The Fishing Hole

Well this weekend I'm taking a few days off work and going fishing with the boys. We are heading to what in Alberta is a fly fishing mecca. The Crowsnest Pass. While the Crowsnest River is a famous fisher hosting very large Rainbow Trout, we probably won't spend much time there. Not because it isn't worth fishing (because it is) it's just that I don't feel like bumping into a lot of people this weekend and there's bound to be more than a few fly fishermen on the river.

No we are going to the much overlooked, Oldman River which is about 40 minutes north of Crowsnest via the Forestry Trunk Road or as some call it, the trout highway. With the Oldman, you get the perfect fishing experience. Mountain views, eager cutthroat and a feeling of solitude that makes this past-time a truly spiritual experience. If we are lucky we may even check out the Livingstone River as well.

A full report will be given upon our return.

I love to fly fish and recently I paused to ask myself why. Why do I spend so much money on equipment? Why do I leave my beautiful family to go of into the wilderness to hunt trout? What does fly fishing offer me?

After mulling these questions, these are what I have come up with.

Fly fishing:
1. allows me to get outside and away from the computer, work and other things that trap me inside.
2. gives me a chance to visit new places close to where I live.
3. allows me to appreciate the natural beauty of the region I live in.
4. offers me to spend time with my fishing buddies and have few laughs.
5. gives me a sense of adventure sometimes. Especially when we go to very remote areas where no one can get a hold of us unless we had a satelitte phone.
6. lets me learn a little science about the bug and fish world
7. gives me a great sense of excitement and joy when you see a big trout take a dry fly on a beautiful stream in the mountains
8. gives me a bit of much needed exercise
9. lets me escape my hectic life once and awhile, even if its only for a few hours
10. satisfies my primitive cave man urge to hunt

Those are some of the things that fly fishing offers me and hopefully can offer you. I would encourage anyone of any age to try it. For me it's more than a simple past time, it is almost a spiritual experience. I always say I belong to the Church of the Rising Trout. Anyone care to join me?

Alberta is home to some of the finest trout streams in the world and I have been fortunate to fish these rivers for years. Now that my summer holidays are ending I've been reflecting on some of my really good experiences in the past few years and I've decided to make a quick list of my favorite rivers in Alberta.

The South Ram River - If you like catching big cutthroat trout do yourself a favor and get to the South Ram which is west of Rocky Mountain House. The South Ram has wonderful pools below waterfalls, nice juicy bends and easy access.

The Upper Oldman River. It may not hold as many big fish as the lower portion but the upper Oldman is sure fun to fish. Even on a busy weekend you can find solitude and a big hole to fish. Cutthroats and Bull Trout are abundant.

The Crowsnest River- Probably the most well known river in Alberta. Even though it is heavily fished, the Crow continues to amaze me. I guess what I like most about it is the healthy hatches and the ease of access. I have had great success right behind a gas station in the middle of town. Also there is the Rum Runner Bar which has great food and service which highlights my trips to the crow has much as the fishing.

The Big Horn River- Even though I have been disappointed the last few times I fished this river, it still holds a warm place in my heart. The fish aren't big but the holes are beautiful and walking through the canyon is almost spiritual and besides this where I caught my first fish on a fly rod.

These are the places where I like to fish and there are many other places that I have yet to discover. Also there are some that i didn't mention...I have some secrets I don't want to disclose. But if you want to get to some new water, check these places out.

Follow these hatches to have success on most of Alberta's mountain trout stream this fall.

Mayflies:
Blue Winged Olive (March to November)
Use- Pheasant Tail Nymph, Adams

Small Western Green Drake (Until mid September)
Use- Pheasant Tail Nymph, Floating Nymph, Parachute Adams, R.S. Quad

Trico (July - October)
Use- A.P Nymph, Parachute Trico Thorax

Summer Caddis (Until Sept 30)
Use- Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear, Glenn's CDC Caddis, Elk Hair Caddis

Grass Hoppers (Until Mid-October)
Use- Parachute Hopper. Turck's Tarantula, Dave's Hopper

source: Jim Mclennan's "Western Trout Streams"

Recently I visited this wonderful river in the Cariboo region of British Columbia. After a 12 hour drive from Red Deer we arrived at an area well known for large Rainbow trout.

The Horsefly is home to a very healthy ecosystem. Great plant life, lots of aquatic bugs and big fish. We floated the river for three days and tied into some decent fish and lots of little ones. On the second day though one of my companions (a local) got a hold of what he called a "slab". It was probably a 10 pound rainbow that jumped about 5 feet into the air. All was going good until the youngest of our party got so excited about fish that he rushed to make is cast and hooked the other fellows rod causing him to lose this monster of a fish. At first we were all silent until Don, the local started laughing his face off. He was so happy that we got to see how big some of Horsefly's fish could actually get.

Needless to say we were pretty inspired after that. Unfortunately that was the biggest fish we were to see.

Anyhow if you are adventurous enough to head up to the Horsefly. I will give you one piece of advice. Big flies will catch you the big fish. My fly of choice that week was a big Madame X with a green body and a bullet head on hit. It really seemed to do the trick.

We may not have landed the big one, but we had one great time trying! I guess that is why they call it fishing and not catching.