grannyknot

Wow. Those flies are stunning. I'm still hacking away at my first tie, trying to get the body and the whip finish right on one, so these are pretty awe-inspiring. Great ties guys.

Trout Highway doesn't leave my truck during the summer, absolutely essential (though I'm sure most every Albertan flyfisher has a copy). I picked up the Fly Tying Bible yesterday, I'm just starting to tie and I think it will be helpful. The fly shops will all probably have a better selection than Chapters does.

I've been by a few times since ice-up, can't see any open water, but I don't know where the aerator is located.

Played it at my buddy's this weekend. Phenomemal. Can't wait to get it.

The girlfriend and I are getting ourselves an xbox 360 and Guitar Hero. Hell yeah. Maybe santy claus will bring me the 3 wt I'm itchin' for.

I use Vaseline, and like Flyslinger said, try to keep wet line off your guides, keeping your tip high helps with this. I'll sometimes dip my tip in the water, breaks up the ice and then make a few false casts to get rid of the water. Winter is hell on your line. I just accept that I'll need to replace it every spring.

Sweet rig Brent, I'm jealous as hell. That is slicker than rabbit turds.

Usually 2x for streamers, 3x for nymphing and 4x or 5x for dries on the bow. Most often it's S.A. mono. I tie my own leaders cause I'm cheap.

Tyson at Troutfitters was telling me the Sharkskin is the best line he's ever cast, I think I'll have to try some out, even at the high price it sounds like it's worth it. I've been using the GPX and I really like it, but maybe Santa will bring me a spool of Sharkskin this Dec.

I have been fishing mornings lately due to my work schedule, I'm usually on the water about 8am and done about noon. I've had luck on cold mornings fishing the deeper runs, then switching to riffles and more shallow water as the water warms up a bit. Most surface feeding I've been seeing is between my arrival and about 10am most days. I don't think the water temperature is cold enough yet to force the trout into the really deep, slow water, and they must still be feeding steadily even on the colder mornings, because I'm still catching them. Just my two cents.

Thank you, Ladystrange, because this forum wasn't wasting quite enough of my work day. I love the guys southern accent when he sings.

My girlfriend won a pen. That's right, a whole pen.

I use one as my main reel, no complaints at all. Keep the discs clean and you shouldn't have any problems.

9' 6wt St. Croix, but with a nice bonus coming at the end of the month, I get to go rod shopping! Gonna get a nice 5wt 4 piece.

Great shots DryFly! Those first two remind me why the Crow is my favorite river in the fall.

If it isn't hooked in the gills, eyes, or deeply in the flesh, it is no more harmful than in the top of the mouth. Still leaves a bad taste in my mouth though. BTW, the large group of big browns I stumbled onto last night were taking a size 12 pheasant tail. If anyone happened to notice a guy cackling wildly in the hail while he landed big fish after big fish, that was me.

Tremendous. Truly spectacular. Can't see it being any other way while I can still walk to the river and throw line. I had planned this spring to spend as much time down south as I could, but circumstances kept me on the central brown trout streams more often, which worked out well. I discovered the Crowsnest this year and was able to squeeze in three trips there, including one where I could do no wrong, and the 'bows launched themselves suicidally at my Adams all day long. I finally caught my first brookie, I finally caught a trout on the Dogpound, and I finally caught a real bow river brown on a dry fly. From south to north, I fished Crowsnest, the Oldman, Livingstone, Dutch, Cataract, Highwood, Sheep, Threepoint, Elbow, Canyon, Bow, Jumpingpound, Sibbald, Dogpound, Little Red, Harold, Grease, FallenTimber, BurntTimber, James, Red Deer, South Raven, North Raven, and a few trickles I can't recall the names of. I even caught trout from a few of these streams! I also discovered that I'm willing to hike quite a way to find large cutthroat, and there are a few lakes I will be returning to next summer, and a few I will be trying out. Most importantly, I know more than I did this spring, and that's what counts. Thanks for your help and advice everyone, the knowledge and experience on this site has helped me catch more trout.

I usually catch some little trout and lots of whitefish just nymphing close to the bank, they usually stack up in the current deflections. Try the reservoir right before ice-up, and right after ice-out. That's when I catch my larger fish there, at least.

Not Cataract, but don't worry, it's no secret hot-spot. Didn't even see a fish.

The fishing sucked, but it was a nice place to wet a line.

Incredible, HikeToFish. I will continue to live viscariously through your posts.

I save my streamer box for the winter mostly. Big brown or black or olive buggers are pretty much all I use once the snow hits. Nymphing works well too I'm sure, but I rarely feel the need to change from streamers. I caught more trout this february than I did this july. The key to cold water fishing in the Bow is to keep it deep. The trout typically won't move an inch to take your fly, so you've gotta put it right in their mouths for them. A quick sinking-tip line is helpful, as is some vaseline on your guides and tip, it'll help keep water from beading and freezing on your rod. I'm always disapointed at the end of a summer on the Bow, but I know I'll be slamming the big ones all winter. Of course, Toolman's spey techniques must take the cake in the winter, he can swing a streamer alot further than I can with my one-hander.

Is there really such a thing as secret classified water? Isn't that why it's classified? Because it's no bloody secret? Never stop with the fish porn man!

Gentlemen, I am beginning to rethink my opinion of a "big" bull trout. It appears I may have been mistaken. Looks like a blast.

My summer rod is a St. Croix, so it doesn't break. Buy one without a warranty and accidental snappings decrease immediately.