Welcome to the dog days of summer, your gardens are in full swing and your BBQ's have hardly had a chance to cool down. Your friends come over for cool beers on the deck, and together you enjoy our fiery mountain sunsets. The enjoyment of such moments with friends and family is something to be cherished as these moments can sometimes slip past without recognition.
This past week I was able to share some special moment with some folks, and for some reason these moments struck a cord with me. I watched father and sons enjoy their time together, laughing, fishing and laughing. I could see that they had a true appreciation of what was happening. I could also see that these special moments don't happen all the time, and I am grateful that I was apart of their experience. So for the rest of the summer I am going to endeavor to cherish the time I spend doing what I love and I hope you do too.... Love this touchy feely stuff...Barf....
Sterling lands his father Mark's Cutt
FISHING REPORT
So what of fishing you ask?
Well I am happy to report that the Elk and her tribs are well on there way to having an excellent summer. Decent hatches and eager trout are making most anglers in the valley grin ear to ear. As you know most of July has been exceedingly hot with very little moisture, the water table has dropped and so have water levels and as a result foam lines and feeding lanes have revealed themselves. The recent storm system that moved through gave the area a much needed freshening up. The fish and bugs have appreciated it and with marginal periods of moisture in forecast this week things should be really fun around here. Hatches are rolling along nicely, Drakes and Stones are still persisting and the Caddis and PMD's and various other bugs are present. I am also happy report that our lovely trout are keying in on terrestrials...
I don't have much to report on from the AB side but I expect that things are much the same as they are here. I am headed over tomorrow for two days and I will report back with what I find.
What a Saturday it is! The sun is out, my raspberry bush is putting out and I am about to go fishing with a long lost friend! Actually, my friend and I are going on an adventure! In my life there is nothing that makes me happier than adventures and I wonder if people think of adventure as I do.
It seems to me that in our here and now world of insta everything, adventure may be falling by the way side. During a day of fishing with a friend who is new Fly Fishing, we began to speak of sacred waters with huge fish for miles that ate only dry's and at the end of that conversation he asked how to find said waters. Instead of placating him I politely told him to get in his truck and go for an adventure. As I see it, using a guide book, snooping for info or over Googling will only water down your experience. Put yourself out there. Good shit happens if you do.
FISHING REPORT!
Without giving too much away, fishing in any direction of Fernie is awesome. Strong hatches, hungry fish and good vibes on the river are predominant...
.... Get while the getting is good...
Peace and Love fuckers...
Spence
This is for my boys down in no mans land! D.Mac and S.J.!
Its been a while since my last post and I feel just a little bad about it... Just a little... I've been busy, really busy doing the thing that makes me most happy. I've been spending a lot less time worrying about life's little trivialities and more time doing the sh*t that makes me smile.
In doing the thing that makes me happiest it occurred to me that summer is the time of year when most the people that I know really let their hair down and their souls shine through... It also occurred to me that people spend a lot of time talking about the things they want to do this summer, and in talking about it they forget to do it. Summer in our area is fleeting and before we know it the sweaty days and sultry evening will be gone and all of the talk of doing sh*t will be for nothing. So as Kanye say's his life is dope and he does dope sh*t, lets all make our lives Dope and lets do Dope Sh*t!!!
Fish'n and Shit
Overview:
The recent heat wave has been a blessing and a curse for fishing in the valley. On one hand it has helped get rid of the spring water table, banks are drying out and small feeder streams are drying up. At the moment the heat is stifling some hatches and making some fish rather spooky, the current heat is also eating into our higher snow pack and thus we still have a lot of color in the Elk especially in the afternoon. At this point I think a day or two of rain would be nice, the valley could use a little freshening up. All in all though the area is fishing fair or excellent if you compare to last year.
ELK RIVER:
The Elk is dropping like a rock and clearing rapidly. The Cutts are not looking up with any great frequency but they are definitely eating nymphs and streamers. The first push of Goldens and Drakes have already happened on the lower runs but are persisting on the upper river. Any day now the trout should start looking up with more frequency and we can put the bobbers away.
Tribs:
They are going off right now... You had better get while the getting is good.
SW AB:
Juicy is the only word I have for it...
Local Thug Jon "Bravo" shows us what a well conditioned Elk Cutt looks like...
Hope you all have a great weekend! Get out and Enjoy!
Love,
Spence
If your sensitive or squeamish don't press play... But if your like my 204 homie J.L. , yer gonna like it.
First things first. I have to give a huge shout out to my MTFTM crew, we're a little spread out this weekend but I know that the spirit of last falls adventure lives strong...
This song is for you....
Happy Friday!!
How the heck is everyone!?
I hope you are as stoked about things as I am. For some reason I feel as if I could burst at the seams and shellack the world with my loving insides! I have been pouring over my old fishing journals lately and a couple of things occurred to me, firstly I am hopelessly in love with natural world and secondly it has become incredibly important for me to reflect on past experiences. Its seems that reflection of past experiences allows me to appreciate the "moment"a little more and this makes me happy. Don't worry I'm not going to touchy feely you to death, so lets get on with the business then...
I was organizing my lake fly-box last night and I started reminiscing about a day of fishing I had with some buddies. The day sticks in my head not because of fantastic fishing but rather stands out because I learned something new and now I'm going to reflect on it.
My friends and I were working in a back bay of the lake we were on. We were catching trout but not with any regularity, it was especially frustrating as you could see large fish everywhere actively feeding.
Then quietly, another boat moved into the bay. The occupants of the other boat were fossils and they reeked of a lifetime of experience. They parked on the shoal of the bay and began working wet lines from the deep into the shallows. They used continuous short strips and immediately started hooking up! The two old codgers proceeded absolutely light us up! They had at least ten fish to our one!
WTF!!!
Having slaked their thirst for huge trout the old boys exited the bay,
and as I watched them slip away I asked my buddy if he knew what fly
they were using. He replied, "Half Backs dude". I looked down my nose at him and said, "What the f*ck is a Half Back?"
I had never heard or of a Half Back and was honestly a little embarrassed, but that doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that the Half Back pattern and its variations has been around longer than I have been alive. It can be fished in lakes and river in various different sizes and colors and when tied on to your line at the right time it is deadly. It just so happens that right about now is the time that I will start using Half Backs as a searching pattern in lakes.
I like to hit my HB's with a generous dab of UV epoxy to help prevent them from coming to pieces after catching a few fish.
LONG WEEKEND FISHING REPORT!!!!
Almost all of our local lakes will be fishing well this weekend, reports of strong hatches and willing fish are coming in from all over the area. That said some lakes may still be turning, as of Tuesday Lazy Lake was a mess as it had just flipped. I would expect though that the majority of lakes in the area will be fishing well.
The deeper hatches seem to have tapered off and the fish have moved into the 20ft and up range in search of prey. Exploring lakes with your eyes peeled will pay dividends this weekend as you will be able to see fish hunting. Look for Swallows buzzing the surface of the lake as this is a tell tale sign of bug activity. Taking advantage of the "morning"and "evening" bite, these times will be productive as fish move up onto the marl to feed.
Expect to see a wide variety of different bugs out there so make sure that your box is stocked!!
Don't let any inclement weather scare you away from the lakes.... Good things happen in the rain...
Have Fun This Weekend and Be Safe Out There!!!
Peace and Love,
Spence
Thursday, 8 May 2014
Welcome to May!!
April showers bring May snow storms right!?
Spring can be difficult for those of us that like to get outside and enjoy the bounty that Mother Nature provides us with. Unfortunately Spring weather can be a lot like an emotionally vapid relationship, hot heavy one day and bitterly cold the next. Angling this time of year can is similar to our lovely Spring weather, awesome one day and shitty the next and success seems to be more about timing and luck than skill.
So with most river in the area either closed or chugging mud what opportunities are available to us weirdos who do nothing but think about fishing? Well, we can dance, we can tie flies, we can drink too much, we can go on road trips, or we can go lake fishing or you can do all of the above.
Road trips this time of year are highly recommended, in fact they are almost a necessity if you live in Fernie. There are so many pieces of water relatively close to us that are fishing right now, the Bow is probably coming close to fishing and many waters in Montana, Idaho and Oregon are in good shape. Last week I had the opportunity to fish the Henry's Fork of the Snake River, there were bugs hatching and trout eating them!! Road trips are fine and dandy but they require time and money and sometimes they aren't an option, so maybe you should try dancing...Click Me To Dance
Ok I'm done dancing for the moment so lets talk lakes. When it comes to lakes many anglers have a Poo Poo attitude towards them... I've never really understood why but many anglers would rather stay home and be depressed than go play on a still water...
Lake fishing is a little more cerebral than the very visceral experience of a river. One must "tune" themselves into the hidden structure, bugs and fish to have a measure of success on a lake and the fact that these factors are hidden from plain view seems to dissuade people.
The fact of the matter is, once you have some basic tools lake fishing becomes incredibly engaging and rewarding and I encourage everyone to give it a go. So how do you learn how to lake fish? Well go with someone who knows, go to your local fly shop and pester the guy behind the counter, ask the Google god, watch YouTube and buy, borrow or steal the book Morris & Chan on Fly Fishing Trout Lakes. Seriously get this book!!
How about a local lake report!!
The initial ice-off gorge fests are done and for the most part turn over is too (read the book and you will know what turn over is). Chroni's are still the major food source on many of these lakes right now, but there are reports of other food sources coming on line and the fish are starting to come off the bottom to feed higher in the water column:)
Unfortunately Summit Lake had a major winter kill this year with reports of 600-700 massive dead fish lining the banks. Gross...
Get ready to get out there, thing are about to "pop" in a big way and I know you like catching big Rainbows.
No matter what the weather is doing great things can happen especially when your with your friends. This past month I have been blessed to spend time on and off the water with the people that matter the most to me, and for that I am eternally grateful!
Huuuurumph. Grumble garble gaaah! Those are some of the adjectives I have heard to describe the weather in the past few weeks...
B*thching aside, I have been blessed with the opportunity to hit the water here in the past few weeks and things have been decent.
The Elk preformed well as expected, small Winter Stones, Midges and larger Stone Fly nymphs all produced healthy fish both on top and underneath. I spent some time turning over stones in the river and geeking out on bugs and I am happy to report that I was seeing good numbers of insects for our Cutts to grub on. Lets pray to Mother Nature for a easy spring fresh so that we can get to fishing as soon as the Elk opens up again in June.
With the Elk closed many of us here in the Valley turn our attention east to Alberta in the hopes that we may score a pre-spawn Rainbow or a gnarly Brown.
I spent two half days on the Crow earlier this week and it was fishing. The water was carrying a bit of color from the day's surface run-off and I expect there will be more color as daytime temps rise and melt the buckets of snow all over the place. I haven't found many trout outside of their over-wintering habitat but as water temps start to rise things will certainly change. I will be heading out to check out some Tail Waters in the next couple of days and I will let you know what I find.
So with the Elk closed and Alberta sure to become a little busy in the next month or so what other angling options are there?
Well a little birdie told me that there are some Lakes in the South Country that are sans ice !!! Dust off yer lake box and get out there!!! Fishing should be hot and heavy!!! Oh!! While the lakes and Alberta are full of Khaki Ninjas you may want to consider heading over Koocanusa way and try to knock off a double digit Bull or Rainbow....
In case you don't want to go fishing you may want to take in the Fort Knox Five show tonight, its sure to be a gooder!!!
If you don't feel like dancing in public then dance in your kitchen...
I know that some of the few that read this blog are looking for some NZ content, well its coming so check back soon...
I'm currently having a car party with full wifi access, only good things can come of this...
I have now been in NZ for just over a week and I have managed to have almost too much fun and met too many funny F'n people. I have to give a big thank you to my almost friend Rohan the whore mongering Sri Lankan. I met him my second morning in Auckland and he is the reason that I found the car I am sitting in right now. So Rohan if you read this, I love you and I hope that you find or buy the woman of your dreams...
Without my car I would not have been able to fish the Wiapa River where I sight fished my first NZ brown, nor would I have been able to catch the Quasimodo Rainbow on the Ongarue. Without my ride I wouldn't have been able to share a morning coffee with Mike and Maxine on the bank of the Whakapapa....
Enough about my ride, lets talk about the color green and blackberry brambles and feral goats and fucking sand flies, rocks that are doing it wrong and about the gods and my thumb.
Everything on the North Island of New Zealand is so GREEN!!! I mean everything! Imagine any shade or hue of green and well its here, and yes its very pretty:)
Whanganui River
Black Berry Brambles....
Holy shit they suck! Take a thorn on a rose bush and make it way more evil and sharp, and then attach it to a vine that it a million feet long and will forever be exactly where you want to go... they hurt... they really hurt...
Feral Goats are super cool...
Their horns raise up slightly and then sweep backwards making them look pretty bad ass... I was walking down the Whanganui river after a nice day fiddling around with some trout when I came across a kid, of the goat variety. At first the little fella was frightened of me but apparently I speak goat and we soon became pals. We bleated back and forth a bit, he asked how the fishing was and I asked where his parents were and so on...
Sand flies... At first they pretend like there not that interested in you....
So last night I got up some time during the night to relieve my self, I unzipped my tent and a fucking blizzard of the bastards flew in. I tried my best to get them out but there is only so much one can do in the wee hours before the sun comes up...
I woke up this morning, made some coffee, and then began to feel rather uncomfortable... I think that I may have over one million sand fly bites, I'm not even joking... They had a nice little feast while I slumbered...Pricks...
Rocks are meant to sink...
Well that's I was sure of until two days ago... There I was plodding up the river when I came to a spot which required me to step down off a boulder onto what appeared to be a pebbly rocky shore... NBD right!? Well shit on a stick! I took the step down and next thing I know there is water pouring into my waders... The guide book didn't mention anything about floating fucking rocks that look like a pebbly rocky shore!!! Pumice... google it... I didn't have to...
They're doing it wrong...
Swollen thumbs are worth it...
There are things that we will remember forever, our first kiss or better yet our first lay, when we got or get married, where you were when the drunk dude in the campsite beside yours just tried to piss on your tent! That just happened!!! Baaahahaha!
Anyways, there are things that we will remember forever and for me it will be the second day I fished the Whakapapa river... I can't even put it into words... I am forever changed as an angler, I think this is how a herion addict feels knowing that they just had there friend "smack their bitch up" for the last time...
There are boulders the size of dinosaur eggs for kilometers, deep runs, old growth trees (I'll get back to you on the species), ferns, black berry brambles, blue ducks, the color green, water that looks a meter deep but is well over your head, and there are trout... big trout...
This one is for Sue & Al at the Crowsnest Cafe & Flyshop!
I walked up the river and scared myself more than once needling crossings with water lapping the top of my waders, I made cast after cast and I caught trout. I saw trout do things that I didn't think possible, I spooked trout that would retire an angler if they managed to catch them...
I sat on the side of the Whakapapa having just released a trophy trout and I thought to myself, it can't be this good because it can't really get any better... It is was at that point that I decided that I had better quit before the gods took their pound off me... They just about did...
The Whakapapa is incredibly hard to get around on, dinosaur eggs and what not, and well I slipped and watched my thumb dislocate... It hurt... but a little riverside doctoring and a few motrins will fix anything. I taped up this morning and I am happy to report that I can cast, although Joan Wulff is going to poo poo my index up steeze...
There is a low moving in tonight and its supposed blow through by mid afternoon at which point I will be headed Rangatikei way...
