The Best Fly in the World

The best fly in the world is the one that catches the most fish.  It doesn't need to be switched out when the going gets tough, but it's also versatile and catches fish across a wide variety of conditions.  The best fly in the world catches trout when other patterns fail.  The best fly pattern is easy enough to tie that I don't cringe at the sight of a near-empty fly box compartment.  It should be relatively inexpensive, requiring only 3 or 4 materials and about as many tying steps.

Okay, I guess that's all well and good, but I don't really have a single pattern that exactly fits all the criteria.  I do have a few dry flies in my repertoire that are versatile, reasonably durable, simple and cheap to tie, sit low for a good presentation, but float for a long time, catch little brookies as well as pain-in-the-ass browns, and require just a minimal bit of general maintenance.  I can even tie them down to a #24 without needing to alter the pattern to make it possible...

So what am I actually talking about here?  Well, before I keep going, let's backtrack a hair over a dozen years ago, to the late days of the '90s and early 2000s....

After a few of my rookie influenced teenaged attempts to plump up my fly selection, I took the Comparadun fly that I used so often with good success and bought a few of the new to me CDC feathers from my local shop after seeing an SFOTF episode.  I tied up a small variety of Comparadun styled flies using some #16 light wire hooks, hackle fibres for a tail, either ginger or olive CDC chopped up for some rough dubbing, and some paired white or dun CDC tips for wings.

The result?  A supremely cheap, easy to tie mayfly, that floats well in a decent chop, can float a small nymph below it if it came to it, and after rinsing the fly off in the water, squeezing it dry with a handkerchief, and adding a tiny amount of CDC oil, lasted forever.  This thing worked wonders and accounted for a lot of trout during my misspent youth.  Well, not really misspent because I was fly fishing after all, but you know...

I caught a lot of small stream trout on those simple CDC flies, trout that had already seemed to wise up to the attractors being used by an onslaught of fly fishers that joined the ranks back then.

Okay, back to 2013, where there are more fishermen than ever, less good public water, smarter fish in many streams, not to mention less dry fly hackle thanks to some sort of recently deceased fad that involved horrendous prices and Steven Tyler. 

Re-enter CDC.  I would have to say that for any kind of dry fly, save for the largest hoppers, stones, attractors and the like, this is possibly my favourite material.  You can buy a bag of dun/dark beige Petitjean CDC for around ten bucks: enough to tie well more mayflies and caddisflies than you could reasonably expect to go through in a normal year.  You can even use it for hackle on an Elk Hair Caddis type pattern, and those long, mobile feathers just scream "life-like."  I like to collar some of my nymphs with it; it traps air bubbles, flows extremely well, and moves just right.

And trout are suckers for that.

I guess I would encourage people to try CDC if you haven't yet.  I know that CDC is one of the most popular dry fly materials in much of Europe, but it is often on of the last-resort type of fly tried out here.

...
I'm thinking of a story here, that happened early last fall on the Bow River.  I was working my way back to the truck in the late afternoon.  I'd sight-fished a mile or so or river edge, and slowly worked my way back down, picking up a couple of the trout I'd flubbed the first time and maybe a couple others ones too.  That part isn't really important.

I came across a couple anglers standing high on the bank looking at either a slow back bay or trying to see into a shallow riffle about 70 feet off the bank.  It was difficult to tell from a hundred yards away.

As it turned out, they were doing both.  There were a couple trout rising out in the riffle, and another one slowly cruising in the back eddy.  I guess they had fished the eddy for a while with no luck; I told them I had a similar experience earlier in the day, and encouraged the guy who was actually holding a rod to go try for the active risers.  He said he had been, but hadn't gotten a take.

Taking the situation into account, I suggested a slightly longer leader (I think he was using a total leader/tippet of about 9 or 10' to 4x), including a 2.5' 5x tippet and a low floating caddis.  There were caddis around us, but no fresh ones.  The rises were slow and deliberate, meaning the bugs in question weren't moving much, probably caddis that finished laying their eggs upstream a little ways, then just sort of sat there drifting until either time or a trout finished them off.

As it turned out, the flies he had tried were popular but heavily hackled and high floating caddis dries.  I offered the guy a Henry's Fork Caddis; it's made of a biot body, a CDC (and mallard flank, if you are into following the original recipe to a T) wing, and a medium dun hackle over a peacock herl head.  Brilliant, easy, and a great trout-fooler. 

The result?  A perfect 18 or 19" Bow River rainbow on his first cast.  He was happy, I was happy, and when he told me he had recently taken up tying, but had never used CDC before, I offered another H.F. Caddis as a model.  It isn't like I suggested he do something off the wall or bizarre, but a low-floater with CDC sure seemed to work well, and I was genuinely pleased that he caught that fish. 

A week or so later, Andy and I caught a few nice Bow River rainbows during an evening hatch, again using CDC caddis (well, at least I was).  Later in the fall I caught more than a few browns from a small spring creek near (sort of) where I live on a Stalcup Biot Dun (a size 18 of the blue winged olive variety).

For some great patterns, Rene Harrop and Shane Stalcup are well known "local" tyers who generously created patterns with CDC.  There are tons of great European CDC tyers, probably most notably Marc Petitjean. If this interests you, check out the book Fly Tying With CDC. 

I would say that the best, or at least some of the best, flies to tie if you're going to start tying with CDC would be the Henry's Fork Caddis (Harrop) and the CDC Biot Dun (Stalcup).  Both flies are simple and use roughly the same ingredients to complete (some Superfine/fine antron dubbing, turkey biots, CDC, and some half decent cape hackle.  I've substituted the original peacock herl for dubbing on the caddis' head, with no noticeable ill effects).  They also both catch fish.  The only concession I make to the fly, and subsequently the speed at which they can be churned out, is the small layer of Zap I lay over the thread-base before wrapping the biot; it's simply a matter of better longevity and fly survival rate.

Henry's Fork Caddis.  A very productive Rene Harrop fly.  #14, olive body with a grey wing.

Stalcup's CDC Biot Dun, minus the mallard quill overwing. #16 Pale Morning Dun.

As far as Marc Petitjean goes, his flies are even more simple, but no less effective.  He ties caddis flies that literally use nothing but hooks, thread, and CDC.  I tie them and use them, and they work really well.  His patterns just have this great bugginess to them that trout, especially clear water trout, cant get over.  You're also likely to see a pile of specialty Petitjean CDC tying tools, and while these are certainly nice, just as certainly they aren't absolutely necessary to tie great CDC flies. 

Petitjean Caddis. #16, grey/tan (marketed as beige), and just awesome-as-hell looking.

Happy tying.  Only a few more weeks guys.  Hang in there.

Nick

Mid-Winter Fly Fishing Trip

Nick and I managed to make the drive down to Calgary from Edmonton on Monday to fly fish the world famous Bow River.  We usually try and get down there at least a couple of times in the winter, and now that Andy lives down in Calgary, we will probably go even more.  We fished some old haunts, and managed to do quite well.  The day started off slow with Nick landing a few whitefish before I switched to a nymph rig from a streamer.  The air started to warm, and midges were coming off more frequently.  After landing a couple fat whitefish myself, we started to get into some trout.  Nick landed a couple of bows, and a couple browns.  I managed two almost identical browns as well.  We changed spots to end the day, but were less successful there.  All in all, it was a great day to get out and fly fish in February!  For a more detailed report check here: "The Importance of the Small Stuff"

Here are a few pics from the day:

Nick netting a Bow River Brown Trout

Nice end to a good day

Sweet colours as usual on a Brown Trout

Myself releasing a nice Brown Trout (photo by Nick Sliwkanich)

A Letter Response

Okay, so for those of you who didn't read the letter I sent to fisheries regarding species being stocked in our area lakes, please click here and take a look.

This post is just going to sum up the response.

Basically, the province is trying to lower the number of foreign fish being stocked into certain areas, and the province as a whole.  So this more or less means that rainbows will be the standard in many areas, like mine, because try as they might they never could become established into streams or lakes, so the risk of invasion is minimized.  Brookies on the other hand have played havoc on trout streams all over the west (as I'm sure we all know), out-competing native species and hybridizing will bulls trout, screwing them over, too.

So in short, no, they don't have plans to diversify the fishery.  Apparently, most people who fish for trout (around here, probably 80%+ of them will be limit-hunters, which only a relative few being mostly C&R types who'll keep the odd bleeding trout) are just as happy catching rainbows, and catch more of them than the brookies in the lakes with both species present.  Rainbows also have a higher chance of overwintering (no kidding, we've all been watching the brookie disaster at Chickakoo for years) and they are actually planning on not putting brookies in C.L. anymore anyway.

Well then...

So I sent off a little response, and while I don't necessarily like the answer given, it will have to do I guess.  We have enough problems getting the creation of restricted kill and no bait lakes, so species will need to be an afterthought for me.  And I think I could live with it, even through pictures of slug browns and brookies from Manitoba and Saskatchewan are enough to keep me lying awake at nights, I'll take big rainbows in a specially regulated lake or pond over 8" stocker brookies in a 5-trout limit meat hole any day.

The province is even planning on (they're working on it, now apparently, but I've only heard that through an unofficial source) using a rare strain of rainbows (called the Athabasca rainbow --the only native rainbow whose home-range is East of the continental divide) for planting into lakes in that region, so any accidental escapees couldn't contaminate the native gene pool.  Surprisingly, that whole region is so tough for introduced trout (again, except for brookies --bastards...) to survive in, that even in area where planting of exotic rainbows had occurred, they never managed to reproduce, even by crossing with the native stock.  Thank god...

Anyway, so it's little consolation, but I also found out (through a different alley, again) that they are planning on stocking a few (about 250 per year) brown trout into Muir Lake, our local fly fishing hub and only area lake with regulations and stocking rates designed for producing 20"+ trout.  So while brookies may not be getting more widely stocked, I might have the chance to catch my favourite species of trout from a small (approx 78 acre) lake just 40 minutes form my front door.

Nick

8-cents a fly...

No, I'm not selling flies for 8-cents each.  When I was working in a "fly shop" (a polite euphemism for the fly fishing section --as separated as it was-- at a sporting goods store) we had all types of folks come in.  From hard core fanatics (only a few, really) who've been avid fly fishermen for years, to complete beginners who needed to be walked through the process.  I enjoyed it all, mind you, but there was always something that irked me.

The cheapest fly tying hooks we sold were about $4 for a package of 25.  I'm not going to name brands, but you can use your imagination.  The tempering process was not as good, the hooks made in China rather than Japan, and just in general were more inferior to other brands, which I happen to prefer.  Now, these "other" brands, with my personal choice of Daiichi, based on our options from all the fishing shops in Edmonton, each having prices, generally, from $5-6 depending on the exact hook style.

Now, there are some hook styles in the cheaper brand that I like, and actually tie with, so I'm not just being pompous or elitist or anything...  I'm just talking in general.

So lets think about this.  Even at $6 for 25, that is only $0.08 extra per fly.  Why buy inferior materials, just because it looks a bit (and I mean a small bit) more appetizing when buying an entire package?  Are you going to buy bad tippet to save 8-cents?  What about a bad line?  Or what about your morning coffee for that matter?  I didn't think so.

No, so why be chincy (how do you spell that?) with the business end of your gear?  If it really (and I mean honestly, people) comes down to budget, I'd  recommend lowering the cost of the rod you want to get buy 50 or 100 bucks.  That'll let you get up to 50 packs of high quality, strong hooks (that's over 1200 individual ties...) that won't bend under extreme pressure from big trout --the last time you'd ever want to have cheap, soft hooks attached to your expensive, highest-breaking-strain-for-the-size tippet, $80 fly line, and $700 fly rod.

So do yourself a favour.  Spend the $0.08 extra on each fly, and be thankful that you did when a large trout is on the line.

Nick

A letter sent to fisheries...

I just wanted to post a copy of a letter I recently sent to the Fisheries Management --Conservation and Planning staff in Alberta.  Not sure if it's to the right folks, but hopefully someone useful gets it.  If I don't hear back, it'll be phone calls.  It's high time logic and forward thinking reigned in the fisheries management sector of Alberta's government.  Instead it's a refusal to change from the past, regardless of how ineffective the actions and poor the results.  The only alterations to anything are of the budget cutting variety, and we can all guess whether the results will be better or worse after those changes...

...

Trev with an SRD trophy of 12 inches.  The typical result of poorly managed, over-stocked lakes. 

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to you today regarding the current trout stocking policies of the many public pothole lakes in the Edmonton Region.  To start off, I would like to say that I am an advocate of "Quality" trout lakes in the Province of Alberta, such as Ironside, Fiesta, Police Outpost, Lower Kananaskis, and Muir to name a few, that have seasonal and gear restrictions allowing these waters to offer high quality rainbow trout fishing opportunities not available at most lakes in out province.  I take my fly fishing quite passionately, and care deeply about the future of our waters.  That being said, I am often forced to travel to BC, Saskatchewan, or at a minimum other areas of Alberta to experience much quality stillwater trout fishing.  I do believe we can have more diversified fishing near Edmonton, however, and it would not need to cost more money in the form of additional trout stocked, aerators, etc.

I also want to state that I am not writing to you to advocate the creation of more "Quality" lakes, though I would like to see more.  My correspondence with you is regarding the species of trout stocking and distribution of these fish.  I'm a realist; I am aware that "alternate" trout species (read any trout species other than rainbows) are more expensive to hatch, rear, and stock, and with today's realities of budget issues and tough decisions, I appreciate that ideas of adding additional high-cost species to stocking lists would not make it far past the "anglers writing in letters of suggestion" stage.

That being said, it is very noticeable to anglers in the Edmonton region that we have what we would consider to be ZERO alternatives to rainbow trout in our lakes (as far as trout are concerned).  I am saying zero even though records will obviously show that brook trout are routinely planted (about 4000 per year) in Chickakoo Lake near Stony Plain.  I have not given this alternate species credit in this location as a viable option as a species alternative for trout anglers, because this lake suffers either a winter or summer-kill, or both, nearly (if not every) year.  When someone does catch a brook trout in this lake, it is nearly always the recently stocked fish (of only 16-20cm), hardly what any fisherman would consider a good return for the investment, when we take into account the high costs associated with planting this species of trout.

Considering the high (nearly 100% each year, most likely from a lack of oxygen) mortality rates, would it not be more beneficial to plant that allocation (the 4000 per year) of brook trout into lakes that offer a high survival rate of the planted trout, which can in turn offer several years of angler return on each stocking, rather than a single year of only partial return on small trout?  I am aware of the "kick-back" reaction that would happen from local anglers if all of a sudden they could not catch brook trout, albeit small ones, from Chickakoo, but why not split the difference; stocking 2000 brook trout and 9000 rainbows (an increase of 2000 rainbows, to counter the drop in brook trout numbers) each year would allow 2000 brook trout to be available for other water bodies in the area that will overwinter trout, while allowing others to continue catching some at Chickakoo.  Muir Lake, for example, would not only allow successful overwintering, but a high angler yield due to the low mortality rate (because of the bait-ban and 50cm minimum size limit, and closed winter seson).  Star Lake, though on your list of potential winterkill lakes, has only suffered one partial kill in recent memory (even lakes with aerators partially killed that year), and would make another viable alternative for a brook trout planting site. 

Those lakes would be extremely acceptable as they are within the same vicinity (only a few minutes drive apart) as Chickakoo Lake, so anglers could still reasonably access these same trout, minimizing disturbing anglers through travel time issues, distance from Edmonton, Stony Plain, or other towns.  There are many lakes that overwinter to the north or east of Edmonton as well and could use variety.

I ask you to please consider the concerns and points I have raised with this letter.  The Edmonton region is standing alone as a trout fishing region --we are the only large region to offer such as poor variety of trout fishing opportunities.  In addition to rainbow trout, Edson has 3 lakes in the immediate vicinity with brown trout, plus more with brook trout, and even more yet if you drive 80km towards Hinton.  There are numerous brook trout lakes in the Swan Hills-Whitecourt region, and Red Deer-Rocky Mountain House has several brook trout lakes and even a couple brown trout ones (in addition to all the brown trout/brook trout creeks).  Those regions listed above also have the advantage of offering stream fishing opportunities for trout, yet they also seem to get the best of trout stockings.  Trout lakes are no longer merely places people can go and keep trout so that it relieves pressure on our other fisheries.  Fishermen, lots of us, want to have high quality trout fishing on lakes, and Edmonton, of all highly populated regions, should see this taken into account, as we only have trout available to us in lakes and ponds. 

I do feel that splitting the stocking of 4000 brook trout (usually doomed to winterkill in Chickakoo) into more lakes in the Edmonton area will improve the satisfaction of trout anglers.  The lower natural mortality rate of trout will give anglers a higher catch rate, while lowering the overall cost of fish stocking to maintain population levels.  A variety of fish species being planted into more lakes will provide more enjoyment, in the form of much needed variety, to anglers.

I would appreciate feedback to the concerns I have addressed. 

Thank you very much for your time, and I appreciate your continued efforts.

Sincerely,

Nick Sliwkanich

Edmonton, AB
sliwkanichn@gmail.com

Book Review: Spring Creek Strategies (by Mike Heck)

Book Review: Spring Creek Strategies, by Mike Heck

Spring creeks, limestoners, chalkstreams, whatever.  These types of waters are known all over the world for their great, but often difficult, trout fishing.  Spring Creek Strategies is a first rate, top notch, well laid out, and brilliantly photographed book that deals with spring creeks. 

Heck tells us that although this book deals largely with eastern limestone creeks, but that the skills will help us catch trout throughout the world, wherever we happen to encounter spring creeks.  Well, I can vouch for that; I live nowhere near the East's famous Letort Spring, for example, but have used skills covered in this book to catch trout in my home province of Alberta, as well as some small creeks in Saskatchewan, and even locales as far reaching as the spring-sourced Gacka River (pronounced like "Gat-ska") in central Croatia. 

Chapters include the typical definitions and discussions regarding spring creeks, including water sources, temperatures, chemistry, etc.  Mike then goes on to discuss everything we have come to expect from fly fishing books: different mayfly hatches, stoneflies, caddis, and midges are all covered between the covers, and all types of techniques and little tips are suggested.  Nymphs, emergers, dries, spent adults and the like are discussed, as are the times of year, day, and any other idiosyncrasy we need to be aware of in order to not get humbled too badly by a tough day on the water.

Of course, non-"hatching" food stuffs are included, such as terrestrials, scuds, and minnows, are thoroughly showcased.

A secret spring creek somewhere in Canada.  That's it for clues...

The notable exception to the tried and true book model we see nowadays in "how to" formats was the lack of an equipment guide.  All well and good, because while I like to know what people prefer to use on their home waters, it it so subjective and takes so many variables into account, and there is so much good gear out there, that you're almost always best off to just use what you are comfortable fishing, be it a 8-foot 3wt or a 9-foot 6wt.  

I appreciate how he included a chapter dedicated to conservation, and for some reason I really liked the sophisticated and cultivated feel of eastern fly fishing the book brought out.  I'm sure it was unintentional.  Maybe I read too much about discovery and exploration in the Wild West, and while I feel that those concepts are precious, taking part in them often myself, this book just brings a refined feel when I sit back in the chair for some quiet time.

The writing is smooth and thorough without getting daunting, but at the same time doesn't seem to leave much out.  For some reason (maybe its newness to me) I reach for it often on the bookshelf.  It is simply pleasing to look through, full of detail-packed chapters that don't drag on with lengthy "One time while I was guiding a fellow from Arkansas..." stories.

If you don't already own this book, maybe see if you can find a copy on the fly shop shelf.  I know at the very least you'll find some good patterns on its pages, and at the most it will help you formulate a strong understanding of what makes spring creeks and their trout tick. 

Nick Sliwkanich

Favourite Types of Fishing

Cliche: Ask ten fly fishers what their favourite type of fishing is, and you'll get ten different answers and a fist-fight.

Okay, maybe not, because I'd wager a reasonable sum that 4-6 of those guys would say "stream fishing with dries," at least if you asked people involved primarily in trout fishing. 

Well, for some reason I spend a lot time during winter sitting around, reading fishing books, and wondering (for no determined reason) what I enjoy doing most regarding fly fishing.

Maybe it's so I can plan the next season the best.  No.  I play each season by ear pretty much every time 'round.

Maybe it's to rationalise the type of fishing I do most often.  No.  I do a pretty even amount of various fishing types each season.

Most likely it's just to exercise my thoughts, and figure out why I enjoy fishing the way I do.

What are my favourite types of fishing you ask?  Well, trout, for starters. I do spend some time fishing for alternate species, mostly walleye, pike or goldeye (as long as we still consider whitefish and grayling as "trout").  I'm pretty much game to fish for trout wherever, whenever, as long as I get to go and have a reasonable chance of success.

I do prefer to sight fish, if possible, while on streams.  This doesn't always work on the smallest streams, as the trout are frequently too small to see easily, but if I can get those small guys on a light rod and dry flies, I'll be happy enough.

Andy with a good rainbow caught on a small dry during an evening hatch.

But where I differ from many, is that I love to fly fish for trout on lakes.  I'm not too sure why I enjoy it so much.  Many fishers look at a lake, wonder where to start, get frustrated after a couple mediocre hours, and high-tail it for the nearest river.  Not me.  I grew up fishing them, I love the peacefulness of the waves lapping at the boat, I love the strong pull of a healthy lake-fed trout, and the slight tug from a trout that has just inhaled my offering, regardless of the fact that they can take some time to figure out.

A fat lake-rainbow that succumbed to a small shrimp pattern fished in shallow water.

No doubt streams have their charms.  They are mysterious.  You wander up and down, higher and further into the unknown, and you get to discover different stretches that can be very different from others, making the stream seem even more novel.

I love spotting large trout along the banks of famous rivers that most people fish with heavy nymph rigs, dredging the bottom while I sneak along with a 4wt rod and a dry dropper rig, letting me suspend a tiny nymph in front of a clever trout.  But I enjoy spotting large trout on stillwaters, using the same rig and rod as on streams to fool them, as most people kick along, dragging large leech patterns behind a float tube on a clear sinking line.

Now, don't get me wrong, I use sinking lines, and nymph rigs, and pretty much whatever type of fly is needed to catch trout that day, but I acknowledge my preferences.  I tend to give each preference a shot before getting desperate and begin my searching with my heaviest gear and largest flies. 

Nick with a nice rainbow caught while sight nymphing with a #18 pheasant tail nymph.  Photo by Andy Tchir

Fly fishing should be visual, if it's possible.  Anyone who reads this blog knows that I enjoy sight fishing when conditions allow it.  Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, but it allows me to spend my time on distinct targets, which allows me to concentrate on big fish, if I can find them.  After that, I like to be imitatively searching with flies that are comfortable to cast on my favourite rods, which is a nicely generic qualification that is flexible from person to person.

Only after that, would I say I like to catch fish rather than not. 

Nick Sliwkanich

Winter Cutthroats

Tim with a very nice October Westslopes Cutthroat Trout

Tim and I headed out on a mid-October fly fishing trip to Southwestern Alberta. So the title "Winter Cutthroats" may be a little deceiving, but since winter in Alberta starts in September, it adds to the elusiveness of this trip. We drove through the Highwood Pass to the Trunk Road, which was quite the scenic drive. I highly recommend this drive to anyone when conditions permit safe travel.

Beautiful Upper Kananaskis Lake on a cool fall day, a great sight to take in when heading to the Highwood Pass

Much like early season trips, late season trips can be rather unpredictable. We drove through snow and temperatures around 3 degrees Celsius at higher elevations, but fished in weather closer to 12.....not bad at all. We took a nymph rod, streamer rod and dry fly rod, to cover all the basis down at the crick. Tim had the great idea of bringing along a video camera too, so we look forward to posting a video of the trip in the very near future.

Tim with the first fish of the day: a nicely colored little cutthroat trout

All in all, it ended up being a really solid day of fishing. Tim started off with a pretty little cutthroat on the nymph, and I picked one off on a size 20 dry fly. The coolest part was watching the video back at home because you can actually see the cutthroat come up and sip the dry fly in crystal-clear fall water and then get chased and almost EATEN by a big ol' bull trout while scrapping away!

Myself, with a really big mountain whitefish taken on a nymph

The coolest part of the day for me was near the end, when Tim and I had a double-header....the first double-header of this nature I have EVER encountered. There were some bull trout swimming around and Tim had one chase the streamer. They didn't show any interest in the large presentations after that, so we went back to nymphing for whites and cutts...."GOT ONE!" Tim shouted from the other side of the river. "Its a bull trout on a small nymph!" I threw a cast out and got ready to help him land his little bully...BAM! "I got one on too Tim! DOUBLE HEADER ON THE DIMESTORE!" I yelled, imitating a show we watched way too much of years ago...."Mine's a bull trout too!" Talk about a cool scenario! A double header of bull trout on tiny nymphs! We video taped both fish and released them back into the cool water.

Tim with a smaller bull trout taken on a nymph during the epic double-header

We capped the day off with a cold beer to celebrate what we though might have been the last mountain trip of the year. Overall, it was a really fun day and I can't wait to see the video and share it with you all once it's edited!

Tight lines!

-Andy

Late Fall Madness

There comes a time every year in the Fall when we can sense that the next trip out could be one of the last open water trips of the year.  With this mindset, we tend to fish in some crazier situations than we otherwise wouldn't throughout the year.  We might also fish harder and some might even look at us as being a little bit nuts for being out there.  A last ditch effort to take the boat out one more time with Nick would certainly fit this criteria for being a little crazy.

Nick called and asked if I had some time to go fishing.  I told him, yes, we could head out on Thursday.  We both agreed and the forecast looked ok.  That changed in a hurry, and the night before we left saw a few centimetres of snow fall.  I awoke the next morning to a text from Nick questioning if we should go, and upon looking outside and opening the door, I was starting to think along the same lines.

The forecast was calling for a HIGH of -3C, and -10C with the windchill.  Not wanting to waste the day sitting around, we decided to head out anyways to check out the lake situation and the possibility of at least fishing off shore for a few minutes.  As we drove out, ice fell off the top of the boat, and icicles clung to the sides...it was cold!  We arrived at the lake, and checked out the lake side.  This particular lake is sheltered on a couple of sides, and it actually helped with a bit of the wind.

"Do you think we should do this?!?" Nick said.

I responded with, "Yup, this will be interesting!"

We layered up and put the waders on, and started to prepare the boat for unloading.  First problem...the ratchet straps were frozen!  After some quick thinking by Nick, we warmed(!) the straps up with water from the lake and they came free.  Success!  Next, we hooked up the controller for the boat winch (my loader is an automatic loader so my boat sits on my truck).  We pushed the button and the winch had power, but the boat was not moving.  Upon further inspection, the boat was frozen to the rollers on the rack.  After an adjustment there, we broke free, and the boat came down and broke the thin layer of ice on the water.  We were in the clear!

After loading up the boat and rigging up rods, we were off.  Of course, there were no other anglers out on the shoreline or in boats, which is always nice!  We were laughing as we had those couple of issues, and because every time we head out fishing together, there is always poor weather conditions.  Analysis of this shows that to usually be the case, but at the same time, it usually leads to good fishing!

Before we headed off, we spotted some fish coming near the surface closer to the shoreline of the lake, so we anchored in a spot that was parallel with the shore.  With our first casts out, and our hands and rod guides already starting to freeze up, we saw both indicators dip down!  Always a good sign to get some action that quickly!   We started to get into a few fish, and lost quite a few others.

We moved spots a few times, and the action continued to be quite steady.  What a day!  You couldn't ask for more after persevering through the few issues at the start and the poor weather.  If the fishing hadn't been so good, I can't guarantee we would have been out for more than an hour, but we made it on the water for a little over 4 hours.  We were still getting hits like crazy but decided to head off as it would be dark in an hour, and we couldn't really feel our fingers anymore.

We got off the water, loaded everything up, and were headed back to the city.  Satisfied with the day, I put the boat into storage for the winter a few days later...even with the better weather you can't really top a day like that to end the boating season.  Some of the best fishing I have ever had with Nick always come under some adverse conditions, but that's part of the adventure and why fly fishing is so amazing.  It's what keeps us coming back for more!

Nick waiting for the bite on a chilly day on the water.

Waiting, and freezing.

A typical size of trout for the day. Fun, especially in sub zero temperatures!

PS: Sorry for the lack of pics from the day as both of our hands were so cold we could barely move them.  I have a little bit of video that I will edit, and hopefully make a short vid soon!  Thanks for reading!

New Article in "Canadian Outdoorsman" Online Magazine

Check out Tim's article "Fall Backswimmer Frenzy" and cover photo of Nick on the NSR in the latest edition of Canadian Outdoorsman's online magazine!

http://www.canadianoutdoorsman.net/Magazines/FF/fall_2012/

Late Summer on the Bow

Fishing at first light on the Blue Ribbon Bow River

I had the pleasure of planning a trip to the Bow River with my long time friend and fishing buddy Nick Sliwkanich in late August. Living on the Bow, I had admittedly become somewhat complacent. Whether it be due to laziness, or just lack of care, I had found myself becoming one of those guys who kept the same San Juan worm, big strike indicator rig on all the time. That all changed on this trip.

Nick sighting fish off of a high bank late afternoon

Nick had been out fishing earlier in the week on the bow and was using a finesse presentation if you will. A small elk hair caddis and a tiny...and I mean tiny emerger behind it. He had told me that every fish he'd caught earlier in the week he spotted before he caught...and most he caught he saw actually open their mouths and take his subsurface offering....Needless to say, I changed my set-up.

Nick netting a nice rainbow that took his dry fly offering in a slow moving stretch of water

The product of spot and stalk fishing on the Bow

We fished the late afternoon/evening and hit the water first thing in the morning the following day. We were rewarded big time. The morning went great on dry flies and as the sun climbed, we spotted a pod of at least a dozen trout against a bank in a smaller run. The trico hatch was massive and many fish were keying on emergers...perfect scenario for our set-ups. We stayed in one stretch of water watching fish for a couple hours and took turns picking off 8 or 9 fish between the two of us...the smallest being a 17" rainbow! Not a bad way to spend an afternoon and a totally unique way of fishing the Bow for me!

A colorful brown trout taken sight fishing late August

One of the most surprising things about the fish that we hooked and/or missed setting the hook on was the fact that they bit so light or quickly that the dry fly didnt even get pulled under when they took the dropper fly. This is where a good pair of polarized glasses come into play. Most times the flash of a white mouth under water was a tell-tale sign on a fish taking the tiny offering.

Nick with a surprise catch, a Bow River Cutt-Bow

We caught a few different fish species and many different size-classes of fish, all on light 4 or 5 weight set-ups with what would be considered light fly rigs on the Bow. Was it worth getting up at 5:00? You bet, it also changed my plan of attack on hot sunny summer days on the mighty Bow River!

Strictly Dry Fly or Dry Dropper Set-Ups were used on this outing

Andy Releasing a Decent Rainbow on the Bow

Thanks for reading, hope to see you all on the water and tight lines on your next adventure!

-Andy Tchir

Great Info for Rigging Slickshooter or Mono Running Line

I got this from the Whistler Fly Fishing Blog, and it has been favourited ever since.  Just wanted to share with you folks in case you might not know about it.  It is very important if you are using a mono running line like Rio SlickShooter, and rigging it up to your backing and preferred shooting head.  Enjoy!

http://whistlerflyfishing.blogspot.ca/2011/03/rigging-mono-running-line-with-shooting.html

Fall Backswimmer Fishing

As the month of August winds down, we start to get into one of the most spectacular seasons of fishing for the entire year.  Lakes usually become a quiet spot to get out and enjoy the Fall season here in Alberta.  Backswimmers become a major "hatch" as they go into their fall mating migration.  With this key food source, the lack of other anglers, and some very willing trout...its very easy to see why this is a fantastic time of year to fly fish for trout!  I thought I would share a few pictures from this month of fishing.  There are still plenty of days left to get out and enjoy some fine fishing as well!

A nice chunky rainbow trout with cool colours

A busy beaver

A large rainbow trout that fell victim to a #16 foam backswimmer

Fishing near sunset, and the trout were still coming up for backswimmers as you can see in the top left corner!

Real and imitation

This trout was blind in one eye but still managed to hammer the fly!

A trout going back for more

A hefty 21" rainbow on a floating line and backswimmer

Chunky football shaped trout that hit the fly with plenty of power!

Vancouver Island Adventure: Part 2

After arriving at Miracle Beach Provincial Park, we went on a drive to check out the Courtenay/Comox area.  We took a walk on the beach at Goose Spit Provincial Park near Comox and checked out both towns. After getting back to camp and having some supper, my cousin Chris met up with us and we headed out to fish the Oyster River.

Tara with a sand dollar at Miracle Beach

Tara was set up with a dry fly, Chris had a wooly bugger, and I used my lucky streamer that I had on from fishing the Quinsam River.  Chris and Tara were getting into some cutthroats, but I wasn't having any luck at the start.  Chris mentioned that he had seen a larger fish rising in a nice run, but was unable to get it to take the fly.  I slid up in there and after numerous casts, still hadn't seen anything.  All of a sudden a fish came out of the wood and striked at my fly but didn't latch on.  Two casts later, I had a really good slam, and was into a good sized fish!  I thought it might be a pink salmon or something, but as I got it closer to me, realized it was a very nice sea run cutt!

Beauty sea run Cutt!

Underwater release shot

We were all super excited to see a beauty trout like that, and we started to fish a little harder to see if one of us could get another nice trout like that!  We moved up river and I had another slam and fish on after a few casts!  This time it popped off, but we could see pink salmon jumping around so knew what was in the run this time.  Tara had a nice 12" cutt on the dry fly, so I went downstream to help her with it, and while that was going on, Chris hooked into a beauty fish!

Chris battling a hefty pink salmon

After a short battle, the fish won and took off.  Chris got his line back in the water though, and within a couple of casts, he hooked into another fish and the battle was on.  After a few minutes, we got a glimpse and initially thought it was another pig cutthroat, but after getting it in closer we realized it was a nice chunky pink salmon!  We took a couple of pics and the fish was released back to the river.

Success!  Chris with a chunky pink

It was starting to get dark and we headed back downstream.  More trout were rising to the dry fly and we caught a couple on the way down.  We arrived back at camp happy to have a great evening on the river!

The next day we fished the Oyster in a couple of different stretches with Chris and his girlfriend Karen.  It was a sunny, hot day and we fished some fine water and saw some cool scenery.  Fishing was slow but we managed to get a few cutts and had a great time on the water. We all went for supper and finished off the day by fishing the Puntledge River.

The Oyster-shell-like bottom of Oyster River

The Puntledge was a beautiful river and it was great to get in the water as it was still pretty hot out in the evening.  Many people were rafting/tubing down the river on this day and I don't blame them.  It looked like a lot of fun, but fly fishing is pretty damn fun too!  We fished a few runs and the fishing was a little slow here too, but Chris got a few nice cutts, and near the end Tara got a cutt or two.

Tara with a crayfish from the Puntledge 

Chris with a nice silver cutty on Puntledge

We changed spots just before dark because Chris really wanted to show me a beautiful spot he knew of.  Just me and him headed up with rods, and we started swinging streamers.  I cast a few times, then stepped downstream and worked that water.  Within 15-20 minutes of swinging, I hooked into something nice!  I battled the fish as it ran downstream, then came up and jumped a couple of times.  We thought it might be a nice cutthroat, but as it came to the net our excitement went up even more.  It was a smaller summer run steelhead, but hey it was a steelhead and we were both excited!  I stopped fishing after releasing it back to the water.  It was a satisfying day...one I'll remember for awhile!  Even with it being a slow day, the few fish we did catch were great, and we had great company too.  Chris kept fishing down but was unsuccessful in the next run.  It was getting dark so we all piled in the truck and headed back to camp.

Summer steel!

Tara and I headed to Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park the next day and set up camp.  The area has plenty to see and do, so we checked out Coombs with the whole "Goats on the roof" thing. We ate a huge seafood dinner at the Clam Bucket in Port Alberni, and checked out the Cathedral Grove old cedar forest on the way back.  The next day, we went to Cameron Lake in the heat (so no fishing), checked out the Falls on the river, and later in the evening, Chris came by the campground and we fished the Little Qualicum.

An Arbutus tree. They shed their own bark and leave a smooth tree trunk..pretty cool!

Little Qualicum Falls

Beautiful, gin-clear Cameron Lake

We used dry flies at the beginning and Chris got a couple, but I wasn't catching so I switched to a nymph.  After a few casts I was into 3 nice rainbows on 3 casts, but after that....nothing for a while.  Chris was starting to get a couple in every run on the dry fly so I switched back to a dry as well.  As we walked further away from camp, we were getting some awesome hits on the dry fly and having a blast! After a brief walk through the "jungle" in the dark, we made it back to camp, pretty satisfied with this little creek and the trip as a whole.  

Chris waiting for a rise

Fish on! Nice rainbow trout on the dry!

Tara and I left back to the mainland of BC the next morning, but we both know we will be back next summer.  The fishing was a blast, the company was great, and the scenery was stunning!