My First Bow River Trout...

[ghellard]

I'm new to fly fishing - this is my first year in the sport. I don't have a family member to learn from or a mentor who can teach me what they know about the sport. I've taken casting lessons, had the opportunity to spend a couple of days with a guide on some rivers off the trunk road, and have read numerous books to understand how to better my skills. I'm the guy you've seen fishing in the wrong spot. The guy who's trying to teach himself where the right spot is. I'm the guy who goes to Fish Tales and looks to be spending a long time searching for that perfect fly when in actuality I'm using the time as an opportunity to listen to other fly fishers chat so I can learn something new. I still don't think of myself as a true fly fisherman because to this date I have yet to catch my first Bow River trout. After numerous attempts - more numerous than I care to admit - I remain troutless. Today, however, was going to be the day.

 

I knew that my wife was only going to give me a small window of opportunity to get out today so I was up very early - having a 2 year old and a 6 month old doesn't make for a lot of spare time to get out fishing. All my gear was loaded in the car and I was off. I parked at the Deerfoot extension on the east side and was planning on walking down to a spot just south of Policeman's Flats. After about an hour I got to the spot I was looking for - a little side channel cut off the main part of the river. It looked perfect and I knew that it held my first Bow trout. "Have patience", I said to myself. I decided to go about 150 feet past the spot and start working my way back up. I wanted to work the water below that bend and savour the moments leading to the place that I knew held my first Bow trout.

 

I was working my nymphing rig - a SJW tied below a brass Copper John. My depth was perfect, the SJW was just bouncing off the bottom. The weather was perfect, it was nice and quiet, just me methodically working my way up the 150 feet to where I knew that trout was waiting for me. Now I'm 100 feet. I practically want to run up ahead but I'm being patient - perhaps there are a few fish here that are waiting for me as well. Now 50 feet, I can almost hear that trout calling my name. Forty feet, oh baby I'm right there. This is it. All the reading, the lessons, the eavesdropping to learn from those more skilled than I - I am ready!

 

Suddenly I hear a noise cut through my perfect moment. "Put your fly right there - right at the bend". I spin my head up stream to try and figure out what has interrupted my perfect moment. The next sound was the sigh of anguish escaping my lips. Not 30 feet ahead of me a guide in a boat put his clients to land and pointed them right at the perfect little spot I was working my way to. I was in full view, I was right there. Yet apparently the promise of a pay cheque had overridden simple etiquette.

 

The client's first cast brought up a fish. His partner asked if he had caught it on the worm or the Copper John. "The worm", he shouted back. The knowledge that my rig was the right one for that spot caused another brief sigh - now more of frustration. A few casts later and the client landed his second. High fives all around. They then began to work their way down right to me - I couldn't even have the 30 feet left to myself. The next sound was that of a blood vessel popping in my brain.

 

Unfortunately I was not lucky enough to bag my first Bow River trout this morning. My wife asked if I learned my lesson after hearing the story. "What lesson is that?", I asked. "To always go right to the good spots to beat everyone else". I thought about that for a moment and realized that I wouldn't have done it any differently. I can still enjoy the knowledge that I read the water perfectly, had the right set up to make the catch, and had taken the right approach to methodically work my way to where I knew I wanted to be.

 

To consider myself a fly fisherman I had set a very specific goal for myself - to catch my first elusive Bow River trout. I didn't catch that fish today but perhaps the lesson I learned is that I am a fly fisherman after all.

[mvdaog]

Next time I head out Ill try to remember to see if youre up to come with...

[Tungsten]

Good story,every time i go out i try to learn something.Sounds like you did.

Happy fishing.

[fishfreak]

Wow, when I read this, I thought it was me that floated by, but we went on Friday, and I don't recall seeing anyone there. We floated through the same section you mentioned, and my friend hooked into 5 fish in that 300m stretch. The water leading up to the island is pretty productive too. Hopefully you get another chance to hit it.

[CROOKSIE]

Pretty familiar story, i feel your pain. Happened to me regularily when i was starting out on the bow. The good news, theres always another day, and the bow never runs out of fish. Good luck to you, and remember to hang on when you do hook a good one.

[headscan]

Just downstream of a boat launch can be one of the worst places to fish early in the morning. Not excusing their behaviour, just saying you'll get a lot of boats and pontoons come through at that time eager to get into fish right away. Try fishing upstream of the launches early - there's lots of productive water between the extender and the boat launch. If you want an awesome crash course on fishing the Bow including reading water, proper rigs, and fly selection then send a pm to Maxwell.

[kphebert]

I'm new to fly fishing - this is my first year in the sport. I don't have a family member to learn from or a mentor who can teach me what they know about the sport. I've taken casting lessons, had the opportunity to spend a couple of days with a guide on some rivers off the trunk road, and have read numerous books to understand how to better my skills. I'm the guy you've seen fishing in the wrong spot. The guy who's trying to teach himself where the right spot is. I'm the guy who goes to Fish Tales and looks to be spending a long time searching for that perfect fly when in actuality I'm using the time as an opportunity to listen to other fly fishers chat so I can learn something new. I still don't think of myself as a true fly fisherman because to this date I have yet to catch my first Bow River trout. After numerous attempts - more numerous than I care to admit - I remain troutless. Today, however, was going to be the day.

 

I knew that my wife was only going to give me a small window of opportunity to get out today so I was up very early - having a 2 year old and a 6 month old doesn't make for a lot of spare time to get out fishing. All my gear was loaded in the car and I was off. I parked at the Deerfoot extension on the east side and was planning on walking down to a spot just south of Policeman's Flats. After about an hour I got to the spot I was looking for - a little side channel cut off the main part of the river. It looked perfect and I knew that it held my first Bow trout. "Have patience", I said to myself. I decided to go about 150 feet past the spot and start working my way back up. I wanted to work the water below that bend and savour the moments leading to the place that I knew held my first Bow trout.

 

I was working my nymphing rig - a SJW tied below a brass Copper John. My depth was perfect, the SJW was just bouncing off the bottom. The weather was perfect, it was nice and quiet, just me methodically working my way up the 150 feet to where I knew that trout was waiting for me. Now I'm 100 feet. I practically want to run up ahead but I'm being patient - perhaps there are a few fish here that are waiting for me as well. Now 50 feet, I can almost hear that trout calling my name. Forty feet, oh baby I'm right there. This is it. All the reading, the lessons, the eavesdropping to learn from those more skilled than I - I am ready!

 

Suddenly I hear a noise cut through my perfect moment. "Put your fly right there - right at the bend". I spin my head up stream to try and figure out what has interrupted my perfect moment. The next sound was the sigh of anguish escaping my lips. Not 30 feet ahead of me a guide in a boat put his clients to land and pointed them right at the perfect little spot I was working my way to. I was in full view, I was right there. Yet apparently the promise of a pay cheque had overridden simple etiquette.

 

The client's first cast brought up a fish. His partner asked if he had caught it on the worm or the Copper John. "The worm", he shouted back. The knowledge that my rig was the right one for that spot caused another brief sigh - now more of frustration. A few casts later and the client landed his second. High fives all around. They then began to work their way down right to me - I couldn't even have the 30 feet left to myself. The next sound was that of a blood vessel popping in my brain.

 

Unfortunately I was not lucky enough to bag my first Bow River trout this morning. My wife asked if I learned my lesson after hearing the story. "What lesson is that?", I asked. "To always go right to the good spots to beat everyone else". I thought about that for a moment and realized that I wouldn't have done it any differently. I can still enjoy the knowledge that I read the water perfectly, had the right set up to make the catch, and had taken the right approach to methodically work my way to where I knew I wanted to be.

 

To consider myself a fly fisherman I had set a very specific goal for myself - to catch my first elusive Bow River trout. I didn't catch that fish today but perhaps the lesson I learned is that I am a fly fisherman after all.

email me if you want to fish down at carsland next saturday.if you can mend your line you will catch fish.i have a 12 foot jon boat and fish mostly in the back channel.yesterday i only caught 10 the biggest was 20.5.that is a slow day down there.3 weeks ago, i took the wife down and we landed over 45 and she didnt fish.biggest was 23.all rainbow.yesterday it was the prince that finally got them biting but the first 2 hours were so slow.last week it was the worm and yellow john.i will be there most of the day by myself if your interested.also it was probaly someone with there own driftboat,the guides usually show respect to someone fishing in a pool.

[Ulmo]

that story's a heartbreaker, dont get down though, keep trying, the Bow is a tough river - but rewarding too, a couple tips on nymphing, 1) always, always use fluorocarbon, it really does make a difference, 2) try placing your smaller nymph dropper below your worm, seems to work a little better, 3) now, i have watched a guy easily manipulate 20' of line on the water, through varying currents and eddies - but i cant, i seem to catch more trout with less line out, its just easier to control, to get that dead drift and finally 4) if you havent read it already, "Reading The Water" by Dave Hughes - it will change the way you look at a river...

 

hope this might help, i was lucky and had a good friend introduce me to fly fishing, made for a great first year, he was in the same boat you were and spent a year angling before landing his first trout, so dont get down, make sure you do the dishes everyday after supper for the wife and keep trying!

[Gaffer]

if you havent read it already, "Reading The Water" by Dave Hughes - it will change the way you look at a river...

 

The entire book is available from google books for free Reading the Water

 

Andrew

 

 

 

 

 

[126barnes]

If you want an awesome crash course on fishing the Bow including reading water, proper rigs, and fly selection then send a pm to Maxwell.

 

x2

 

He got me into fish on my first day out, but more importantly showed me how to find them on my own.