Feb 17

Gone Fishing- Bow River

A Day at the River

I finally was able to go out today and do some trout fishing on the Bow River. Mother Nature has not been co-operating here lately. I decided to make my way down to Policeman’s Flats in search of some large trout. It was a clear and sunny day here with no wind and a high of four degrees. I slowly trudged my way through the snow and gently tested the ice that has built up around the rivers edge.

Once I felt that everything checked out I pulled the shiny gold lure from my tackle box and moved quickly to tie it up. I then proceeded to heave that minnow bait as far as I could across the crystal blue water. I slowly made that lure work its magic as I took in the fresh mountain air. It was not long after, that my sparkling gold offering was gobbled up by a scrappy Brown Trout. I gently played him out and released him back into the frigid water. Shortly thereafter I was greeted by another spinner fisherman all decked out in waders and the works. We exchanged greetings and he went up to a fast flowing section of the river.

I have to stop and talk about where this fisherman was headed to catch his fish. He went to a spot on the river where the water was flowing very fast and is relatively shallow. He contently stayed in this spot for over an hour with out any success catching fish. There are two reasons that he had no success. One is he was in the wrong spot on the river. In the winter fish do not hold in long fast riffles, they over winter in deep pools. If I am a door to door salesman and I am walking past a house that is clearly vacant, I will not stop at the house, I will walk by to the next house that looks occupied. Well the same goes for looking for occupied water where trout are holding. This nice fisherman stood at the doorstep of a vacant house for an hour and a half trying to make his sale. Two is the fact that he never even changed locations the whole time I was there. If the section of water that you are fishing on does not produce within the first 10-20 minutes than move on to another location that looks good to you. I moved up and down the river the whole time I was fishing and caught 3 fish in different locations of the river.

These are some of the pointers I will give a client before we fish any river system. I cannot explain in writing as well as I can show a person while out on a river system. It took me many years of reading and then practicing to locate prime water while out fishing any river. I believe this is a learned talent and takes lots of practice. However if you take the time and remember what spots you catch your fish you will start to see similarities in the type of water the fish hold. How deep was it, how fast was the water flowing and so on? Recognize the patterns and you are on your way to becoming a great fisherman.

Feb 16

Ask Mike- Tips & Advice

Catch and Release Information

Here at the Bow River Blog I always practice catch and release. I do not eat fish on a regular basis so for me there is no reason to keep my catch. I would like to provide you with some important guidelines on how to properly release trout after they have been hooked and somewhat tired out. After I have landed the fish I will do several things to prevent the fish from dying.

The first thing I do is keep the fish in the water at all times if possible and remove the hook from its mouth without ever removing the fish from the water using hemostats or pliers. If that is not possible than, I will first wet my hands making sure to keep the trout’s protective coating intact. I hold the fish with two hands so the fish doesn’t flop out of my hands and land hard onto the ground.

After I have gently removed the hook with the push back and turn method. I gently place the fish back into the water. When handling the fish, be sure you keep your hands well clear of the Trout’s gills. Now gently face the fish upstream with its nose pointing upriver and not downstream. I then very slowly move the fish a little back and forth to get the water to flow through its gills again. As I start to feel the fish’s tail kick, I will then let go of the fish and let it swim away.

Remember to never let a fish flop around on the ground as this may very well kill the fish. Also remember to never squeeze a fish to hard either, this adds extra stress to the fish and can also be fatal. And lastly, never throw a fish back into the water like an old boot, gently lower the fish into the water and give it enough time to properly get its breath. If you wish to add to this list please leave a comment as I might have missed something here. Good luck on your next fishing trip. Mike.

Feb 14

General Info

The 2007 Boat and Sportsman’s Show

It is that time of year again here in Calgary when the annual boat and sportsman show rolls into town. This is truly a fisherman’s paradise with all sorts of new products for the upcoming fishing season. This show has everything under the sun from new fishing boats to all the latest fishing tackle and so much more. I love to go to these fishing shows to learn about what’s new and also to learn some new tips from the pros’s who are there doing demonstrations.  

This year I will be looking for a new fishing boat. The boat I use now is awesome but I will need something a little bigger for the upcoming years. I am looking to upsize to an 8-10 man boat so I can put together some corporate fishing packages. If your are from Calgary there is a complete list of information on the show at this address http://www.sportsmensshows.com/Calgary/  This link will give you a detailed list of all exhibitors at this years fishing show along with all their website address. I hope you have a good time at this years show and I will see you all down at the Round up Centre. I will be there Friday handing out business cards and talking to all my fishing friends.

Feb 13

Ice Fishing Hot Spots

Ice Fishing Hot Spots.

Another ice fishing location I like to frequent is up in the mountains just outside of Canmore. Spray Lakes has some very good Lake Trout fishing. Spray Lakes is located just south west of Canmore. Take highway #1 west to the Canmore turn off. Go through the town till you get to Spray Lakes Trail, then make your way up the steep hill 10 Km past the Nordic centre and you will see this large lake on your right hand side. The Lake Trout that are caught here are delicious to eat as the water here is very clean and cold all year long. You will love the scenery here also as you are right in the mountains. You will need a little sled to pull out onto the ice and sometimes snow shoes need to be worn here as the snow can be deep in places.