Jun 30

Take Me Back To Paradise

Lower Kananaskis Lake in all it's splendor

Where will YOUR paradise be this long weekend?

Paradise can be somewhere special in your heart, that special place you used to go with your family! It can be somewhere you return year after year. Paradise can be somewhere you have seen a picture of and it just begs you to go there. Paradise could be somewhere a friend has told you about that just call’s your name for some reason or another, a reason only to be discovered once you arrive. This Canada day where will your paradise be? Above is a picture of what my paradise looks like. I snapped this picture just after we launched the boat and drove north up the Lower Kananaskis Lake in search of our paradise.

With the Bow river in its current state of dirty fast water that is unfishable, my paradise will be the Lower Kananaskis Lake this Canada day long weekend. I have not graced the shoreline there since last year when a friend and I fished all day. Many large fat Bull Trout were landed and released for us to return this year. Well this year has arrived and I am gathering my fishing goodies tomorrow for a day at the lake come Monday. This winter was one where I was approached by many fishing tackle manufactures to endorse their products, some of which I gladly accepted and some I had to turn away. With the river all blown out I have not even got a chance to fish with these new weapons! That is all going to change come Monday morning where I will be at the lake when the sun rises over the mountain tops and shimmers onto the mountain fed aqua. If you get there early enough you can hear the birds chirping and watch the Richardson Ground Squirrels running about near the boat launch picnic tables looking for left overs that have dropped off the table.  Once you look out into the lake at this time of the new day, you will see the fish rising out of the water to sip flies and grab minnows that they school into the shoreline to attack and feed on. Many of the larger fish will feed at this time, so the early bird will get a shot at some bigger specimens at dawn.

Many people love to camp and find their paradise in a park or remote campsite. I saw many trailers and boats hooked up to trucks yesterday making their way to their own little slice of paradise. There is nothing like a crackling fire after dark and camp coffee percolated fresh in the morning to remind you that no matter where you are, that little slice of heaven is not far away!  In Alberta with the mountains so close, many folks camp there and breathe in the fresh pine air to leave the stresses of big city living behind even for a few days. There is just something about looking at the stars late at night in pitch blackness while the smoke from that
campfire rises up.

This weekend where will you find paradise? Will it be in the mountains camping with friends, will it be beside or on a lake somewhere alone casting for Trophy trout, Walleye, Pike or will it be somewhere else? Please leave a comment and let us know what your definition of paradise looks like for you!

Jun 06

How To Fish An Unfamiliar River or Stream!

The sun goes down on another Bow River evening

Maximizing your time on a new river

Back before the times of the internet, fishermen went out in search of that illusive trout their dads or grandfathers told stories about over Sunday dinner. Walter of the river was always much bigger and meaner each and every year. It seemed like the more wine they drank, the lager that fabled fish would turn into. Dad would get up Saturday morning and reach for the shovel, then walk to the back yard into mom’s flower garden and proceed to dig up a whole jar of worms. He would do this before mom got out of bed in the morning, presumably so mom would not find out and read him the riot act. Then we would drive to the river and throw out the worms on a hook and hope for the best, more often than not we would come back empty handed with nothing but dirt and worm guts on our hands. Sometimes we would switch the worms out for that old Len Thompson red and white spoon and heave that out there for an hour. Don’t get me wrong, those old Len Thompson spoons work if you know where to look for fish or you are familiar with your local river. What happens when you don’t know the river you intend to fish, how do you increase your chances of hooking up?

With the advancements in technology, namely the internet, we do not even need to leave the comforts of our own homes to retrieve the information on the river or stream we are looking to fish. Back in the old days, fishermen went to the local tackle shops for information regarding the current river situation; or they would just have to go through many months of personal trial and error to actually catch one fish. That is what is referred to as “the good old days”. There was no internet and the advancements in fishing tackle are not even close to what they are now, but they were the good old days for sure. Now days, we can save the time and effort and search the internet for information. Usually there is great information readily available on forums, Blogs or local websites that speak about the river intended to fish. Most often you can pull up info on what lures or flies are working that month or day, how other fisherman are faring, and what areas of the river they are fishing. With most fishing, each and every day is a new adventure, and one really never knows what’s going to happen unless the lure is in the water. As my good friend always reminds me, “you can’t catch them if you do not cast”. But where to cast and what to do when fishing new water? Continue reading

May 24

May Long Weekend Bow River Fishing Adventure

Canadian Broadcast Corporation Films Bow River Episode

Girls Just Wanna’ Have Fun

The clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped rapidly Friday night. As I was down checking water conditions I could see my breath as I stood along the river bank looking upriver at the weather front coming in over the N.E. end of Calgary. The wind was bending the tall weeds that line the banks of the river, still brown from winters chill. I opened my smart phone and checked the weather conditions for Saturday, said high of 4 degrees at 9:00AM and then gradually warming for the rest of the day. At least it never said -5 with snow! As we Albertans know, May long weekends are known for unpleasant weather and often that S word. Homeward I returned to dig out the hoodie and some long sleeve shirts, boy am I ever glad I wore several layers on Saturday morning.

I was contacted by Evelyne Asselin of CBC Canada a month ago in regards to a show she need to film. The show’s focus was on fish consumption in a metropolitan.  Evelyne’s request stated “CBC’s French network is doing a series about food in Alberta and we would like to do something on fishing in the Bow River”. Evelyne wanted to fish the Bow River and keep a few fish to eat as part of her television episode. So off onto the Bow River we went under overcast skies and mild temperatures. We met at the coffee shop and then onward to the boat launch at Graves Landing under the Glenmore Trail Bridge. We unpacked the gear from Evelyne’s truck and loaded the camera and tripod into the boat along with several bags of gear. I then tied up the hooks onto two rods and loaded the fishing gear up into the boat then off we went drifting peacefully on the river. After a few short minutes of floating, Evelyne started rolling footage with the backdrop of downtown Calgary seen from the middle of the river. I rowed the craft into the far bank where we cracked open the rods and heaved minnow imitations into the bank. Jinny had on a Rapala and Marie-pier was bottom bouncing a Panther Martin. Continue reading

May 06

The Annual Bow River Clean Up 2012

Clean up of the Bow River Calgary, Alberta

Bow River Clean-up A Success

I was out wandering the banks of the Bow River today checking on the water clarity. What a nice day it was to stroll along the banks and take in the rays of sunshine. I had my camera with me and was taking pictures of the river when I spotted several people picking up garbage along the river bank. I would have been one of those volunteers if I would have known about the river clean up before today. It amazes me on just how much rubbish gets tossed out of car windows and onto the streets, then ends up in our river systems as a result. Why can’t we take the time to throw our trash into the garbage at home or into a garbage can when we are out and about?

I stopped a lady beside the river and asked if I could take her picture of her and her team cleaning up all the trash along the river today, she kindly said yes so I snapped a few pictures. In 2011, almost 10,000 pounds of garbage was collected – including five bikes, six tires and three shopping carts! I am curious what volunteers will pull out of our water ways this season. From what I saw in one small little area of the river bank, it should possibly be more trash collected this year than last.

The Pathway and River Cleanup is hosted by The City of Calgary Parks and is sponsored by Tim Horton’s, Stantec, Encana, Calgary Area Outdoor Council, Waste Management, Matrix Solutions Inc. and the Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation. Other City of Calgary supporters include Community Neighborhood Services, Animal and Bylaw Services, the Calgary Fire Department, Waste and Recycling Services, Water Services and the Calgary Police Service.

If we all do our part and throw our garbage into is rightful location, namely the garbage can, Calgary’s water ways will thrive for many generations to come. Its resident population of trout will survive and tourists will flock to our clean city by the droves. I ask each of you to do your part and keep our river clean and free of rubbish! Use the trash cans provided for us by the city if we walk along the Bow River pathways. Don’t toss trash out of your car window, keep it in a bag in your vehicle until you arrive home and then discard it when you get home. Our trout population thanks you in advance for your cooperation.