Oct 10

Lure Fishing

                         

Trout Fishing With Lures 

As the cool air blew in from the south east today, we agreed upon a fishing a section of the river where large trout are often hooked and landed. My guiding partner has resurfaced from New Found Land, and we have returned to search out those large Brown Trout. Today was very windy and I was skeptical we would catch any fish; I have never been keen on fishing in windy weather but it never hurts to give it a whirl. As we stepped onto the bank of the river the topic of lures came up. What are you going to tie up I asked Todd and he replied with a saying we always use on each other, It’s an ancient Chinese secret. All joking aside, lure selection is very important when fishing anywhere at all times.

With so many types of lures on the market today how does a fisherman choose a product that will catch fish on a regular basis? Here is what I look for when choosing fishing tackle. There is a mind boggling selection of lure sizes, colors, prices and styles to choose from in today’s market. In the water an experienced fisherman can make a lure look extremely enticing to a fish that may be only moderately interested in what is being presented. This fish may strike your lure out of hunger, aggression or simply to get the annoying thing away from its territory. The bottom line is lure fishing truly works. Once you get an understanding of some of the techniques used in lure fishing, I’m sure you will be positively addicted. Here is what I look for when shopping for tackle. Action is by far the most important feature of a good lure. Key actions will include tight sway, wobble and or vibrating action for trout fishing.

There are typically three directions a fishing lure will move in when being retrieved or when trolled from a boat. These are sway (the side to side movement), pitch (the up and down movement) and wobble which is the rolling action of the lure. These attributes is what I am looking for when I enter the jungle I call the tackle shop. I believe your skill level and your experience will be extremely important for your success with lures. Here is what I have found; there are many great Blogs and fishing websites on the Internet these days not to mention all the great books. There is nothing that will help you more than going out and having a go at it for yourself. This is where you will learn the most about your lures and how they work. Buy good quality fishing lures and you will catch good quality fish, and more of them.

Sep 25

Fishing The Lower Bow River

Summer is Gone.                                               PHOTO GALLERY

Yesterday was one of those days where a fisherman just had to take advantage of the nice weather and throw out a line. There are only so many days left to enjoy the sun, so I hurried off to find some feeding trout. The Brown’s are making their way to their favorite spawning grounds now and I was looking to intercept. I was going through my tackle selection to figure out what would work best. My lures are looking a little tarnished from the summer abuse, or what we call being well used. The water here is crystal clear and the fish are becoming active as the water temperature begins to drop.

I walked up to one of my secret locations; well it’s not such a secret anymore and removed new shiny hook from its package. There should be a disclaimer somewhere on the package saying caution, this hook is known to produce large fish. I gently peeled the plastic package away and tied the eyelet onto my 8 pound monofilament line. As I was securing the knot I gazed out onto the horizon to see the Rocky Mountains are now full of snow. That’s a word no fisherman likes to hear or lay eyes on, this means fishing the river will surely come to a halt. I put that idea out of my mind as soon as it entered and casted away into the blue. I was letting my spinner bounce on the bottom two or three times before picking it off and reeling in slowly. My secret hole was not producing any fish. I was stumped and chose to move on downstream after a hundred casts and changing hooks three times. Those darn trout can be very picky and will not eat a thing some days.

The key to my success lies in the fact that I can read water very well, which was both taught and learned. I have spent many hours in the winter months reading books and watching DVDs on this specific skill. I guess all the time spent paid off, I was now finally into my first trout of the day. This little Brown was hanging off the seam in the slow still water. As my lure came out of the current he smacked my spinner and went airborne shaking the hook loose from his toothy jaws. I then chose a location where the water was slow and was just about to make a drop in grade. I was around fifteen to twenty yards upstream of the drop.

I casted at the two o’clock position and banged into a very feisty brown trout. I released him and reloaded for another go round. This time a scrappy rainbow caught and flew high into the air, this fish was one tough customer I must say, he had me fighting to keep up. I landed him on the bank and looked him over with gratitude, another very beautiful trout for my reward. I continued to catch four more fish, one after the other until my arm could not take anymore. If I can offer some advice here to the reader, get as much info as you can on how to read a river, you will greatly increase your odds the next time you venture out.

Sep 19

Bow River Fishing Derby- The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada

BOW RIVER MASTERS CHILDRENS WISH FOUNDATION FISHING DERBY

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 22 2007
TIMELINE
7:00 AM REGISTRATION OPENS Waivers; Rules and Regulations
BREAKFAST; final paper work; fly check & pick up lunch7:30 AM ANGLER ADDRESS
7:35 AM DEPART FOR THE BOW RIVER

6:30 PM COCKTAILS AND HORD Oeuvres

7:00 PM SCORE CARD DEADLINE All PARTICIPANTS MUST CHECK IN WITH THEIR SCORECARDS. Failure to do so by 7:00 pm is an automatic disqualification from the prizing.

7:30 PM DINNER
PRESENTATIONS
* Registration and Dinner to be held at Boomtown, Best Western Hospitality Inn 135 Southland Dr S.E

** Please do Not Drink and Drive we will gladly reimburse Taxi fare just submit your receipt.

*** Please note- to ensure smooth shuttle service to your insertion site and return on the Bow River, please complete your shuttle forms and as soon as possible.
The Bow River Masters Fly Fishing Derby is a volunteer driven fund development initiative run in support of The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada. The funds raised directly benefit deserving children living in Alberta and NWT who suffer from high-risk, life threatening illnesses.

Following a traditional catch-and-release, single day derby format, points are awarded per fish landed. An excellent selection of prizes, including a fabulous West coast fishing trip, motivates anglers to do anything within their means (and the rules) to avoid letting the big one get away.

After a full day drifting the trophy stretch of the Bow River, participants are treated to a closing banquet and an awards ceremony. Testimonials speaking to the event’s excellence abound, but most importantly participants have commented on the warm feeling they left with knowing their day on the river translates to delivery of important community services to very deserving children.

The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada provides children with high-risk, life threatening illnesses the opportunity to realize their most heartfelt wish. The work done is about dignity, about dreams come true and about quality of life for children coping with high-risk, life threatening illnesses. It is about precious moments spent enjoying the special magic of a wish fulfilled. It’s about allowing families a break from the day-to-day trials of tests, treatments, and hospital stays and most importantly it’s about smiles on the faces of very special children.

Imagine the difference a wish can make!

7:00 AM: Registration & Breakfast at Boomtown, Delta Calgary South (135 Southland Dr. SE).
7:30 AM: Derby format & rule review, followed by angler departure for a full day Bow River float.
6:30 PM: Check-in and scoring begin at Boomtown. Cash Bar opens
7:00 PM: Check-in closes
7:30 PM: Dinner is served. Short program and awards ceremony to follow.

$3,000 per angling team of two or $1,700 per person. Registration includes meals, guide, boat & shuttles. Event sponsorships are also available. Tax receipts will be issued for a portion of the fee.

Please call 1-800-267-9474 and ask for Wendy

FAX – 403-265-1704 e-mail: wendy.cundall@childrenswish.ca

Sep 19

Gone Fishing- The Lower Bow River

Trout Fishing in the Fall.

Fall has set here in Alberta and the leaves are already turning their annual colors from green, to yellow and red. I left the house today in search of peace and quiet and those big trout that seem to be hungry around this time of the year. Fall can be one of the best times of the year to fish for trout. If there are Brown Trout where you live than you very well know that Browns spawn in the fall and always look to fatten up during this season. I always take full advantage of this knowledge and search out pools where I suspect these trout will be occupying. I always pack in more gear than I usually use in a day but it never hurts to be fully equipped now does it?  My back pack which I substitute for those ugly plastic tackle boxes, now weighs approximately 50 pounds. Why so much gear you ask, well why not a wide variety to choose from. If you limit your gear to only one type of lure than you limit the odds of catching fish. What happens if the fish want spoons that day and you only have spinners? What if they will only take bait fish imitations and no spinners or spoons. Do you see my point? 

Today as the leaves were falling into the water and the afternoon shower had subsided, I chose to tie up a pure white spinner and cast away into the tail end of a riffle known to produce big browns and rainbows as well. It seemed as though the browns were just not there but the rainbows were interested in my presentation of dressed spinner bait. I set the hook firmly into the first fish and slowly began to gain ground on him, taking in the slack he peeled off. This fish was wily and was doing his very best to shed that hook. He became air born three times as I battled to keep him in the water. You do this by turning your rod down toward the water. After several minutes I finally landed this aggressive trout on the rocky shoreline. This was only the beginning of what was to come. I moved up river and duplicated my cast slowing up my retrieve speed to let the hook sink deeper into the river and bang, another rainbow was battling to get free. This fish was larger than the first and taped out at 23 inches and had that lovely dark red stripe from head to tail.

I switched lures again after great success with the Bang Tail to a Minnow Spinner. The color I selected was silver with a silver spinner blade. I figured if they were taking the all white spinner, than they would surely take the silver minnow spinner. I casted straight upstream and reeled in the minnow bait when my sixth rainbow of the afternoon took flight from the chilly water. I landed him and snapped a couple of photos. I had an excellent day out on the river bank and tried an assortment of lures while fishing today. I chose lures that were perfect for this time of the season and landed six fish for my efforts. I guess it goes to show you that the better the selection of tackle, the more fish you will catch.