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.

Sep 12

General Info- Online Fishing Tournament

Well, it looks like all you fisherman are going to get a chance to put your money where your mouth is, and in turn win up to $1000.00 for your efforts. Here is the challenge to all my friends here in Calgary and in the province of Alberta; catch a longer fish than me and you will win $1000.00 cash. How will this happen you ask, well click onto Bountyfishing.comand read all the details. Here is the short and sweet version, you sign up for either a one day tournament $7.00 US Dollars or a one week tournament $19.00 US Dollars. You choose whatever week you wish to fish. They want the longest fish for the species of fish you are fishing for, and if you happen to be the lucky guy/girl to catch the longest fish for that day/week than you win $1000.00 cash, it’s that simple; or is it?

Bountyfishing.com requires their contestants to register for their website (FREE) and than you are eligible to enter their tournaments. You will receive a code from Bounty Fishing which will be valid for that day/week you choose to fish. You then proceed to fish for the day/week until you have caught your longest fish possible. You are required to measure the fish on a flat surface with a ridged tape measure placed beside your catch. You then will take a picture of the fish in this position and then they require you to take a picture of you holding your catch as close to your chest as possible. You then submit your photos to Bounty Fishing for review and if you catch the longest fish that day/week for the species you have chosen to fish for, 1000.00 is coming your way.

I wish all those who participate in this online tournament the best of luck as there seems to be some stiff competition out there. Also, make sure you are not cheating as they claim to have the world’s most advanced digital imaging forensics software. This software is based on counterfeit digital image detection used by the world’s top law enforcement agencies. Bounty Fishing’s patent pending measurement technology is used to verify the accuracy of competitive photos and declare authentic winners in the tournaments. If you are sending falsified photos into this website, in my books they call this fraud so get ready to go to jail. Good luck and hopefully your name is up on the leader board.