Friends, Fun and Fishing                             PHOTO GALLERY 

What more can a man ask for? I was fortunate enough to get a phone call from my good friend Dwayne F. Saturday, asking me to join him for a fishing trip to Kananaskis Lake.Any fisherman in his right mind could not turn down an offer like that, so I happily accepted and off we went into a sunny afternoon of plus 33 degree weather. Dwayne’s thoughts were, if we head to the mountains we will get some reprieve from the heat and catch some fish in the process. Upon arriving at the upper lake I checked the thermometer and it read 33 degrees Celsius. It was a good thought though Dwayne.

We arrived at the upper lake at three o’clock and unpacked all the gear and bedding into the Bay Liner boat Dwayne is fortunate enough to own. We made good time transferring all our essentials over and launched out to a lake of glass. We trolled around the lake for two hours with no success and not one fish landed. At eight o’clock we made supper and filled our growling bellies sharing stories of fishing trips gone by. We decided to leave the Upper Lake alone and launch out into the Lower Kananaskis to finish the night off. I know that the fishing before dark on the Lower Lake can produce some whoppers here. We stopped in many back bays with fish that were rising and feeding but none seem to want anything we were offering. As darkness fell upon us we docked the boat and retired for a nights rest aboard the Bay Liner.

We awoke early in the morning and set out to prove we could bring one of those big Bull Trout into the boat. I suggested that fishing where the Upper Lake meets the Lower Lake. Tanya, Dwayne’s other half was the lucky first person to bring flesh into the boat, a nice 12 inch Bull Trout. Tanya was able to latch into another Trout but unable to pull this fish all the way into the boat. It was time to make our way back to the north side of the lake to finish the weekend off.

I spotted a creek running into the lake and asked Dwayne to stop so we could try our luck. I had on a Len Thompson frog spoon and let loose into the creek mouth. We were in four meters of water, so I slowed up my retrieve and pulled the lure from the creek mouth into the boat. The second cast was the lucky one and BOOM, fish on. I knew this Bull Trout was a heavy weight as we fought back and forth for several minutes before he was tired enough to land. As I caught sight of this fish my heart raced in anticipation, BIG fish I needed to land. Dwayne was spot on with the rubber meshed net and he was all mine. This fish was probably my largest ever, 10-12 pounds and 25-30 inches in length. I made my way back to the boat to tie up another proven hook called the Berkley Frenzy in the silver color. I made my way off the boat onto the shoreline and fired the Berkley into the lake presenting the lure towards the mouth of the creek this time. I met eye to eye with another whopper Bull that took many yards of line before I landed her onto the sandy bank. I made a mental note to myself upon releasing this 10-12 pound monster, look for mouths of creeks while fishing lakes; you will be rewarded with fish like this. Another unforgettable weekend fishing in the beautiful province of Alberta.

Having your eyes on the prize.                 PHOTO GALLERY

When I plan to fish any body of water I stay focused and keep my days goals in perspective. Before I plan a day trip on the water, I organize my gear and double check all my tackle. It’s very important to have my gear working in tip top shape while I am honed in on the task at hand, slamming trout all day long. I plan properly for the day ahead which means I organize all my tackle so it is easily assessable when I need to switch lures, or loose a hook on the bottom snags. I check for things like bent or damaged hooks, broken bills on plugs and minnow imitations, old line still attached to eyelets of hooks, bent spinner blades and many other minor problems that I avoid by preparing before I am on the water.

This came in handy as I was able to float the ever clearing water of the Bow. I have been watching the water clear up for 2 weeks now and had to get that inflatable wet once again. We drove the drop off vehicle at the Carseland weir and launched out of a spot known to locals here called Policeman’s Flats. The day was nothing short of blistering hot but many layers of SPF 30 sunscreen was applied and re-applied. The fishing was as good as the weather with 15- 20 nice Rainbows and Browns taken on Panther Martin spinners. I tried other forms of baitfish imitations but nothing seemed to match the shiny silver and yellow combination I love to use here on the Bow. Another color pattern that always produces quantities of fish here is the solid silver Panther Martin in the sizes 9 or 15.

As we spent the day taking in the sun and reeling in the trout, I was privileged to be able to get a five year old his first ever trout.What a sheer blessing for me to see the smile on young Liam’s face as he hauled in what was to be the largest Rainbow Trout of the day, moreover the largest fish of the day period. He was on fire out there and kept his cool very well for a five year old little boy. As he pulled in one trout after the other I reminisced on days past spent with my grandfather watching and learning how to hone my skills as a fisherman. I showed young Liam the art of bottom bouncing spinners behind a slow moving watercraft and thoroughly explained why this natural presentation is very effective for catching trout. He paid close attention as a five year old could, but soon found himself reeling in another fish as my tips seemed to fall on somewhat deaf ears. It’s ok my new little fishing buddy, lots of time left this summer to practice and practice some more.

Back In the Saddle Again.                             PHOTO GALLERY

I decided enough is enough and moseyed on down to the Bow River to see what kind of shape it was in.  Spinner fishing the Bow River has always been one of my favorite things to do when I have time on my hands. I opted to bring along my fishing rod and tackle just in case the river was ready to fish. I arrived at the river at seven o’clock and made the short hike though the tall grass that is now lining the banks along the rivers edge. I have not been even close to the Bow River in over a month, so needless to say I was a little revved up to get my sparkly gold minnow spinner into the tea stained water. As I tied my hook up I paused to inhale a deep breath of crisp clean rocky mountain air, ahhhh that familiar smell of summer cannot be beat.

I knelt down beside the rivers edge and tied my first offering up with great haste. The Minnow Spinner by Blue Fox usually does the trick I thought, which proved to be correct only four casts into my evening. I heaved the three inch spinner/minnow imitation up the river and a 21inch Rainbow Trout clobbered my present. This fish was one hard fighting trout and flew out of the water to shake my Eagle Claw hooks. He was successful in spitting my hook out but made me grin from ear to ear while doing so. Tough little sucker I mumbled under my breath. I moved up the river ever so slightly and three casts it was fish on once more. This time your mine I said out loud, you’re not getting away from me. I slowly coaxed this sizeable trout to the bank and gently popped the hook from his mouth. I was starting to have fun but, today I was after the elusive Salmo Trutta or otherwise known as the Brown Trout; and left that deep riffle alone.

After arriving at a deeper, slower hole; I tied up a silver bait fish imitation and launched it into the murky abyss. I slowly pulled it across the water column and no action for twenty minutes. I moved up the river into a slow calm area where I figured there would be trout feeding, as it was late in the evening. I re-casted and slowed down the presentation considerably and BANG a fat Brown Troutexploded onto my Berkley Frenzy. I left the trout in the water and gently removed the barbless Eagle Claw hook from his mouth. I snapped a quick photo and he was on his way. It sure does seem to me like the fishing here on the Bow River will only get better as time goes by. I believe it’s time to deploy the inflatable and float the river once again.