Sitting Through the Storm

When I first moved to Fernie in 2002 to begin my part time career as an angling guide one of the first things that I noticed was how crisp and fresh the morning air tasted.  The first few pulls of air through  the nostrils in an awakened state charged me enough to bounce up  and leave the comfort of my king sized bed with  my warm bodied girlfriend wrapped inside.  Stepping out on  the front deck you could look up to see Fernie's signature backdrop; the Three Sisters peaks.  They poked into the deepest of blue skies and you just can't help but feel the appreciation from your lungs for choosing such a healthy place to live.  Fernie's earlier years were less than impressive in that regard as coal dust from the mines of Coal Creek would sometimes cover the town.  The mines are now north and the process although larger in scale seem to be more sensitve to their sorroundings....unless you are of course a coal vein set into a mountain top, that process is quite violent and to see the upper Elk watershed on google maps is a little frightening.

Still get that refreshing  feeling as the open window pours in some fresh air and I'm happy to still be spending my summers here, rowing good people down beautiful mountain streams.  Rowing down the river has been a bit sporadic lately in terms of the angling.  Some days are slow but close out strong with caddis and small stones.  The low pressure days start well but have fished slow later in the day  as bugs and fish hang back waiting for the lowest dip in the barometer to start moving.  A few days ago Dick and Karen Adler and I sat through a hale storm in a back eddy seam and waited for the precipitation hammer to stop.  Hail and huge raindrops pounded the water for about 5 minutes and if it wasn't for the large fish that Dick had just missed I'm not sure if their patience would have endured.  It had been a slow day and I could tell that Dick had lost all faith in my abilities as a guide after countless drifts floated through prime seams producing  very little action.

When the precip stopped green drakes and PMD's were pushing through the top end of the eddy  seam and the fish began picking them out of one of the heavier seams with a few showing in the softer ones.  I knew it was drakes and stuck on one of my usual suspects, a tilt wing dun that shows up well in the low light and is usually a favourite of the Elk River Cutts.  That brought in one big fish and after a few more casts it became clear to me that they had sniffed out that imposter so I switched out to another dun pattern which got no love at all.  Three more changes and then I began to notice that the duns were bouncing through that boiling seam untouched so I decided to go flat and tied on a spent dun.  I knew Dick would have almost no chance of seeing that fly and to be honest I didn't have much either as the glare was almost metallic but I knew the bodies of the fish in that seam were large enough to tell us when they accepted the offer.

6 fish and about 20 pounds later we had pinned and landed every rising fish in that seam.  Not one was under 17 and one was just under 19.  Some beautiful specimens....all of a sudden I didn't smell so bad to Dick and after a few high fives and some thank yous to the river Gods I hoisted anchor and headed downstream to the  same kind of back eddy with a foam cluster at the top.  I tucked the boat in and told Dick to work the foam seam at the top of the pool while I retied Karens fly.  I turned around and Dick was sitting in his chair laughing with his rod arched like a bow.  He raised the fish to the surface and Karen and I were stunned while Dick just kept laughing in his chair.  We got it to the net and the 20 inch beast filled the rubber mesh and caused it to sag.  There's not many that size on the Elk and it was the biggest I've seen in a few years.  I released my new pet and I turned to Dick who was still laughing to himself and said it's not going to get any better than that.  It was probably the best hour of angling I've witnessed on the Elk and it felt good rowing out knowing we endured a heavy blast of weather to be rewarded with some heavy fish.

Dick invited me back to his condo for a martini which was about 5 ounces of straight Tanqueray gin.  Apparently I was expecting something a little more subtle cause the first sip felt like a hot poker on my throat and I double over.  Dick asked me if I was okay and that perhaps he should pour me a Shirley Temple instead.  I manned up, had a few more sips of and then added a fizz of grapefruit soda to it to tone it down.  The purist Dick was clearly not impressed

The following day was high pressure and although the fishing was a little more consistent, it was a bit off perhaps due to the added silting of the river from the intense storm.  The water is still quite high here and the most consistent lies for big fish have been soft foam lines close to the bank and it's only hatches that are bringing numbers of fish up.  The fish seem to be nymphing a lot and I'm counting on this hot weather to bring some terrestrials into the system so the trout have a new, larger food source to focus on.  In the meantime it's caddis and small stones with hope of a mayfly producing low. 

Some Clarity

The other day I was floating on a stream in Alberta that I'm in the process of learning and really appreciating.  I had two 'sticks' with me and I spent the first part of the day in a state of bliss has fly line floated in the air above the boat creating  an almost majestic pattern.  I imagined that if the line was pointed with an ink ball and the sky a canvas a masterpiece would have been created....that feeling may have coincided with the onset of the Tylenol 3's that I ingested in order to subdue the pains of my massive sore and swollen throat.  Regardless of the catalyst in that emotion, it was a moment in which I felt clear about my choice in life to pursue a career in guiding...flash forward a few hours and the T3's have worn off; I can't speak a word because I've lost my voice and I'm wishing horribly that I can tell the anglers to back off the soft water and the bank and hit the heavier seams in the faster more oxygenated water.  And of course hitting a grass blade from 60 feet is not a problem for either of my guests in the boat so no matter how far I pull the boat away from it they're still nailing it.

 Two days later on the  Elk  I have my voice back and I can convey my message to present the fly where I feel it should be and the fish actually start to respond on a more frequent level.  I can feel the transition occur as water clears and big fish slide into their lanes to do what they came here to do....grow.  Despite the murky and high water the fish have been feeding on the Elk and most of what I'm hooking is fat and large.  Numbers have been solid but size has been the standout of the two measures.

Michael Poulin Lifting Weights on the Elk River

It's been a lot of waiting and wondering and it's nice to see the river clearing up and seeing the bottom of all this is refreshing.  Alberta treated us well during the murky times and I really enjoy the moments I spend angling on the eastslope.  The Elk is on...alive with caddis, stoneflies and a smattering of mayflies.  The river is dropping new buckets, riffles and runs are showing themselves and the fish are starting to look at the ceiling instead of needling around in the basement.

H2NO More Please....

The abundance of water we’ve been getting smashed with in the Kootenay Region of BC has been staggering at points.  June was torrential and posted record rainfalls for the area and July has been drier but is delivering some epic rainstorms with some thunder and lightning mixed in.  Just as the Elk starts to take gain visibility one of these hero type fronts rolls in and turns the river to poo….that’s right poo!!!  As in chocolate brown.  Little frustrating for sure but I’m blessed to know of some good floats and wades in the SW Alberta region and have been taking refuge in the cleaner and more active waters.

The Kootenay Invading Johnstone Beach

The Elk is crap right now.  I’m not a big advocate of hucking streamers for cutts on the Elk so I suffer through some  mediocre days on the Elk pumping leggy flies into the few soft seams on the river and watch in disbelief as drift after good drift just passes by.  I’ve even witnessed some epic hatches of stoneflies that were more or less ignored by the trout.  So perhaps the streamer is the answer but I’d rather fish Alberta and wait for the dry to come back and that has pretty much been my MO and I’ve really enjoyed the time over there despite the long days.

Have fished with some of my favourites lately, both new and old clients.  It’s been a pleasure to have the people who I’ve had in my boat over the last few weeks and it’s hard to use the term clients when there is such comfort and ease in their company; feels more akin to friendship.  Ya….I’m super freakin’ lucky and blessed to have found my way into this game.

Chris Jacobs Styling on the Oldman

After fishing the Oldman Tailwater with Brad and Chris Jacobs; an awesome couple from Helena MT who are just the perfect people  to spend time in a boat with.  They both are keen and possess the skills to handle the tricky tailwater and we manage to move and land some nice fish over the two days of floating.  The rainbows were seeing their first few days of clean and lower water and were definitely a bit skinny; the tailwater raged for awhile and clearly the fish were laying low through it all.  We fished dries pretty much the whole way which is my favourite way to feed the Oldman rainbows.  They responded well to an assortment of PMD’s and Caddis and aside from one bitchy little pod that snubbed my entire PMD selection (which is by no means small).  We had hooked two off the start but as they continued to rise it became clear that they smelt the bullshit of my imitations and there was nothing that was going to get a hook in their jaw.  Always hard to row away from rising fish but we did and moved into a new school of trout that were eating what I usual put on the menu for them.  

After watching more rain and runoff paint the Elk we headed further east and fished a certain river filled with Browns with Phil Dupuis, Ron Myers and Jim Woolacott.  Jim invented the Bow River Bugger and is one of the most enthusiastic anglers I’ve had in my boat.  Dude reads water well and is not afraid to tickle the edges.  Jim got busy peeling small browns off the boat throughout the day and continued to touch some nice fish in the evening.  After the clouds sunblocked the river we came up on a gorgeous  bank where  he smacked a meaty brown that went tail walked upstream and chucked the fly away.  Impressive. 

Ron was fishing out of the front of the boat and it was probably about the 25^th or so day that we have fished together and I always appreciate having him in the boat cause I know I’m going to get good presentations.  No one works an inside seam drag free like Ron and watching him short stack mends to make that PMX dance down the softer edge of the current seam was magic.  He hooked lots went on about the countless rivers his played with throughout Montana and hearing him run through that list of blue ribbon waters made me want to take the month off and trout bum it through the Big Sky State.

Guiding Phil Dupuis is like spending a day on the water with your old drinking buddy.  Not that he drinks on the water but he has no problem telling you what’s on his mind and has no problem having it thrown back.   We’ve watched him evolve has an angler over the last several years and we’re not quite sure what he got up to this winter but his game with the stick was definitely tighter.  He crushed a couple of nice browns on the Alberta float with Spencer on dries after  putting  up with some shitty wet weather the day before on an Elk Trib that produced a couple of nice cutts.  I haven’t been that rainsoaked in a while, but both days we went out and walked and waded we got drenched.  No major hatches to accompany the lows that were cruising in which added some insult to the soggy situation.  Fine food and drink in the evenings helped us get over the abuse from mother nature.

Phil Dupuis Beating the Weather in Slabtown

More rain today, severe rainfall warning according to the weather station and it did hammer down in Fernie for a bit, but it stopped shorter than expected and I’m hoping the Elk cleans and allows us to have a peak at her bottom.  Fish must be sick of breathing silt but it’s gonna happen any day now if the forecast gives us what it’s promising.  Still feels like the season is just kicking off and it’s almost August.   When this thing does clear and those poor lil trout start looking up; they  are  going to get reckless on food.  I’m expecting a good terrestrial season this year as many of the hatches on the Elk have been going off during this cloudy water stage.  The tribs are still chocked full of PMD’s and Drakes but the Elk has been checking in at warm temps due to the rainfall created runoff which has kept the bugs moving throughout this browning  of the river.

I’m out again on Sunday to float the beast and I’m gonna make some burnt offerings on the banks of the Elk tomorrow and ask the water Gods for clarity.  Our fly shop in the Stanford will be opening Sunday....back in the retail game :)!

Season Begins =0

Update time....I spent the last week doing a bit of everything; some extended treeplanting, some partying on our beloved Canada Day and a wee bit of angling.  Most people might think that life as a fishing guide is all about angling and for the most part it could be; but most of my time has been spent putting together fly shop orders and doing the required maintenance on vehicles, boats and myself.  After some crushing, fun nights out; detox and yoga are being honoured as I ground myself and get ready for another season on the sticks.

Spencer was visiting from Fernie to cash in on some festivities as Nelson's brand of fun is about two full ladder lengths above Fernie's and we played well and ate well.  After bidding farewell to my planting amigos we pulled our alcohol soaked heads out of our asses and got the Hyde headed towards the Columbia.

It was a humid day but overcast and grannom and spotted caddis were bouncing on the water.  At first lightly but after the confluence of the Kootenay the bug count picked up quite a bit.  Some guerilla angling was allowed as the super high flows invaded the banks and swamped some of the riverbank forest and we had some fun maneuvering the boat through that.

Tonguing the Trout

 After a slow start we tucked into a back eddy where I had seem some fish working and got busy right away with some double ups on small elk hair cdc caddis.   The fishing continued to go well in the back eddy but after it cooled off we moved down into some other "productive" water.  No such luck on my next two fav eddies but we did manage to sneak a few last minute fish in at the Waterloo eddy which by the way is churning huge whirlpools on it's outside seam convergence.  To put it bluntly, it's damn right frightening watching those suckholes form as they collect speed and widen.  The vortex drops a three or four feet below the surface and you get that feeling that if it pulled it down, you would likely not be making it back up.

The caddis had been collecting in the treetops that evening and I really thought we were going to get the caddis rains going but a small cold front moved in and dropped the temperature and they seemed to retreat to the cover of the trees....I head back tommorrow for some more Columbia love.  Will post the results Friday morning.

As far as ALL other streams I usually guide on, I would say we are a week or so away from any kind of decent angling on that end.  Spencer is keeping his eye on the Elk and the Alberta streams while I stay over here dialing into the Columbia and waiting hopelessly for the Slocan to drop.  Likely won't be where it needs to be by the July 15th summer closure....hot weather on the way and the dry spell could be what saves us....Stay Tuned!!!

Opening Day on the Elk River

I woke in Fernie this morning around 5:30, Spencer was on his way out the door to continue the fish studies in the Elk Watershed and the smell of coffee and cigarette  alerted my senses enough to surrender to the possibility of a sleeping in.  I began my day by sorting through the 1500 dozen flies I just received from my "Thaiing" team.  Some nice stuff for sure but there was nothing in there that would have helped a fly angler on the Elk today.  The river was as high as I've ever seen it and the visibility was about a thumbnail.

No casts just some time spent at the bank appreciating the velocity of the river and the endurance of the fish that sit blind in that water, gills getting pounded by sediment.  Be like living in a sand storm I guess; did see a few lime sallies and what looked to be a paralep (mahogony dun).  Never felt so safe about a bugs chances as I watched the paralep swirl around in a soft, back eddy foam line.

Well they do have the clearing of the water to look forward to and along with that they can look anticipate the hammering of golden stoneflies and getting the high protein reward from eating these huge bugs.  We in turn can look forward to sticking large foamy patterns into there jaws and welcoming them to another season of guiding in the Elk River valley.  Streamers will also rob some meat off the banks in early season.....

Blue Ball Streamer

This time of year is a waiting game and I prefer to sit it out.  Planting is paying well and keeping me healthy and I'm in no rush to head onto a river that just isn't ready.  That being said SW Alberta does have some decent conditions and some days can be quite good while others....not so much.

The cool and damp weather has the Columbia behind and I have a feeling that the caddis will be going strong into August again this year.  That's later than normal but follows what happened last year when runoff and cool weather hindered the success of the evening caddis hatch (which is actually a mating congregation).

My first trip will be on the Waterton in Alberta for some browns.  An overnight pleasure cruise with Jimmy Carter (formerly NOT the president of the USA) and a few of us eager guides.  Our fly shop will be opening on July 1st and I am expecting some reasonable to good fishing at that point.  Booking earlier could be a roll of the dice unless you are willing to travel east to Alberta.

'til next time.

The Rivers Are.....Rising!!!

I've been planting trees in the East Kootenays for a long time now so it doesn't surprise me to wake up in June drive up a couple thousand feet in elevation and get snowed on.  Getting snowed on in town at the valley bottoms is a bit rare but certainly not unquestionable.  So far June has brought us some cool and very damp weather which in turn has our rivers  pumping brown and high so if you're thinking of coming up for seasoner opener in the Kootenay Region on the 15th...your on your own.  We wont' be looking at running trips until later this month on the Elk River and that will depend on a solid week of appropriate weather.  This of course are prognostications based on experience and a general feel for what's ahead and it's really too hard to predict what will actually occur.  So far the forecast looks good but is showing some more rain but in moderate amounts and mixed in with some sunshine.  Alberta will likely be in much better shape at that point and may even be in it's prime.  I've always found the Eastslope of the Rockies to fish well in late June and early July.

So if one was to come up at that time (Jimmy Carter) head east and enjoy exploring the areas we like to go to on our days off.  We have a few trips in that area at that point but have lots of openings.  The rainbow and brown trout fishing can be spectacular in SW Alberta and is a nice switch from the cutthroat fishing of the Elk Valley and there really is some spectacular scenery there as well.  Has a much different feel than the Fernie area.

In other news we WILL be opening a small fly shop in the Stanford Inn in Fernie this year.  We will carry all our favourite brand names as well as a fly bin that will be mostly filled with Squidbeak Flies as well as Montana Fly Company's.  We will be carrying the stuff that works, a collective of patterns that none of our guides would feel embarrassed about tying on.  There might be the odd 'range ball' in the pile to satisfy those who love gawdy, stuff hanging everywhere kind of patterns but most of the bin is what we use in our area and it's worth checking out the selection if your planning on doing some angling on your own.

Updates will be frequent from here on in.  'Til next time....

Neurotic Coastal Weather

Spring technically and numerically  arrived a week ago, but it hasn't really done so with a whole lot of conviction.  I'm on the east coast of Vancouver Island trying to work outdoors and low snow lines and overnight frosts are continuously thwarting those efforts.  This pattern seems to have repeated itself the last few years suggesting to me that our winters are actually getting longer--cooling trend in the west perhaps.  I could pull up stats and graphs due back that but we may as well take my word for it since I've spent the last 3 springs getting shut down for work by inclimate weather. 

One of the hallmarks for the onset  of spring on the coast is the emergence of skunk cabbage in the various swamps and rich soils along streams of the Pacific Northwest.  The flower is actually a member of the arum family and is one of the largest leafed native plants to the region.  Bears forage on the roots after waking up from hibernation in order to flush the colon---one of natures great laxative.  I have yet to see a bear, they seem to want to take a bit more rest but any day now spring will beat down this ghostly winter and start pushing us toward warmer weather and some angling!!!

Holly Getting Skunky

More shit weather is in the forecast but it will afford me some time to catch up on some fishing related things.  Before I get going I just wanted to plug a link to one of the more contemporary fishing journals out there;  This Is Fly.  It's an online publication that is breaking new ground in fly angling.  It's not just about trout, steelhead and bonefish.  The magazine is bold enough to take on articles from aspiring outdoor journalsits willing to take on fly fishing 'exotics' such as carp and muskie.  It's a lifestlyle approach to the angling world and I find that refreshing.  It is not pretentious or loaded with technical advice although there is a lot of helpful information in there.  The other magazine I'm really digging on is the Fly Fish Journal.  Cool magazine with journalism in mind in both a literary and photographic sense.  Big props to both these publications, they are expanding the boundaries of traditional fly angling and inviting more thought provoking images to this wonderful world...so hats off to y'all.

I've been trying to think of what to write about...chironimids would be a likely choice as the lakes begin to shed their ice here in BC.  I would like to talk about floating the Cowichan River but the takeout is snowed in and the river gushing....not one to fish from the bank---(I'm spoiled to have the skills and boat to row down such a gem of a coastal stream).  So hopefully I can save that one for the near future.

I decided the tail waters vs. freestones would be a good topic because I've been thinking about the tail waters a lot lately and how keen I am to get to back on some of my favourites

Brilliant Dam Sending it Down to the Kootenay River

Tail waters are amazing man made creations.  Yes they've completely changed the bio dynamics of the river they hold back, mostly by eliminating the salmon runs.  This had had huge negative impacts on our First Nations people who revered and lived off the abundance of this generous animal.  When it comes right down to it a dam is no way positive to the natural habitat of  a river.  There have been some initiatives in the state of Washington and Oregon to bring back the salmon runs by creating new fish ladders and releasing dams.  It would be bizarre to think of 40 pound springs migrating up the Elk River; but that's how it used to be.  WOW!  Can't imagine what some of those fall time cutts and bulls weighed in at in those times after gorging on the flesh and eggs.  

Once water is held back a few things happen to the water below.  It becomes more even in temperature as most of the tailwaters of any angling notoriety pull from the bottom of the above reservoir.  The dam also does another key thing that enriches the fishery below--it slows the movement of nutrients which in turn enhances bug life.  Anyone who has fished a pmd or caddis hatch on a tailwater knows the impact of this.  Freestones can puke out some great hatches but certainly not to the level of abundance of the tail waters.  Humans have a way of manipulating nature and nature will always provide it's solution or reaction.  In the case of tailwaters the lack of protein from the absence of salmon in rivers such as the Columbia has been slightly supplemented by the swarms of caddis flies.  The amount of bugs in the air during this June/July hatch on the Upper Columbia is staggering and is certainly one of the key elements to the growth of it's rainbow trout population.

On the Oldman River tail water in Alberta there were never salmon present and the trout fishery that exists below the reservoir has been enhanced by the creation of the dam.  More bug life, more regulated run off and low consistent water temperatures have created a pretty incredible little stretch of water that is highly touted by all of the guides at Freestone.   We spend a lot of days off on that river.


 

Oldman River Spent Dun Victim

Fish tend to relate to different structure in tail waters as they do in freestones.  A freestone river will have fish holding tight to cover, often along the bank.  The river falls after the freshet and spots can become exposed.  The same can be said for tail waters as early summer sees an abundance of water in the rivers that need to be released.  My experience angling on both has told me that the fluctuation of water by dam release provides inconsistent habitat for trout to hold to.  Tail water fish seem to relate to current seams more readily and use follow these feeding lanes as the river rises and falls.  When large amounts of water is released through the dam and seams blow out the fish seem to shut off and wait for the water to stabilize and lower before getting back at it.

Freestone stream trout act differently, have a more even dropping pattern and will hold on a good spot which brings food and provides cover as long as the water level allows it.  Tight bank cover is often the home of freestone trout although mid river seams also provide us with some excellent angling, they are many other consistent obstructions and food lanes that spread the fish out.

 The Elk River, A Classic Freestone

Freestones are more bio diverse.  Insect species are more varied and although the hatches may not be as thick, they are more versatile in that if one weather condition is not ideal for one insect type another is there to take it's place.  Tail waters are often mono-specied, with caddis and small mayflies predominating the diet.  There are certainly some sporadic hatches of other flies in the tail waters  but caddis seem to thrive in these environments.  

Having the option to fish both is a true blessing and the tail waters definitely provide the angler with a year round option whereas the freestones are often limited by weather patterns.  I love them both and there is so much to learn about these habitats but it is definitely the tail waters that provide me with the most challenge.  Much like this spring, the tailwater is a neurotic piece of water and it's hard to know what your gonna get. Following release charts certainly helps us predict fish locations and behaviour, but when a gush of water gets pumped out and blows the river to hell there's not much you can do but retreat and wait for it to settle....or head back to the trusty freestone.