A Chinook Arch Over Sylvan Lake

What a great day to be outside. A chinook arch stretched across the western sky! It was there all day. Actually it pulled off mid afternoon but shortly after, it reformed. It was very cool to watch! Karen and I decided to stay close to home today and we were glad we did. We had a second cup of coffee this morning. It was cold, a frosty -5C. Then we loaded up the gear and pram then headed to Palm Bay to launch. We headed to the west end of the lake. It took us a bit of moving around to find the most active area with lake whitefish. We probed with blood worm patterns. We finally settled on 10 feet of water. We also added a red butt zucchini to our train of flies. The whitefish smashed the zucchini when they saw it. We could have stayed until dark but family obligations pointed us home. That was just fine after a wonderful day on the water.

A Well Chewed Red Butt Zucchini!

Perfect Water Temperature

Our Go To Leader Material

 

Lake Water Temperatures in Central Alberta Are Dropping Quickly

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Weekend everyone! Karen and I were having a great time with our family! We have a lot to be thankful for!

I was quite shocked today when I turned on my Garmin Fish Finder and saw the surface water temperature was a bone chilling 44F. That cold front that settled over Central Alberta and dropped some snow caused our lakes' water temperature to drop down 5 of 6 degrees celsius.

Well Karen and I broke out the warm jackets and wind pants today. Karen wore 2 jackets. The wind was definitely cold. We also threw a couple of small towels into our kit so we can keep our hands dry. When they are wet with the cold water, they get cold fast, especially when there is wind.

Well today was a decent day out on the water but not amazing. Throat samples suggested that the trout were not very active the last few days. Our catch rate was lower than last week. The fish were definitely lethargic! I hope that picks up the next time we get out!

Lots of geese were on the move as well!

Actively feeding fish were deeper today. I was able to hook up a lot stripping backswimmers and boatmen in the afternoon using an intermediate line. Today I had to count down to 15 to get strikes as I stripped in my team of three flies. I caught trout on all three flies.  (a Rinse and Repeat and two modified Flashbacks) I had them spaced 2 to 3 feet apart!

 

Being at the Right Place at the Right Time

I love days like today! The day was full of cool moments. That big rainbow that Karen caught was no coincidence. Karen saw a trout cycling up and down a shore in perhaps 3 feet of water. We slid the pram to within casting distance. Karen adjusted her Tokaryk Special to just 2 feet below her strike indicator. About 7 or 8 minutes later, this big rainbow took her fly. We had no idea that the rainbow was gigantic! Karen was able to subdue this sizeable trout after a great battle. We both looked at each other and laughed.

Later in the day we went back to a spot that we liked. Karen was hooking more rainbows on Flashback Pheasant Tails, size 14. I could see boatmen everywhere so I decided to strip Flashbacks using my intermediate line. It was a good choice. I hooked 4 brown trout in short order. The boatman were diving all over the place but no trout were rolling on the surface so I stripped my offering just below the surface. The strikes were hard. I loved it!

During our day there were lulls but the fly fishing was excellent. Tiger trout, rainbows and brown trout were all active at some point during the day. I caught browns stripping a Blue Flash Damsel as well as boatmen and backswimmers. I love the jarring takes.

For most of the afternoon, Karen added a Flashback below her Tokaryk Special. It paid off with several trout brought to hand.

Take a look at the throat samples today. Daphnia, immature damsels, shrimp and boatmen were on the menu! That helped us a lot. Most of our trout were caught on the edges although I did catch several stripping my intermediate line with backswimmers and boatmen.

The surface water temperature hovered around 50F all day. The trout were active and aggressive today. We loved that!

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, Canadian style of course! I hope you are able to spend time with your family during the coming days! Family means a lot to Karen and I!

Rinse and Repeat Backswimmer

Size 14 Flashback Pheasant Tail Caught the Attention of this Brown Trout

Throat samples from today!

My favourite trout streamer is a Blue Flash Damsel. I love to strip this streamer with my intermediate line. I count down to get a specific depth. Today I was counting to 10 then retrieving!