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

If you’ve stopped by our fly shop in the past year or so, you’ve probably noticed the        8-foot trout silhouette we put up to decorate the outside of our new addition.

A view of the front of our shop, with the trout silhouette

 During this time, we’ve had lots of compliments on the fish and our addition. Well, yesterday we added another 8-foot trout silhouette above our sign next to the shop. We think this trout looks as impressive as the first one.

Positioning the frame that will support the heavy metal trout

Securing the trout to the sign

 Thanks to Randy Rinaldi Welding for installing the steel frame and hanging the trout for us. A job well done!

Our trout sign on display along Highway 3 - Bellevue, Crowsnest Pass

Over the past several years, there have been numerous sightings of river otters along the Crowsnest River. A lot of these reports have come from anglers, who have been encountering them while fishing. Earlier this year, I went out looking for some otters that had just been spotted along the river, east of the shop. Naturally, they were gone by the time I arrived. Today was a different story, though. This time they were waiting for me.

Mama or papa otter, along with a young one, checking me out

When I first saw the otters, they were sunning themselves on a large boulder along the water’s edge, about 75 yards away. Actually, they saw me first and by the time I realized what they were (at first, I thought they were mergansers), they were already sliding into the water. It appeared to be a family, numbering four or five in total. I was amazed at how effortless they were able to swim.  “Graceful” and “powerful” is how I would describe their swimming ability.  They seemed curious, yet wary of my presence. Once in the water, one of them barked at the others and then they all paddled upstream in my direction. They swam within thirty yards of me, close enough for a good view, but not quite close enough for a good photo. Too bad I didn’t have my long lens. Once their curiosity was satisfied, they turned around and headed back downstream. I quickly walked to the corner, hoping to catch another glimpse, but they were nowhere to be seen. Pretty neat encounter, I’d say. The fishing was pretty good afterward, but seeing the otters was the highlight of the day!

I suspect otters were common along the Crowsnest River at one time and there’s probably plenty of reasons why they haven’t been seen in these parts for many years. I’ve heard there’s some people, including a few anglers, who are not particularly happy they’re back. This is probably because they feel otters are a threat to the fishery. I disagree and believe there’s room for fish and otters to co-exist. But then again, these are likely the same people who don’t like grizzly bears, wolves or bull trout.

Many of you know Nathan Bond, a former employee of our shop and fly-fishing guide extraordinaire. Some of you also know that Nathan is a talented musician, a pianist (classical), at that. In recent years, Nathan has also developed a passion for rock climbing and has even invited me to join him on an “easy climb” up, or an “easy repel” down the face of Goat (Bluff) Mountain, right here in Crowsnest Pass. However, he has yet to convince me that “I’m not too old” to do this sort of thing! I wasn’t too surprised then when about a year ago he came by the shop to say he was planning a trip to South America to climb Argentina’s Mount Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America. At 6,962 metres (22,841 feet), Aconcagua is commonly known as the “Roof of the Americas.” Conquering even the highest mountain in our “neck-of-the-woods” would pale in comparison.

Nathan set off on his epic adventure in January. He stopped in Santiago, Chile to visit friends, first, before continuing on to Argentina to prepare for the climb. I’m not sure of all the details, but after two attempts Nathan and his party reached the summit of Mount Aconcagua on February 10th!

Upon completion of his expedition, Nathan returned to Chile, where he was looking forward to spending more time with friends and being able to participate in another one of his interests … surfing. He travelled to the beaches of Pichilemu, an area considered to have some of the world’s best waves.  It was here on February 27th that Nathan experienced firsthand the devastating earthquake ( 8.8 magnitude) that rocked Chile. The earthquake triggered a tsunami, causing Nathan and numerous others to flee to higher ground and safety. While Nathan was unscathed, it took some time before he was able to make contact with his family in Crowsnest Pass to let them know of his well-being. 

Anyone who knows Nathan won’t be too surprised to learn that he chose to remain in Chile following the earthquake and volunteered with the Save The Wave’s Coalition Chilean Earthquake Relief Effort. That’s Nathan for you, always ready and willing to help … no matter what! For several weeks he worked with crews delivering water purification filters to residents of some of the surrounding communities. Congratulations Nathan on reaching the summit of Mount Aconcagua, and kudos to you for helping with relief efforts in Chile! That must have been some vacation!

For more information on the Save the Wave’s Coalition Earthquake Relief Effort that Nathan was involved with, check out the link in the above text. Residents of Medicine Hat, Alberta may want to watch for a special “Chilean Earthquake Fundraising Event” on April 10th. The fundraiser is being organized by Nathan’s sister, Simone.

Nathan left Chile several days ago and is now in Brazil, awaiting his trip home to Crowsnest Pass. Below are a few more photos from Chile, courtesy of Nathan’s parents, followed by a report on ice-out conditions on several of our local trout lakes. Spring appears to be inching forward!

Delivering water purification filters. Photo courtesy Bryan & Rhonda Bond.

Tsunami aftermath. Photo courtesy of Bryan & Rhonda Bond.

 Ice-out  Report for Southern Alberta’s Trout Lakes

I went for a drive yesterday to check on a couple of the areas trout lakes. Some friends reported late last week that Lee Lake was beginning to open, and I thought I’d head over there to see how things had progressed over the weekend. There was about 30 feet of open water along shore near the boat launch and a bit more in the “Narrows.” Providing we don’t get a stretch of cold weather, Lee Lake might be completely ice-free within a week or so. Throw in a day or two of strong winds, though, and it might only take a few days to open up.

Lee Lake beginning to open. March 22/10.

 I checked Beauvais Lake, too, but the ice here is only beginning to soften along shore. Lee is usually the first trout lake to become ice-free in southwest Alberta, followed by Dipping Vat, Beauvais, Payne (Mami), Police Outpost and Beaver Mines.

Beauvais Lake remains frozen. March 22/10.

It’s been a while since my last post. Between a busy guiding schedule in September, running the shop and getting things winterized around here and at home, it’s been difficult to find time. At any rate, I’m glad to be back blogging again!

After a glorious September, in terms of the weather and the fishing, Old Man Winter decided to pay us an early visit, and without much warning, too. We usually don’t see him like this until the end of October, or even into November sometime, but this time he showed up a month early, and uninvited. How rude! He’s definitely overstayed his welcome this time around and everyone is hoping he leaves - the sooner, the better! If he doesn’t return until January, that will suit me just fine.

Large portions of  western Canada, including Crowsnest Pass, have been experiencing frigid, winter-like weather conditions for a couple weeks now. Temperatures have been well below normal around here, and to top it off it’s been snowing a bunch. I’ve had to pull out the snow shovel a few times, already. In total, the Pass has received at least a foot or more of snow. Judging by the snow-covered peaks of all the nearby mountains, even more snow has fallen at higher elevations. There’s about 2-3 inches of snow on the valley floor today.

While the weather has not been particularly kind to us as of late, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel for those still  planning (hoping) to do some late-season fishing. Depending on which forecast you look at (or believe in most) on the Internet, it’s going to be sunny, with temperatures of between 10 and 24° C expected by Saturday. I’ll be happy with 10 Degrees. Now, where did I put that sunscreen?

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.

Some anglers prefer to fish by themselves. While I don’t mind going fishing on my own, I always enjoy getting out on the water with friends. This summer I’ve had the chance to head down to the river a number of times with people whose company I enjoy.

On Friday I fished with a couple of old friends, Barry and his son, Matthew. It had been ten years or more since we last fished together … far too long. We’d been planning this trip since January or February, and at long last the day had arrived. Barry and Matt had just finished a four-day fishing trip in BC and were looking forward to spending a day in southwest Alberta, before heading home to Red Deer.

Barry casts a dry fly into a likely-looking run

We found a stretch of river that didn’t appear to have any other anglers, so we parked the truck and climbed down the steep bank to the water. Fishing was a bit slow at the start (water temp was 45° F.), but picked up as the day progressed. By mid-afternoon the water temperature had climbed to 51° F. … ideal for cutthroat trout. It wasn’t long before the cutties started to rise, and we were able to cast to some really nice fish. Matt was in fine form and showed us how it was done by landing some beauties, including a 20-inch-plus rainbow trout.

Matt battles a nice cutthroat trout

Matt and his catch!

All in all, it was a wonderful day. We had plenty of time to talk and catch up on things; we caught a few trout and enjoyed the beautiful mountain scenery. My friends have since departed Crowsnest Pass for home, but I hope to be able to fish with them again soon. This time, though, we’ll try not to let ten years pass before we whet a line together!

A portion of a buffalo skull we discovered along the river

After brunch on Sunday (Mother’s Day), Paul and I hitched the boat trailer to my truck and slipped over to Beauvais Lake for a few hours. The girls stayed behind to visit. Paul’s vacation was drawing to a close and he wanted to try and catch a brown trout, his first one, before heading back to Winnipeg on Tuesday (today).

Beauvais Lake, Alberta. It was a gorgeous afternoon - no wind and the lake was calm as glass!

 We were surprised to see there were only a couple other boats on the lake. Kelly and Cathy were in one of them and it looked like they were having a good time catching fish. Later, they sent me a great photo of a moose they encountered while fishing that day.

A close encounter with a Beauvais Lake moose! Photo courtesy of Kelly Thomas.

 Paul and I caught a half dozen rainbows (small ones) near the boat launch, and I also landed a 12-inch brown. We worked the shoreline along the cabins, catching more rainbows, but nothing larger than about 14 inches.

Landing a Beauvais Lake rainbow trout

We rowed toward Scott’s Point, where Paul latched onto a nice Beauvais Lake longnose sucker, using a Bead-head Prince Nymph. The BH Prince has become Paul’s, “Go-to fly.” He laughed when I told him he had just caught a Manitoba brown trout.  He wasn’t fooled. A few minutes later, though, Paul hooked his first real, bona fide Alberta brown trout, and a dandy, at that! It had to be 20 inches, at least. I grabbed my camera and started to snap some pictures of Paul leading the monster brown toward the net. Just then, the trout thrashed on the surface (see photo below), causing the fly, you guessed it - a BH Prince, to become dislodged. Paul’s line went slack - the brown trout was gone. We were both disappointed, but at least had photos of the action, and more importantly, proof that Paul had hooked his first-ever brown!

The one that got away!

 It was time to get serious, so I switched to a #6 Olive Woolly Bugger. Those browns were in trouble now! After only a few casts, I had a solid hit. “It’s got to be a brown trout, for sure,” I thought. Alas, it was only another Manitoba brown trout (a.k.a. Beauvais Lake longnose sucker). That’s right, another sucker! Paul and I laughed … again, and kept on fishing. Soon after, I got another strike on my Woolly Bugger; this time it was a brown, measuring about 14 inches. We fished until 5:30, then headed back to town to pick up the girls for a 7:00 dinner reservation. Time sure flies when you’re having fun, even if you’re catching suckers!

A face only a mother could love. It was Mother's Day, after all!

Beauvais Lake brown trout

Paul wanted to fish one last time before heading home so we went over to Summit Lake yesterday. The weather didn’t co-operate, though, like it did the day before. It was cool, drizzly and a strong easterly wind blew the entire time we were there. Despite these conditions, we had a good time. We managed to land a few of the larger rainbows and also caught some nice cutthroat trout. Some of the larger cutts were really colorful. All in all, it was a good way for Paul to end his Crowsnest Pass vacation. He’s already planning next year’s trip!

Note: To all my friends in Manitoba, the reference to Manitoba brown trout - longnose suckers was made in jest. No offence intended. Please, no angry emails. It was only a joke :) 

Paul with a nice Summit Lake cuttie

It appears Spring has arrived in southwest Alberta - or has it? The weather has been quite unsettled as of late and while we’ve already had some nice days in Crowsnest Pass, other days have felt like we’re heading back into winter. Just when you think it’s safe to put the snow shovel away, Old Man Winter pays a return visit.

There's a little bit of everything in the six-day forecast. Sunday & Monday just happen to be my days off! Where should I go fishing?

Water levels are beginning to rise on most of SW Alberta's rivers and streams

 Terry sent me an email the other day, saying he and his son, David, had made a trip to Police Outpost Lake on Saturday. Judging by the pictures below, it appears they had an awesome day. Lots of fresh snow and a beautiful view of Chief Mountain. It sounds (and looks) like the fishing wasn’t too bad, either. All of the trout lakes in southern Alberta are ice-free and fishing well. Once the runoff starts, the lakes will become popular places to fish.

Where's the boat launch? Photo courtesy of Terry Hrudey.

A great view of snow-covered Chief Mountain. Photo courtesy of Terry Hrudey.

A chunky Police Lake rainbow trout. Photo courtesy of Terry Hrudey.

On our way home from a trip to Lethbridge on Sunday, my brother-in-law, Paul, and I made a quick detour past Lee Lake to check whether it was ice-free yet. We discovered that except for a couple of small bays, the lake was completely open, thanks to the hurricane-force winds that had been blowing in Crowsnest Pass most of the day. We returned to the lake yesterday morning at about 10:30 and fished until 4:00 pm. The wind wasn’t quite a bad as the day before and we were able to deal with it, without too much difficulty. The nice thing about Lee Lake is you can always find a spot that’s sheltered, regardless of how hard it’s blowing, or its direction.

Within minutes of arriving, we had launched the raft and we’re fishing. Paul hooked into the first fish on his second or third cast. Paul’s visiting from Winnipeg and although he’s more experienced fishing for walleye on his home waters using spinning gear, he’s really taken to fly-fishing for trout in recent years and can hold his own with a fly rod.

How was the fishing? Quite good … actually. We were into fish from the get-go and it was pretty much non-stop action the entire day. Lots of rainbows in the 10 to 12-inch range, and a surprising number of fish in the 14 to 16-inch class. The only fly we used all day were Bead-head Prince nymphs, and we fished them under a strike indicator. One of my flies became so torn apart by fish that the only material left on it was the bead and a bit of thread holding the white goose biot wings to the hook shank. The trout didn’t care, though, and they kept eating it anyway! We only saw two or three bank anglers and one other boat the whole time we were out. More Canada geese have arrived at the lake and we also saw a bald eagle, loons and quite a few mallards. Here’s a couple of photos of the day.

Paul landing a rainbow trout

Flying fish?