General Info

Time To Switch Gears                                    PHOTO GALLERY

It is the month of the year when the water here on the Bow River is going to start to get very brown and stained, as the mountain run off is coming soon. This is when I leave the Bow River alone and move to other bodies of water in and around the province. I usually head to the reservoirs to fish for Walleye and Pike. One place I really enjoy fishing is Crawling Valley as the Walleye here can be very large. Not only are the fish large here they are plentiful which makes for some fantastic fishing. This reservoir is only an hours drive from my doorstep so it is very convenient for me to fish here.

Crawling Valley has become a fine fishery for Walleye since they implemented a zero limit for the Walleye here. Not only does it offer great Walleye fishing but the Burbot fishing here can be awesome as well. Pike also show up here and monster pike have been caught here. My best Pike here last year was a 40 inch beauty. I like fishing here as it lets me relax while I wait for the bite. I usually buy two tubs of frozen minnows and set them up on a pickerel rig. I carry a lawn chair and set my rod up in a rod holder, sit back and wait for the action to happen.

Quite often when the fish are biting lightly I will hold the rod in my hand to detect the slightest bites. It is wise to use a very sensitive fishing rod when fishing for Walleye as these fish can tend to take bait very lightly. Rods such as Shimano Bob Izumi Walleye series, Fenwick Walleye class, Gary Roach Walleye series fishing rods work best for me. These rods also work well for other types of fishing applications as well. May the 8th is opening day at Crawling this year and you will see me there with 2 rods, 2 tubs of minnows and my lawn chair expecting a good opening day. Only one line will be in the water by the way.

Fishing Trips

Every Dog Has His Day                                   PHOTO GALLERY

We hiked up to one of our favorite fishing holes today and settled in for some evening trout fishing. Todd seemed to have the right stuff on the end of his line today. He opted to go with a dynamite hook made by Rapala. The lure he chose was the Countdown in the Brown Trout pattern, size 9. He was bombing this proven trout producer out into a long weed bed that has produced many large trout in days gone by. He has a specific method when he fishes this lure, which makes for some great hook ups.

He began his day with a monster Brown that could not resist his Rapala offering.This fish took him to the limits of his eight pound monofilament, but he managed to display some poise and reel this heavyweight to the grassy shoreline. We snapped several photographs and revived him to be released back into the murky water. I was doing my best to produce some kind of life but to no avail today. Shortly after Todd caught his first fish, he was again into a nice Brown trout. This fish was a little smaller than his first but very respectable all the same. He played him out and landed him on the rocks at the bottom end of the pool, released him back into the water for you to catch another day.

The wind began to howl but that never stopped Todd from his mission, another massive trout. He decided to remove his Rapala Brown Trout hook and try something else from his gigantic tackle selection. Nothing seemed to work for him though; so he opted to switch back to what was already been producing fish for him. He fired it back out and within minutes was into a nice male Brown Trout. He was moving up and down the river almost stalking his next fish when low and behold, WHAM-O another Brown takes the plug and goes completely nuts. He landed this scrappy female and let her go. By this time I am throwing my lure a little harder and a little further than normal.

I moved up the river out of Todd’s way and no luck. I looked over my left shoulder and there is Todd, fighting one of the fattest Brown Trout I have ever laid eyes on. I ran over to him, and I do not usually run but the excitement got the best of me. He got this brute to shore and my mouth dropped wide open. This was the kind of fish we were after. Todd took very good care of this fish as you do not want to kill a big fish like this one. We take very good care of all the fish we catch! I snapped some great photos of Todd and his large trout and we packed up and hiked out. I must say, every dog has his day and today was Todd’s day. You dog you !!!!!!

Fishing Trips

Another Day in Paradise                               PHOTO GALLERY

I just do not know how it can get any better than spending a day trout fishing on the Bow River.I hooked up with my friends from Los Angeles today for some trout fishing. The sun was out and the fish came alive to the spinners and plugs we threw out at them. It would have been nice to see Dave with one of those 26 inch Browns the Bow has become famous for worldwide. However, Josh and John seemed to know how to get the job done today. Josh landed himself a very decent Brown Trout and John was getting action all day.

We did our very best to bring up the large trout today but sometimes this can be a challenge. Todd had the honors of first fish today and was kind enough to hand his rod to Josh to bring this scraper to shore. Josh did his thing and here is the end result. I decided to tie up a big Panther Martin spinner and give that a go. It was met with a hungry Rainbow that could not pass it up. I hammered another Brown out with the Panther and put it back into its spot in my tackle box.

Dave and the boys had to leave to catch their flight back home to L.A. I must say that it was a real pleasure to meet Dave and the boys and look forward to fishing with Dave in the summer time here on the Bow. Words cannot describe what the fishing is like here in the summer.

Todd and I had some lunch and moved to a different area of the river. I managed to hook into a nice Brownand had some great bites as well. All in all, it was nice to be outside and fish the river again today. Even if you don’t catch any fish, a day outside beside the river is a day in paradise for me!

Fishing Trips- April 2007

Fishing In April on the Bow River            PHOTO GALLERY

When the weather gets warm and the flies start to hatch like crazy, this is the prime time to throw out a hook. I cannot help but be outdoors when these conditions present themselves. Fishing on the Bow in April can be some of the best fishing anywhere in the world. The water is warming, the bugs are hatching and the fish are rising to take these small flies. They are also hunting for a larger meal as well as the flies that are abundant here now. Todd and I had to go see what the fishing would be like today.

We hiked up to the hole I fished in yesterday and arrived in anticipation of a great day. Sadly the first hour or so was a little slow and I only managed to land one fairly nice sized Rainbow Trout. My second fish hit hard but scampered off my lure before I could land it. We went for some lunch and decided we may have arrived at the river too early. After lunch we went back to the same hole and arrived at 5:30 pm. The wind seemed to calm down some, the hole just felt a little more calm and peaceful. I pulled an odd colored minnow spinner out of my box and fired away. Shortly after I felt a small tug and then BANG, I feel the weight of this fish and he starts to pull like a freight train. This fish was a monster and he fought like Mike Tyson in his youth. I took very special care with this fish and landed him after the bell rang. This was the trout you write home to mom about. We took a few photos and I slowly revived this bruiser and released him back into the water.

The fishing here in April has been phenomenal lately, that was my seventh fish in the last two days that measured over 25 inches. In the photo gallery of the Blog you will find the Bow Rivers biggest fish. We just seem to find the biggest trout the Bow River has to offer. I take great pride in releasing these massive trout back into the river for everyone to catch for years to come. I encourage you to do the same and we will ensure this fishery success for many years to come. If you cannot get off the couch in April then you are missing out on some of the best fishing of the year.