The Crowsnest Angler Fly Shop

I had so much fun creek fishing last week I decided to do it again this week. This time I headed further away from town. I knew there would likely be some rainbows and cuttbows around, but I was hoping to find a few brook trout. I like fishing for brookies, especially when they’re all decked out in their fall spawning colors. I grabbed my 2-weight Winston rod and headed out for the afternoon.

Great trout cover

I’m happy to say my hook-set /catch-and-land ratio improved significantly from last week. Mind you, most of the fish were a lot smaller too. It’s funny how the small ones never get away. Most of the pools held at least two or three trout. They were all eager to rise to a dry fly … any dry fly. They weren’t fussy at all. Presentation didn’t matter, either. The only thing I had to watch out for were snags. In places, there were quite a few of these to contend with.

A nice shady section

There were lots of cuttbows and a few rainbows in the creek, but I never saw any sign of brook trout. That’s unusual here. I’ll try to go back in a few weeks and see if they’re still around. Photos to come, if I find some.

One of the larger trout

I was able to get away for a few hours this afternoon and decided to do some creek fishing. Because I had to be back before the shop closed, I didn’t go far from town. There didn’t appear to be anyone else fishing the creek and I was pleased to see I’d have the water to myself. It wasn’t a particularly long stretch of water I planned to fish, perhaps 200 yards. But there would be four or five pools and runs … enough to keep me occupied for a couple of hours. Here’s how things went for me this afternoon.

POOL #1

I missed a good fish here, right off the start

On my first cast, a nice trout rose to my SA Hopper, but missed. Not wanting to take any chances, I changed flies and put on a Coachman Trude. The fish rose again, but refused the fly. I changed flies once more and tied on an Elk Hair Caddis. Yet another refusal. I made a few more casts, but nothing. “Smart fish; it’s probably seen a few flies this season,” I thought. I headed upstream to the next pool to look for one that was “less educated.” Maybe I could come back and try for this one again, later.

POOL #2

This pool was a bit deeper than the first and looked quite promising.  I had two more refusals, on back to back casts.  Another trout rose 20 feet upstream. I  managed to get my fly to the fish. Missed it. It was my fault, though, I was too anxious when setting the hook.

Great looking pool

POOL #3

Fish On! … finally. Wait a minute; fish off … it got away! At least I still had my fly. I made a few more casts, without success. It was time to move up to the next pool.

Pretty water, that's for sure

 POOL #4

Maybe the deepest pool in this section, with trees and “fly-eating” branches that kept getting in the way. Twice, I managed to hook the same branches behind me. They were too high for me to reach my fly. I gave the leader a good tug and got everything back, including the fly … both times. Had a fish on for a couple of seconds, before it slipped the hook. I was beginning to wonder whether I should have stayed at work, instead. The last pool was just around the corner. 

Yet another good pool

POOL #5

I cast my fly onto the water and lost sight of it. A trout rose, but I couldn’t tell whether it was to my fly. It was. I didn’t set the hook in time. Another missed opportunity. A couple of casts later and there was another rise to my fly. This time, I did everything right. The trout jumped from the water a couple of times before I was able to land it.  A decent cuttbow for this creek.

A colorful cuttbow

 POOL #1  (One More Time)

On my way back to the truck I decided to try the first pool one last time.  I re-attached the SA Hopper to my tippet and crawled on my hands and knees, until I was in position. A trout rose in the tail-out of the pool, just as some people drove by in a black jeep. They didn’t see me and I started to cast. The fish came to the surface and took my fly. I quickly landed the trout, a 12-inch cutthroat. Nice fish, but not the one I had seen earlier.  I made a few more attempts, without as much as a look by another trout.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. If the trout wasn’t going to come up to a dry, maybe going down with a nymph would be the answer. I attached 18 inches of 6X tippet to the hopper and tied on a #16 Copper John.  I cast the flies into the current flowing against the grassy bank and watched the dry fly as it drifted toward me. It only floated a few feet, before it disapearing under the surface. As soon as I set the hook I knew it was the fish I’d seen a couple hours earlier. The rainbow trout provided a good work-out for my rod and arm.  Shortly after landing the trout, I headed back to the shop. I had a big smile on my face.

A great way to end the day!

It’s hard to believe we’re already into the middle of July. With all the rain and cool weather we’ve been receiving lately, it seems like summer has yet to begin. The good news, though, is that the sun is shining again in Crowsnest Pass and it looks like the nice weather is going to stick around for a while. The Crowsnest River is in great shape and the trout are being very cooperative, particularly with dry flies.

Dry-fly fishing on the Crowsnest River

 All of the rivers and streams in southwest Alberta have cleared up nicely since last weekend’s rain. There’s lots of insects hatching on the river these days, including golden, yellow and lime Sally stoneflies. Stimulator dry flies have been working as well as anything, when trying to imitate these bugs. Green drake and pmd mayflies are also hatching in good numbers and are drawing trout to the surface. If you’re planning on fishing in the evening, be sure to include a few caddis and rusty spinner imitations in your fly box.

A happy Crowsnest River angler

 Yesterday, I had the opportunity to spend the day with Hunter Neal, a fly angler/professional photographer visiting from Connecticut. Hunter was in Crowsnest Pass for a couple of days two years ago and was so impressed with our beautiful scenery and fishing he decided to return. This time, he’s here for a month. We had planned to shoot photos in the morning and fish in the afternoon, but got carried away snapping pictures and ran out of time for anything else. Maybe we’ll try fishing next week. This time, we’ll probably have to leave our camera gear at home. Otherwise, I’m sure it will be a repeat of yesterday.

Thanks Hunter, it was great to be able to spend the day with a real “pro.” Thanks also for all the great photo tips!

Hunter Neal at work

It’s taken a while, but most of the trout streams in southwest Alberta are running clear again. It appears the rainy season is over, at least for now. Some of the rivers and streams are still a bit on the high side, but at least everything is fishable once again. Stream flows are dropping daily and many of the rivers, including the Crowsnest, are wadeable.  Golden stoneflies and their smaller cousins, yellow Sally stoneflies, are starting to provide some decent dry-fly fishing. Pale morning dun mayflies and caddis can also be seen along the rivers most days. As water temperatures warm, dry-fly fishing will only continue to improve.

Side channels are good places to fish, when flows in the main river are high.

 Yesterday, I spent the day with a couple of friends, Dan and Arnold, on the Oldman River. The river was in pretty good shape, with  maybe three feet of visibility. It was a bit too high to wade across, but we managed all right. The cutthroats and rainbows were a bit reluctant to take our Stimulator dry flies, but didn’t hesitate to eat Prince nymphs, suspended about two feet below our large dry flies. There was a good pmd hatch mid-afternoon, and for the short time they were on the water, there were a lot of trout feeding on the surface. We also had good action, using streamers. All in all, it was a great day with a couple of friends.

Dan lands a nice trout.

Should I head down to the river to fish for the day or take my pontoon boat out and do some lake fishing, instead? That was the question I had to answer on Wednesday. The salmonfly hatch has started on the Crowsnest River and water conditions were excellent for this time of year. The river was wadeable and there was at least three feet of visibility. It’s not often you have this kind of water clarity in the river at the end of May. The spring runoff was in progress, but cooler temperatures had slowed the snow-melt in the mountains. The weather forecast was calling for it to start raining in the afternoon and for it to continue for at least the next few days. I knew this was probably going to be my last chance to hit the river before it muddied up. If I didn’t fish the Crow today, I’d probably have to wait a couple weeks before conditions improve. It was a tough decision to make, and in the end I opted for rowing my pontoon boat on a lake.

 I headed west of town, just across the Alberta-BC border and met Terry at Summit Lake. His pontoon boat was in the water and he was already rigged up when I arrived. A couple of other friends were gearing up on shore, too. Terry has been having some great action on the lake for several weeks, fishing mainly with chironimid (midge) patterns, suspended beneath a strike indicator. While some people compare this type of fishing to “watching paint dry,” I enjoy it … especially if there’s a chance of hooking a big trout.

A happy angler!

 Terry rowed out a little ways from shore and started fishing, while I assembled my gear. Before I had even strung my rod I glanced up, only to see that Terry’s rod was doubled over. Moments later, he netted his first trout of the day. I quickened my pace and in a short time was on the water, myself. The fish were cooperative from the get-go and the fishing was steady the entire time we were out. I landed a colorful brook trout early on, but it was all rainbows after that. I didn’t latch onto any cutties, but I think Terry managed to get one. The rainbows were gorgeous and displayed some of their amazing aerobatic qualities for us. I seldom count fish and didn’t this day, either. However, we caught plenty of trout and it appeared everyone else out that day did, too. At one point I looked up and every boat within sight had a trout on the end of a line.

Around 4.30 pm, the sky opened and the rain started to fall. By morning the Crow was the color of chocolate milk. Even though I would have enjoyed fishing the river had I done this instead, I still feel I made the right decision to fish the lake on Wednesday. I’ll get back to river soon enough.  Also, when the fish are biting like they were at Summit, it doesn’t feel at all like you’re watching paint dry!

It appears spring has arrived in Crowsnest Pass … again. After last week’s extreme weather, I was beginning to wonder if all those warm days we experienced last month were but a dream. We should be cutting grass this time of year, not shovelling ten inches of snow. Well, most of the snow that fell last week has already melted, at least the stuff along the valley floor. There’s still lots of it in the mountains, though.  The long-range forecast looks pretty good, even for the Victoria Day weekend, coming up in a couple weeks. The Crowsnest River was quite clear as of this morning, but I suspect this will change once it starts to warm up again. We are approaching the time of year where the runoff usually occurs, after all.

All of the trout lakes in the area are fishing well - something to keep in mind once the runoff begins on our local rivers. But who knows, if we don’t receive too much rain over the next month or so, the river might remain fishable throughout the runoff period.

 My brother-in-law, Paul, and I fished Beauvais Lake twice in the past week, in hopes of catching some brown trout. We managed to land a few browns, but nothing over 16 inches. Lots and lots of rainbows, too, but mainly small ones. We won’t talk about the number of suckers that inhaled our chironimid and streamer patterns. The weather was iffy both times, but we still had a lot of fun together. We’ll try for some browns again next year, when Paul returns for his annual visit.

Fishing on Beauvais Lake

We’re all familiar with the old proverb, “When March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb.” Well, the opposite is also true, and if the spring-like weather we’ve been experiencing so far this month is any indication of what’s to come, I won’t be putting my snow shovel away just yet. Southern Alberta has been basking in warm temperatures for several weeks. Actually, it’s been more than a month since Crowsnest Pass has received any significant amount of snow or any of the cold temperatures we normally have to endure (or expect) at this time of year. It’s been kind of nice to be getting positive, double-digit daytime temperatures in late February and early March, but you know we’re going to pay for this - sooner or later. I’m guessing were going to be “paying the piper” before month’s end!

Temperatures in the Pass have climbed to +12°  Celsius (55° F) some days. As a result, most of the ice has disappeared from the Crowsnest River. Normally at this time of year, the majority of ice-free water is located between the East Hillcrest and Highway 507 bridges. The river downstream of Hwy. 507, through to Lundbreck Falls, and toward it’s confluence with the Oldman Dam Reservoir, is usually locked in ice until late March or early April. Not this year, though, and it’s possible to fish the entire section of river between the East Hillcrest Bridge and the reservoir. If you’re planning to wait a few weeks before heading out, keep in mind the section between Lundbreck Falls and Highway 3 closes at the end of March. If you’re unsure of what’s open and what’s not, be sure to read the regs before you go.

"Horseshoe Bend" on the lower Crowsnest River (March 8/10)

I managed to get out fishing for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon. The temperature was around 10° Celsius and winds were light. The river was crystal-clear, low and easy to wade. There’s still some ice shelves along the river, but they did not pose any problems, at least in the section I fished. Prior to hitting the water, I drove down below Lundbreck to check water conditions.

Update: Crowsnest Pass received about an inch of snow overnight. A precurser of what’s in store? Perhaps, but the “short-range” forecast is calling for clear, sunny skies tomorrow, and temperatures of 10° C by Friday.

Only a bit of ice remains clinging to Lundbreck Falls

The river was crystal-clear, low and easy to wade

I landed four rainbows in a couple hours, using bead-head nymphs (Pheasant-tail and Prince), and Wire San Juan Worms

It’s been snowing lightly in Crowsnest Pass this morning. It doesn’t appear we’re going to get much of the white stuff, though, and the forecast is calling for mainly sunny conditions, with +5°  Celsius temperatures by Monday. All of the trout streams in SW Alberta, with the exception of portions of the Crowsnest and Oldman rivers, closed last Saturday. As I mentioned in my previous post, you’ll need to stick to the sections that remain open to fishing during the winter months, should you decide to head out. As of today, all of the trout lakes in the area are ice-free, but it probably won’t be too long before they freeze.

There’s not a lot of anglers around these days, which is expected, and we’re seeing more customers in the shop that are coming by to stock up on fly-tying materials. You know winter is just around the corner when people start coming in with their tying material shopping lists. We’re already preparing for next season and are busy working on placing orders. We’ll be carrying a few new product lines and will pass on more info as the 2010 season approaches. Sage Manufacturing has discontinued their Launch Series fly rods and we have put our remaining stock on sale - 30% off the regular price. If you need more info, send me an email at: info@crowsnestangler.com or call 1-800-267-1778 .

Another reminder that we’re on winter hours. We’re open 9:00 am - 6:00 pm, Tuesday through Saturday.

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to go on a mountain bike trip to the headwaters of the Castle River. I was joined by my friends, Rolf and Peter. We left Crowsnest Pass at 8:00 am and were unloading our bikes at the trail-head about an hour later. Within minutes, we were peddling along the bumpy, pot-hole filled logging road, heading south toward Waterton Lakes National Park. It didn’t take long, the first five minutes of the trip to be exact, for me to realize I was not in top “bike shape.” By the end of our 35 km trip, every muscle and bone in my body ached. My backside was the most vocal, though. I must look into getting a bike seat with more padding.

Portions of the old logging road were in rough shape, with large bowling ball size rocks strewn over the ground. Other sections contained deep washouts and ravines, reminders of the 1995 flood. Then, there were the steep hills. There were no short-cuts around them and it was much easier to push the bikes up or down them, than peddle. Other sections of the road were much like they were prior to the flood, and easy to ride. I particularly enjoyed the downhill sections … that is until we returned later in the day, where they became uphill sections. At long last, we arrived at our destination, approximately three or four kilometres from the northern boundary of Waterton Park. The scenery was spectacular!

Rolf and Peter, gearing up to fish

 Although it was more of a mountain bike torture trip we were on, we had also included our fly-fishing gear. In the event there was a decent place close by, and we had time, we planned to fish a bit before heading back. As it turned out we’d have about an hour, so we thought we’d make the best of it. We were glad we did. Here’s a few photos of the day.

Within minutes, Peter was into a nice cutthroat trout

Peter, with a beautiful 15-inch cutthroat trout. A decent fish for this section of river.

Rolf casts to a likely-looking spot. The headwaters of the Castle River are more creek-like in size and appearance than they are a river.

One of the cutthroats I managed to catch. Photos by Peter Amundsen.

Preparing for the ride home. Myself, Peter and Rolf (left to right).

After enduring more than three weeks of cool, overcast, rainy weather, the long term forecast for Crowsnest Pass looks awesome. It appears we’ll be receiving some summer weather after all! Stream conditions are returning to normal and the fishing is excellent. Water levels are great and the trout are happy. Anglers are happy, too, now that the sun is shining and most of the rivers and streams are running clear once again. If you’re planning on heading out fishing, don’t forget the sunscreen!

What better way to enjoy the sunshine than spending a day fly-fishing for cutthroat trout. That’s exactly what Linder and David did yesterday on the Elk River. While both fellows have fished quite a bit this summer already, it was the first time these two friends have been able to “hook-up” this season. I was glad to have been able to be there, too. 

Linder (on right) and David, with a beautiful cutthroat trout. Photo courtesy of David Richardson.