tgo
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Posts posted by tgo
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Could anyody please recommend a motel in the Blairmore-Bellevue area? Is the Best Canadian or Highwood Motel a better choice? Thanks.
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I understand why the moderators want to keep the name out of it. I respect the fact that they know pretty much all the guides and don't want to cause trouble with/for them. In the context of legal action, that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Ever hear of TripAdvisor? Their policy is to allow only reviews that bring up legitimate concerns with management, such as overbooking, quality of service etc. However, I've also read reports by people who accuse staff of stealing their possessions and other serious, criminal matters. This is done without certainty as to the innocence of the people running the hotel, for obvious reasons, however TripAdvisor is always free to delete the posts at their discretion. My opinion is that we should respect the moderators decision, its better than them having to actually start deleting posts and constantly policing the site. I've seen people bash fishing gear and other products on this site, so its likely that they are mainly concerned with avoiding non-legal horseshit rather than worrying about libel suits.
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So many whities up there its ridiculous. That little pond just down stream from the dam does have a big pike more in it. I managed to get one to chase my streamer. Up there is the only place on the Bow I've ever been checked by a CO, apparently theres alot of poaching that goes on up there. lots of fishing pressure at the dam, not very many decent trout. Know of someone who caught a laker below the dam.
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I used to catch lots of small fish and very few large fish at one time too, I bet most fisherman have at one time or another. I still don't catch as large or as many trout as I'd like and probably never will. If you are anything like I was, you're probably catching small trout because they are easier to catch, are more likely to take a dry fly, and are more numerous ( at least in the NW). It's harder to trick a large trout than a small trout. I've found this especially true when it comes to nymphing. I've caught many small trout on bad drifts, but to trick a larger trout you need to get the nymph down deep and mend your line so your flyline and indicator aren't dragging your fly faster than the current of the stream. You want a natural, "dead-drift" within inches of the bottom, if not bouncing off it. Don't hesitate to move around too, after you've thoroughly dredged the bottom of water that LOOKS like it would hold a fish. I've caught many small trout in less than prime lies, but larger trout an dominate a prime lie and protect its territroy from smaller trout. The best lies I've found are where there is a convergence of fast and slow water, a dropoff, and slow choppy stretch, a nice riffle, where a feeding trout can have the benefit of faster water bringing in food, but where they can also expend less energy.
In terms of flies, I usually fish a double nymph rig with whatever I think best imitates the current hatches. Check the hatch chart for the Bow, I think its on this site. Good all around nymphs are hare's ears, gold-ribbed hare's ear, pheasant tails, evil weevils, prince nymphs, copper johns, caddis pupas, various caddis larva nymphs etc. The bottom fly is usually either a stonefly earlier in the season, and more recently a san juan worm. Add split and adjust indicator. You should have be hitting bottom but not constantly snagging, it takes getting used to.
Oh yeah, fish bigass streamers close to the bottom on a sink tip line. The biggest of trout are usually caught on streamers, but I'm sure someone on this board will prove me wrong.
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Cool pics, I also wish I had made it out there this summer but it's hard to find willing participants. IMO the North and South Kananaskis passes as well as Northover have some of the best scenery in the Alberta rockies. I remember a few years ago hiking up to the North pass from the Forks campground and wondering what Maude Lake would hold, and then decided to leave the rod behind for some idiotic reason. So many fish it was unbelievable. It also straddles the BC alberta boundary with some really amazing views.
The Kananskis River would probably have fish in it, but it is very fast moving up there with not alot of good holding spots, but what do I know. It's definately worth the try considering the consolation prize.
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Northover Ridge is cool, and Three Isle lake has good fishing for sure.
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As someone who likes to hike and fish, your report is the coolest thing I've read on this board. I'm jealous. You have showed us that the rewards of fishing backcountry often have little to do with the fishing itself. Well done HiketoFish. A wolverine dude, a freakin' wolverine. Gives me chills down my spine. Hey, what are you doing next weekend?
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This is crap news, I guess I'm staying in Calgary next weekend and just fish the Bow.
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Nice fish, too bad the surfaceaction wasn't a little better. I guess the larger whitefish are probably congregating in the pools getting ready to spawn maybe? A stomach pump sample of myself would reveal that I have been feeding heavily on beer and rye for the past three days.
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Holy crap, nice pictures and fish guys!
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Great discussion guys. I think that trout are not just opportunistic and not just selective in their feeding, but maybe their habits change with changes in their environment like lack of food, water temps etc.) I do not believe that hoppers are as important as stoneflies in the sense that stoneflies are much more likely to induce selective feeding than hoppers. I think hopper patterns are as important as they are because they look so much like stoneflies. But then again, many attractor patterns that look very little like the natural. Kind of funny this topic came up after the wierd day I had yesterday on the Bow in the NW. I fished a Turks Tarantula and rubber-legged stimmie and every fish I caught except for 1 took the fly after it had sunk about a foot or so below the surface.
I've had this happen before, but not to this extreme. The fish would completely ignore the fly when it was floating high, but then I would pull the fly under the surface and usually a trout would nose it or attack. More often than not I could see a trout upstream and would gently cast the hopper upstream of the fish and wouldn't even get a look. Then I'd go upstream and let it swing in and then sit in the current and then I would get at least two smacks from the trout, but very few hookups. At one point I would cast the fly 45 degrees upsream and quickly pull it under and then I could see fish following it downstream. Once I saw two trout follow it and neither take it, which is strange bcause I thought the competitive nature of the fish would take over (at least in my experience). Really funny day.
Why would they only take the fly below the surface? I would think it was because they recognized it as a drowned hopper, but then I remember mkm and I throwing about 7 or 8 onto the surface of the Bow and watched as at least a couple trout smack them before they had a chance to sink.
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Yeah, I had very poor luck fishing the Little Red, Burnt Timber and Panther Rivers two weeks ago. Beautiful pools and perfect runs did not produce. Doubt I'll go fish up there again anytime soon.
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If they're as much fun on the flyrod as they are ice-fishing, must have been a great time. It's cool targeting different species to switch things up a bit.
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Thanks Rocknbugs, I was pretty surprised to catch another large trout out of a small stream. Landed it with a three-weight rod and 6x tippet! Will post more pics later.
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Thanks for the response Maxwell. What do you do when you fish a small creek with a streamer and there's no room to backcast and there's spooky fish everywhere? Why would a conventional fly rod and reel be the best choice, but not neceassarily the easiest? Thanks man.
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I know this topic may be taboo amongst some flyfisherman, I do like to sometimes use a spinning reel when fishing nymphs and more commonly streamers on small streams like the Dogpound. I usually just use a light spinning rod as well, but I think I heard somewhere that using a fly rod with the spinningreel is the best way to accomplish this, why? I'm confused why a fly rod would make that much of a difference. I like the long drift on difficult current schemes and the ability to fish streamers deeper but I've never thought about the rod part. I think bringing a spinning reel on an outing is pretty convenient if you just switch reels with the same rod. Anybody else use this type of rig, and are there any tips you may have for the rest of us? Thanks.
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My two-piece 6w hasn't broken yet, but I don't use it as often as my Scott 5w. I've heard of others who have broken them though. It's $25 to receive a new section? Now you are scaring into taking a backup to my TFO 3w tommorow.
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Awsome bully man, 10 minutes is definately reasonable considering the size of that fish. My first bully was exactly half that size and I was pumped, so congrats man.
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Got a lightning bug from the source and it looks great, at a buck a fly they look pretty good to me.
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I usually don't fish "crowded waters" either, but sometimes you don't have time to hike for two hours. Almost every trip I've made this year has been to obscure, far-off places where most people are too lazy to reach. If I get somewhere and see cars then I move on, but if I get there first and some douchenozzle crowds me then that's a different story. Then it's on, beotch.
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Thanks for your opinions on this matter, I usually don't say anything and just give them the water I'm fishing but this night I had just had enough. I was seriously ready to fight (not the crazy woman of course), which is really sad I guess. I like your strategy Brent, I think I'll try it next time, unless it's a raft full of hotties then I can forgive them.
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Hey pros, I've been fishing the Bow for years and never had problems with other (fly)fisherman like mkm and I had last light. After crowding-out another dude and forcing him to leave (swearing) back to his car, these three inconsiderate fisherman saw that I had just released a brown and decided they wanted in on the action. Two went 30 feet upsteam of me and spooked the rising fish I was casting to, and the other completed the sandwich by fishing exactly where I had just netted the last fish I had caught. This was the second time last night someone tried fishing within a short cast from me. I calmly confronted the women who seemed to be the instigator of the whole "oh, lets fish where he's fishing." She proceeded to tell me I didn't know what I was talking about and totally refused to listen to my case. This one was a real treat I'll tell ya. Anyways, I was just wondering what you guys do when people crowd you. Usually I'd just leave, but there were fish rising and I was running out of time before I had to leave. Plus we had already seen this beotch and her friends force someone else packing. If they would have asked if they could fish the run with me I would have probably agreed, but they just acted like complete morons. What's the safe distance? I usually give at least fifity yards, most the time even more.
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Nice brown! There's a lesson here: spend lots of money on fishing and the fishing gods will reward your sacrifice of money! I hope so anyway, since I just purchsed new waders and boots today and can't wait to try them out tomorrow.
Lodging In The Crowsnest Pass
in General Chat - Fishing Related
Posted
thanks for all the input guys.