Apr 24

The Bow River’s 2012 Maiden Voyage

Bow River Trout Fishing April 2012

The Saturn Raft drifts again!

With warm weather upon us now and the sweet smells of spring that fill the air, what a perfect way to spend a day out trout fishing the Bow River. Pat and his son Steve were the first clients of this 2012 fishing season. We met at the coffee shop where a tall triple-triple was in order. It usually takes me a few of those to shake the cob webs off and feel like a normal human being! We slammed the coffee down the hatch and piled into my car with boat in tow. Another Friday in paradise was about to begin. Do I ever enjoy when my boat becomes my office for the day, beats sweating in that paint booth!

I was watching the Bow River Shuttle Blog for their boat launch reports all last week, my hopes were to float from Policeman’s Flats to MacKinnon Flats. Down at MacKinnon Flats there is ice build-up every year, heavy ice that piles up to 10 feet in height. This ice takes a long time to melt and usually disables boaters from floating here until May and even until June depending on the winter. I was delighted to see from the boat launch report that MacKinnon Flats was accessible with a channel of rock open to back a vehicle down to the river’s edge. Police to Mac it is then. Continue reading

Apr 16

Friends, Fun and Fishing!

 Rapala Classic Trout fishing rods

And not necessarily in that order!

Fishing is a sport that spreads out worldwide and joins people together that might not connect otherwise. I meet new fishing friends on Twitter, Facebook and the likes daily. I also meet them at the river and local fishing shows I attend yearly. I make a point of talking with as many as I can when at these shows. I chat with the people who attend; the guide’s in the booths and the rep’s who display products. As most of you know I am a Rapala freak, so I always stop in to see the new products from Rapala. This past year was no exception to my yearly ritual. I made a point of asking some questions I needed answered this year and conversed with Steve Gower. I introduced myself and gave Steve my business card stating I was a fishing guide on the Bow River and use Rapala’s by the boat load. Steve shook my hand and was happy to answer my questions I had for him. We chatted for at least fifteen minutes and when we were finishing up, I offered Steve a fishing trip with me this year on the Bow River. He was kind enough to accept and gave me his card to keep in touch. And so a new friend was born, right then and there on the floor of the boat and sportsman show.

Steve had asked me to come up to his home another day so we could chat further and I gladly accepted. I E-mailed him shortly after the show to stay in touch, and he was kind enough to reply. I thanked him for the two hats he gave me at the show and proudly displayed both of them on my head. A month passed and it was time for the spring classic at Bass Pro in Balzac, where I ran into Steve again. We chatted again for a good twenty minutes, must be a fishing thing! It was time for me to go but I wanted to walk the isles and scan the shelves while there, a fisherman like me can never have too much tackle. I glanced to my left and saw a man standing who looked very familiar to me. I turned and said, “Hey is your name Cory”. He replied yes and I stated my name. Another fishing freak form my past was standing next to me. I have not physically seen Cory since high school. Cory is on the Alberta Walleye fishing trail and targets big eyes’ to win cash and prizes. He offered me a trip in his new boat this spring and I gladly accepted. This summer is shaping up to be a very busy fishing season.

I called Steve and went to his home where he gladly offered me some products to try and keep. A new Rapala Trout series fishing rod, a handful of fishing lures, a Luhr Jensen hat that is very rare, a line stripper to peel all that old line off my reels with, and two full spools of fishing line to try out. Once I left Steve’s home I felt like I died and went to fishing heaven. Steve had asked me to try the rod and the line and write a feature here on my Blog for others to read. He asked me to be honest and provide feedback to you the reader. I will gladly attach a spinning reel to the rod, spool up the new Rapala fluorocarbon line and make several hundred casts.

I would like to thank Steve for his kind generosity! Please check back for a review of the new Rapala products I will be testing very soon. I am sure they are going to work like a charm; after all it says Rapala on it! I continue to make friends in the fishing world daily, so don’t be shy and leave me a comment here or join me on Twitter @bowriverblog or come by the Facebook page at Bow River Blog guided fishing tours page and say hello.

Apr 02

A Friendly Bow River Fishing Trip

 

Fishing the bow river for large trout.

A Friendly Adventure

Spring is upon us now; winter never really had its firm grip on us to begin with. Mild weather combined with minimal snow has brought spring ahead of its normal schedule. Mother Nature has been kind to us here in Calgary, Alberta which is a warm blessing to the fishing conditions. Tom, my friend since we were five, had discussed a day on the river and yesterday was the perfect day to hike and fish. Warm weather combined with two old friends is always the perfect recipe for success. Tom met me in the south end of the city where I loaded my gear into his truck and off we went, two friends with one mission. A short drive on paved clean roads and it was not long until we arrived, excited and happy to be close to the river once more. Continue reading

Mar 31

Trollin’ On A River

Easy Troller From Savvy Boater.

The EasyTroller Trolling Plate

Whoa, slow down. Haven’t you heard? Speed kills, baby, speed kills. Especially when you’re out on the water trolling for fish.

Too much of the old mph and your chances of attracting and landing that prize salmon, trout or walleye are well, sunk. When trolling, bait or lures are drawn through the water behind a moving boat. But that boat needs to be moving pretty slooowww. Engines larger than 30hp can’t slow down enough to troll baits at much less than two miles per hour. Depending on what you’re fishing for, and at what depth, productive fish-catching often requires trolling speeds below that (sometimes as low as .8 mph!).

So, what are your options for reining things in and maintaining an optimal trolling speed? Well, you could pony up for an expensive trolling motor, or you could opt for a trolling plate, like the EasyTroller from Savvyboater.com. Trolling plates work by diverting some of the propeller’s thrust when lowered, allowing anglers to reach reduced speeds of one mile an hour or less, while maintaining steering control.

The EasyTroller mounts directly to the cavitation plate of your motor, a few inches behind the propeller (hardware included). The EasyTroller’s spring loaded design allows you to raise and lower the plate with a handy drawstring. Springs drop the plate to the down position and lock it into place, allowing you to slow your boat to under one mile an hour! When it’s time to head back in, simply pull the drawstring to unlock the plate and throttle up. The prop thrust pushes the plate back into the up position, where it locks. How easy is that!  And with it’s split in the middle design, should you forget to pull the plate up when you throttle, the springs will pop before the plate is bent. Under power, prop thrust can bend or damage the typical trolling plate.

So does it work? Just  ask salmon, trout and walleye fisherman Greg Sprague.

“This thing is built like a tank when compared to the competition,” Greg said.” It is easy to install, fool proof, and operates like a gem. I know it will get the job done where other plates have failed.”

Manufactured in the U.S.A., the EasyTroller is constructed out of marine grade anodized aluminum and stainless steel and comes with a one year manufacturer’s warranty. It’s offered in two sizes, short, for 30hp-45hp motors and standard, for50hp-300hp motors. Plus, the EasyTroller is available with optional hydrofoil fins for improved performance and fuel efficiency, giving you the benefits of both a hydrofoil and a trolling plate! The daily double!

 

The EastyTroller flexes to divert the prop thrust downward, preventing damage to the plate so slow down. Take it easy and relax. Let those big ones catch up to you. If you’re looking for an affordable, convenient and efficient way to troll, check out the EasyTroller trolling plate.

Lee Hammerschmidt is an outdoors blogger for Savvyboater.com, which sells boat seats, boat covers, boat fenders and buoys, and other boating supplies.

Check out other blog posts at http://blog.savvyboater.com.