Fly Fishing
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This is me in Jasper, the sweater is actually that color. |
I do two types of fly fishing, from a float tube on small (tiny?) lakes and mountain streams. For those of you who know Alberta, the streams are on the Eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
Do you catch and
release?
Here's a tool that I made which is useful for unhooking fish:
Chironomid Patterns
I have spent a lot of the last two lake seasons learning to fish chironomids which are a major food sources for trout in western Canadian lakes. Here are some patterns that have worked for me. Chironomid Pattern Page
Make your own
Dubbing Brush Block
Float Tubing
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This is Rummel Lake, a 14 km hike, all uphill. Yes, I carried a float tube into this lake. The view alone is worth the walk.
Last year a group of us headed into the interior of British Columbia, near Lone Butte. These lakes are ideal for float tubing, and the fish are bigger than in Alberta. Click here to go the BC tourism site of the Fishing Highway I will post pictures of some of the fish soon. |
Here is a typical 20" fish from Earle Lake. Over the last few years, we have fished over 20 of the small lakes in the Cariboo area between 100 Mile House and Little Fort. Learning the hatch schedule for the lakes and the best techniques has been challenging, but this area is consistently the best place to catch +5 lb. rainbow trout on dry flies and fly rods. You will need at 4WD vehicle and be willing to walk a bit to get to the better lakes but the wilderness solitude adds the the experience.
Here is a picture of Beaver Lake just south of Caroline Alberta. This lake has special regulations intended to maximize the size of the fish, and there are some big rainbow trout in here. The lake is shallow and weedy, with lots of great shoals and reed beds. Click to enlarge:
This is my PAC 9000 'toon. Instead of a float tube, this boat allows you to zoom around the lake covering more of the holes. Casting is a little easier from high up, so I use the pontoon boat whenever possible. More details are here.
Ya' need something to haul everything out there, and be reliable enough to get you home. Many of the lakes have logging road access, but what if it pours during the day, leaving the road pretty dicey on the way out? The old Ford was uncertain to get through so upgrade to the best fishing vehicle possible, hauling everything around in comfort. Plus I can get a trailer for the extended back country trips.
In Kananaskis Country, the high mountain lakes vary is the quality of fishing, some of the lakes hold only stunted brookies, others are home to giant cutts and rainbows. Avoid the lakes with the paved parking lot and picnic areas (Mt. Lorette, Wedge, and Allen Bill), they are stocked only for entertainment. Burstall Lakes has always been reliable for small rainbows. For the best fly fishing, consult the Alberta government website for the annual stocking lists, choose a lake that is catch and release, and has been stocked two or three years ago.
Stream Fishing
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I’ve had a good time using leech patterns on the Bow river, almost to the point of boredom. Would you believe catch and release 13 casts in a row? The Bow River flows right through Calgary, but the fishing is much better south of the sewage treatment plant. The extra injection of nutrients makes all the difference to the vegetation and insect life. |
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The Cataract is a beautiful little stream right in the mountains. I don’t mind telling you that there are 5 to 7 pound fish in this stream, you have to walk 6 miles each way through Grizzly bear country to get here. It’s a great place to hike in and scramble over rocks. Your feet will be so sore at the end of the day. |
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This
is the canyon after the second falls, needless to say there are lots of big
fish lurking in the pools. Peering over the edge you can see the huge brook
trout finning in the slow water eating nymphs. Inviting as it may seem, the
water is far too cold for swimming at 12 degrees C. Using a huge nymph and a
shooting head laying on the bottom, the fish will then pick up the fly and
run with it. |
A couple of us acquired a drift
boat to float down the Bow River south of Calgary. If you live in Calgary and
fly fish, eventually you will start to fish the Bow a lot for the great trout
fishing 6 months of the year and still be home in time for dinner. There are
good shuttle services between the launch ramps and the pressure is minimal
compared to the places that are accessible from a car. Floating is always a
good excuse to get away from the crowds and enjoying the company of friends who
fish.
Rolling Your Own
After tying flies for 30 years on a makeshift desk and a $15 vise, in 2005 I upgraded and reorganized. The bench organizer is made from 1x4 pine with varying holes drilled to hold tools. The white surface is 1/4" melamine hardboard. I like the Norvise and after 2 years I can use it to full advantage, cutting 30% off my tying times. Scraps and cuttings drop into the open drawer under the vise. Note the bench is set up for right handed tying. The work area is a unit so it can be moved to a different location or onto a different desk. The unit took about 2 hours to design and build, practically nothing in material cost.
All of the blue foam bits are stuck in place with contact cement, they hold the head cement bottle and hair stacker in place. Tinsel dispensers allow you to pull off a strand of material and cut it without dealing with the loose end and the spool unwinding, so all my common wires and tinsels are permanently available and handy. The tinsel is fed through a slit in the foam.
Dedicated fly fishermen will go to the trouble of tying their own flies, it adds another level of satisfaction to catch fish on your own creations, or better yet, catching fish on a fly that you developed.
The next level of artistry is to assemble your own rods. I've been building rods since 1981, and all of my fly rods are my own creations. The components that you use on a home built rod will be greatly superior to any factory rods, the manufacturers really go cheap on their finishing and components. In addition, a handle which fits your hand will greatly improve your casting and accuracy, not to mention reducing fatigue. I will never go back to a store bought rod, and anyone who has built their own pretty much agrees.
Here is an Excel spreadsheet that calculates a starting point for spacing out guides on a fly rod.
The last step? Building your own cane rod. That's a while yet for me. Rodbuilding.org is a good resource for how to assemble your own rods.
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Last update: Dec. 2005.