After weeks of dirty water, and advisories to stay away from the river banks, the Bow River has finally cleaned up and is ready to fish. Charlene, my wife and I headed out from McKinnon …
Another fantastic fishing trip up in Kananaskis Country with my good friend Mr Reggie Begelton. We left Calgary early, on a cold rainy morning in search of the lakes finest specimens. The weather was cold …
This past weekend we headed out with Grey Cup champion Shawn Bane Jr, and his lovely fiance Michelle, to fish the Bow River. We launched from McKinnon Flats in search of the rivers finest Brown …
March 2006 – March 2026 20 years of Blogging I think I have came a long way since those first days of chicken-pecking my way through 200 word articles. I have learned much and have …
It’s a new year but the same old Bow River trout still need love. My lovely girlfriend and I headed out this past weekend to take advantage of the wonderful weather we have experienced here …
It has been a seriously busy year for me guiding the Lower Bow River this year! I have been booked solid with trips every single weekend. It has been both an honor and a pleasure to meet so many fishermen and women. Quite frankly I have been exhausted and needed a break to recharge my batteries and perhaps catch a few fish of my own. After witnessing so many fish come aboard the boat, I needed to hook up and land one of those fish for myself. I love watching others catch fish don’t get me wrong; but catching your own fish is always a good feeling. The line screaming rush of a 20 plus inch brown is very hard to beat. Continue reading
When I stop to ponder, I think of people who have helped me along the way, people who have lifted me up when times were tough, people who encouraged me to move forward, people who have offered me great sane advice, often times for free asking nothing in return. Those people I owe this Blog to, folks like you who come to read and escape that office cubicle, the mall when your wife shops too much; your basement on a cold winters day, you are the reason I continue to tap the keys as often as my busy lifestyle allows me. I have been blessed to meet so many of you, either on the water fishing beside you. On the shoreline while I pass you on the way up to catch the day’s prize, or on the internet when you stop by the Blog and say hello. Some folks I meet and never see or hear from again, but for the most part, you are friends I make for a lifetime.
I was once a young man with a dream, a dream to be a fishing guide. Not just a good fishing guide, a great fishing guide. I read many books and watched copious amounts of videos to hone my skills as a master of the trout species. I wanted to be like Luke Skywalker and use the force on those elusive trout’s, but I have dropped that fantasy for reality and put my thinking into ac-tion. If you do not take action, the fish will never jump into your boat, NEVER!
I made the same rookie mistakes as we all do in the beginning, buying the wrong kinds of lures, improper fish handling techniques, fishing unproductive water, fishing unproductive water too long and spending too much money on fishing tackle that just never worked; if you call that a mistake? You must start somewhere; and I started out a rookie. In the early days, the only thing that mattered to me was the fish, and how I was going to catch them. Most times I would return home scratching my head wondering why I never even had a bite, let alone a fish landed on the shoreline. I did everything they said to do and still nada. Luckily I am stubborn and never gave up hope that I would one day catch those shy fish. I would then meet some experienced co-workers who had done their homework like I had done, but found success catching and not just casting. I would ask them if I could tag along with them to learn their secrets to success. Soon after I had landed my first fish from the river I swore never had any! I was hooked, line and sinker! That first fish was to become my passion, my joy, my escape from the masses of human life and into the great outdoors.
My fishing adventures have taken me to numerous lakes in Alberta. Lakes such as McGregor Lake, Newell Lake, Chester Lake, Crawling Valley Reservoir, Maligne Lake and many others. However I always love the thrill and challenge of fishing rivers, small or large. There is just something about a river I cannot get enough of. A river is always changing, from water level’s to structure; one year that gravel bar is there and the next it’s gone. I have fished many amazing rivers in Alberta including the Highwood River, Sheep River, Oldman River, The Castle River, The Crowsnest River, The Elbow River and of course the mighty Bow River. The places I have traveled are secluded and tranquil, beautiful and pure. Nature in its entire splendor! Water so clean you can drink it right from the stream. Places the heart cannot forget, places that draw you back year after year to fish and camp.
Each and every season I fish the rivers and streams I continue to learn new tactics. Just when I think I have seen it all, the river hands over more of her best kept secrets. This season has been a busy one with many guided fishing trips already completed and more to come. I have met so many fantastic people this summer, people I hope to see each and every year. I will be back out this weekend guiding the Bow River looking for more trophy trout. Here is hoping your fishing season has been as blessed as mine has. To my clients I have had the honor to meet this year, THANK YOU for making my dreams come true! If you are looking for a Canada fishing guide for 2013, please use the contact form on the Blog and I will be happy to serve you next season.
Quite often I field questions via my Blog in regards to fishing the Bow River. I admit openly I am not the guru of the Bow River nor do I know all of her secrets; I still have much to learn about her ever changing moods and seasons. I do however enjoy answering to the best of my knowledge questions anglers have regarding the Bow River. Some people move to the city and want to tap into the resources the mighty Bow has to offer. Some have never fished trout, let alone an intimidating river the size and speed of this river. Last week I received an e-mail come in through my contact form. John and his wife were looking for more info on where and when to fish the river. John has already found some success fishing the river but was searching to improve his success rate. Here is his message.
“Hi Mike, Great story, I enjoy the peace and quiet on the river early in the mornings. My wife and I have started trout fishing this year and are hooked. We have been fishing Glenmore, Deerfoot Bridge and MacKinnon Flats with great success, Big Rainbows and huge Brown’s. We have tried 130 Avenue and no luck at all! Can you suggest some other good spots on the lower Bow that are great and not too many people? Also is the fishing good all day or just mornings and evenings? We are new to this and enjoy the tips we read on your blog.
Thanks,
John and Joyce”.
I replied to John’s message and offered him a few more places to try his skills out. Sometimes I hear back from people and sometimes I do not. I was very grateful to hear feedback from John about his new adventures fishing new locations on the banks of the Bow River. I finished guiding the river yesterday and was pleased to see another e-mail from John. “Mike, fished this morning, we parked under the bridge at Anderson and Bow Bottom. We hiked downstream into Diamond Cove and down that nasty hill. The hike was not good on my back as I am having treatment on it all week for a sciatic nerve I wrecked last weekend fishing. We fished from 7- 10 AM and didn’t get a thing! We hiked back out to the bridge where the truck was parked. I said to my wife, I’m going cast a few under the bridge before we pack it in; the second cast this monster brown hit it. I was using a Rapala countdown rainbow #7. Good fight bringing it in and snapped a few pictures of this beautiful species of trout. I got it back in the water safe and it took off to fight another day. The tips you gave me on the Blog brought us to the spot and we can’t thank you enough, we are going to try the dog park tomorrow but think we might be back under the bridge. Thanks Mike”.
Judging by the size of this fish, I have a really good feeling that John and his wife will be back many more days to fish this wonderful resource we have right outside our backdoors. Thanks so much for your e-mail on Saturday, looking at the picture of that beast brown trout, I hit a massive pothole and almost lost the front left tire of my vehicle.
It has been said that the finer things in life are free.
With summer sounds upon us and bliss in full swing, what better way to spend time beside a soft flowing stream. Sitting and watching the stars under clear skies in the thick cover of blackness, no city lights to be seen for miles. As smoke from the fire billows upward to the heavens, the sounds of coyote’s and crickets captivate your ear drums. Trout splashing playfully in the pool that team’s with life. Since I was a child, I always wanted to be outdoors in the wild. Now with offspring of my own, I can pass that boyhood passion down to my daughter. The original PlayStation was ropes hanging from a thick tree beside the river bank or a small tributary creek of the main channel where we would watch minnows and pounce like a cat, trying our best to catch one. A pond close by our house where the sounds of frogs could be heard through the front window left open. When I was young we played outside for hours with most of the summer holidays near, or in water. Perhaps this is why I am drawn to its shimmering glow.
Fin’s and skins was the game, one day a slice and the next a hook, hooked jaw browns taken from gin clear streams of the Rocky Mountains. Now I fish and camp as I did a minor, still following that hooked jawed brown that escaped my grasp long ago. I lay in bed at night thinking of him, why did I not net him to see his entire splendor. Some fish you land and some fish get away without a touch, haunting me until we meet again some other day. If fishing were just catching, I believe I would have lost my rod and perhaps the passion long time ago. What keeps me coming back for more is the one’s that escape me, some I see and some never surface, they just pull and pull without catching a glimpse. You know they are massive but they are shy, and don’t want human interaction.
My juvenile dreams come to life each and every time I step into my boat or along the bank. Whether I catch or not, that shimmering light refracting off the surface draws me in recurrently. Life is short and the most treasurable commodity we have is time, after all we cannot get it back! I make the most of my time with my friends, my family and my fish. Some fish have seen me before and some have yet to feel my touch. So I return year after year to reconnect with them and the sweet smells of pine and poplar. Fishing is a little different than most other sports, once you have all the gear it is relatively inexpensive, a little gas in the vehicle and off you go on another adventure.
If you look at the above picture, you will see my shadow. The day turns to night as the water rushes bye, gently softly it flows. The fish move in and out of its course wanting me to return again another day. As the sun dips below the horizon, I slip away begrudgingly. What keeps you coming back? Is it the fish or perhaps just the serene settings of nature? Leave a comment and let us why you love the outdoors.
