Back to Sylvan Lake, ...Just One More Day Until It Closes Until Mid December

Canadians have a preoccupation with the weather. That includes me. After filling my coffee cup, I checked the weather. -10C Burr! That is a wintery temperature. I was hoping to get back to Sylvan Lake today because the whitefish were quite active yesterday. Well the mercury finally crawled up above freezing at noon. Karen and I decided that even a few hours on the water was well worth it. We had our rods already set up so all we had to do was launch our pram and find a spot. When we got to Sylvan Lake, it was glass. So calm that there was a layer of ice along the shore.

We were fly fishing by 1 pm and it did not take long for our strike indicators to start disappearing under the 45F water. The whitefish were not as active as yesterday but we still had excellent action. The whitefish were definitely a bit spooky with the clear water and no wind. We had to stay out in 8 feet of water, going shallow just spooked the lake whites.

The sun felt great today. I even layered down as the air warmed to 6C.  We fly fished until 5 pm before we motored back to our Gulf Volkswagon. 

We saw just a few die hards on the water enjoying the last moments of the season before the lake has a closure so the lake whites can spawn.

Tomorrow is the last day that several of our local lakes are open until mid December!

It is not over yet everyone. Just bundle up and get out there!

 

Snowy Sylvan Lake on a Cold Late October Day

It was inevitable. Snowfall in October is not unusual for Central Alberta.  Doug and I headed to Sylvan Lake mid morning. It was still below zero but we hoped the air temperature would warm enough that we would not be wrestling with frozen guides on our fly rods. After launching we headed for a favourite weed line and started to fly fish with small bloodworms in 7 feet of water. We did not have a fish finder today but I suspect the water temperature was in the low 40sF.

It did not take too long before we started to connect with lake whitefish. We stayed in the same place for the entire time we were out on the water because the fly fishing was outstanding. Both Doug and I took the time to ensure our bottom blood worm was close to 6 inches to a foot from the bottom of the lake. We just use our forcepts attached to the bottom fly to adjust our depth.

We definitely had to bundle up to be comfortable and we were. The moderate wind caused us to readjust the boat from time to time. Luckily the sun came out just enough to help keep us pleasantly warm. The temperature eventually crawled up to 4C! 

We headed for the truck at 4 pm after a very satisfying day.

Sadly Sylvan Lake (and Gull Lake) closes on November 1st. There are only two days to get out there! It will not be too long until fly tying season begins.

Blood Worms

 

It's Not Over 'Til It's Over

Yesterday Doug, Karen and I headed out west to try to catch cutthroat trout. The weather was cold but we bundled up and headed out anyways. We had to brave some snow covered roads and frozen puddles to get to our fly fishing destination. We layered up and started to look for some cutts. Many of our Eastern slopes cutthroat rivers close on November 1st. Lots of the cutthroat trout are heading to their wintering holes.  Where we were fly fishing, the river was extremely low and the water was frigid. We rigged up with wiggle worms and tiny size 18 nymphs. It did not take too long to hook up with a dandy cutthroat on a size 18 poison tung (Charlie Craven pattern). The cutthroat were quite fussy but we did land 10 during our day. We found one hole that was full of very active cutts. We did cover several kms of the river and found that the cutts were residing in deeper holes. Many of the cutts were not too active. Later in the afternoon, the sun dipped below the foothills and the wind started to blow. We called it a day and headed back to Red Deer. It was a typical late fall day. We enjoyed being on the water. Our expectations were low and we caught enough cutthroat to make our day quite satisfying!

Golden stone nymph (Doug Pullan)

Doug Pullan image

 

Mitchell Lake

Yesterday Karen and I fly fished Mitchell Lake for the afternoon!  It had been a while since we went to Mitchell Lake. The wind was blowing and we wanted to go to a lake that was protected from the wind. There is a hill almost around the entire perimeter of Mitchell Lake. It was perfect! We arrived at noon because it was -5C in the morning. Burr! We bundled up and started to set up. We both tied on a Glen's Leech and a Bubba Gump Shrimp to get our afternoon started.

We were pleasantly surprised by several things. The water level was right up there, the aerators were on, the water was gin clear with no algae, the water temperature was a bone chilling 45F and the fish were hungry! Oh yes, we had Mitchell Lake to ourselves.

We set up in "Bernie Water"! That is 12 feet of water and we started to catch rainbows right away. We did catch lots of stalkers but we also caught some rainbows in the 16 inch category! We did catch a tiger trout and we did not connect with a brown trout!

We had to bundle up but we were quite comfortable. If you go, wear waders or bring boots. The boat launch area is shallow.

Mitchell Lake was an excellent choice!

 

A Quest for Steelhead

 A Quest for Steelhead

Doug Pullan

As the summer winds cool and the daylight diminishes, the alarm of steelheading was ringing in my ears. As with all types of fishing, getting ready for a steelhead trip is a ritual I enjoy annually. Selecting the right rods, reels, lines, flies, safety equipment, wading staff, waders and boots and the required licenses are important items to address. One item that is also an important factor is Luck. 

My brother-in-law and I have made this trek to northern BC many times to participant is this sport called steelheading. Steelhead is a name given to an anadromous form of rainbow trout with the scientific name Oncorhynhus mykiss which belongs to the trout family. Steelhead are not easy to catch. You can make a perfect cast, have the perfect fly and have the world of confidence on your side, but the fish is always the final judge. Hooking a steelhead is one thing, landing it is quite another. Skill and luck is only half of the equation, persistence is the other half. 

Upon arrival at our destination, we discovered the water conditions were less than ideal. It had been raining for a week prior which caused water levels to increase with very limited visibility. This is an example of how conditions can change during steelhead season. Sometimes your fishing is very summer like conditions wearing tee shirts with excellent water conditions. Other times it’s raining or even snowing forcing you to layer up to keep warm. 

Our trip was a mixed bag of sun but also rain creating high dirty water. You cast and swing your fly with the anticipation of a grab at any moment. Your eyes are always scanning for the best water to cast your fly as well as occasionally looking upstream not only for bears but also trees floating down that could knock you over. I also got baptized in the river due to slippery rocks coated with fine silt. Good thing for wearing an auto inflatable life jacket. I got two hookups and one battle that lasted over 10 minutes resulting in the stealhead kicking my ass. That’s steelheading for you.

They say that steelhead is a fish of a thousand casts; that’s the average. This trip worked out to a much higher number. The reality of steelheading is there is more to it than the traditional grip and grin photo.  The scenery is quite lovely with all the autumn colours. Fellow steelheads are mostly friendly and always willing to share their stories of successful hookups and loss battles. Some people say that steelheaders are half insane who relish the tug being the drug, the adrenaline rush of the battle and to touch that beautiful fish as icing on the cake: finally releasing the fish to continue its journey to spawn and then return to the ocean. That’s the magic of steelheading.

To be a steelheader is to accept the disappointments and savor the victories when they happen. Fishing for steelhead isn’t easy even at the best of times; it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s mine.

Beaver Lake near Caroline

Rick and I decided to head out to Beaver Lake today. It definitely has been a while since either of us fly fished at Beaver Lake. Beaver Lake is an excellent fishery and it is usually quite busy!  Rainbows and tiger trout are in Beaver and it is a catch and release fishery! We were both surprised to be the second boat on the water at 10:30 am. We immediately noticed that the aerators have been turned on. The water was 48F, pretty much ideal. I tied on two Glen's Leeches while Rick started off with a Candy Corn Leech. It did not take too long to connect with a chunky rainbow in 15 feet of water about 12 feet down. Soon after Rick caught two rainbows on his Candy Corn. I switched up to a Candy Corn and immediately caught a tiger trout and small rainbow. It was apparent that Beaver was recently stocked and we got lots of curious hits at our flies. As the day wore on, we probed with several flies but a Glen's Leech was definitely our best fly. We caught 4 large rainbows, a tiger trout and a mess of stockers! Near the end of the day, Rick started to cast and retrieve a flashback and he connected with a very decent rainbow. I tried backswimmers and got only one take. 

We were lucky, there were few boats on Beaver today. Later in the afternoon, showers moved in, the fly fishing slowed and most of the fly fishers headed to the boat launch area and called it a day!

The best part of the day was having my friend Rick join me in my pram. It is nice to have a good friend in the boat. We talked lots and the day went way too fast! Rick knows Beaver Lake and I learned a few of her secrets today. The fly fishing was not fast and furious but we did catch our share of trout today.

Yep the aerators are on!

 

Sylvan Lake was Amazing (Thanksgiving Monday)

Sylvan Lake was special today. The vibrant fall colours of the aspen was an fantastic backdrop as Karen and I fly fished for lake whitefish. There was virtually no wind today and the chinook arch that sprawled across the western sky helped frame one of those days you don't want to end. The water temperature was 52F, pretty much perfect and the lake whitefish were definitely in the shallows. We spent half of our time in 5 feet of water looking for whitefish. We would cast our small blood worms just in front of them. We tried to keep our bloodworms about 8-12 inches off of the bottom. Sight fly fishing is definitely fun.

The only downside to Sylvan Lake at the moment is the low water. The boat launches are practically impossible to launch larger boats as we found out! Luckily we could hand launch our pram and paddle out to water deep enough to use our electric motor! If you launch at Palm Bay, you can avoid boat launch fees ($20). Definitely bring boots and a paddle or two!

Karen and I also had a great time watching immature bald eagles get flying lessons from their parents.

22C on Thanksgiving Monday is definitely a treat!