The Central Alberta Fly Tying Club meets during winter months. Weekly tying sessions begin at 6:30pm. Call Bob Vanderwater 403. 347. 3802 or email rdvanderwater@gmail.com
A rainy summer had definitely added water to our ecosystem but it is making fly fishing challenging. Many of our lakes have high water temperatures and many of the rivers are flowing high, muddy and fast. You definitely can fly fish the Red Deer River with streamers. Big streamers that push water. Bow River buggers, Sex Dungeons, etc are great choices. I like using dark ones. Cast right to the banks and you will definitely have a chance at a hook up! Use a sink tip line! Looks like a typical weather cycle unlike last year. I hope the water table is rising.
I just got in from a bike ride and the Red Deer River in town is close to no visibility. Ironically, I did see a fly fisherman catching goldeye in town with streamers. The fish will move close to the banks to get out of the fast current!
Be sure to check Alberta Basins if you are fly fishing rivers. It will definitely help you decide where to go fly fishing!
Camping at Fish Lake in Nordegg is way more than a fly fishing trip. I would say that fly fishing is secondary to having a great time with family and friends. ...and we did just that! The weather was quite unsettled but that did not slow us down. Hiking, fly fishing, playing with our grandson, and just plain having a great time is the order of the day!
The fly fishing at Fish Lake is always good! I am so amazed at how many troll for hours without a bite. Certainly trolling can be quite successful. I suspect an intermediate line and a pumpkinhead would get you lots of takes!Once you figure out the depth then it is game on! We did have breaks from the showers and we used those breaks to get out on the water. The rainbows are plentiful and you can catch several 12-13 inch rainbows in a few hours. Most of the rainbows are 9-10 inchers.
Our best success was fishing 9 feet down along a weed line and in a bay that was out of the wind.
The water quality at Fish Lake is excellent and the water temperature was surprisingly low for this time of the year! The lake level is right up there with all of the rain run off!
We used my tried and true Bubba Gump Shrimp, balanced sizes 16 and14.
The bird life on the lake is so amazing. Sandhill cranes, great blue herons, osprey, loons and eagles can be seen every day!They can quite enjoyable to photograph and just plain watch! The osprey are constantly fishing. There were times when we saw 6 or 7 at a time dive bombing for their next meal!
I hope you are enjoying summer. It feels like it is going way too fast!
Blue sky, quick lets go! 15 minutes later, the stormy weather is back!
9 feet down should do it!
So many showers rolled through! It was sweater and jacket weather!
The real fishermen are the osprey!
Frogs!
Almost ready grandpa!
To be a kid again!
Herons are nesting along the lake!
Warm air spilling over the eastern slopes! We had one warm day but lots of heavy wind!
Tequila Blobs can be so effective. For some reason, this colour combination is very appealing to certain trout! Karen and I are heading to the backcountry soon and we will be sure to have a handful of blobs (and chernobyls). We were both surprised at how effective they were in the mountain lakes. Give Bob Edens a call ( 403-304- 8362) if you need daphnia fritz or slush jelly to make them or order from Canadian Llama Company.
I like to wet the materials before I wrap them on either a wide gap nymph hook or a jig hook!
I hope this long stretch of rain makes its way out of the mountains. We do need lots of moisture but we need some sunshine too!
Magic hour can be very exciting. That last 60 minutes before dark can get interesting! It certainly is a waiting game and "hit and miss!" ...but when you favourite hatch happens and the trout respond, it can be tremendously rewarding! Whether it be caddis, brown drakes, hexagenia, golden stones, PMDs or something other; it is all about good timing and a bit of luck. I used to talk to a few Bow River guides that loved the last hour of light or the first hour of light. It can make for some insane moments! You will have days that nothing happens and then there are the days that you see more trout in a stretch of water than you could ever imagine. You got to put in the time.
Karen and I have floated the Red Deer River starting at 7 pm hoping to hit certain hatches. We got back home after 1 am. Those floats are crazy but so rewarding too! Our favourite ones usually revolve around a full moon! Coyotes, deer, moose, and beavers that slap their tails right beside you! It certainly gets your blood flowing!
I have a deep admiration for hatch chasers who have put in the time. They have done their homework!
Caddis during the evening can make for some epic fly fishing with dry flies. I have been lucky enough to be out camping with Karen and enjoying the evening caddis hatch! Just a size 14 elk hair caddis and a long leader with 4x tippet! I have learned not to cast until you see a trout rising regularly! Watch what the trout is doing and the rhythm of the fish's feeding. Is the trout cycling? Just watch and then cast when it feels right! I have run into some sizeable trout! You have to have patience (not my best trait)! But, when it happens, yahoo!
Have you ever watched Bill Nye The Science Guy? Well one of his favourite lines was, "Consider the following!" When it comes to tying up chernobyls, ...consider the following:
1. Use a heavier hook (streamer hook) so your chernobyl lands upright and not upside down!
2. Add an antron wing so it is easier to see on the water. I have often used chernobyls on high mountain lakes and at times, having a wing makes it a lot easier to track where your fly is (I also use brushed out macrame cord for the wing).
3. Create segments on the bottom piece of foam as you work forward while tying up a chernobyl!
You can make chernobyls as simple as you want or as creative as you want! I like to keep chernobyls simple. These three simple ideas can up your chernobyl game.
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