Happy Canada Day from Sylvan Lake

Happy Canada Day Everyone!

Karen and I slipped out to Sylvan Lake for 5 hours to fly fish! We were keeping a close eye on the weather radar. Pop up thunderstorms were on the horizon. Luckily we were treated to perfect weather. We fly fished with zucchini chironomids and bloodworms. I even landed a decent pike on a bloodworm! The water temperature was between 59F and 62F. We did very well in 11 feet of water. We usually fish a foot off of the bottom but today we were only 7-8 feet down! We called it a day when the jet skis and overpowered motor boats came out in full force. By then, we had already had a great day! Get out on the water early at Sylvan and you will avoid boat traffic!

We saw lots of fish activity from mayflies, caddis and chironomids!

I hope you are enjoying Canada Day!

Even suckers like chironomids!

 

MOP Flies

I saw a picture of Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top wearing a hat that made me think of MOP Flies. Sometimes obnoxious attractor flies " get the job done." I remember borrowing a MOP fly from my buddy Larry when we were at Bullshead Reservoir many years ago. I had an amazing day as did Larry! The flies when wet move in a very enticing way. Some say the olive or black version could be a dragon nymph. What I do know is that they work. All you have to do is head over to Canadian Tire and get a glove with all of those cool little fingers on it in the car wash section! Cut off the little fingers from the glove or towel, tie on a hook then add some dubbing or fritz at the bead and voila a MOP Fly! Crazy! I wonder if Billy Gibbons like to fly fish?

Blown Out Rivers- Be Careful Out There!

River flows throughout the province are at an extremely dangerous level. The recent rains over the last 48 hours have blown out our rivers. Exercise caution. Time to hit some lakes if the water temperatures are not too high! Remember, safety first! Always check Alberta Basins to ensure the river you are heading to is safe.