Gearing Up for Fly Tying Mondays Starting on December 4th

Hi Everybody!

Well after a lot of searching and talking with others, we have decided to try to have Fly Tying Mondays right at TC Outfitters. There is plenty of parking and the back space will not cost us anything.

There is a catch. We need to gather tables and folding chairs. We are going to ask for donations to get this done. We want to use 4 foot folding tables (cost is about $40 to $60). We are on a bit of a search to find tables where it is easy to attach a fly tying vice clamp. Most folding chairs cost between $10.00 and $17.00.

We hope to gather 35 chairs and 8 tables.

If you are willing to donate a table or 4 chairs or money to purchase any of the above, please get in contact with me by replying to this e-mail. Once we have gathered the tables and chairs we are in business.

The space at TC Outfitters will be tight at times but we are now going to be in control of coming and going; having pop/coffee; easy parking; no insurance or booking fees necessary and we can leave our set up gear at the shop. All of this will be a major convenience!

...and now

We need presenters! You do not have to be a pro to do this, just willing and enthusiastic to share three fly tying patterns. You organize all the materials, lead us in tying the patterns. We will cover the costs of the materials.

Here are the dates. Please drop me a note and tell me what date works for you!

December 4th Bob Vanderwater The Canadian Series of Balanced Flies

December 11th

December 18th

Christmas Break

January 9th Special Presentation Rick, Bob and Karen in the Arctic

January 16th

January 23rd

January 30th

February 3rd Saturday all day workshop with Phil Rowley cost $45

February 5th

February 12th

February 19th No Tying Family Day

February 26th

March 5th

March 12th

March 19th

March 26th

Another Amazing Day Out West

Only 4 days until our Eastern slopes rivers are put to bed for another year. But, yesterday, what a day. 17C, no wind and willing cutthroat! Stuart and his buddy, Murray, joined me for a day on what truly is a blue ribbon cutthroat river. The river is no secret and those who know me understand my love for the area I like to hang out in!

Well it was -2C when we started to walk and everything was frosty. Even the mud was easy to walk on first thing! After 3 km of walking it was time to fish! It is rare to see rising fish this time of the year although later in the day we encountered a light BWO hatch that had the attention of several sizeable cutthroat and of course, us!

The gin clear water allowed us to see the fish in the runs. They were spooky because of the perfectly clear water but we did catch our share of beautifully conditioned late season west slope cutthroat!

As usual, the day moved way too fast. I did not fish much today. I love getting the camera out and trying to catch some fun moments! Many of the cutthroat trout were quite colourful.

The walk back was slippery because the frost was off the mud.

We washed off our gear and headed back to Red Deer. Stuart made sure I got home at the appointed time. A little driftin' as were rumbled down the gravel!

One awesome day Murray and Stuart. I enjoyed my day with you two!

Last Week to Fish on our Eastern Slopes

Halloween is just a week away. For those of us who enjoy fly fishing on our Eastern Slopes, we are down to just a week before the rivers close until next June!

Today was a beauty. A warm late October day is not to be wasted on yard work. Karen and I made a dash to our Eastern Slopes to fly fish! The water was incredibly cold and the fly fishing was decent for this time of the year!  We are down to nymphing with the odd cutthroat rising for a midge or two. 

Trout are now heading towards wintering holes. 

Get out one more time before the rivers close. It is a long time until next June!

Late Season Pot Hole Trout Fishing with Distractions

Karen and I headed out today to visit a pot hole lake east of town. It was a blustery Sunday and the trout were quite active. We caught lots of fiesty rainbows to 17 inches. Our best fly, the usual; Glen's Leech.

...but it was the distractions that really made the day. We stopped on the way out to watch two yearling eagles and one of their majestic parents. On the way home, 1000s of snow geese were resting in a slough. We stopped to look. I slowly got out of the truck and suddenly there was an explosion of feathers and noise. It was an amazing sight. 

...and the noise was amazing.

Very cool day.

Fall Sunshine and Walleye

What a beauty of a day. Big blue sky, no wind and it is Saturday! Karen and I knew we wanted to go out and walleye fly fish on the Red Deer River below the dam but we settled into a second cup of coffee and waited for the mercury to climb above 0C. 

Finally we loaded up the gear, the hounds, a few snacks and set off later in the morning.

We just wanted to be outside today. I suppose we could have done yard work but that can wait until later. Days like today are not to be wasted.

Karen rigged up with ice minnows with a nymphing rod and I got my 13 foot spey rod ready to go with a blue clouser minnow. Both patterns have worked for us earlier in the week so we had a starting spot.

Well swinging clousers was a bust but nymphing with ice minnows steadily produced walleye. Not a lot like last time but enough to add to the perfect conditions. We enjoyed the warm sun, the fly fishing and petting our hounds. Later in the afternoon we wandered back to Red Deer. Time for hockey, baseball and football. It is Saturday night after all!

Steelheading on the Skeena System

...thanks for the trip report Doug Pullen!

My brother-in-law Allen and I went up to the Smithers area in BC for our annual Steelhead fishing trip. The previous month had seen heavy rains which caused most rivers in the area to be blown out. However the rains subsided just before our arrival and the rivers were low and clear. We were told that the run of summer Steelhead was low this year but we remained confident.

Most days started out below zero but by the afternoon was quite comfortable. We floated the Bulkley and Morice Rivers and walked the Kispiox River. September is peak month for Steelhead fishermen; October has much less fishermen. Most days we had the river to ourselves. We covered many of our favorite runs but most fish seemed to be on vacation. I managed to hook up with 3 Steelhead in the 7 days that we fished. Even though the fishing was slow, the scenery was very picturesque with all the fall colours. Looking forward to next year.