Some Days Are Just Amazing

There is nothing like a happy day of fly fishing with friends. The photos speak volumes so I will let them do the talking!

 

Daphnia and Blobs

The throat samples were quite conclusive, daphnia! The trout were dining on daphnia and we had to change up our fly fishing to get hooked up! Murray and Colin joined me for the maiden voyage of my G3 this year. We also met up with Betty and Steve. We all started off with chironomids but after doing a few throat samples, it was obvious that we were going to have to switch to blobs. Blobs are essentially fritz (you can order from Canadian Llama Company) or cactus chenille wrapped on a wide gap hook and fished 7 to 11 feet down below an indicator. The action was not fast and furious but it was still decent! It was definitely a beautiful day on the water!

yellow and orange fritz usually get the attention of trout

Tequila Blob

 

Not Doing It Right!

 What would you do if you see an individual(s) not following the regulations. Would you talk with them and try to get them to do it right or would you call the Report A Poacher Line? Many of us would choose to not get involved but to stop poaching we all have to stand up for what is right.

Karen and I had to deal with such an occasion yesterday. I will spare you the details but we decided to call the Report A Poacher line to take action! We were immediately put in contact with a Conservation Officer who drove out to deal with the problem. We tried to get them to fish within the legal parameters but they were not interested. We would have been glad to leave it if they started to fish within the regulations.

The Conservation Officer was fantastic to work with. It is a very awkward situation but Fish and Wildlife Officers and Conservation Officers do need our help to police our waters.

Avoid confrontations! Photographs are always helpful and have the Report A Poacher number on your cell phone. 1-800-642-3800. Doing what is right is tough and never convenient!

Fly Fishing with Grandkids is Always a Blast

Karen and I just got back from camping at Fish Lake, aka Shunda Lake with our grandkids and their parents. We had a blast although it was still a bit snowy and chilly at night. We were glad our furnace on our trailer was working well. We all went down to the dock to see if the fish stocking had occurred once we arrived and set up camp. Sigh, we saw nothing. Hmm. We were disappointed.

Well after a big breakfast the first morning we hiked around the lake. I thought I saw some rising fish. As we neared the end of our walk, my one grandson, saw a pod of rainbows. Well then we knew that at least some rainbows had been put into the lake.

We went back and got the grandkids casting rods. We added a 10 cent red and white bobber and two red brassies, size 16. The boys just cast out and slowly retrieved their flies. They caught rainbow after rainbow until they wanted to go back to camp and build a fort.

My son-in-law and I ensured the kids did not have tangles and helped the kids manage the caught fish!

One afternoon we had a fishing derby which of course the kids won.

We always ensure the fishing is about the kids. The adults rarely fish. The fishing is in small doses too. The kids like fishing with flies with their small spinning rods. They can easily managed them. 

 

Here is the Link to check ACA's Stocking Report

The Alberta Conservation Association also stocks several bodies of water including several in Central Alberta! Check the ACA Stocking Report RIGHT HERE!

 

Tying the Balanced Tokaryk Special

The Tokaryk Special tied either balanced or just as a streamer is a winner. Phil can show you all the modifications that have been made over the years. I personally have had excellent success with this fly pattern. Take a look, Phil ties this version with Tungsten Head Turner Beads. I always have this pattern along. I have used this fly when daphnia are the main food source for the trout instead of a blob.

Take a look!

 

Cow Lake Stocking-Wow!

 I hope this works out! Anybody got a calculator?

Excellent Chironomid Action

What a beauty of a day. Big blue sky, warm, a chironomid hatch and a good friend to spend a day with on the water! Doug and I launched his pram at 9:30 am and after motoring for 10 minutes, we set up in 14 feet of water. Based on what happened the day before with Karen and I, we set up with "chromie" type chironomids, specifically a Rusty Nail, an excellent John Kent design of a very silvery chironomid. We were into trout right away. The first few throat samples had a lot of small scuds and a few silvery chironomid pupa that were size 10. The trout became quite active later in the morning. The chironomid hatch seemed to tail off in the early afternoon and the trout were slashing at boatmen. We decided to fish shallower. I fished with a small brill micro leech and caught a few rainbows but the John Kent's Rusty Nail still out shone other flies. Throat samples began to show that the chironomids were getting darker. That was similar to what we saw yesterday so we tied on PBRs, Phil's Black and Red Chironomid in sizes 10 and 12. The PBR certainly got the attention of the rainbows. We were back to fishing in "Bernie" water (12 feet down)or just a bit deeper. Doug caught several sizeable rainbows. It was good to see several larger well conditioned rainbows.

Today may have been the nicest day to fly fish this spring. The trout were certainly cooperative today. I hope tomorrow brings us another great day on the water!

Early morning throat sample-lots of small scuds!

Red Brown Midge Flex is available through Rainy's

Phil's Black and Red (PBR) Chironomid

Chromies started to show up as the chironomid hatch got going!

The Rainbows were slashing at the water boatmen as the day progressed.

A PBR in the lip of a rainbow!