Trout Fishing Stories

A-brown-trout-falls-for-a-minnow 
Don’t Just Rise. Shine.

As the winter air has started to warm and the smell of spring has entered the crisp morning air, I find myself getting up a little earlier than usual. I have never been much of an early riser but when spring comes around I find I get out of bed a little sooner than on those cold winter mornings. I awoke to a clear clean view of the beautiful Rocky Mountains as I passed over the bridge towards the rivers edge. The calendar says the first day of spring is the third week of March and daylight savings time begins this Saturday evening. Spring ahead as we say here. This means we will receive an hours more daylight in the evening hours and it will still be dark in the morning. Suits me just fine as a fisherman!

As this time change occurs here it signifies a change in the fishing patterns. When I would normally catch a handful at three o’clock now means I will need to set this time back an hour as the trout will feed an hour later. I have seen this new pattern already happening on the Bow River since the first week of March. This rule is by no means set in stone as you will need to watch your own clock and see when the prime feeding times are happening. As I hook and release my fish I always look at my watch to see when the fish come alive and feed. I believe it makes me a better fisherman and I usually catch more fish than the next guy, usually being the key word. It also gives me a good idea of when to arrive at the river and optimize my time on the bank side. I prefer to catch fish more then I do casting for them but I guess that’s part of the fun as well.

The Bow River can be kind or it can be stingy even to the most experienced of anglers. So just what does a fisherman pull out of the tackle box first? In March I go with plugs and large crank baits. Why this you might ask, well the fish are hungry for a decent sized meal and not a tiny snack. Often the biggest fish in the hole will be the first to latch on. I have been fishing the Rapala X-Rap a great deal lately with great hook up success. This lure stays on top of the water and fish cannot refuse the loose wiggle of these proven hooks. I have also been offering them in a slow ripping motion. Here is a hook where you take with you everywhere you fish. I have been experimenting with all the colors this lure comes in and every single color has caught me fish.

I believe as I use a hook often and get to know its characteristics; I begin to generate more fish as a result. One day is always different than the next. Today I fished the hook slowly and made only slight rips with the tip of my rod, tomorrow I might rip it hard and reel faster than I did the day before. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your lure and you too will not only rise, but you will shine!

Sunglasses are not optional!

 

Ice heaves on the banks of the bow river

On a warm winters day as February is coming to an end, I decided to wander on over to a spot on the Bow River where three weeks ago was fully covered in ice. I was frantically looking for my sunglasses before I left the house for the river, I then remembered they were in my car the whole time. I loaded my new Berkley rod into the vehicle with care and strapped the camera firmly around my neck; you never know when you are going to hook a monster! I dressed for the occasion; ok I overdressed and stepped on the gas pedal hard. There was one reservation however, would the water be open or would it be loaded with ice?

As I arrived at the river I was pleasantly surprised the river had opened wide enough to cast a lure. The sun was beating down on the slightly stained Bow River and making the water glisten as it sparkled off the choppy water in the afternoon sky. Sure glad I had those sunglasses with me! I surveyed the river and the tall ice ledge I was standing on as I put safety first while walking on ice. You cannot reach the bank of the river as the ice has heaved and piled up in this area of the river so I needed to be crafty and select the right hook for the conditions. This was no foot of ice, eight feet of ice has piled up and lined the river bank.

Blue Fox was the first out of the tackle box today. Presentation was important today! I aggressively casted upstream and quickly retrieved my lure as naturally as possible. This method looks real to a trout as the lure is moving downriver. Food is carried from upriver to where these fish were lying in wait to pounce. A twenty plus inch Rainbow was quick to grab a hold of my Blue Fox and take it for an exciting ride across and down the river until he was tired enough and was landed on the ice ledge. I had to step down onto a lower block of ice to get him back into the river without a ten foot drop from where I was standing. This was just the tip of the iceberg.

I had the presentation down to a science and several Rainbow Trout later I decided to change hooks. I am a big fan of the Rapala X-Rap and decided it needed to seek and find some trout along the river bed. The color selection plays a factor when the water is stained or dirty. I fancied a color that was more on the natural looking side of the color spectrum. I launched it out into a slower pocket of water just below a long run in the river. I slowly reel the lure to make it dive down into the water and then I gently lift the rod tip up to make the lure rip in the water, this ripping affect makes the fish go nuts and entices them to strike. If at first I do not get a strike I leave the lure sit in the water and do not reel for a few seconds, this pause is sometimes is what the fish are looking for, a wounded fish not moving which makes for easy prey. Six trout later and a sore arm to show for the effort, I unhooked the lure from my line and placed it back into the clear plastic box it came from.

Before I left the river I stopped and sat on the long brown grass that the cold and snow has killed. I could not help but think to myself; only one more month and spring will be upon us once again. The ice will be gone and the sunglasses will be taken out from their case to shade the glare of the sun from the reflection coming off the clear blue water of the Bow River.

Battling the Winter Blues

Patience is a virtue but it is sometimes not a virtue of mine! This statement I relate to the chilly winter months when I am cooped up and cannot reach the river to wet a line. When a human being has an itch the natural reaction is to scratch it, so what happens to that same human being when he cannot reach the middle of his back to relieve the irritation. It begins to drive him nuts! Well this is exactly how I feel when I cannot fish, Irritated!

As the harshness  of winter is hopefully behind us, it is now time to watch those DVD’s that have been collecting dust on the shelves and reading those fishing books you were given for Christmas. If I cannot fish I may as well read about it! As I learn and hone my fishing skills, reading and watching videos is an essential part of becoming a better fisherman, a more knowledgeable fisherman which transfers into more hook ups while on the water. Let’s set the record straight here, I am not speaking of those cheesy e-books you see plastered all over the internet stating “catch a bag full of trout every time you fish” kind of books, what I mean is a good book written by a reputable author who you know is accredited and knows what he is talking about through many years of fishing experiences.

For the spinner fisherman or bait caster a great book to own is one written by a serious fisherman who has been fishing for a long time. Bob Izumi shares with the reader his enthusiasm for the sport of fishing and his many years of fishing knowledge. Bob Izumi generously shares his many professional fishing secrets, secrets that are sure to appeal to both novice and experienced fishermen throughout North America. Some highly useful information discussed in the book include how to teach your kids to fish, how long you should fish in a given spot, how to land a fish without a net and how to determine fish activity levels. These are the topics and skills I am interested in learning about to improve my skill level as a fisherman!

For the fly fisherman there are many books by many great authors which talk about everything from how to cast to how to tie your own flies to match the hatch. Two authors come to mind when I think of the art of fly fishing, Lefty Kreh and Bob Clouser. Lefty has written over twenty books on the topic of fly fishing and with a fisherman as accredited as Lefty, how can you go wrong with buying one of his many books and learning from him? For the beginner I suggest Lefty’s book titled Basic Fly Fishing written by Lefty and Jon Rounds. Bob Clouser has also been around for many years as well and his new book Fly Fishing for Smallmouth: in rivers and streams needs to be on your shelf if you love fly fishing for Small Mouth Bass. So many books to improve as a fisherman, to become more informed, to become serious and dedicated! I cannot list all the books and DVD’s as there are so many to acquire but I think the point has been made. If the winter weather has your river frozen solid, stay inside and cozy up to a good fishing book written by your favorite author.

Pass on what you read about by the fireplace to someone else. Passion, dedication and education is what I pass on to people weather it is a client or a small child. Sharing the love of fishing and exchanging knowledge with a stranger beside a river or lake is the reason I love read and learn. I believe we owe it to ourselves to learn and pass on our knowledge with some one else. Education and conservation is important for every fisherman from all parts of the world.

Locating Fish

[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/6MyVyhpLA4g" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]Locating Fish in Rivers and Streams.  Part Two

Choppy water known as dancing pyramids, are known to hold many feeding fish of all types. Where slow water meets the faster water, a series of small or medium sized, stationary, dancing waves will form. This is where food will drop to the bottom of the river or stream and large lazy fish will inhabit these patches of water provided there is enough depth. More often than not, if depth and cover are not sufficient, fish are still known to feed in these places at dusk or into the night.

Overhanging objects such as trees or bushes. It is common sense that a fishes main predators attack from above, Eagles and Hawks are common here; and fish prefer some type of overhead cover. Overhanging foliage or deadfall will provide fish protection as well as the shade they need on a bright hot summer day. I will throw minnow imitations into these areas with awesome hook up success. If the water is shallow I will use a minnow imitation that I can keep on the top of the water column.

Why is it you see a fisherman out casting immediately after a rain storm in the dry summer months? Rising water is the reason I fish right after it rains. Many rivers or streams seem to slow down and not produce during low water and hot summer days. If you plan your trip to arrive at the river after it rains, you can have great success this way and fishing at this time can rival the best fishing you had in the spring season.

These locations in a river or stream may hold many fish, large fish for that matter. The proper lure may aid in this search. Confidence in your skills and ability to locate trout and catch them is by far the best lure you have in your tackle box! A fisherman must have complete confidence in what he or she is doing and the lure you are using. What I am speaking of is a mental attitude and it can make a world of difference in catching fish or not catching them at all.

To be truly successful at trout fishing or any other type, you must work at it! There are no miracle tricks, no secret lures on the market, and no half measures to the thrill of a fish striking your hook. This is why your attitude must always remain positive. You must truly believe that the next cast or retrieval speed will be the correct one! Believe me, it is not easy for me to be confident at all times, because I can’t really trick myself into thinking I have it. Instead it is crucial that you work at developing a mental attitude that is positive and proves to be so important to success.

The main objectives here are, never get too discouraged and continue to believe that your approach is the best one for YOU. If you happen to fail one day, go home a review the procedures you were using that day and the places you were fishing. Tell yourself that the next time you fish will be different than the last. Above everything else, reassure yourself that the reason that you love fishing is that your quarry can be so unpredictable. Let’s face it, if trout fishing were routine you would soon tire of it?