Ontario Update

The show season is beginning to wind down and with the warm weather the anticipation of a new fishing season grows!  It has been a bit longer than I like since my last post, what a busy two weeks. 

Since my last post Tessa is getting bigger and she seems to be house trained!  Fingers crossed as I type.  I was out in Ontario from April 8-13.  I began by providing a small tying session for 6 fly tyers at Grindstone Angling.  This is the second year I have done a session like this.  I featured a small cross section of patterns from my latest book, Stillwater Selections. 

After the tying session I stayed up far too late and sipped scotch with friend Jon Babulic.  Jon was keen to point out the potential of the numerous lakes along the north shore of Lake Superior.  His pictures and tales definitely got me interested.  We hope to put a trip together in 2011.  The next morning we dragged ourselves out of bed a little later than we thought but based on the weather that greeted us I was OK.  It was about 2C, gusting to about 25K and light snow showers.  All in all a great day to be on the water! Which is what we did. 

Jon has access to a private pond with rainbows to four pounds.  The Guelph area sits on a huge glacial aquifer that is perfect for producing small, intimate, productive ponds.  Many of the farms in the area have ponds holding double digit trout.   Jon and I braved the weather for about four hours.  We each took fish, I think I ended up with four all told.  By the end I resorted to hanging Balanced Leeches under an indicator.  Brown seemed to be the preferred color.  The water was cool so fish were lethargic at best plus I was cold to the core.  By fishing static I could tuck my rod under my arm and get my hands in my pockets to stay warm until the indicator moved or pulled under.

Over the weekend I provided a number of stillwater programs to the Issac Walton Fly Fishing Club (IWFFC) Forum.   This is my second year there and I enjoy, as always speaking to keen fly fishers.  Following the IWFFC Forum I hoped a flight to Ottawa to discuss the upcoming shooting season for The New Fly Fisher.  It looks like it is going to be a busy shooting schedule.  If I play my cards right I will be heading east again to sample the brook trout and Atlantic salmon fishing Labrador and Newfoundland has to offer.  As it stands now I will be in B.C. filming with good friend Brian Chan as we are doing an Urban Lakes episode in the scenic city of Nanaimo. 

I returned home from Ottawa and spent the next three days catching up on a ton of emails and other tasks.   On the Friday night I headed south to Red Deer for a 1-day tying and informational session for a group of 10 anglers I am escorting to the Parklands region of southwest Manitoba in June.  Fishing should be prime and I am already looking forward to chasing large rainbows, browns and the hyper aggressive tiger trout on the fly.  Here is a picture of me in action!  It was a fun day, lots of sarcastic banter, my kind of tying environment!  Thanks to Bob and Karen Vanderwater for putting up with us.

I am now preparing to head to Winnipeg for the weekend to speak at the Cottage Living Show.  This is my first time speaking at this show but I am looking forward to catching up with some friends as I have had the pleasure of visiting Manitoba in the past.  It is a shame my schedule wouldn't allow a few extra days to chase trout, bass or some Red River channel cats on the fly.  Channel cats are a great fly rod quarry and tax you and your gear to the max, all in all an excellent workout! 

So I am off to Winnipeg.  I will provide a complete report and provide some updates as I am filming in Nanaimo next week.  Now that we have open water I am looking forward to getting on the water once again! 

New Arrival

Happy Easter, the past week was a busy one.  So much so that I did not have the time to announce the latest arrival to our family.  Those of you following my blog on a regular basis know that roughly a week after Christmas we lost our beloved golden retriever Bailey to an apparent heart attack.  The loss was tough to take and the house was empty without her nearby.   It wasn't long before the family was on the hunt for a new companion.

Well I am happy to report that Tessa joined our family roughly 2 weeks ago.  Tessa is a purebred golden and has the typical relaxed easy to get along with personality the breed is famous for. I am looking forward to having her by my side when I head out on the water.  My wife Patsy and I are working to get her trained.  After 10 years with Bailey I kind of took for granted the house training component of raising a dog.  We are making progress and Tessa is starting to realize what going outside means in addition to running through leaves and mangling small sticks!

In other news I just finished a weekend seminar at Robinson's Sporting Goods in Victoria.  The event was a success and roughly 40 people attended.  On day one I provided a series of stillwater strategies and tactics seminars covering how to find trout in stillwaters, advanced chironomid techniques, sinking line techniques and 10 habits for stillwater sucess.  Sunday was devoted to fly tying as I presented my one day Fly Patterns for Stillwaters seminar.  Students were introdcued to my fly tying and design philosophies for lakes and were taken on a tying journey through all the major food sources.  Throughout the the two days I also provided a number of prizes depending on the answers to some skill testing questions.  I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction with everyone.  Thanks to all who took part in the seminar.

If you know of a store or a club who would enjoy a similar seminar please let me know.  I still have some fall dates available.  Just contact me directly at flycraft@shaw.ca and we can work on setting things up.

Finally, if any of you are interested in joining me at Fortress Lake I would suggest contacting Dave or Amelia at Fortress Lake Retreat as soon as possible as there are only a few spaces left.  This should be a spectacular trip blending world class stillwater fly fishing with trophy brook trout.  If Mother Nature cooperates we should have some fun using chironomid patterns to fool some of the brutes Fortress Lake is famous for.

First Fish of the Season!

Last week saw me in Calgary helping prepare for the 2010 Trout Unlimited Canada Conservation Dinner and Auction. This event is the largest of its kind in North America and generates a staggering amount towards coldwater conservation here in Canada. The auction was held on Thursday March 18th. I had a number of tasks to complete on the Friday but did manage to get a few hours on the Bow River on Friday afternoon.

The weather was fantastic for March on the prairies, 8C, bright clear skies and no wind! Brian Meagher and I did a short walk and wade trip within the Calgary city limits and over two short hours landed a number of fish, both browns and rainbows and shook hands with a few others.  Right at the end of the day I lost a large brown that I too agressive with as I had to get going to meet some friends for dinner.  As it turns out I miss judged Calgary rush hour traffic and ended up 20 minutes late due to an accident.

I fished nymphs under an indicator as well as working a few runs Czech Nymph style.  My best fly was one I put together a few years ago when I was filming an episode of The New Fly Fisher on the Crowsnest River in Southern Alberta, the Stillwater Baetis. All of my fish came to this fly.

The Stilwater Baetis is a simple fly tied out of Stillwater Solutions (SWS) tying materials that good friend Brian Chan and I designed in partnership with Superfly International. My two favourite body colors are olive dun and light olive, for the light olive version use light olive SWS bleached pheasant tail and chartreuse wire ribbing. I am sure tying some out of the claret pheasant tail would work too. The tungsten bead is key, as the added weight tungsten provides gets the fly down quickly and keeps it.  Baetis nymphs are active swimmers and the Bow is home to probably millions of them. They are a constant component of the daily drift cycles on many rivers including the Bow. I would recommend you add a few of them to your fly box as well.

SWS Baetis-Olive Dun
By Phil Rowley

Hook: Mustad C49S #14-#18
Thread: 8/0 Brown
Tail: Stillwater Solutions Bleached Pheasant Tail, Olive Dun
Rib: Fine Copper Wire
Shellback: Pearlescent Mylar
Body: Stillwater Solutions Bleached Pheasant Tail, Olive Dun
Thorax: Stillwater Solutions Soft Blend Dubbing, Dark Summer Duck
Bead: XS Gold Tungsten

Fortresss Lake School

In a previous blog entry I mentioned that I have been working with Dave and Amelia Jensen at Fortress Lake Wilderness Retreat and Fly Fish Alberta regarding a stillwater fly fishing school at Fortress Lake.  I am happy to report that the details have been figured out and everything is a go for June 18-21.  Now all we need are a few individuals to join us for an educational four day stillwater fly fishing school amongst the snow capped peaks at Fortress Lake Wilderness Retreat.

Photo Courtesy of Dave Jensen

Draped against a spectacular and visually stunning back drop you will have the opportunity to hone your stillwater skills against some of the largest brook trout on the planet!

Photo courtesy of Dave Jensen

I will provide detailed stillwater instruction in a focused, almost one on one, environment.  The timing of this seminar is no accident and is intended to target the intense annual chironomid emergence Fortress Lake offers.  Here is a sample of some of what you will learn:

• How to read a lake and locate trout on a consistent basis
• Equipment requirements and preferences
• Detailed leader construction techniques
• Retrieves and presentation
• How to fight big fish (Fortress Brook Trout range between 3-7 pounds)
• Sinking line tricks, tactics and techniques
• Chironomid techniques using both floating and sinking lines
• Entomology
• Tips on choosing the right fly for the right conditions

This unique four day package costs $2500.00* per person and includes the following:

• Return Flight by scheduled float plane shuttle from the base near Hinton, Alberta.
• Accommodations at Fortress Lake
• Meals, snacks, and beverages
• Use of boats, canoes, kayaks
• Stillwater fly fishing instruction including comprehensive morning and evening seminar instruction prior to heading out on the lake.
• Minimum of 2.5 days fly fishing Fortress Lake Memories and instruction to last a life time!

*Prices are in Canadian funds and do not include applicable taxes, alcohol, fishing licenses, gratuities and flies.

Space is limited so please book early by contacting Fortress Lake Wilderness Retreat at 403 346 1698 or email info@fortresslake.com

For additional course information please contact me at flycraft@shaw.ca.  I hope to see you there!

This past weekend I was presenting at the BC Boat and Sportsman's show in Abbotsford BC.  Abbotsford is located about 1-hour east of Vancouver, BC home of the 2010 Winter Olympics.  The show was well attended and the line ups to get in the show each morning was staggering. As a former lower mainland resident for over 25 years it was great to see old friends and marvel at the growth and urban development that has occurred since I left just over five years ago.

While at the show I based myself along with good friend Brian Chan at the BC Outdoors booth signing copies of my new book and the recently released Learning With The Pros, Stillwater Fly Tying, Volume 1, I completed with Brian.

We also provided fly tying sessions and stillwater seminars.  I even ventured up onto the casting pond to provide seminars detailing my favorite retrieves and tactics for both floating and sinking line presentations.

What a Weekend!

Well I just returned from a fantastic trip to California where I provided my Advanced Chironomid Tactics PowerPoint presentation to members of the Mt. Tam Fly Fishers and the North Bay Trout Unlimited chapter.  Local guide and member Larry Lack picked me up from the Oakland airport and then drove me south to my next destination, the Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show.

The Pleasanton show was an excellent experience and from the response I received there are lots of enthusiastic stillwater fly fishers keen on learning new tricks and techniques.  I provided tying demonstrations on my favorite chironomid patterns along with seminars on Sinking Line Tactics, How to Find Trout in Stillwaters and 10 Habits for Stillwater Success.  My seminars and demonstrations were well attended.  I always enjoy the interaction and the new fly fishing friends I meet at shows like this.  Often I learn as much as I teach.  I am already looking forward to the 2011 show.

Shows like Pleasanton also provide me with the opportunity to catch up with friends as our paths often cross through the show season.  I spent a lot of time with Jeff Currier once again who was kind enough to let me hang out at this table.  It is always nice to have a rendezvous location for people to meet me at once a demonstration or seminar is complete.  My latest book, Stillwater Selections and Quick Release Indicators were a huge hit.  Everything was gone by mid morning Saturday.  Friday was one of the busiest days I have ever experienced at a fly show.  In addition catching up with Jeff I also bumped into Ken Hanley and Jay Murakoshi.  Ken, Jay and I have been bumping into each other for many years now as our show paths often cross.  Both Ken and Jay have their own websites, Pacific Extremes and Flies Unlimited.  Ken has been a supporter of my efforts for a number of years.  We keep talking about chasing some of my local pike, hopefully one of these years it will come to pass.

Visiting new shows allows you to meet new friends as well, all crazy about fly fishing.  Chuck Echer was my roommate during my stay.  Chuck's Famous Grouse 'elixir' was a perfect a night cap!  Beside Jeff's table I had the pleasure of meeting and watching Phil Fisher and Dave McCants tie their favorite patterns.  I managed to coax them out of some of their unique designs.  Ben Byng showed me his damsel patterns as well. A few of these will be adorning my fly box this season. Ben and Jeff know each other well and to my relief Ben is a hockey fan.  Sunday was a unique experience as everyone knew I was Canadian and kept me on my toes with up to date scores as the gold medal game between Canada and United States took place.  The end result made their friendly jabs and sometimes exaggerated game reports memorable.

During the past two weeks I had become infected with the Olympic experience.  It was Canada's best performance ever.  In fact, we had never won a gold medal in any previous Olympics we had hosted.  Not in Calgary or Montreal.  To get an Olympic record 17 was unbelievable and made every Canadian proud.  Vancouver did a fantastic job.  A friend of mine sent me a link to a You Tube link that NBC put together about Canada.  I think it did an excellent job catching the essence of Canada and what it is like to be Canadian.  It was nice to let our normally subdued national pride out for the world to see!

A Great Seminar

I just returned from Boise Idaho where I participated with Jack Dennis, Jeff Currier and Pete Erickson putting on the Traveling Fly Fishing Road Show.  Although the attendance was less than we expected we still had a great time.  Participants were exposed to a wealth of information including Euro nymphing, stillwater tactics and techniques, warm water, casting and knot tying.  I even slid in a little fly tying.

Feedback we received from those who attended was extremely positive.  Jeff, Pete and I are already planning bigger and better seminars for 2011.  This was the first time we had worked together and it clicked!  I will be seeing Jeff again in a few weeks as we will both be at The Fly Fishing Show in Pleasanton California.

Jeff Currier at work.  Check out Jeff's website, especially his artwork.

Jeff provided seminars on saltwater fly fishing, warm water fly fishing and entertained everyone with his travel show about his recent experiences traveling across Africa. If you ever have a chance to see one of Jeff''s presentations do it.  His experience and knowledge is vast and his images are fantastic.  Check out my Favorite Links to visit Jeff's Blog or main website.  His artwork is stunning.

  

Pete Erickson demonstrates a few of his favorite knots

Pete and Jeff provided a comprehensive Euro nymphing seminar.  For those who haven't tried this deadly method you should.  Born from the world fly fishing championships this method out produces typical strike indicators tactics in use today.  I recommend you pick up a copy of Jack Dennis's Euro Nymphing 2-disc DVD set.  Pete and Jeff have participated successfully at the world championship level and they are included in this DVD along with the dean of Polish Nymphing, Vladi Trezebunia.  I recommend you pick up a copy of this DVD from Jack website.

 Pete was also kind enough to get me out on the water as we visited the nearby Owayhee River.  A unique stretch of water located just across the state line in nearby Oregon.  Pete and I had hoped to Euro nymph the river but the low cool flows had the fish sipping tiny midge pupa and adults in the surface film in slow moving pools.  Tossing size 22 Palomino Midges attached to 6X tippet was the order of the day.  We broke off more than we landed.  Pete managed to land a few of his fish including a magnificent 20 plus inch brown.  I shook hands with a large brown that shook his head twice before I bust him off.  I christened them NBA fish as they weren't impressed with us much as if telling us to, "Get that weak ass stuff out of here!"

Pete's skill and expertise on moving water is unbelievable.  It was a great experience for me.  Plus we had far to much fun bantering back and forth as the predominantly brown trout population shunned most of our presentations.  The Owayhee is a river I must return to!

Idaho Bound

This weekend sees me on the road again in Boise, Idaho participating with Jack Dennis and his Fly Fishing Road Show.  The 2-day event runs from 9-6 both days and features a number of key speakers including Pete Erickson and Jeff Currier.  Both Pete and Jeff  have a wealth of experience with each representing the U.S. at the world fly fishing championships.  Jeff has also had the luxury of tossing flies at some of the words most unique species.  This weekend's show promises to be both entertaining and educational.

If you are in the Boise area make a point of taking in in some or all of the presentations.  I will be providing a healthy dose of stillwater.  Other subjects include Euro Nymphing, Streamer Techniques and unique underwater footage of the trout's world.   There will be books and DVD's available as well including my recently released Stillwater Selections.

For more information please visit Jack's website, or read the recently posted article in the Idaho Statesman.

I hope to see you there!