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 …
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 …
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 …
Fall fishing in swing and today we are joined by the best receiver in the CFL, Mr. Reggie Begelton and his teammate Mr. Tre Odoms-Dukes. As most of you know, Reggie is a seasoned angler …
Recently I have seen an increase in poaching on the Bow River while out fishing. Poaching is bad for our fisheries and can cause severe decline in fish populations rapidly. Not only is it against …
Fishing the Bow River with Michael Short of Let’s Go Outdoors.
Recently I was asked to film a YouTube segment with Michael Short. Michael is from Edmonton and has a fantastic YouTube channel that I have admired for several years now, so it was a complete honor and privilege to be asked to film with him. You can see his channel here Let’s Go Outdoors
In this short video, Michael and I discuss spin fishing a river which is mostly known for fly fishing, using a jet boat not a drift boat, how my business got started, and I share some tips and tricks along our journey south of MacKinnon Flats.
So click the play button, subscribe to his channel and Let’s Go Outdoors.
After shore fishing the month of February and doing very well with both the rainbows and browns, it was finally time to get the boat back out on the water once again. There was one slight problem however, my boat was all taken apart and in shambles. I had an accident in it last season and the boat was taking on water at an alarming pace. After weighing my options, I decided it was best to make an insurance claim in January. After waiting for the insurance company to assess the damages, the claim was finally settled, enabling me to go boat shopping. I was planning on buying a boat from the same company I originally bought from and was in the process of designing the layout, but due to shipping issues with motors, related to Covid, they were unable to supply me with a new boat!
I was looking all over Alberta for a replacement vessel, and after scanning the internet a few weeks, found a great new G3 boat at Alberta Marine in Nanton. I was fortunate to get approval on the loan, acquiring the new vessel early March. I drove down from Calgary early Saturday morning to sign the paperwork and then take her straight to the river for her maiden voyage. Huge thanks to everyone at Alberta Marine for making the sale and acquisition of the boat easy and hassle free.
I headed straight for the river after I picked the boat up, eager to break the motor in, casting for hungry fish along the journey. The window to fish during the day in February is short, so I wanted to get the boat in the water early!
After backing the new boat into the river at Policemans Flats, I headed downriver to put her newfound skills to the test on the boat. Sometimes its tricky to get used to casting from a boat as your target is moving, unlike when you are casting from shore. After rounding the bend several kilometers downstream, I found ideal water which was slow and deep. By this time in the trip, my casting was far and accurate. I made copious casts into the deep, slow side of the river, finally connecting with my very first fish.
I had an amazing first day out on the water and look forward to many more trips out on the new jet boat !!
With the great weather we been having here, my girlfriend and I have been out fishing the Bow River every weekend. She is new to the sport, so we went and outfitted her with high quality gear, making every adventure memorable and fun. We purchased a Fenwick HMX series rod and paired it with a Pflueger XT 6940 spinning reel. After we arrived back at my place, I showed her how to spool the reel effectively utilizing my Berkley line spooler. The line I prefer to use is Berkley XT, low vis green monofilament!
We awoke the next morning heading out a familiar spot along the banks of the Bow River to cover the basics such as, how to properly hold the rod, casting techniques to maximize distance, retrieval speeds and characteristics of the lures we chose to use.
She was a quick study and mastered the basics swiftly and properly. We made many casts and walked the banks in fantastic weather. Even though we were not able to latch into any hungry fish, we both had a wonderful day learning and laughing.
I cannot wait until the boat launch is ready to go, so we can get the boat out and enjoy the river from the jet boat. I am sure she will land her first fish soon, but we are both happy to be able to get out, get some exercise and cast to awaiting fish from the banks of the Bow River.
This past week I had the pleasure of joining Michael Short of Let’s Go Outdoors, for a short little video, winter fishing the Bow River. I have always admired Michael’s work and was honored and humbled he asked me to join him on his show.
As you can see in the video, the fishing conditions were less than ideal, however it was still fun to get out there and make a few casts. Please have a look at the footage as I share a few tips and tactics for winter fishing the Bow River.
Huge thanks to Michael for having me on his wonderful show.
