Last Day Fly Fishing on the Eastern Slopes-Was It a Trick or a Treat?

My buddy Jay and I have a tradition of fly fishing on the Eastern Slopes on Halloween. It is the last day for fly fishing for cutthroat. Well we were treated with quite a snow storm on the way out! The weather forecast said 5 cm was possible. We got closer to 30 cm. Was that a trick or a treat? Not sure. The fly fishing was slow and the driving was an adventure in a winter wonderland. Winter is setting in for sure!

 

Windy Afternoon Looking for Tigers

The wind sure has been rocking the last few days. Luckily it has been warm. After celebrating Karen's dad's 90th birthday, Karen and I headed out to Dickson Trout Pond in search of some tiger trout! Oh man the northwest wind was turning the lake on its side except for a few pockets. We were on foot so our options were limited although wearing our waders gave us some flexibility. We had a few hours and once we set up, Karen started connecting with several small rainbows using a Tokaryk Special. I was catching nothing so I switched to a tiny brill scud. I then started to catch some rainbows. I did connect with a rather large rainbow for Dickson. That was cool because it was not a brood trout! It did not take long for both Karen and I to catch some decent tiger trout, two of which were impressive sizes. The wind chased everyone else off of the lake. It was intense wind. We wandered back to the truck and headed back to Red Deer with a strong tail wind.

It looks like the cold weather starts to move in just in time for Halloween. I see that Lake Louise and the Icefields Parkway are blanketed with snow. Time to dig out the snow tires and skis!

 

Dickson Tigers

Tiger trout are so cool. They are a cross between a male brook trout and a female brown trout! Their vermiculations, colouring and aggressive nature make for a great sport fish! We have several lakes and ponds in Central Alberta that have tigers! Check the Fish Stocking Report to see where and how many have been planted in our area! Today, I walked along the shore for Dickson Trout Pond for 90 minutes casting a Tokaryk Special. I managed to hook several in my short day on the water. Micro leeches and shrimp patterns should also get you some hook ups! I just dangled a balanced Tokaryk Special about 4-5 feet down over weed lines as I enjoyed the warm afternoon sun. Next week's cold weather may result in some of our lakes/ponds to freeze over. I think we are down to the last few days.