Hot days and cool fish
It’s hard to believe that we are experiencing this kind of weather here in Calgary, Alberta. Temperatures have sored here in the high twenties, with some days making it over thirty degree mark. One would think its mid-July, not the end of August. The old saying, “The early bird gets the worm” surly applies to fishing in these kinds of conditions. I have been meeting my clients very early in the mornings to escape the scorching heat of mid-day. The prime time to fish the river has been first light, 6 AM until high noon, as after lunch when it gets too hot, the fish go deep and turn off the feed. You can still get fish to feed deep with a spinner or deep diving lure, but most often than not they will stay tight lipped! I keep doing my sacred rain dance, but so far the fish Gods have not granted any rain.
We have been catching some amazing fish despite challenging conditions in the month of August. The hot lures have been the Live Target smelt, the Rapala BX Jointed Minnow, the Rapala Countdown series (dives deep for hot day’s), the amazing Panther Martin spinners (again work well bottom bouncing on hot days) the Rapala Shadow Rap Shad (for shallow water conditions) and finally the Live Target Trout Parr. With water levels this low, it is VERY important to use the proper hook for the depth of the water to avoid bottom snags and loss of gear. It is also very important to fish the right times of the day. Like I stated earlier, early mornings or late in the evenings will be optimum times of the day, even fishing into dark with the use of a headlight to navigate the bank safely. I have seen many Facebook posts lately of anglers who have caught GIANT rainbows and big browns in total darkness.
I am positive the weather will cool down soon which will lead to a better fishing experience when temps drop to normal. The water was like a bath tub for a few weeks there, which is incredibly stressful on our wild rainbows. Those browns are hardy and can handle the hotter temperatures a little better than the rainbows can. Lucky we are experiencing cooler evenings so the water has a chance to at least cool down somewhat at night. That is great news for the hard core angler and weekend warrior alike.
Special thanks go out to my clients, who graced the Explorer Industry jet boat this August, I am always grateful that I get to be your “personal Fishing guide”. I always enjoy the laughs we share, the stories we tell and the BIG fish we are blessed to catch and release. Without you, my dream would have never became a reality! So for each and every one of you who continue to choose me as your guide, I say a HUGE Thank you!
Sharp hooks and tight lines friends.
