Terrestrials and Gulpers in Big Sky Country

Just over a week ago I found myself in West Yellowstone Montana to film two episodes of The New Fly Fisher.  We based ourselves out of the luxurious Hibernation Station a unique complex of log homes nestled right in West Yellowstone.

A few of the Cabins at the Hibernation Station

For me it was a dream come true to have the asphalt of West Yellowstone beneath my feet.  Within an hour’s drive of this small town located on the western approaches to Yellowstone National park are countless rivers and a number of renowned stillwaters.  Rivers such as the Gallatin where a River Runs Through It was filmed, the Firehole, Madison, Slough Creek even the famed Henry’s Fork drew mention on the town’s fly shop report boards.

The West Yellowstone region offers spectacular scenery

We spent the first two days of our adventure filming with fly fishing icon Bob Jacklin.  Bob has been based out of Montana for over 40 years and few know the nearby rivers as well as he does.  Bob’s store, Jacklin's Fly Shop is one of seven fly shops located within this beautiful small town.  It was an honor to share the water with Bob, his casting prowess alone was something to behold.

It was an honor to share the water and swap stories with Bob

The weather was during our stay was, for the most part, spectacular, cool in the morning and close to 70F in the afternoon.  The focus of our filming during the first portion of our trip was on fall terrestrial fishing.  Grasshoppers were active and during our first day’s filming we saw countless numbers drifting downstream.  Many disappeared in large confident rises.  My first Montana trout proved a dream sequence of sorts.  Bob directed me to crawl on my knees upstream to a large bend.  Camouflaged in the grass I dropped my hopper into the main flow that cut diagonally across the run and pushed against the far bank.  My hopper drifted all of three feet when a large set of lips poked through enveloping my hopper and dragging it below.  Fifteen minutes later, after a spirited battle, the 20-inch brown lay in the net ready to pose for the camera.  We admired and released the fish my only regret was not getting a still shot.  We did how ever get the entire take on film so you and I will both have to wait until the show is aired to see it.  During the day we also took other fish including good numbers of lager Rocky Mountain whitefish.  Typically bottom feeders the whitefish rose freely to hoppers.  Due to their under slung mouths their rises were splashy and clumsy.  Not the refined sip synonymous of a brown or rainbow.  I did well hanging my small Stillwater Baetis nymph below my hopper taking a number of good sized whitefish.

Bob releases a hopper caught Rocky Mountain whitefish

The next day Bob took us to the Madison where it flowed between Hebgen and Quake Lakes.  This stretch was what I expected the Madison to look like, not the gentle meadow stream section Bob had us on the day before.  Fishing was not as good but we still did OK.  We managed to film a number of casting and instructional segments.  I also made a point of turning over a number of the larger rocks in the riffles.  The number and size of the large Pteronarcys nymphs I found was staggering along with Hydropsyche caddis.  Some of the Pteronarcys nymphs were as long as my index finger!  It was easy to see why trout in the Madison and many of the other blue ribbon waters in the area are conditioned to look up.  The region is a dry fly fisher’s paradise.

Pteronarcys nymphs from the Madison

The best fishing took place in the afternoon and into the evening so this gave my cameraman Jeremy and I lots of time in the morning to shoot scenic footage and visit some of the area attractions.  Ironically, because we didn’t have permits to film we did not visit Yellowstone National Park.  We did however visit the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center.   As listed on their website the center’s mission, “Is to provide visitors to the Yellowstone area an opportunity to observe, learn and appreciate grizzly bears and gray wolves.”  We were able to film large grizzly bears and wolves in their large open area pens.  One of the center’s programs I found interesting was their bear proof container certification process. If a container can last 60-90 minutes in the bear enclosure it is considered certified.  During our visit we were shown a number beaten and battered containers that didn’t all pass muster.  Our visit was one of my personal highlights and I recommend anyone visiting West Yellowstone make time for a visit on their trip planner.  Both grizzly bears and wolves are likely to be seen during your stay and having an awareness of these impressive animals is highly recommended.  We saw a number of wolf and bear tracks along the river and one evening returning home we rounded the corner to see the large brown butt of a grizzly bear crashing through the woods to safety.

Grizzly bears abound in the West Yellowstone region

The second half of our stay saw us on Hebgen Lake targeting the gulping rainbow and brown trout this lake is famous for.  We based ourselves out of the Firehole Ranch for our two days filming.  Firehole Ranch managers Mark Parlett and his wife Kim were unbelievable hosts and Josh Duchateau our guide was a fellow stillwater addict like myself and just fun to be with.  Hebgen is known for its Callibaetis, chironomid, caddis and damsel emergences as are other lakes.  What makes Hebgen so special is the consistent dry fly fishing.  No where else I have fished have I seen fish up on top like on Hebgen.  If the wind wasn’t up pods of fish cruised the shallows ‘gulping’ Callibaetis spinners, duns, damsel adults and terrestrials.  As trout take your fly they make an audible gulp that is quite distinctive.  I did well using a simple winged foam ant casting both to the rise and in front of fish moving in a predictable rise pattern.  Josh took a number of quality fish using a damsel adult.  We didn’t hit Hebgen at its peak as the hatch was winding down and the wind always seemed to follow us.  August is apparently unreal and I am already making plans to return in 2011.  Perhaps even to do a stillwater seminar on Hebgen so if you are interested please let me know or stay tuned to my website and Facebook page.  Other world famous lakes in the region well worth a visit include Quake Lake and Island Park Reservoir and Henry’s Lake in nearby Idaho.

Our guide Josh with a 'gulper' brown from Hebgen Lake

If you ever have the opportunity to visit the West Yellowstone area, do it.  The only challenge would be not spending your entire time on one water or one section of that water.  I am looking at taking two weeks to explore the regions lakes and rivers and making sure I take the time to visit Yellowstone National Park.  Of course it wouldn’t be right not to wet a line in one of the park’s rivers and streams as well!

Yellowstone National Park is literally across the street from West Yellowstone

If you want to see additional images from my stay please visit my Montana album set up on both my personal Facebook page and The New Fly Fisher’s page.

Prowling the Parklands-Fall Report

This past Labor Day weekend found me once again prowling the productive stillwaters of the Parkland's region of southwest Manitoba.  As with the spring, I led a group of nine enthusiastic fly fishers, most of which had only heard about the stillwater riches this region has to offer. Bob and Karen Vanderwater worked with me once again helping coordinate this event.  Their help and support is invaluable and provides an element of polish to the whole trip.  

Twin Lake Tigers, just one of the Parkand's stillwater attractions

We based ourselves out of the Barn in the Bush located at the southern end of Lake of the Prairies.  Barn in the Bush, as its name would suggest, is a refurbished barn converted into squeaky clean comfortable living quarters.  All of the lakes we visited on this trip, Tokaryk, Patterson and Twin were roughly an hour away.  Owners Steve and Betty Morris provided wonderful accommodations and put up with our early morning convoys to the various lakes.  If you are looking for great accommodation complete with queen size beds, kitchenettes, individual washrooms and showers in each room then Barn in the Box is the place to be.  It was the perfect base for our group.

Barn in the Bush provides great accommodation

Day one began bright and early with a large bacon and egg breakfast.  Lunches were made and we were soon on our way to Tokaryk Lake near the town of Oakburn.  Those of us within our group who had fished Tokaryk in the spring were full of anticipation. Tokaryk had been spectacular in June, both in average fish size and quantity.  This time fishing was a bit tougher as the region was just recovering from a bout of unsettled weather.  We did not get into the numbers we had originally hoped for but the size and quality of the fight was as we remembered.  A variety of patterns produced fish for most of the group including leeches, dragon nymphs and flashback bead head Pheasant Tail nymphs.  Although it was early fall I took all of my fish on chironomid pupa patterns.  By the fall stillwater trout have typically seen so many chironomid pupa over the course of the season that they respond to a properly presented pattern in an almost Pavlovian fashion.

Tokaryk rainbows still like chironomids

The next day we visited Patterson Lake, a mere stone’s throw from Tokaryk.  Patterson is a large trophy lake containing browns and rainbows.  Typically this lake challenges the fly fisher but every time the line locks up or the indicator plunges beneath the surface chances are it is going to be a big fish.  Today was no exception.  The day was sunny and pleasant but the wind was blowing from the east, a precursor to changing weather.  I expected tough fishing.  One of the students, Mike joined me for the first two hours and was into fish almost immediately on a balanced leech.  This fish managed to wrap the line around both the bow anchor rope and electric motor.  However, with some creative ‘gymnastics’ and teamwork we were able to free the line and land a nice fish.   Two other students Rob and Gerald joined me later in the day catching some of the largest fish of their lives.

Gerald's first Patterson brown

Bob and Karen began at their usual spot near the beaver lodge on the southeast end of the island but soon moved through the narrows and into the bay on the island’s north side to get out of the persistent easterly wind.  Taking advantage of the wind lane that formed downwind of the ‘narrows’ they did well hanging flashback bead head Pheasant Tails beneath an indicator.  Soon the rest of the group gathered there and I experienced one of my best days on Patterson.  A flashback Pheasant Tail on the point and a small #14 boatman dropper produced consistently.  The waters were alive with immature fat head minnow fry and the flashback Pheasant Tail did a great job suggesting them.  Throat samples revealed minnow remnants and tiny water boatman.  As the day wore on a few browns trickled into the mix and both Karen and I managed to wrestle a few Patterson residents.

Patterson browns are big and fat

Two members of our group, Doug and Rick, supported by a desire to explore and a well charged battery explored the far end of Patterson and had a fantastic day.  Doug took the largest fish of the trip, a magnificent 28 inch rainbow.

Now that's a rainbow!

It was a great day, all of us were glowing from the bright sun and the numbers of fish we had caught and released, a true testimony to the quality of the Parkland's area lakes.

Twin Lakes tigers like foam boatman and back swimmer patterns

Our final day found us hunting for tiger trout on Twin Lakes located a short drive north of Roblin.  Twin is a catch and release fishery full of large aggressive tiger trout.  The day however started slowly.  A large low pressure system had swept up from Montana and blanketed Saskatchewan and south western Manitoba.  The normally cooperative tiger trout weren’t willing to play right away.  By midday most had yet to dance with a tiger.  I was fortunate to land one on an Ultimate Boatman cast tight to the shoreline tules.  In the early afternoon fortunes began to change.  Doug figured things out by casting tight to the tules with a variety of boatman patterns, managing to land over a dozen tigers.

Steve and Betty admire a Twin Lakes tiger

During the previous nights session I provided the group with an overview of Twin and made a point of mentioning a tiger trout’s willingness to come to the surface.  Doug soon switched from his boatman patterns to a large Chernobyl Ant and continued to take large tigers on the surface.
 

Twin Lakes tiger returns to its haunt

Foam based boatman and back swimmer patterns were the patterns of choice as their buoyant nature was perfect for the shallows when used in conjunction with a clear AquaLux line.  On many occasions I would make a cast and a tiger would roll aggressively where my fly landed.  From time to time I thought the tiger had rolled on a natural boatman and as I stripped to cast and cover the rise I soon found out that the rise was actually to my fly. The take had not had time to transmit down the fly line.  Casting into gaps and channels in the tules was the winning ticket as tigers cruised in water barely deep enough to cover their backs.  This is a common sight during the fall period as trout stocking up for the long winter ahead prowl the shallows eating just about anything they come across.

Mike enjoying his Parkland experience

Our Twin Lakes adventure was the perfect cap to another superb trip.  Everyone in the group was beaming from their experiences over the weekend.  We are already working on a larger scale trip in June of 2011.  The June trip will offer the choice of a four day trip straddled over a weekend and a longer Tuesday to Sunday excursion.  Amongst the trip curriculum I will once again be providing a series of stillwater lectures, daily de-briefs and focused one on one time with each student to ensure maximum learning and the most rewarding experience possible.  If this sounds like something you would like to experience please let me know.  I will be putting a course handout together shortly.  By preliminary interest we have already received these trips will sell-out in short order. 

For more information and images from our trip please drop by my Facebook page and read Bob and Karen’s report on the Central Alberta Fly Tyers Blog.

The Wet Fly Swing

This past week I rounded out my Newfoundland/Labrador trip at Tuckamore Lodge located near Main Brook on the eastern shore of the northern peninsula.  I was there filming another episode of The New Fly Fisher featuring Atlantic salmon.

The drive from Deer Lake to Tuckamore Lodge is scenic

Tuckamore Lodge is a luxurious four star destination that is popular not only with fly fishers but hunters during the fall months.  The food and accommodation was outstanding.  While we were there each evening saw a different group at dinner as tourists traveling Newfoundland used Tuckamore as a rest stop during their travels.

Tuckamore Lodge provides luxurious four star accommodation and food

The area offers lots of tourism opportunities including whale watching, ice berg tours and cultural tours including L'Anse aux Meadows, North America's only authenticated Norse settlement.  A visit to Tuckamore’s website details a host of opportunities to experience.

The region, like most of Newfoundland is home to a dense moose population.  These huge animals are a common site along the road side and caution should be exercised when traveling in the early morning or evening.  High speed night travel is not recommended as these animals cause serious damage and injury should you collide with one.

Newfoundland and the region around Tuckamore in particular is home to countless moose

As for the fishing our schedule had us there at the tail end of the season.  Waters were beginning to drop and temperatures where beginning to rise, close to 70F in some stretches.  The salmon had been in the river for a while and where becoming more focused on their reproductive task at hand than chasing our flies.  When Atlantic’s are active the traditional methods involve either a dead drifted dry fly or riffle hitched wet fly.  Both of these presentation styles are predicated on taking advantage of a fresh salmon’s aggressive nature.  We did have some success with the dead drifted dry fly.  A White Wulff was particularly effective as was the reliable Bomber.  The trick with the dry fly was to repeatedly cover an area known to be holding salmon.  Short 6-8 foot drifts over a particular stretch worked better than trying for the world’s longest drag free drift.  My cameraman James was quick to adapt. It took me a while to accept this approach as I always aim for long drag free drifts when using dry flies.

But as our week progressed our dry fly success dwindled.  We resorted to a traditional method, the wet fly swing.  Our challenge was getting the fly down to the fish.  In Newfoundland and Labrador you are only allowed to use un-weighted flies and floating lines.  Strike indicators are also a no no. 

I switched to an Steelhead/Salmon Fluorocarbon leader to help get the fly down and a larger #6 sparsely dressed dark fly such as a Blue Charm.  This combination offered me the best chance to get my fly down in the water column to where the fish were holding.  We could see them from time to time flashing in the run and of course the odd rise or jump really helped!  Atlantic salmon also love to hold in front of large rocks.  A trait learned early in life as we observed parr holding in front of rocks beside us in the runs were fishing on the Salmon River.

Atlantic salmon parr learn early on about the value of holding in front of boulders

I placed a cross current reach cast and added additional mends, typically upstream, to help sink the fly.  As the line and fly drifted downstream the takes typically occurred in the lower quarter when the fly was at its deepest just before starting its cross current swing as it came under tension.  Takes were very subtle.  I recall one where I only saw the tip of the fly line move suspiciously upstream.  I struck more out of instinct.  The water erupted. A large salmon went airborne immediately.  They aren’t known as the ‘leaper’ for nothing.  Two cartwheel jumps were followed by an energetic sprint down stream.  Within seconds it was over.  I swear the fish turned its head back toward me and spat the fly out complete with a look of disgust.  Oh well, better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all!

A grilse that feel to a swung Blue Charm

I managed to persevere and land fish and we will have some great footage for an informative educational show The New Fly Fisher is known for.  In the future I will make a point of visiting Newfoundland Labrador in July when the runs are at their peak!

Labrador Atlantic's

This past week found me in Labrador chasing Atlantic salmon for the first time as I filmed an episode of The New Fly Fisher.  I have caught all five species of Pacific salmon and steelhead on the fly.  The chance to exchange blows with Atlantic salmon was too good to pass up.  Landing one would complete my list of anadromous salmonids on the fly.

The view downstream from the spectacular Forteau Falls

During my week long visit I stayed at the Labrador Salmon and Lucky Strike lodges courtesy of new owner Paul-Amie Joncas.  We began filming at the Labrador Salmon Lodge fishing the Forteau River.  Labrador Salmon Lodge is a very comfortable facility with a traditional cozy feel to it.  The food was fantastic and provided much need fuel for our treks up and down the banks of the Forteau River.  The scallop savichy was perhaps my favorite.  Served on the half shell they just melted in my mouth!

 

From left to right; Armand, James, myself, George, Dawn and Herman

James, my cameraman and I were joined by four other fly fishers, Armand (Paul Aime’s brother) his friend Herman, George and Dawn.  Together we hit it off immediately and our trip was filled with good hearted banter, laughter and new found friendship.  James and I managed to defend our ‘mainlanders’ honor over a five game crib tourney with Newfoundlanders George and Dawn.  I am fortunate to have made five new friends from my Labrador experience.

Our trip for both lodges was at the tail end of the season, peak season on most Atlantic salmon rivers in Labrador and Newfoundland.  Atlantic's were still in the river but they had lost some of their aggressive tendencies and were beginning to focus on their primary reason for being there, reproduction.  July apparently was one of the most memorable on record with numerous reports of high catch rates and some large fish. 

During my two and half days on the Forteau I managed to hook five fish.  All on dead drifted dry flies, a favorite method for many, myself included!  Of the fish I hooked, including a chrome bullet we estimated well over 10 pounds on the first morning.  Unfortunately I was not able to land any salmon.  Three where lost right at my boot laces.  The common practice is to use a glove to tail the fish to minimize any risk of injury from a traditional knotted landing net.  While I understand some of the reasoning behind this practice I know that if we had a good quality catch and release net we would have landed all three fish.  Successfully tailing a large spirited Atlantic requires delicate fish fighting to tire the fish enough to grab them.  I personally believe that using a proper catch and release net would result in less stress to the fish as the fighting time would be less.

The Blue Charm hair wing, a Labrador favorite

While on the Forteau my guide Cecil provide comprehensive lessons on how to properly swing wet flies using a riffle hitch.  The riffle hitch places two half hitches behind and under the hook eye at the rear of the fly’s head.  The hitches cause the fly to plane and wake at the surface when swung under tension.  It is heart stopping to watch the wake of a large Atlantic salmon pursue the fly as it swings across a run.  I had a few ‘chasers’ but none resulted in hook ups.

Half way through our week long trip we drove up the Labrador coast to the Lucky Strike Lodge based a short drive from the Pinware River.  As with Labrador Salmon Lodge the accommodations at Lucky Strike were very comfortable and a welcome sight at the end of a day’s fishing.

The Pinware River, big rugged water

The Pinware is a completely different river to the smaller gentler Forteau River.  Rugged and fast, the boulder strewn Pinware is home to some huge salmon.  Humping camera gear up and down its steep banks along its rocky shorelines burned more than a few calories.  A good thing as our fantastic cuisine followed us as well.    Gorging on fresh Atlantic lobster is a treat I seldom pass up. We went up and down one stretch affectionately called ‘Heart Attack Hill’.  A fact I didn’t learn until the trip was complete.

James works Chute Pool

The Pinware is home to the legendary Chute Pool, a huge expanse of water beneath a large waterfall that holds large numbers of Atlantic salmon.  As with the Forteau, dead drifting dry flies such as spun deer hair Bombers and Bugs and hitching hair wing wet flies was standard practice.  I was amazed that Atlantic salmon would rise up from the depths of Chute Pool to pluck dry flies floating amongst the foam the falls produced.  The rise of a large Atlantic is as delicate as a trout rise and is easily confused with the large numbers of aggressive parr that are maturing in the river.  I soon learned to strike at anything as I missed some large fish during my first hours on the Forteau earlier in the week passing them off as tiny salmon parr not worth setting on.  Another lesson involved knowing where Atlantic salmon prefer to hold, in front of large boulders protected by the hydro-dynamic cushion the flow creates as it splits around a rock.

On my first day on the Pinware I had a couple of rises that I missed and I hooked two fish riffle hitching a #8 Blue Charm.  As with the Forteau, I lost another fish in the shallows as it came unbuttoned while we attempted to tail the fish.  I was beginning to wonder if we would be able to land a fish for the camera.  We had some great takes on both rivers along with cart wheeling salmon but we needed something in our hands to provide closure.  We were down to our last day.

A Humpback sounds

In the summer months whale sightings along the Labrador coast are common

As we ate dinner James and I discussed the plans for the next day.  Paul-Aime told us that whales were close to shore and he had made plans for us to do a little whale watching.  Large humpbacks and bottlenose dolphins worked as a team herding capelin, a small smelt-like fish.  It was an impressive sight as humpbacks in excess of 40 feet passed with yards of our boat.  The dolphins zoomed past us in groups of 5-10.  We estimated that there were five humpbacks and well over 20 dolphins working around us.  Humpbacks are great to film as they dive elegantly, bodies arched and huge tail flukes almost waving good bye.  It was an awesome humbling experience.

Bombers and Bugs, a must for any Atlantic salmon fly box

The next morning we scrambled over the large boulders and rock edges up to Chute Pool to try our luck once again.  I chose my 10 foot seven weight Sage SLT as it was already strung up with a large #6 orange Bomber.  My guide Dennis positioned me so I could cover the large boulder that the water leaving Chute Pool rushed over.  I had made probably half a dozen casts when I had a rise to the fly.  I was too quick and missed the hook up.  Thankfully I didn’t stick the fish.  I knew if I placed the fly back in harms way the salmon would probably return.  A few casts later the fish rose.  Once again I was premature.  It is common for an interested fish to rise repeatedly, Atlantic salmon are that aggressive.  I continued casting and as the fly approached the leading edge of the boulder the fish rose again.  This time I delayed my response, I managed to drive the orange Bomber home.  The fish surged upstream, hidden beneath the surface.  As it started to run I realized that I had the drag on my Islander locked down.  I had to back off the drag fast or I was going to break the fish off before the fight started.  In my excitement gave the drag knob such a hard twist I now had hardly any drag at all.  My reel overran and I had to put my head down, hold the fish tight by pinching the line against the cork handle and get my reel ready for the fight.  During this time the fish jumped.  I did not see it as I was preoccupied with getting my line under control.  All I heard Dennis say, “That’s a big fish!”

Chute Pool is a vast expanse of water

With the reel now under control I gathered the loose line, and got the fish onto the reel as fast as I could.  The power of the fish was incredible and it became obvious that I would not be able to contain this fish within Chute Pool.  Within seconds the fish shot downstream through the chute at the end of pool and into a large run known as the ‘Black Hole’.  Line and backing pealed off in short order.  Rod held high to avoid the midstream boulders I jumped and hopped across boulders the size of cars and trucks I had cautiously navigated minutes before as I scrambled into position.  Now in position on a huge boulder at the head of Black Hole Dennis directed me to hold my ground and stop the fish from running, easier said than done.  The long rod proved its worth as I was able to keep the line high and avoid catching the line or sawing the leader on the ragged edge of a boulder.  The salmon and I began an exhaustive tug of war.  It ran into my backing three times, cart wheeled at least 3-4 times and ran across the run at least twice.  My forearms were on fire, I felt for sure I would never see this fish.  But as the battle wore on I began to gain the upper hand.  Dennis had jumped down into a calm stretch of the pool and after a few anxious moments tailed the fish.  I passed the rod onto the other members of my group who had gathered to watch the fight and jumped down to my waiting prize.

What a fish!

It was a magnificent fish, silver bright with a pearlescent blue iridescent stripe running along its sides that I will never forget.  As I held it in my hands we measured the fish, 34 inches and an estimated 15 pounds.  My heart was beating like a hamster.  My first Atlantic on the fly and it was a prize.  James my cameraman followed the battle throughout hopping about the rocks with the camera.  He recorded it all, in his words it was, “Epic!”  I can’t wait to see the footage.  It gave the show the explosive closure we needed.  What a fish!

Prowling the Parklands. The Sequel!

In the spring of this year I provided a Blog entry regarding the 12 fly fishers from central Alberta who accompanied me to the Parklands region of Manitoba.  For those of you who perhaps aren't aware the productive lakes located in the southwest corner of the province near the towns of Russell and Roblin are producing arguably the finest stillwater fly fishing in North America.

  

Patterson Lake, home to trophy rainbow and brown trout

From the remoteness of the experience, the average size of the fish and species diversity lakes such as Patterson, Tokaryk, Twin, and Pybus are tough to beat.  The lakes in this region are home to trophy rainbows, browns and the ultra aggressive tiger trout.

Tiger Trout

The response to my spring trip was overwhelming with many of the group who accompanied me wishing to return in the fall.  So once again I am  leading a group of fly fishers back to the Parklands this fall from September 2-6. We will enjoy three full days of fishing the regions lakes based out of  the Barn in the Bush situated between the towns of Russell and Roblin.  The trophy lakes we will be targeting on a daily basis are less than 40 minutes away!

An average Parkland Rainbow!

In addition to spending quality time on three different venues I will be providing a series of seminars each day along with a daily debrief.  I will also be available to provide assistance at the lake as well.  Here is an idea of what we will be covering.

• Understanding Stillwaters-The Fall Perspective
• Indicator Tactics for Stillwaters 
• Fall Food Sources including Boatman and Back Swimmers Scuds and Leeches Instruction regarding retrieves and gear set-up

Fall offers the chance to catch a true trophy

The cost for this fun and educational long weekend is only $575.00 CDN.  This fee includes accommodation, food and all seminars.  Your only additional cost would be alcohol and your transportation to and from the Parklands region of Manitoba.

Space is limited to 12 and only five spaces remain!

If you need any further information please don't hesitate to contact me either at flycraft@shaw.ca. It promises to be comprehensive, fun and informative weekend.  I hope to see some of you there.

Dry Lines and Long Leaders

This past week I visited some of my local stillwaters.  The weather was hot and muggy, trout are beginning to slow down and go deep.  Our lakes are hovering at a surface temperature of 70F.  Right on the boundary for safe survival for stillwater trout.  As water temperature increases its ability to hold oxygen decreases.  Trout become lethargic and if hooked often become stressed and unable to recover.  It is time to consider rivers or targeting species such that are tolerant of higher water temperatures.  Until the water temperatures drop I will be choosing one of the two considerations I mentioned.

On one of the stillwaters I visited I expected trout to be deep and would need coaxing to the fly.  I believed they would chase an active fly, depth and retrieve speed would be my keys to success.  I focused on the windward shore as the lee shore would have the warmer water pushed into it by the stiff breeze that was blowing that day.  A degree or two can make all the difference.

Pond Rainbow
(Courtesy of Nick Sliwkanich)

I opted for perhaps my favorite presentation method, a floating line and long leader to work up the gradual slope I was fishing.  I anchored in 15 feet of water and cast into 20 plus feet of water.  My sounder was invaluable in telling me not only the depth I was anchored but the depth my flies would be working through and the bottom slope.  In these situations I would be blind without the information my sounder provides.

Using my 4 weight 10 foot Helios and Rio Indicator line I began with roughly 2-feet of .020” butt material Nail Knotted directly to my fly line.  From there I added a 2X 12-foot tapered leader via a Blood knot.  I added approximately 3-feet of 2x tippet via Triple Surgeons knot.  Using an improved clinch knot I attached a #12 black barrel swivel.  .  To the bottom end of the barrel swivel I added another 4-5 feet of 2X Flouroflex Plus tippet.  Barrel swivels add an inline weight, help reduce leader twist and when using fluorocarbon tippets as I often do eliminate any knot concerns with nylon leader material as the two never meet.  My total leader length from fly line to bottom fly was approximately 21 feet.  I placed a balanced Sparkle Leech on the point and a #12 black and Red Ice Cream Cone on a 10-inch Looped Tippet or Sliding dropper just above the barrel swivel.

Floating lines, long leaders are a personal favorite!
(Photo Courtesy of Brian Wiebe)

The thicker butt section and butt section of the tapered leader helps in part turn long leaders over.  Your casting stroke needs a degree of modification.  Break your wrist slightly to open the casting loop.  Tight loops are a recipe for nasty tangles.  Allow the fly line to completely roll out on the back cast and maintain a smooth powerful casting stroke.  Only cast what you comfortably can, avoid the urge to cast across the planet!  If possible allow the line to shoot to the reel or pinch the line tight to slingshot the flies and leader over.  As the flies land look for three distinct separate splashes of the flies and swivel.  If the splash down is concentrated strip the line in and see if there is a tangle.  Deal with tangles early and they can often be addressed repeated casting leads to frustration and exponential leader and tippet consumption.

Once the flies had landed I counted my flies down using my watch, 30 seconds is a standard starting point.  I then began a painstakingly slow retrieve.  I want to ‘drag’ the fly line across the surface without causing a disturbance.  When you think you are slow enough cut the pace in half again and you should be in the game.  Make sure there is no slack in the fly line.  If you go too fast your flies no longer track horizontally but rather track toward the surface out of the depth zone the fish are holding.

Presentation depth and retrieve speed are critical to stillwater success
(Photo Courtesy of Brian Wiebe)

Watch the line for signs of a take.  Takes with this method are often seen before they are felt.  Most of my takes felt like a dragging sensation as though the leader was being pulled through a phone book.  A smooth rod raise drives the hook home.  Fish are typically hooked in the upper lip, top dead center.  All my takes in deeper water were to the balanced leech.  As the flies worked up the slope at the end of the cast the chironomid became the fly of choice.  I pumped one fish and it had about 15 chironomid and Chaoborus pupa along with one lone caddis adult.  A sure sign fish were feeding predominately at depth.

A throat sample confirms the presentation method

This method once mastered is deadly and extremely versatile.  I managed well over 10 fish in roughly four hours of fishing.  I use it for chironomid pupa and larva, caddis pupa, mayfly nymphs, damsel nymphs, and leeches.  Give it floating lines and long leaders a try it is a deadly versatile method.  And quite addictive too!

Bucket List Hexagenia

This past week found me in central Alberta filming an upcoming episode of the New Fly Fisher.  Each year I host or co-host a number of the 26 episodes we film annually. Tom Rosenbauer, Marketing Director for Orvis Rod and Tackle joined me as we hosted an episode entitled "Hunting Trout".  We were guided by Dave and Amelia Jensen from Fly Fish Alberta.  Dave and Amelia know this region like few others.  It was one of my most memorable shoots and fishing trips all wrapped up into one.  We based ourselves out of the Black Knight Inn in Red Deer, an ideal location for targeting central Alberta's blue ribbon trout streams.

 Tom Rosenbauer and Dave Jensen with an 'average' brown.

Since moving to Alberta one of my goals involved spending more time exploring its world class rivers and streams, especially those containing brown trout.  An item on my bucket list if you will.  In addition, I wanted to experience new hatch opportunities such as the legendary Hexagenia emergence.  I had experienced a Hexagenia (Hex) hatch once previously but not in the biblical proportions we had on this trip.  For those not familiar with Hex, they are one mutant mayfly.

Hexagenia Dun

We sampled nymphs that were easily two inches long.  These burrowing nymphs are accomplished swimmers.  They propel themselves through the water using rapid undulations in combination with their interlocking external gills located along the sides of their bodies.  A serious mouthful for any trout.

Hexagenia Nymph

The adults are slightly smaller, their bodies are just over an inch long.  Due to their large size we managed numerous takes of large brown trout lips poking through the surface to pluck the duns and spinners into their waiting jaws.  We managed to film some spectacular takes to both naturals and our dun patterns on camera.  Dave provided us with a unique foam based pattern we christened the 'Get R Dun'.  Casting a buoyant #6 dun imitation is my idea of dry fly fishing!  The 'eats' to both the naturals and our impostors were unbelievable.

Tom hooks up

Another natural bites the dust!

During the course of our stay, cloudy overcast days increased the hatch intensity and the browns were quick to slide out from the undercut banks to dine at their leisure.  When darkness fell things went from good to stupid on some nights.

When darkness falls the big boys come out to play.

Placing the landing net in the water at the surface for a few seconds gathered staggering numbers of duns.  The browns went nuts and we followed suit, leap frogging each other along the banks targeting the sounds of large slurps that filled out ears.

10 seconds of landing net sampling.

My only regret was that our time passed too fast and that the hatch is short in duration only lasting a couple of weeks.  Don't worry my calendar has already been circled for 2011!