Aug 15

Ask Mike – Tips and Advice

Big Browns in the Twilight, Or At Night PHOTO GALLERY

August here in Alberta is prime time to be fishing Brown Trout when the sun it getting ready to set. I packed up my fishing gear and headed straight for the river. I think it’s funny how I tell people, usually experienced fisherman that fishing Brown’s in the dark is the best time to fish, and they look at me and laugh. I have taken many long time experienced fishermen out in the dark and wiped that smile clean off their faces. I even like to go out and prove my statements all by myself, just to prove to myself that the biggest Brown’s will be caught in total darkness.

After driving for five minutes tonight I arrived at the Bow River in a quiet spot along the south bank. Just as I am arriving everyone is packing up and walking out toward their vehicles, “Perfect”, I say to myself, and hike up to a prime location alongside the river. Before I walk up the river bank I have already tied up my Minnow Spinner by Blue Fox and de-barbed the Eagle Claw hooks attached to it. It is very frustrating trying to tie your hook up in the dark, I do this prior to leaving the house that way I am ready to fire away anytime, anywhere! I chose a spot where two channels converge which leaves a slower back eddy along the south bank. Now here is the trick to success for me when fast water meets slower water, make sure you cast well into the faster moving water and slowly come into the deeper slower water so not to spook the big fish sitting on the edge of the seam; or in the middle of the slower water. As I was reeling from the faster water into the slower water I was hooking fish, big fish practically every cast with a slow retrieve speed. Remember, Browns have the best eye sight of all the trout species and combined with a lure that makes sonic vibrations or rattles, can be highly effective when fishing at night!

I stayed on the bank of the south side for two hours, 9:00 PM until 11:00 PM and had an awesome evening fishing. I landed three 22 inch Rainbows and had at least 10 fish on, not including all the bites I was getting. All was well and I made a super long cast into the fast water and slowly worked my lure below the clear blue water. As I was twitching and reeling I latched into what I think was about a 25- 30 inch Brown. There was still a little light left in the sky and this monster Brown loved what I had offered. He smashed my hook and started to battle like a true gladiator, he came to the surface and suddenly I felt the line go limp? Puzzled I reeled in my hook which was still attached to the line to investigate. Low and behold this massive specimen bent my split ring almost bone straight and the hook attached to it was gone. Now that was the big one that managed to get away. The moral of the story here is even though people will not buy into what you say about fishing in the dark, you will be the one with the big smile across your face and not them. Until next time, happy fishing and stay safe when fishing in the dark.

Jul 22

Fishing Trips- Floating The Bow River

Liam’s Monster Brown

Who says that the pros’s or even the most experienced anglers catch all the big fish? We were floating the Bow River again today in severely hot weather conditions. It reached 30 degrees Celsius by two o’clock and we set out to find those big Bow River trout. My better half Kerri and her five year old son Liam were out for a nice five hour float from Police to MacKinnon flats with blue skies and mountain views as our backdrop. I must admit I was a little bit skeptical to how many fish we were going to land today as the sun was very hot. I know Liam sure did not mind the conditions and he was gung ho on landing what he calls those fat boys that the Bow River is known to produce on a regular basis.

I tied Liam up a gold Panther Martin sonic spinner in a size 9 and he was itching to get that hook in the water even before we launched the boat. Looks like Liam takes on the same characteristics as I possess, just can’t wait syndrome. Liam asked me curiously Mike, are we going to catch any trout’s today and I gave the young lad my personal guarantee that we were. The top end of the float was a little slow and I was only able to land two smaller trout. Liam’s patience level was wearing a little thin and he stopped fish briefly but after I landed my third fish, an 18 inch Cutty, he snapped upright and re-launched his Panther Martin sonic spinner. We veered of the main channel into a narrow side channel that looked like it may hold some fish. Sometimes bigger fish will go into these side channels in search of baitfish or insects to feed on.

As we entered the side channel Liam’s fishing rod bent over aggressively and he hollered Igot one Mikeand I encouraged him to keep his rod tip up and slowly reel him in towards the boat. This young boy is a complete natural at fishing and he did a fantastic job keeping his cool and doing just as I instructed. As I caught a look at Liam’s monster a massive smile came upon my face. I knew this trout was the biggest fish Liam had ever seen and netted him carefully into the boat. Liam was so excited he started saying that’s bigger than any fish you have caught today Mikefollowed by “that sucker is the biggest fish in this river”. I love it when little kids rub that kind of stuff in your face. I must admit though he was sure right. My hat is off to you young Liam and both my thumbs are up as well. Liam’s final words to me were, “I want to fish everyday Mike”. Well Liam, I want to fish every day with you buddy.

Jul 15

Fishing Trips- Lower Kananaskis Lake

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.

Jul 09

Fishing Trips- Floating The Bow River

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.