If April showers are supposed to bring May flowers, why do I see snow and not flowers?

Can we just get on with spring please and leave winter far back in the rear view mirror. But this type of weather is the norm here in Alberta where the Rocky Mountains seem to always add surprises to all seasons of the year. So NO MORE unpleasant snowy surprises please. One nice thing is due to the mild winter we have experienced here in Calgary, the river is wide open from the Western Head works Diversion Weir to MacKinnon Flats which means there is lots of wide open water and fish to be caught, so why can I not seem to catch any lately. The April fool’s joke is over already please!

According to several reports I have read, the boat launches are ice free for the most part except for MacKinnon Flats which always takes longer to thaw due to low level sunlight on the north where the boat launch is located, if you want to call it a boat launch at all. Realistically it is just a bunch of rocky shoreline that needs to be converted into a proper launching site as it sees many boats each and every season.  The boat launch sites Graves Landing (Glenmore Trail), 22X and Policeman’s flats are good to launch and dock at. That leaves the upper stretch of the river floatable now but this stretch of river will not be the most productive portion of the Bow River. The rainbows have moved downstream during this period of the year to meet up at the Highwood River junction.

The Highwood River is the major spawning tributary for the resident population of Bow River Rainbow Trout. Anglers fish this junction before the thick ice that fully blankets the Highwood River melts off and enables the Rainbows to bolt up the Highwood River and do their yearly spawn. Many of the Bow Rivers Rainbow population do spawn in the Bow River and if you do catch a trout in spawning mode it is important to keep the fish in the water at all times. Sometimes if you squeeze a spawning female to hard you will release the eggs held inside her, this is why a good rubber net is ideal to land your fish. Keep the fish inside the net in the water and gently remove the hook form the trout’s mouth. Make sure you revive the fish properly before you release it into the river.

I plan to float the Bow River this coming weekend for the first time this season, I absolutely cannot wait to get the boat into the river and unleash the lures I have amassed over the winter. I plan to take many pictures of the trip and also do a fishing report once the trip is over. I am quite sure the fishing will be productive but one never knows exactly what the fish will do! One thing is for certain, I does not really matter how many fish I catch; what matters most is its spring once again and summer is just a short turn around the corner.

Bring on plus twenty degree and sunlight till ten thirty at night!!

Letting Nature Take its Course

The destination is in the imagination, out there beside the flowing rage of H2O where below lurks the prey. A puzzle to figure out; sometimes with missing pieces and no directions to follow! You stand there bewildered with the mountains as your back drop and Golden Eagles soaring above searching. Nature in its entire splendor and glory! Memories are made here and sweet stories are told for many decades. Friendships are forged for life all for the love of trout, or any fish for that matter. For me it’s brown or silver in color and has many spots, spots and colors of red’s and purple’s, browns and yellows with red halos. Hours and hours have passed as I walk up and down the river excursing my muscles and my will to succeed. For myself, there is nothing like the connecting to a large river trout that puts up more of a fight then most MMA combatants. The heavy weight trout of the river hungry for what swims past their lie is the reason, spring, summer, fall and winter the season.

All fish aside, camp coffee and bon fires along the rocky shoreline are hard to beat. Gazing up at the stars on a clear warm night; listening to the fire crackling beside you and watching falling stars until the late hours of the evening. Telling fish stories until you’re too tired to keep your eyes open any longer. It is like the world is shut off somehow and nothing matters anymore, time seems to stand still. What is it about exploring the unknown that ignites the soul deep within us; the flame burning wild and free inside me! This summer promises all the same as the seasons that have passed; many trips on the river and new friends made. Fish brought to the boat and released back into nature where they belong. Long summer nights of sunshine and warm weather, sure wish I could fast forward the clock a few months.

Until then I shall enjoy Mother Nature’s simple pleasures, her cool winter chill and her splendid rewards taken from just outside my back yard. Whether it is with your mother, brother or significant other, please be safe out there and enjoy what nature has to offer you.

See you outside!