Happy Father's Day

With the exception of some unwanted snow, it started off as a pretty decent spring. Of course we Alberta folks should be used to snow in May, we get it pretty much every year. Not sure why it's always such a surprises to us when it comes but once again... Surprise!. What was nice though was all the rain we got. The talk before the rains got here was another year of drought, maybe the worst we've seen in a hundred years. And the lakes around these parts needed rain and bad. Although we got our fair share, it was a mere drop in the proverbial bucket. Lakes are still way down but just imagine what shape they would be in now without all that rain. So the rain made me feel somewhat at ease. Then that ease turned to panic. Seven years ago, my wife and I had our house built on the North side of Edmonton. We watched as our house went through the stages from an empty lot to it's completion. Along the way, after the foundation was poured, I noticed they had an opening for a window in one of the downstairs bedrooms right where the cement steps were to go out of our kitchen. I quickly pointed this out to Pat (Lupa homes) and he had them cut a new window into the foundation around the corner. They took the slab from the newly cut opening and filled in the misplaced opening. After that they slapped on the window well, threw in some gravel and everything was good, right? Wrong! I just found out they forgot (or were to cheap) to put weeping tile from the window well down. How did I find out? The water had made it's way into my oldest daughter's room under the window jamb, down the foundation wall, along the floor through the bathroom and into my youngest daughter's room where it pooled under her bed until it made it's way out into the downstairs living room. If you're wondering, my insurance does not cover this (*Note: neither does yours). If it was caused by sewer back up, the hot water tank or even the sump pump, we'd be covered. But because water from outside found it's way through the foundation, no coverage. So what's the damage? New dry wall and paint, new carpet, new beds, new dressers, the loss of stuffed animals and toys, the cost of weeping tile in the window well (no quote on that yet) and the cost of a huge garbage bin in the drive way. I also lost three new fly fsihing customers (although I hope they will book in the future) due to the countless hours of getting out everything wet before the mold takes over. So in case you're wondering why no blogging lately, now you know.

I did get out with a client right before the flood. Tom was in town from Detroit on business and wanted to spend the day going after stillwater trout.
Wasn't a banner day but the action was ok. We headed out to Muir and he ended up catching a few good ones and seemed to really enjoy the relaxing methods of fishing chironomids and balance leeches under an indicator. I actually didn't have any balance leeches on me so Emerson ended up lending me a couple. Emerson was doing well hooking into them, not so well keeping them on however (been there). This trip was actually my first guided trip of the year as all my clients up to this point have booked my introductory clinics. I actually prefer the clinics as I find it much more rewarding but it is nice to mix things up. I'm now looking forward to a nice relaxing day on the water to celebrate father day. Hope you all have a great Fathers Day, maybe take the old man fishing eh.

A Day At Muir

On Thursday, I finally took a day just for myself to go out and enjoy a day at Muir Lake.  It was a little cool outside and although mostly a misty, drizzly type day in the city, I don't think I got a drop of rain on me while on the water.  If you are wondering at all if Muir has been stocked yet, the answer is a most definite; yes.  The pesky little buggers wouldn't leave my flies a lone, I must have caught a kajillion of them.  I tried fishing in three spots on the lake, near the dock (nothing), the narrows (just stockers) and then my favorite spring time spot (which wasn't so hot last spring) known from this day forward as mansion point.  Oh I did well there.  If your definition of "well" is a bazillion 5-6 inch stockers and one 18 incher.

 Caught this one on a Red October bloodworm but then switched up to a wooly bugger to try and keep the stockers off.  Then switched up to a bigger wooly bugger and finally just gave up.  Those little dinks were some hungry, eating flies almost big enough to eat them.  All in all though, how can a guy complain, I could have been working.  I have to admit though that I'm quite concerned about Muir's water level.  Just click this photo and take a look.

When we stocked Muir in 2003, the water level was well into the cattails and reeds you see here and the green vegetation was all underwater. It's easy to see just how far the lake has dropped and with Muir's already shallow depth and warm water temperatures during the heat of summer, I'd say there is a very good chance of seeing a summer kill this year.  Let's all hope for the best.

Another Season Underway

Next week is the start of a new season for me.  Clients are booking up fast and I've been busy tying up flies and getting equipment ready.  Although the lakes have really dropped this year, I'm hoping to have some good fishing and hope the same for my clients.  I've added another pontoon boat to my arsenal and lots of new terminal tackle.  Just recently, I finally took the plunge and got a few pages on facebook.  My personal page, the Fly Fishing Alberta page and my AlbertaStillwaters.Com page.  Drop by for some interesting articles and posts.  I've also revamped my Float Tube page on my information site Fly Fishing Edmonton.  I gave it some much needed updates, more tips and added an accessories section.  If you're looking to buy a float tube this year or to learn how to use the one you have, check it out for some great information.  And if you're looking for a one-on-one introduction to stillwater fly fishing clinic, feel free to drop me a line at mike@albertastillwaters.com.  Hope to see you on the water.

Pimpin' Your 'Toon

With the warm weather arriving, the excitement of getting out for your first trip of the year is always at the front of your mind. Up here in north-central Alberta however, the lakes are still locked in ice. So not much to do but tie some flies and get your equipment ready. Or you could try Pimpin' Your 'Toon. There are many pontoon accessories available at your local tackle shop that will make your day on the water a little more simplistic and enjoyable. But what do you do if money's a little tight or you can't find exactly what it is that you envision? For the handy guy, why not just build it? While recently visiting the Alberta Outdoorsman fishing forum, I came across Badger's pimped out pontoon boat. Most of it he built with his own hands and out of his own imagination. Check out his ride here and let me know of some pimpin' accessories you've added to your 'toon.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

If you've never lived in Edmonton, you wouldn't know what we as fly anglers go through every winter. Living here in the summer means you're either a stillwater fly guy or you spend a lot of time behind the wheel looking for a likely place to dab a fly on some moving water. We're not blessed with near by streams or rivers that hold trout. We do have the the North Saskatchewan River running through our city that offers up a variety of game fish like Walleye, Pike, Sauger, Goldeye and Mooneye and I have to admit, this river is highly underutilized but down this way, it doesn't hold trout. So yah, we got it a little tough here in the summer but we get by and we are blessed with some of the most fertile stillwater fisheries anywhere in the country. The winters here however make it really tough. Three hours south of us, the fly guys in Calgary have the opportunity to shake off the winter shack nasties whenever a Chinook rolls through town as the Bow River remains open all year offering up trophy Rainbows and Browns. In Edmonton, our salvation during our six months locked in ice and snow came in the form of a trophy Pike lake. Lake Wabamun not only offers up really big Pike but because of TransAlta's coal burning power plant, also gave us open water when all other waters are frozen over. The plant would draw in cold water from the lake to cool down the generators and push the warm water back into the lake via a man made channel. For years, anglers with the need to wet a line could head out to the lake at the mouth of this warm water discharge with expectations of good catch rates and bigger than average Northern Pike. This year that all changes as TransAlta is shutting down the last remaining generator by the end of March. So, what the hell are we gonna do now?


On Thursday March 25, 2010, Garnet, Joe and I headed out to Wabamun for what would be our last open water, winter/early spring fly fishing trip. We were happy to see the water was open right to the boat launch as our previous trip a couple weeks before had us dragging our pontoon boats across the ice to the open water at the end of the peer. The forecast high for this day was +8c with the wind diminishing to a calm breeze by afternoon. With a forecast like that we were hopeful that top water flies would entice some strikes as calm water helps the pike see your top water presentation better. We all got into Pike right away, with some good size wolfs being caught but none of us could hook up with a 40+ incher. It was an on and off again day and we found that changing up flies brought better results. We all tried a variety of flies, at first I did well with an orange and green half & half but then had to change to a white and purple Popsicle leech to see more action. The Popsicle leech was definitely my hot fly for the day as I took eight pike on it. The top water flies didn't hook up any fish although Joe did get one follow but it turned away at the last second. Final tally for the day... Garnet five, Joe 14 and 15 for myself. A great day to the end of an era. I'll still be fishing Wab for many years to come, but I'm gonna miss this lake when the shack nasties set in. Guess we'll be watching the Calgary weather forecasts a little more closely and crossing our fingers for those Chinooks.

Fortress Lake Resort

Just caught the new video from Dave and Amelia Jenson. What a beautiful place to catch trophy brookies. I've never had the pleasure of fishing Fortress myself, just not in the budget. Hopefully someday. For now I'll live vicariously through others that have videos like this. Great job from the two of them, I hope to see more videos like this.

Say Goodbye To Winter Wab Pike On The Fly

The slightly warmer temps we've been getting the last few days has got me to thinking about Pike on the fly. Every spring and fall I usually head out to Lake Wabamun in search of some monster Pike. It is possible to find these huge northerns in the winter as well due to the warm water discharge that's released via the power plant. This winter will be the last for open-water fishing however as they plan to shut down the last remaining generator. Taken from their website at http://www.transalta.com/facilities/plants-operation/wabamun "TransAlta plans to stop operating the Wabamun power plant in four phases with the final shut-down of Unit 4 slated for March 2010. Until then, the plant will continue to be an important source of low-cost power for Albertans." I'm pretty sure you'll still find those big females hanging out there for a while yet as they are probably pretty used to this area being one of their favorite grocery stores. Eventually though and depending on what they do with the channel, this will be just like any other area for the Pike to bask in the spring sun. If you've never fly fished for Pike and want to give it go before the Lake is closed to spawning, bring along some long needle nose pliers, jaw spreaders, a big net or cradle if got if you one, an eight or nine weight rod and reel spooled with matching line. You'll also want some big flies (4-8 inches), waders, boots and some warm clothing. Also don't forget your camera. Although it is considered trespassing, I don't know anyone that has been ticketed for fishing here, just stay out of the fenced off area. When you enter town, turn right at the stop sign before the tracks and follow the road to just before the first bridge. This is the discharge channel. Park at the gate that is closed where the train tracks are and follow the path along the fence. Although most of our local lakes are too muddy to wade fish, at the end of the channel you can indeed wade where the channel opens up to the lake. Your best presentation is to cast upstream with a strip-pause-strip retrieve after letting the fly sink a bit. Heavily weighted flies on a dry line and a six to eight foot pike leader or a 20lb mono leader with Rio's wire tippet will do you well. My favorite streamer to fish here is a white Popsicle leech but you'll also have good results with deceivers, clousers and Half & Half's (1/2 clouser, 1/2 deceiver). If you do head out and you find yourself there on a windless day, try some top water poppers and sliders too. This is my favorite way to take pike on the fly but is usually nowhere near as productive as sub-surface flies. Here's a video to show you what kind of fun you can have on top water flies.

Marc Petitjean's MP Thread Through Bobbin

You may have heard of Marc Petitjean. In these parts he's pretty famous for his Magic Tool and his Magic Heads. I've used the Magic Tool and it really is a great tool to use for tying flies, I've personally found this tool to be remarkable especially when working with CDC. In my last post, I let you know about a wonderful website that features mostly fly tying videos and while searching through some videos on The Fly Tying Channel, I came upon a great video showing a new Marc Petijean Bobbin. I'm gonna see if I can source one of these out and give it a go, it looks to be very innovative.

Tying Videos

There are tons of videos out there featuring fly tying. If you're anything like me, you can spend hours upon hours searching the web for different patterns. Of course you tube is a great place to find such videos but you have to be specific for the pattern you're looking for or you may end up watching videos other than fly tying. I just found this site however, it is mostly just fly tying videos so it's easy to search around. 235 videos and still adding as I write this. Check it out here... http://flytyingchannel.vodspot.tv/

Their latest video is the RS2 Sparkle Wing

RS2 Sparkle Wing from Juan Ramirez on Vimeo.

2010

Wow, 2010 already. Time just keeps moving faster and faster. I have one daughter who`s turning 20 in February and another that just turned 11. Seams like yesterday they were learning to walk and talk. Hell, seams like yesterday I was playing cops and robbers with my childhood friend Gary Reynolds or going fishing with my dad in his 12ft aluminum car topper. And 2009 blew by way to fast, never did get up north to Swan Lake like I promised myself or to the Little Smokey River last fall. We did however see some positive things happen like the new Wholesale Sports store open on the south side of Edmonton featuring a fanstastic fly fishing department. The Northern Lights Fly Tyers and Fishers Club merged with the Edmonton Chapter of Trout Unlimited opening a door for a whole new world of fund-raising and conservation projects. The new Northern Lights chapter of Trout Unlimited brought in Dave and Emily Whitlock on April 25 & 26 for a fly fishing presentation and then an intermediate fly tying presentation on November 21 with Leroy Hyatt, the popular PBS TV show host of Anglers Art. And we saw a new stillwater fly rod appear on the scene. The Amundson "Wind Warrior" which I can`t say enough about. It`s a high end rod with a mid level price and it shoots line like a canon. But there were some negatives in 2009 also. The biggest one for the Edmonton area was the lack of precipitation. We needed rain and bad but didn't get anywhere near enough. All the local lakes around Edmonton are very low and need a real good topping up. None as much as our pride and joy however, Muir Lake. Muir is not deep to begin with and if these low water levels continue over the 2010 season, our trout will be in for some trouble. A lot of volunteers have put a lot of time and effort into making Muir the great fishery it is is but Mother Nature may have other plans. When we fist stocked Muir, you could sit on the end of the dock and just get the tips of your toes wet. Now, the supporting barrels under the dock aren't even in the water. Let`s hope for a real wet summer this year.

So what does 2010 have in store for us? If I could tell you that, I`d be picking up more than a few cheques from the Lotto649 office. I can tell you that NL/TU are presenting a Gary Borger / Mike Lawson fly fishing seminar on Saturday & Sunday, Jan. 16th & 17th at the main campus of Grant McEwan University. Tickets are $50.00 for the two days. Go to the Northern Lights / TU website for more information. Also coming up is the 2010 Western Canadian Fly Fishing Exposition in Calgary. The exposition runs from Jan 22 - Jan 24 at Spruce Meadows. You can expect some big names in fly fishing there with many workshops to choose from, some of them free. And of course 2010 will see my online fly shop start up with good quality products at affordable prices.

I hope you have a great 2010 and I hope to see you on the water.

Merry Christmas

I had the privilege of introducing many new fly anglers to stillwater fly fishing this past year. This is something I really enjoy, so much so that I've been steering away from simply guiding as I find that teaching is so much more fulfilling and my one-on-one introduction to stillwater fly fishing clinics are very rewarding for both myself and my clients.

Some exciting things are planned for 2010 including my new online store and some added opportunities for the Edmonton fly angling community. I've been asked by Amundson Outdoors to give a stillwater fly fishing clinic sometime in May at the new Wholesale Sports which is a new aspect of fly fishing I've yet to experience. And I have hopes that my revamped stillwater jonboat will be available for the up-coming season.

I want to thank you all for your past support whether it be through the Alberta Fly fishing Forum, AlbertaStillwaters.Com or just following me here on Doc's Ol' Blog House. I hope for your continued support in the new year and I wish you all the best for this holiday season. From my family to yours, have a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy new year.

P.S. Dec 23 is officially the holiday "Festivus". For the Seinfeld fans out there, you already know about Festivus. For those that don't...

Fall Pike On The Fly

I recently got my hands on a new Wind Warrior 8 weight 9'6 and had been chomping at the bit to get out and try it on some of Wabamun's monster Pike. I don't fish for Pike a whole lot, maybe 5 or 6 times a year. I had upgraded from an 8 weight to a 9 weight fly rod a couple years back hoping for a little more backbone to cast those big Pike flies. Since I don't spend many days fly'n for water-wolves, spending a ton of money on a rod that sees less than 10 days of action per year wasn't something I felt compelled to do, so ended up purchasing a TFO LK signature series. Although I was content with the TFO rod, it made for some sore/stiff arms and shoulders at the end of a long day on the water. I got out to Wab twice in the last week and I have to say, casting the Wind Warrior was a pleasure. The rod has got plenty of backbone making it easy to cast those big Pike flies yet light enough that I didn't have any pain or stiffness in my arm or shoulder the days following. And like my 5wt, it lived up to it's name and casts like a cannon even in 25+ km/hr winds.

My last trip out to Wab was with good friend Phil Rowley on October 29. When we arrived at the lake it was -3 degrees Celsius and windy. We got on the water and headed over to the warm water discharge and although the fishing was pretty good (5 Pike each) we didn't last to long. I'm guessing we fished for about two hours then we headed back in as the wind picked up and Phil and I both felt like a couple of Popsicles. We were planning on shooting a video covering all aspects of fall Pike on the fly but because we couldn't stop shivering, we only shot about 1/4 of what we intended. The following video is made up of that footage and still has quite a bit of good information. Hope you enjoy it.

Fly'n The Bow

I got a PM (personal message) on my site, the Alberta Fly Fishing Forum, back in the spring from one of my members who offered me a guided jet boat fly fishing trip on the Bow River. Tracy (AKA Swede) bid on this trip to help raise money for the Southern Alberta Stream Watch auction. A worthy cause which helps fund students throughout the summer months to keep an eye on our streams and rivers while working under the Alberta Sustainable Resource Development. Tracy and his wife Marlene offered up this trip to myself and two others that play an important role on the forum. I chose Jokey (Joe) who helps me moderate the board and keep things flowing smoothly and Phil Rowley who hosts "20 Questions With Phil". Phil is our forum expert and answers technical question about fly fishing, fly tying, entomology, fish behavior and more.

Because of our busy schedules, it wasn't easy picking a day when all three of us could get together and head down to Carseland but after many e-mails and PM's to our guide Mike (tungsten) we finally decided on Friday October 02.
Mike is not a professional guide but spends many, many hours on the river every year and as we found out, knows the Bow River waters intimately. He put this trip up on the auction block to include jet boat, lunch, refreshments and guidance. He also refused to take any money as a tip.

We left Edmonton Thursday night and drove straight to Strathmore. I previously asked Mike about a cheap Motel we could stay in for the night. I knew we would only get about 6 hours of sleep so I figured the cheaper the better. We booked at Leroy's Motel and it was a little run down to say the least. The rooms could use some upgrading, the bathrooms need some caulking around the tub and a coffee maker in the room would be nice but I do have to say, the rooms were very clean (and we checked thoroughly).

We were up by 6:30am, dressed and off to breakfast by 7. After some Macadon's we headed down to the river and showed up about 15 minutes late. I was pleasantly relieved when I saw Mike's jet boat. I was expecting one of those shiny fiberglass jet boats or maybe even an aluminum river boat (I don't like those big-ass jet boats when I'm fishing the Bow. They blow by you doing like a zillion miles an hour leaving wakes high enough to get into your waders). Mike's jet boat was a long jon boat (I think it was 16ft in length) with a jet motor on the back. It was fairly quiet but moved us along the river quickly (not a zillion miles an hour though).

I hadn't fished below Carseland before so I was excited to experience some water I had never seen before. It was interesting to see so much featureless water but when we did find some slack water or little feeders, the trout were right where they were supposed to be. I'm not used to fishing these types of water and I probably should have brushed up on reading trout streams before the trip but Phil knew exactly were to drop his fly and out fished all of us. I ended up catching five, Jokey about eight (I think) and Phil, well he cleaned up. Jokey and I tried nymphing for a bit but the hot fly on that day was by far a weighted boatman pattern.

For highlights of the trip, you can view the video below.

Northern Backswimmers & Water Boatman

There are large numbers of anglers (many experienced) who are not sure what the difference is between a water boatman and a backswimmer. Just to clear things up;

A backswimmer is the larger of the two. It has large hind legs for propulsion and swims on its back. It's underside is dark and it's wings are light, often a cream color with a mottled look to it. The backswimmer does indeed bite and reports are that it's bite feels similar to a bee sting. You'll usually find backsimmers on the surface of the water.

A boatman is the smaller of the two. It also has large hind legs in the shape of oars but it's front legs are scoop shaped at the tips. It's underside is usually a masking tape color and wings are a darker mottled color (I've seen olive, brown and black in the Edmonton area). The water boatman does not swim on its back but right side up. It hangs near the bottom in shallower water near plant life and does not bite.

Both insects are prisoners of the shallows as neither of these bugs have gills and must rise to the surface frequently to trap an air bubble used for oxygen. This air bubble is what gives them their erratic swimming motion as the bubble tries to rise to the surface.

Most literature regarding boatman and backswimmers inform us that September and October are times when these aquatic life forms are most prevalent. Through my years of stillwater fly fishing however, as far south as the central Alberta, I've noticed that this time line is off by about a month. I've confirmed this in both the Edmonton regions and the Rocky Mountain House regions with observation of both boatman and backswimmers becoming quite active as early as late July. By mid August, fishing imitative patterns become progressively more productive and by the time September rolls around, trout start keying in on these bugs. By mid September, the water starts cooling due to colder nights and shorter days and trout will spend more time in the shallows feeding on the large number of these bugs.

There's also a lot of literature available that states fishing boatman and backswimmer patterns are most productive after the first frost. It's quite possible for this to be true in some areas of the world, but in these parts I find a cool night followed by a very warm autumn day in the mid to upper 20's (Celsius) seems to kick these bugs into their migration flights (also known as the boatman fall). If you happen to be on the water during a heavy fall, you'll notice they actually do look like little rain drops hitting the surface of the water. Once hitting the water, the boatman will pause almost as if stunned and then spin to break the surface of the water where they will dive to the bottom and lay it's eggs. It's at the pause and spin when trout take full advantage of the falling boatman. Unfortunately, the window of opportunity to hit this fall is more of a 'being on the right lake on the right day' sort of thing. If you're fortunate enough to be on the lake in the middle of a boatman fall, tie a floating boatman patter onto your dry line, wait for a rise and cast directly into the rise ring. Hits are usually immediate. It truly will be one of the best days you've ever spent on a stillwater fishery.

By early October, the boatman and backswimmer action starts to slow down. This is when I start to concentrate on slower or static presentations using bloodworms, scuds and leech patterns in shallower water. Boatman and backswimmer patterns can still be productive but the frenzy is usually over once the middle of October rolls around.

If you haven't already tied up some boatman and backswimmer patterns, you better get to it. Before you know it, the action will be long gone and your favorite stillwater fishery will be locked in ice for another six months.

Here are some links to a few good patterns.

http://flyfish-edmonton.webs.com/flypatterns.htm
http://www.flycraftangling.com/flies_arc.html?a=7
http://www.guidebc.com/flypatterns/waterboatman.asp
http://flydesk.com/Fly%20Patterns/Backswimmer.htm

My Trout's Got Swimmers Itch

Every summer I receive a few e-mails from curious anglers asking if I noticed bumps or cysts under the skin of our stillwater stocked trout. These type of question also appear on many of the fishing message boards and forums. As the water warms, we see these bumps appear on a lot of our trout pretty much every summer and disappear once the water starts to cool. So what are these bumps, are they harmful to the trout and are they harmful to anglers handling these fish or more importantly, consuming these fish? Click on the pick of this trout caught at Muir Lake (courtesy of Phil Rowley) for a closer look.

I noticed these bumps more frequently about six years ago. With the lack of precipitation we've seen around the Edmonton area, the lakes have been dropping and warming in the last six years. This combination not only causes more stress on the trout but appears to increase infection of a flat worm parasite which mistakenly uses the trout as it's host. I say mistekenly because these trout are not native to these bodies of water but rather stocked every spring.

Back when I first noticed these bumps becoming more profuse, I sent off an e-mail to Stony Plain area fisheries biologist, Stephen Spencer. He explained that the bumps were caused by a flat worm parasite. Cercaria (the larval form of the parasite) is actually intended to affect it's true host the snail. Once in the snail, it relies on consumption by a bird where it then matures into its adult stage and lays eggs in the bird's gastrointestinal tract. The eggs are then dropped back into the water through feces and the cycle repeats. The trout (like humans) are not its intended host and other than some ugly bumps (and itching for us - see "Swimmers Itch"), the parasite itself really doesn't harm the trout or humans but the bacterial infections caused by an overwhelming amount of parasites could be lethal to trout.

A couple years ago, A.S.R.D did put a warning out about these bumps for anglers eating fish showing signs of these parasites. Although these infected fish are not harmful to humans, it was thought to be a good idea to cut out any black spots (bacterial infections) caused by the flat worms and for the flesh to be cooked thoroughly.

Most years, Edmonton's local trout lakes see these parasitic bumps on our trout but some years they've been very prominent. This is one of those years. They aren't pretty and don't feel very nice when handling the trout. On years like this, it is beneficial to the trout to decrease your fishing activity until the water starts to cool again as there is a coalition to very warm water and numerous bumps under the skin of the trout. If the water is that warm, think how stressed these trout must be.

The Chironomid Cult

It's funny you know, when I first heard about chironomiding I didn't understand the whole chironomid craze. I got away from still fishing because I wanted to become more involved in the catching process. The fly rod to me was the "next step" in the fishing evolution. The art of tight loops, the constant searching for your game, trying to imitate food sources through different techniques and presentations. Chironomiding or fishing static presentations almost seamed like taking a step back. Staring at an indicator (a fly anglers name for a little bobber) for hours on end just wasn't my vision of what fly fishing was all about. Then I tried it. My first impression was less than favorable, I didn't see why it was so dam popular. I wasn't catching as many fish as when I was working weed beds and drop offs with a nymph on a sinking line. Of course I still didn't understand a lot of the intricacies of chironomiding like how important it was to be anchored. Like most things in my life however (with the exception of my guitar), I couldn't give up on it until I mastered it. So I did tons of research (mostly reading) and putting what I read to practice. I started catching more and more fish but still didn't see why so many had gone crazy for this style of fly fishing.

It was a warm afternoon in May on a local Edmonton trout lake when the "light bulb" finally clicked on. I launched my float tube and was making my way out onto the lake when I saw these large midge shucks (bombers) floating on top of the water. There were thousands of them with more hatching right before my eyes. I became rather excited as everything I had been reading about fishing chironomids had told me this should be an excellent day. I let my anchor down, slid on a strike indicator and tied on the biggest bomber pattern I had in my fly box. Well, it didn't even have time to sink when I saw the indicator rush under. I played a nice, active, 17" rainbow, brought it to the net and happily released it. Of course I didn't think the fishing would be anywhere near this kind of excitement but I was optimistic that it may be fairly active. Nope, I was wrong. For the next three hours, it was almost exactly like that. Maybe not a take before the flies sunk (although that happened frequently) but a strike on nearly every cast for almost three hours. I caught lunkers, stockers and all sizes in between. Now I understood the chironomid craze! Though the hour and a half to follow wasn't as stellar, I probably caught more fish in that short time than on a normal day of fishing. Although I never knew it at the time, that was my induction into the "Chironomid Cult".

Today I teach others how effective chironomiding can be as well as other styles and techniques through stillwater clinics and guided trips. It's a lot of fun to watch folks get there first hook up on a chironomid and sometimes I even get to see their light bulb turn on. If you're interested in a stillwater clinic or a guided trip, you can cut the learning curve in half by sending me an e-mail and booking a trip with AbertaStillwaters.Com today.

Here's fun video called The Chironomid Cult. I wish it was as exciting as this video all the time but when there's a good hatch on, this video is pretty close.

Here Comes The Rain Again

June in Alberta was one of the driest on record. Farmers in the Camrose area declared a local state of agricultural disaster as extremely dry weather conditions damaged to up to 80% of their crops and cattle producers are struggling as the majority of their pasture lands dried up. July however has been a complete turn around. Some parts of Alberta has seen well over 100ml of rain in a couple of days and reports of funnel clouds have been spotted in many areas throughout Alberta. We even had a tornado touch down near Bentley Alberta. If you had plans to hit some streams and rivers this week, you may be a little p.o'ed as the reports coming in on the Alberta Fly Fishing Forum are seeing blown out conditions. High, chocolate brown water around the Hinton area have been reported with the Wildhay, Berland and the Muskeg rivers having very high flow rates. A high streamflow advisory has been issued for the Smoky River and all its tributaries in north central Alberta and more rain is predicted for the future days ahead. Well, I feel for ya. But all is not lost. Alberta's trout lakes got some much needed topping up as lake levels have been very low since last fall and water temps in these lakes needed a litlle cooling off. The fishing around Edmonton's local lakes has been good and hopefully should get even better. Got out to Star Lake on July 5th with my buddy Phil and we did well fishing in deeper water using a static presentation with chironomid and leech patterns. We both got into some good size trout with the largest of the day being this 23" rainbow caught on a Redd October bloodworm. If you've had trouble finding big fish in the past or find stillwaters a little intimidating, why not book a stillwater trip or clinic with me and I can show you how to find Walter for yourself. Visit my website AbertaStillwaters.Com for more information.

Happy Canada Day... Eh?

I want to wish all my fellow Canadians a happy Canada Day. I, unfortunately; have to work today (so no fishing for this hosehead) but I hope all you folks that get the day off have a great time pulling in some lunkers. I am looking forward to the fireworks tonight however.

Here is a video of some of my proud Canadian brothers and sisters when my beloved Oilers made it the Stanley Cup.

Fathers Day Fishing Trip

The plan was for my 10yr old daughter Hunter to take me fishing for fathers day. That was the plan, but things changed. When we checked the weather report this morning it called for showers and a good chance of a thunderstorm. Hunter really didn't want to be standing out in the rain all day so she graciously bowed out. I can't blame her, she's fairly new to fly fishing and hasn't yet become obsessed with the sport. I on the other hand am beyond obsessed (see definition for addiction). So I loaded up the vehicle and headed out to Star Lake. I was going to meet up with Phil and his boys at Millers Lake near Edson but because of a dinner date with my oldest daughter Cassandra, I had to stay somewhat close to home. So off to Star I went. When I got on the water I headed out to the center of the lake and decided to fish the deep water before heading over to my favorite spot. I tied on 15ft of tippet to my 9ft leader and attatched a black thread midge on the point and a Redd October (blood worm) as the dropper. I got into fish right away and caught about 6 or 7 (all this years stockers) before I pulled the anchor and moved on. I then headed over to my favorite spot and anchored in 10ft of water. I fished the same combination of chironomids for about a half hour with another 5 or 6 stockers brought to hand. I was getting pretty tired of catching the small ones however, so I thought I'd target the bigger trout with some larger flies. I tied on an olive wolly bugger as the dropper to my black thread midge and on the second cast hooked into a nice lunker at 23 inches. Got one good jump out of him and then some bull-dogging but the fight was fairly quick. I fished this combo for a good hour and only caught two more stockers, both on the chironomid. Tried some other combos with mostly the same results (more stockers) and about twenty minutes before home time, decided to go back to the Redd October blood worm with a X-mas Chronie on the point. Hooked into a few more stockers and then finally on my last cast, I hooked into another gooder. It wasn't as big as my 23 incher (18&1/2 inches) but it fought a hell of a lot better. All in all a great day to be on the water. Only way it could have been better was if Hunter could have been there with me. Oh btw, I didn't see one rain drop all day, just dark clouds with the constant threat of rain.

Here's a very short video of the two bigger trout I got to the net.

How much do you love your fly rod?

I posted back in February about how I won a new fly rod. I don't win stuff very often, I'm just not one of those lucky types and usually if I do win something, it's not something I can get overly excited about. This time however, I won something that totally blew me away. The rod is called the Wind Warrior - Stillwater and made by a Canadian company (Amundson Outdoors). It was designed with me in mind. By that of course, I mean stillwater fly anglers. The model I received was a #5 - 10ft - 4pc and before I received it, my expectations were fairly low. After all, it's a new product from a company I've heard very little about. I already own a St.Croix Legend Ultra #6 - 10ft - 4pc which I consider to be a great casting, fast action rod. I can shoot line out of my St.Croix pretty good and although I originally bought it for casting big nymphs and streamers on the Bow, it quickly became my go-to-rod for hard blowing days on the lakes. Things have changed however as I now have a new go-to-rod for my stillwater fishing. I've had the great pleasure of casting the Wind Warrior Stillwater on my last four trips out and I'm really enjoying this rod more and more with every outing. The rod shoots line like a canon, has some good back bone that cuts line through the wind like a knife and the sensitive tip aids in detecting strikes. I don't plan on retiring my Sage RPL anytime soon but it definitely won't see anywhere near the use it once did. As a matter of fact, I like this rod so much, I've looked into selling them online at my new site AlbertaStillwaters.Com. Which makes me pose the question: How much do you love your fly rod?