Feb 28

The Late February Thaw

Finally, the weather has turned here In Calgary, and I was able to get back out fishing on the Bow River this week. I fished Monday and Tuesday with only one fish landed, it was tough sledding to say the least. The dirty water from the city stained the river up, so I would surmise that was the reason for the slow bite.

I’m not one to throw the towel in easy, so I returned Wednesday and had much better results. As many of you know, I have my own brand of lures that work super well. I chose the Sunrise Samurai in black and caught all my fish on that color pattern. It has a hard, loud rattle with a large minnow profile that gets the best fish to commit.

The wind was low coupled with the bite being good, despite the river still a little stained out. I was fishing solo and landed six rainbows and one brown trout. It was another great day sport fishing the Bow River.

My boat will be going into the shop for its annual spring maintenance next week. I will have her ready to go for guided fishing trips mid-March. If you are in the market for a guided trip, please reach out and we will get you booked in.

Thank you,

~Mike

Jan 01

Merry Christmas And Happy New Year 2025

Once again, we have arrived at Christmas and New Year. I always like to wish those of you that read the blog, holiday greetings and blessings for a new year. Blogging is much different now then it was when I first started many years ago. I never know how many people still read the Blog, and I do not get any comments on posts like I used to, but I keep blogging and documenting my journey despite that. This will be my 19th year blogging and writing here, which I still enjoy very much.

I guess its more for me now then the readers; something to look back on when I grow old and look back on with pride.

So, with that I will wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year this year. Blessings to you all.

Sharp hooks and tight lines,

~Mike

Dec 19

Bow River Winter Fishing Tips

With the boat put away for the winter, the time has come here in Calgary to switch to shore fishing. Winter has arrived indeed, but we are blessed to get those chinooks that break up the severe cold winters in Alberta. This past week, I headed out on a mild winters day to target those big winter Brown Trout.

Before I headed out for the afternoon, I made sure all my lures were organized, split rings were attached to the lures, and of course, the hooks were all sharp. This is the first tip! I also made sure I had a variety of lures in the tackle box. After organizing my tackle bag, I made sure my reel had plenty of line for long casts. I recently purchased a 7-foot, medium heavy rod, which gives me even more casting distance from shore.

After a short drive to the river, inner city, I stepped onto the banks at 11:30AM and heaved my lure out hastily. Slowly retrieving my 3.5-inch crank, I saw a fish come right to my feet but would not commit to the offering. I fired the lure back into the same zone, slowing the lure down even more, and same result, a huge brown right to my feet but no take. I repeated casting two more times with the same thing happening. I clued in and thought to myself, I need to use a lure that is suspending with lots of pausing in the retrieve. I walked several yards back up the river and changed lures, pulling out the Robertson Tackle Sunrise Samurai. This lure has a hard rattle that suspends in the water column, a 4.5-inch jerk-bait.

This change was critical and turned my day around very quickly. This is the second tip! Try different lures at different speeds to turn your day around. After changing lures and using hard cranks, followed by long pauses, letting the lure drift down the river, I put ten fish in the net from 11:30 till 3:45.

It was a fantastic afternoon fishing the banks once again. I will be back out soon as the weather warms, to put more fish in the net.

~Mike

Nov 18

That’s a Wrap on the 2024 Bow River Season

With mild temperatures running into the second week of November, and snow finally blanketing the ground today, I think its time to winterize the jet boat and close the 2024 boating season. Once again, it was an amazing year with so many great friends, and of course, epic fish. I am always sad when I must put the boat away for the winter, as I have so much fun on the river in that G3 jet boat. I know it will be several long, cold months until I get to play once again. I do get to shore fish in the winter months, but its just not the same. Any of you with boats know exactly what I mean. I will be off to Auto Marine Specialties to see Brian tomorrow to put her away for another winter hibernation.

Before the snow fell to the ground today, I was fortunate to get out spin fishing the Bow River two times last week. My dentist John, and his son Nick came out, and then Jason and the young boys got busy on the rivers finest fish. Both were amazing trips with many fantastic fish to the net. A perfect way to end another fishing season. We caught and released many big browns, as well as some plump rainbows that were looking to fatten up for the winter.

Some key locations and tactics are as follows:

  1. The fish are heading to their overwinter holes at this time of year. They need to stay in water that is over five feet deep. The river freezes completely over in this section of river, so we concentrated on these deep holes and runs in the river with great success.
  2. Speed of your retrieve plays a big part in success. As the water gets colder, the fish slow down and become lethargic. Knowing this, we slowed down our speed and let the fish catch the Robertson Tackle lures. We cast, let the lure sink down, and then make short lifts with the rod.
  3. Once we found fish, we don’t leave. I have a saying, “we don’t leave fish to find fish”. Often, there can be many in one location, especially if it’s the water type you are looking for. We went on seven drifts in one run and picked up fish every drift.
  4. Keep your options open. Sometimes fish are in transition and moving around. Do not scoff at water you think will not hold fish. Sometimes the biggest fish will be in shallow water for example, even when you think “no way Jose”. Another example would be deep choppy water when its cold. It would be a prime location in the summer, but not when its cold. That’s sometimes the case but not always. Make casts into water that others scoff at!
  5. Colors on cloudy days can be a factor. If there is minimal light penetration, use colors that are flashy. Examples would be, those lime greens, hot pinks and hot oranges. In the lower stretch of the Bow River where we were fishing, there are lots of shady runs as the banks were high, not letting the sun touch the water. The lures, such as the Robertson Tackle Bad Brown were getting smashed, as they are bright and rattle!

I hope these tips help you on your next fishing adventure. Look for the deep holes and don’t be afraid to fish water that other anglers walk past. If you are in the market for new, amazing lures that consistently catch fish, please visit my lure website at Robertson Tackle. We have created some lures that smash fish.

Thank you for reading,

~Mike