Special days on the water are something that I cherish! My buddy Josh Nugent, owner of Out Flyfishing in Calgary, and I spent yesterday cutthroat fly fishing. Our day began with an 8 km walk before we rigged up. It was going to be all about dry fly fishing. Well the water was off colour from the thunderstorm the night before. We still decided to carry on with the plan. To say the fly fishing was superb is an under statement. Josh wanted to test out a new green drake emerger and the cutthroat were incredibly responsive. We had 4 feet of visibility at the start of the day and that gradually improved as the water slowly started to clear! Josh figured out that working water no deeper than 5 feet deep allowed the cutties to see our flies. We covered water that many fly fishers blow right by in their travels. Riffles, pocket water and of course pools were a big part of our day. As the day wore on, the fly fishing became better. What made me smile was the wide range of age classes of the west slope cutties. As usual, some runs were better than others. As we wandered along, we covered every nook and cranny. So many fly fishers just go from pool to pool and miss some of the best water. The best moment of the day was catching three 18 inch plus cutthroat from a long riffle. We watched 2 fly fishers blow right past this water. I am always amazed at how the bigger cutthroat rise up to take a fly in a very unhurried way. It is those moments that get your heart racing, especially if you have the patience to let them eat and turn upstream before you set the hook! I made that exact mistake when a cutthroat turned downstream, I set the hook and out popped the fly! Sigh!
We never did cover the last 4 km of water. It was well into the evening when we decided to call it a day. We climbed out of the water and walked back to the car. I always believe that fly fishing is about moments. We talked about those moments. A double header with big fish, setting the hook too early and slapping flies that were chewing on our legs were going to be talked about for a few days.
Josh and I had one of those days you hope will come your way every once in a while. We knew we "Had a Day." I hope others experience wonderful days like we did today. It certainly motivates you with anticipation for the next time.
Josh Nugent photo
Green drake emerger. You can get these at Josh's shop in Calgary! Josh fished this well chewed emerger all day. It is definitely a winner!
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