Mar 29

Fishing Trips

Going Back For More

Last week I was able to blow the dust off of my inflatable boat and float down the Bow River. We saw just how much damage those pesky beavers can do to the trees that line the banks of the river. We also were able to get a feel for where some of the Bow Rivers finest Trout are hiding out. We made frequent stops along our five hour float in some deeper holes.

Last Friday we came to an island with a deep hole just in front of it, with water flowing into the hole slowly. We decided to stretch our legs and give our arms a rest; we had to row the boat often today! I gazed at the cloud covered sky and opted to use a lure that is very shiny. I looked out at the water and chose a place to drop my minnow spinner. I made a long cast into the wind and just as the lure hit the water I clicked over my bail. I picked up the slack of the line and made four revolutions of the reel when wham-o, a monster Brown rolls to the surface and slaps his fat tail. He then turned toward the opposite bank and left my lure in the water. This was no 15-20 inch fish, oh no- this was a 25- 30 inch brute! My friend Todd looked over and I think the expression on my face told the story of dejection.

“Hey Todd you see that thing” I muttered in frustration. “Yeah I saw that thing” he replied. “What happened there? I explained that the trout was hooked lightly and got away. I now know where he lives so we went back the next day to knock on his door to see if he wanted to come out and play again. I spooled up a full reel of my favorite monofilament and casted the same minnow spinner onto his doorstep. No answer for the first few tries but low and behold he came to the door and the fun began. I set the hook on him firm and he took off down stream. He gave four strong tugs to try and give me the slip; no way I said and began to reel him in. He then turned back upstream and started to do the famous roll Browns are notorious for. Todd kept hollering “get that thing in here now, don’t lose him”. The fierce battle came to an end and there he was, all 27 inches of him. I stood and looked him over in awe, and then gently removed the barbless Eagle Claw hook from his big toothy mouth. That was worth coming back I exclaimed to Todd, and he concurred.

Mar 25

Gone Fishing

Our March Float.

I sure am glad to see that spring has arrived and winter has left us for another year. That is not to say that we may not see snow again here. We decided that we were going to test the waters today and get the boat out from its winter hiding spot. I blew the dust off and made sure we had everything we needed for the six hour journey down the river. It was concluded that we were going to float down inside the city limits to find those pesky trout.

The float was slow and sometimes chilly but we had done something I have never done before, float in March. So off we went and no trout to be found for the first two hours. We came around the corner near Riverbend and I casted into the bank that still showed signs of winter. I reeled in slowly and bang, I am into a decent sized Rainbow Trout that’s doing its best to shake my bait. The rest of the trip was rowing and sight seeing but as they say, a slow day of fishing is better than a good day at work. The good thing is June is coming up quickly, then this river will come to life!

Mar 21

Testimonials

Hi Mike

I just wanted to follow up our fishing trip of last week with a sincere ‘thank you’ for an exciting and fulfilling day on the Bow River.  I’ve heard it said it is the best trout fishing anywhere and our time spent sure proved that. By the way……was the brown trout I caught the biggest of the day…..or what!!!!!! Just joking, of course.

You know, although I have fished with tackle for years, I learned more from you in our first 30 minutes together than all my previous experience together. You truly know your stuff, Mike and I have already recommended your guiding services to friends.
Thanks again for the pleasure of a wonderful day outdoors, AND….. some of the best fishing I could imagine.

JACK DEWAR

Mar 12

Ask Mike- Tips & Advice

Stained Water Conditions

It sure does seem as though spring is coming here in Alberta sooner than some would have anticipated, even including me. This I must say is always welcomed here in a province where winter makes up half of our year. We have been blessed with some very nice weather here in Calgary which I always take advantage of as a fisherman. We decided to visit a deep dark trout hole today and were rewarded with some nice Rainbow trout as a result.

The water here on the Bow is quite stained as a result of the dirty water from the banks and the city streets washing into the river. Sometimes if the water is not completely dark brown and unfishable, this tea stained water can and does work to your advantage. Here is why, the trout can see your bait and hear your bait if it rattles or buzzes, but cannot completely make it out, therefore it will hit your bait without hesitation. If the water is clear and the trout suspects something does not look right it will leave your bait alone. You will however have to make adjustments on your color selections when fishing stained water.

I use flasher baits and bait’s that have more rattling characteristics to them. This Rainbow troutwas caught with a Berkley Frenzy Rattler lure, which makes a very loud rattling noise. I like to use colors such as pure white, shiny gold’s, bright red’s and even colors that have more natural colors to them. Presentation will also play a factor with stained water so I present the lure 1-2 feet off the bottom of the river where the trout like to sit in these stained water conditions. Look for trout to be closer to the bank than if the water is clear, usually there is more oxygen in the water closer to the bank than further out in the middle. This is also where the fish look for flies and other pupa at this time of the year so adjust your casting accordingly. I tend to cast upstream, closer to the bank and retrieve the lure or spinner downstream; keeping the lure close to the bank to make the most natural presentation as possible.

The moral of this article is, do not let the dirty water deter you from going out to your local river and making some casts. This is when you may catch that lunker you’ve been looking for all your life. Try different baits, different color’s of baits until you key in on what the fish want and how they want it presented. Tight lines to all! See the bottom of this page for video footage of today’s fishing!