife is a biologist who works in the national parks. When she works, she only wears rubber boots (which she regularly changes), which can be very easily cleaned and dried. She literally has a car trunk full of rubber boots. She is happy if I simply clean debris from gear and *completely* dry everything in the sunshine. The drying, heat, plus the solar UV is analogous to a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Drying kills almost all of the tubifex worms and spores, but the heat and UV act as accelerants and kill some of the parasite in the process. Interesting note: goldfish are a natural carrier of whirling disease.

I took Joe up on his offer---I tried the Chironomid today. I spent an hour or so paddling around Glenmore Reservoir with Joe. The Chironomid really is an amazing boat. It has the speed of a kayak, the payload of a 1-man canoe, and the stability of a pontoon. It almost effortlessly glides over the water. With very little effort, I could get going to the same speed as my kayak. While it does lack the tight quarters manoeuvrability over a kayak or pontoon, the speed and anchoring system I believe are fair trade offs. It is quite easy to stand up in it. Your ability to stand up is ultimately limited by personal balance. It would be incredibly hard to tip. To tip it over, I almost think the user would actively have to try to do so. I brought a rod and did some casting. Having the option of standing up is nice, but I actually think that I would spend most of my time in the comfortable seat. The front half of the boat is almost completely free of any potential snags or tangles. All the 'clutter' is confined to the rear of the boat (and by 'clutter' I simply mean all the things that make the boat great, like the outrigger supports, rod holders, anchor reels, etc), but there is still plenty of space to pack your gear and supplies in the back part of the boat to maintain the clear area in front. As a fishing boat, I have to reserve my opinion since I did not have a good chance to fish out of it. I cannot presently see any circumstance where it would be any different from a canoe or kayak.

I am simply wondering if anyone has ever tried one of these boats. https://www.cunninghamboats.ca/best-lake-fly-fishing-boat/ They look like the bees knees, but there is a fairly heavy price tag attached ($3000 CAD, I believe), enough to afford both a good pontoon boat and a good fishing kayak. I guess it is local company, but I have never seen one or heard anyone speak of them (other than the review in Fly Fusion Magazine). Oh, the places you could go with that light sleek frame and oars. The only downside (other than the price) compared to a pontoon or kayak is the on-the-spot manoeuvrability.

The density of the spotting is the biggest indicator. Pure strain will have higher density of spots near the tail and the pinkish colour rarely runs the entire length of the body. The only way to tell strain purity is by the presence of the hyoid teeth near the back of the mouth on the tongue since that is a purely recessive trait. But even then, being almost genetically identical to cutthroat (you have to be in order to interbreed), and having interbred for 70+ years (or whenever rainbows were introduced). Finding hyoid teeth on a rainbow trout would be like blues eyes on a black person---rare but totally possible. It really only indicates that sometime in that fish's history both sides of the genetic tree got some sexy time with a slutty cutty. EDIT: colour is not a great indicator. Cutties have a pinkish colour to them, but tend to have green backs over the darker or silver backs of a rainbow. But still, colour is not a great indicator.

Fishing shield lakes for walleye is challenging but possible. Clouser minnows, zonkers, or crayfish patterns are good. Patterns that ride hook side up (like a clouser minnow) will help. Like others have said, you need to fish the bottom and rocky shield lakes are hook eaters. Once the water temperature exceeds 17C, the walleye go deep and your only chance on the fly are the crepuscular hours or dead of night. Northern Ontario is a big swath of land, but most of which is still further south than Edmonton. I spend July in Ontario in the Sudbury area, and I spend that time fishing almost exclusively for smallies. The lakes warm up so much (23-25C) that the walleye (and even pike) retreat to depths exceeding 6m, and even with full sink line, it would be an extreme lesson in patience to target walleye. But smallmouth come into their prime when the water hits 20C. I consistently out fish conventional anglers with my fly rod, especially when you know the fish are active. Poppers in the morning/evening. Clousers/zonkers on a floating line when you see active fish (swirls and busting the surface). I like to use an intermediate line for prospecting.

I was out last night with the dog. It is officially high. And dirty. It is the first time that I have seen the water at the high-water mark in a very long time. But I also saw lots of fish activity in weird little pockets close to the bank. Visibility was about 20cm. Even though my dog was mucking around, it was the first time this year that he has not stunk like swamp.

Anybody who has been fly fishing the Bow for the last 2 years has not really experienced 'typical' conditions. It is really hard to say how it will affect the river. The banks are fairly dirty, but I predict that we will see an improvement in the fishing even if the clarity drops. Higher water allows fish to move around and for people on foot, it usually brings them closer to the bank. Even then, 120 cms is not that high; it is really just the upper end of average for this time of year or the flow you would expect mid-August. http://www.environment.alberta.ca/apps/basins/DisplayData.aspx?Type=Figure&BasinID=8&DataType=1&StationID=RBOWCALG

It was opening day yesterday (May 8) on most Southern AB waters. I went to Crawling Valley Reservoir. It is my favourite place less than 1.5 hours from home. I like that it is now essentially catch and release for both walleye and pike. I hope over the next few years, I will get to see the fishery change and grow. I fished from 16h30 to just after 21h00 (sundown). There was a dude bombing around the roads. I never really thought about it since the oil and gas in area tends to lend itself to big over-dressed trucks. The moment I dragged my pontoon out of the lake, the truck approached. It was fish and wildlife. My first instinct was to start crapping my pants, but then I calmed down because I am pretty sure I was following all the rules. He asked to see my license. Asked about my pontoon---made sure I had a whistle. He also asked about the light, but knew it was not relevant since there is no night angling on the lake. He asked about the flies that I was using. He immediately noted they were barbless. Then we had a really pleasant conversation. He told me a couple good walleye spots where I also might find a concentration of bigger pike. Asked about my rods and gear---basically just shoot-the-sh!t for 10 or so minutes. He saw another boat was leaving, so he started making his depart. He made sure to remind me of Report-A-Poacher. I showed him the sweet-ass reel my last fishy-bucks got me. Just as he was leaving, he told me how someone made $2000 in 4 RAP calls last summer. All in all, it was a very pleasant encounter. I am kind of a libertarian when it comes to policing---needing it means we have failed at a more fundamental ethical level. However, I also understand that it is easier to monitor someplace like Crawling Valley because of the zero retention of the 2 key species---so if in possession of any fish, it becomes suspicious. It was smart having a presence of opening day. I also like how he pushed community awareness. As an aside...the fishing was stellar. I love the shallow water spring pike. Other than a few obvious spawning wounds, the fish were fairly thick and healthy, most of them in that 1.5-3.0 kg range. A couple smaller, and of course, the one that got away. The girl ran right at me, tail walked, gills flared, followed by the thrash, and clearly throw the hook from her bottom jaw. She was in that 3.5-4.0 kg range. All in all, these are bigger fish than I hooked up with last year. Hopefully, the move to conservation will quickly improve the fishery.

I think we want above average temperatures and normal amount of rain so the snowpack starts melting before June, when we should be into warmer temperatures and higher probability of rain. Also, if the normal range is 350-475 mm, then the normal range is 125mm. If this is a normal distribution (of which most people use, others being Poisson or Fourier distributions), 67% of the time, the snowpack will be 350-475mm. 25mm extra is not far off the norm, really being slightly above average. I think that we have a month or so to temper our worries.

For lake fishing, unless I am casting a dry, I will never go lighter than a 6wt, and sometimes even bring my 8wt, just to ensure that I can deal with the wind. Besides, if you already have a 4wt rod, I would definitely get a different weight to round out your quiver.

I fish around the Drumheller region a couple times a year. I hate to be the harbinger of bad news, but in Drumheller you are about 200km away from a bull trout, and 150km away from any browns. Starting around mid-may, the Red Deer River is filled with Goldeye though. I take novice fly anglers there because goldeye are as unpicky as fish get---any of your typical trout flies will work. They fight well for their size. And they will take dries in mornings and evenings. The Red Deer River is fairly shallow and slow as it gets to Drumheller. The infrequent deep pools will also hold walleye or pike. If you find the walleye or pike, they are generally not that picky either---any of your bull trout streamers will work (but you may want to use some bite tippet). Fishing in the Badlands is not exceptional, but the Badlands are amazing---almost alien. But watch out for rattlesnakes---seriously. Last year I saw 2. The second one, I walked past 3 times before noticing it and it was only 2m away from me. EDIT: no need for a guide on the RDR. When I say the goldeye are 'everywhere', I literally mean everywhere. As well, because of the sandstone valley in which the RDR settles, a heavy rainshower will immediately turn the RDR into chocolate milk, but it will return to normal within a day or so.

Traditionally, in the middle of summer, the Bow is generally clear by mid July. After a heavy rainfall, the Bow would usually return to normal within a couple of days. This relentless rain has left the Bow murky for much longer than I have experienced over the last 10ish years. My question is this: how long will it usually take for a river to recover clarity after a rain. Would the mountain streams clear within a day or 2? The Sheep and Highwood are cut through sandstone valley, so I could see how they would get dirty, but I would assume they would clear within 24 hours of the rain stopping.

What does 'low holed' mean?