Nov 27

The decline of the Bow River Basin

This week I was interviewed by Michael Short of Let’s Go Outdoors regarding the latest article in the Conservation magazine, which is a publication of the Alberta Conservation association, written by Paul Christensen and Dr Michael Sullivan. We discuss the decline in the rainbow trout population in the Bow River and some possible solutions going forward. There have been several AEP meetings held this past month, where both the biologists, and the river stakeholders (users) are included in the Zoom meetings. Here, we all discuss possible solutions to an ever-increasing problem on the Bow River, which is more angling pressure and a decreasing rainbow trout population.

Several ideas and possible solutions have come out of these important discussions this far, which will hopefully be positive for the Bow River trout populations going forward. The Bow River plays a huge role in tourism, and generates income for guides, hotels, car rental companies and restaurants. Seeing the Bow River collapse would have a massive impact on all these businesses!

Without pointing fingers, as I was taught, when you point your finger at someone or something, there are three pointing back at me! When I am on the river either fishing or guiding, I see fish caught and played out far, far to long. On several occasions, I have pulled off the river for lunch. While getting the lunch from the cooler, I see a boat across the river catch a fish. I pass the lunch to my clients and have a sandwich myself. During the time it takes us to eat lunch and have a drink, the fish the person across the river caught still has not been landed. We are talking ten to fifteen minutes that fish has been played on the hook. In my opinion that is far too long for a fish to be caught, landed then released. This is happening all day, everyday in the peak months of spring, summer and fall. If you have been fishing for any length of time, you know this puts major stress on any fish caught. Biologists and experienced anglers alike will tell you this leads to high mortality rates and is harmful to any trout species. In the peak months of fishing, which we know are July and August, there is normally thirty to fifty boats on the water from Policeman’s flats to the Carseland Weir daily. I will leave it up to you to do the math.

According to many articles published online, good catch and release begins with playing the fish well. Here is a snippet of some best practices I found online through a simple Google search.

“The key to proper catch and release is playing the fish quickly and safely. The longer you play a fish, the more lactic acid is built up in their system and the more they struggle to recover. Playing the fish for over 2 minutes, is generally a bad idea. Trout don’t recover as quickly making them susceptible to suffocation or being eaten by other trout or birds of prey. Play the fish quickly by keeping side pressure on the trout to bring it to the net quickly. Side pressure is turning the tip of your rod to the left or right of the fish to turn its head back towards you. You’ll be amazed how doing this can bring the fish in quicker and with heavier tippet and leader, you can bring them in quickly (under 2 minutes max) for a safe release. *Note the author of the article says under two minutes. That’s a big difference from the ten to fifteen minutes I see happening often!

LAND FISH QUICKLY USING HEAVIER TIPPET
Fish don’t care as much as you think when they see the line. Often you don’t need 5x and 6x or even 7x tippet. You can be just as successful with 2x to 4x. Fishing with heavier leader will allow you to land the fish quicker and keep you from wearing out the fish beyond what it can recover as mentioned above.”

Obviously, there are several other contributing factors as to why the fishery is in a steady decline, as discussed in the zoom meetings, but I never heard this mentioned as a factor. I feel its important to mention. I am by no means perfect, and have made mistakes in the past, but I am continually learning and trying to better myself and educate my clients and friends along our journey. Will I make mistakes again, absolutely I will! As I mentioned in the video with Michael, I am continually asking myself “How can I do my part” to make less of a negative impact on the river as possible. However, wherever I can help in a positive, constructive way, I shall!

~Mike

Oct 14

Rocktober and sportfishing the Bow River

With fall fishing in full affect, the angling on the Bow River has been great this month. October is normally a great month to fish as the trout are munching down, putting on weight before winter sets in. I have noticed the fish are moving out of shallower water or current and settling into their over-wintering holes. It’s important to take note of this if you want to put fish in your net. Remember, the fish are not always in the same locations in all four seasons of the year! Learning the patterns of the quarry you intend to catch always gives you the upper hand and normally translates into a good day on the water.

The second part of the puzzle is figuring out the lures to use and the speed of presentation for the water temperatures. A key point to note here is, as the water temperatures lower, the fish also slow down. Adding a pause, and or several pauses to your retrieve speed, will most often let the fish catch up to your hook and smash it. Lately on our last several trips, I have been using an old lure called a minnow spinner. I can cast it into places where even a shallow diving lure cannot go.

Getting creative on the water and using lures the fish have not seen before can increase your odds. Using colors that are different and unique will most often find you fish. As an angler and guide, I am not afraid to try new things, whether it be colors of lures or size of lures to find success and catch fish.

Trying new ideas or things on the water can increase your catch rate and help you become a more well-rounded angler. I encourage you to try different colors, sizes of lures or even new water to find success and happiness while enjoying the splendors of nature and our beautiful province of Alberta.

~Mike

Sep 26

Sizzlin September trout fishing the Bow River

As the water temperatures cooled down this month, the bite was hot, and many great trout were put into the net. After the record temperatures we had here in Alberta, it was great to see the water temps return to normal levels, giving the fish suitable habitat conditions.

The weather was fantastic, and I spent many days on the Bow River with guests and friends alike. My dear friend Rob from Edmonton came down to fish the river with me. It was such a great day with tons of laughs and great fish into the boat. Rob is such a great angler and all-around great man, so it’s a true honor to watch him work and pick apart the river! We spent the day laughing and joking and telling many stories along our journey below McKinnon Flats.

Rob is the assistant manager at The Fishin’ Hole South Edmonton and possesses an abundance of knowledge on many of Alberta’s sport fish. For those of you in Edmonton. I highly recommend Rob and the Fishin’ Hole for all your gear and tackle needs.

Big thanks for coming down to Calgary to see me and fish with me Rob. I cherish our time together and the friendship we have built over the years.

~Mike

Aug 25

Paying attention in class

Why paying close attention on the water will get more fish in the net.

For those that want to increase your catch ratio and put more fish in the basket, paying attention to details while on the river will get you more fish. Often, I see a friend or client going to make a cast with weeds on the hook, or the line caught in the hook. They get ready to make their next cast and I stop them abruptly telling them “Hey, you might want to get those weeds off your hook, or the line off the hook”. Making a cast with these issues is a total waste of energy and time! Paying attention while on the water is vital for those anglers that take their fishing, and their time on the water very seriously.

Let’s face it, most of us are there to have fun but the point when you’re a serious angler, is to catch fish. When your hook is not tuned properly, swimming sideways on every cast, you are probably not going to get that net wet often. Paying attention to the small details will make your time on the water more enjoyable and more productive. Some of the things I pay close attention to are as follows.

Rising Fish.

Seeing fish rise means a few things to me. One, there are fish in the area and two, those fish are actively feeding. I am constantly scanning the water to watch for rising fish. Once I see those fish rising, I will cast my offering onto the same side of the river the fish are actively feeding, and many times get rewarded with a fish. If I do not see any fish rising, I can either leave the area or chose to use a lure that will dive deeper into the water column and pick up fish that way. Remember, when it gets to hot the fish will not budge off the bottom, so using a deeper diving crank bait will put fish in the boat. I always have two rods rigged up, one with a shallow diving crank bait and one with a deep diving crank bait. Once I figure out what side of the river the fish are on, I pay close attention to what kind of water they are holding, and or feeding in. Is the water deep and slow, or is the water deeper and bumpy with flow or without flow, etc. Looking for this when fishing a river will help you dial in what kind of water the fish are holding in that day. As the day progresses, you will most likely find fish in the same type of water along the journey downstream.

Is your lure working properly?

It’s important to make sure your lure is swimming effectively right out of the boat launch, from the very first cast. I have opened the package on a brand-new lure, and it has not worked properly right out of the box. If this is the case, you can tune the lure with a pair of needle nose pliers. Upon inspecting the lure, you will see that the wire loop on the nose of the hook will be bent to one side of the lure or the other. Taking your needle nose pliers, and gently bending the wire loop one way or the other, will bring the hook back into balance, making it swim proper and true. Notice how this lure is bent in the image below.

I would take my pliers and gently bend the wire to the left of the hook, making it as straight as possible. After I tune the lure, I will make a cast to make sure the lure is running straight and true. I can adjust as necessary, until the hook is in balance. If the hook does still not work as it should, I will place it back into the package and use another hook. Make sure you keep your receipts from the tackle store in case you need to return a lure back to the store!

Colors of the lure!

Some days the color of the lure plays an important factor in success. The fish will key into one color and smash it all day long. On clear water days I like to use natural color patterns such as silvers, golds, rainbow trout or brown trout color patterns. On murky water days, or stained water conditions, I will throw hot color patterns such as hemi-oranges, pinks, pure white’s or lime green colors. I pay close attention to what the fish are feeding on in terms of colors. That will lead more fish to your lures and put more fish into your net. The size of the lure and the action of the lure are also important to note here. Paying close attention to all these things listed here will increase your odds every time you fish.

Are your hooks sharp?


Often, I will catch fish and for some reason, they keep getting away. A dull hook or a bent hook will most likely be the cause. I always keep spare hooks in my backpack for this reason. Its common, especially when you fish as much as I do, that after many fish caught and released, the hooks on the lure will get dull. I can either use a hook sharpener or simply replace the hook that has gone dull. It’s important to me, particularly when I am guiding, that all hooks are sharp and will do their job properly.

All these tips will help you focus on catching more fish. It is important to pay attention while on the water so you can be more productive and ultimately put more fish in the net. I hope this article helps you in some way, shape or form. So remember, PAY ATTENTION!

Cheers,

~Mike