Fishing - Everything Fishing!

[Angelamc]

Originally Posted by zztim81

The 2pm thing relates to water temperatures, basically the water temperature is the highest (from gradual daytime heating) from about 2pm till late evening and it relates to Dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in the water, the higher the temp of the water the less available DO for fish which are already stressed and then often lost because they cant recover.

I was down the Oldman, upper St Marys, Milk, and Belly river over the last three weeks, average daytime water temps were between 19-23 degrees which is damn near terminal for many trout.

Stay away from the Belly River! I don't need all you Calgary buggers to come mess with my hidden gems, even a poor fly fisherman like myself can have a great time on that river, access is a issue though and i only share secrets with my CP brethren. If you fish it near the border (early season) in Waterton Lakes you have a shot at getting an illusive Belly River Arctic Grayling

Originally Posted by zztim81

Unfortunately, its not easy to get operational plans for structures owned and operated by Trans Alta, but you can get reasonably good hydro-graphic data on flows from Alberta Environment and Parks, for the Bow there are few good stations to watch: http://www.environment.alberta.ca/ap...ionID=RBOWCALG
They do have reporting for Storage levels and precipitation mapping but they are even less user friendly for those who don't know what to be watching for.
http://www.environment.alberta.ca/ap...t.aspx?Basin=8

I also know that if you follow the Bow River Basin Council on Twitter or sign up as a member on their website you get occasional updates regarding releases or operations changes. http://www.brbc.ab.ca/

I work closely with folks down in Montana, and they provide a month to month operations plan to all major stakeholders, and i can quickly and easily find out about planning changes in flows or issues like line or canal repairs etc.

I guess I didn't realize that the water temperature could fluctuate enough in a day to make the 2pm fishing thing make sense. Thanks for the links on water flows, i'll check them out.

[foshizzle11]

for some of the biologists that I work with, it seems like this was a long time coming and not surprising.

I hope it rains a lot for the rest of the summer and the temps go down, that would be nice. Just so the fish can thrive! I can see why so many of the streams this year are catch and release only.

Do you guys check on flow rates and such before heading out?

[foshizzle11]

Originally Posted by Slava

I have fished there and it was OK. The last time I fished there it was only for a few hours by myself and I was walking and had some luck. That was last year and maybe in September (?) and I had some luck on dries. Nothing huge, but not terribly tiny either.

I am ok with not catching anything huge, I just like adventuring out to places I have never been. This is an area I have never explored and now that there are all these fishing bans down south I might have to do some more exploring for some secret spots!

What about the Red Deer river, have you been around there?

[troutman]

Originally Posted by foshizzle11

What about the Red Deer river, have you been around there?

I hear the Red Deer tailwater just below the dam is like the Bow with big trout.

The Little Red Deer River is wade-able - brown trout mostly I think, but never had much success there.

Also in that area - Burnt Timber and North Burnt Timber. Clearwater River. Dogpound Creek.

[Slava]

No I haven't actually. I just know someone who owns land by the James River and I was out visiting, and brought my flyrod. The fishing seems pretty good and it is beautiful country. Mostly cutthroat s from what I found, and one peculiar little bull actually. Peculiar because I didn't expect it at all, and he took a dry, but that was cool!

[foshizzle11]

So we are going to try to stay at the James-Wilson campground, it is about 45 minutes west of Sundre and right on the James River. I think we will work our way up and down the river from there to see how it goes and post some locations that we found to be pretty good.

I have done some fishing when I was a kid at West Ward-ho campground, which sits on the little red deer river and we used to catch pike, suckers and a few brown trout. There are some good pools just south of the camp ground and at the bridge just in the camp ground. I haven't been out there in years so I hope those pools are still there.

I remember catching those little suckers and reeling them in and a big ass pike eating half of it as you reeled in. We were quite surprised to see pike that big in that little river but it is fun.

We will spend some time up there this weekend and let you know how it goes and I'll post some pics and GPS coordinates if anyone wants to know where we were at. Hopefully I'll have some pics this time!

[troutman]

Pics are enough. No need to post locations

[foshizzle11]

Ok, I don't mind sharing but maybe better not the share secrets!!

[2Stonedbirds]

Went to the vendors last weekend to get a box of beer and the guy at the till started some small talk. Asked what I had been up to, I told him I went camping to the hills up on Dutch. He asked if I fished, I told him yeah, had a few nice days of presenting some flys. "ohhhh pfffft" he laughs "much easier to catch em with spincasting." Yeah well... I say I find flyfishing more rewarding.

So he asks..

"Catch and eat any?"

I said no, caught some cuttthroat and one really nice dolly, but there is a zero limit so they had to be returned to the creek.

"Oh **** I wouldn't let that stop me!" he brags "I'd gut the little #######s right then and there and if a fish cop said anything I'd tell em to **** off I got it at the store!"

Well I wanted to come over the counter. What a dink. So many outdoors men work so hard to build the conservation systems that we have to ensure the fisheries and game remain healthy and viable and there is always some prick out there that just doesn't give a ****. People like that have the potential to screw it all over for everyone. I was so angry.

At any rate, it was beautiful out there. Not too hot, and not too many flies out, but I had some luck with some stimulators and juuuust when they dip below the surface a half inch or so. My go to royal coachman had them rising but they wouldn't take it. Green or yellow stimulators and white/grey flies with wings seemed to be the ticket. Was fishing with the old man; we fished the Oldman, Dutch, and then hit the pipeline trail up and came back onto Racehorse. I can catch as many fish as the old man, but he always seems to get the big pigs out of the creek. Old boy smarts lol

[troutman]

LOL - he got it at the store? Cutthroats-R-Us?

Never seen cutties sold at a store.

[foshizzle11]

Ya, those kind of people are the ones who ruin it for everyone else.

I am so paranoid I would get my vehicle confiscated or whatever I always check and triple check the regs to be sure.

Some people just don't get why regulations are created, idiots!

[2Stonedbirds]

Yeah, like the rangers would never see this guy coming a mile away.

I didn't even know what to say, it was so frustrating. Just know he's the type of guy to take a couple 6" cutthroats out of the creek and fry em up. He'd probably do it to a dolly too.

I love to cook up one trout if the regs permit it and I actually get a nice one, but I'm just happy catching trout.

[2Stonedbirds]

Double tap

[Bmuzyka]

I am going house boating in two weeks. Have my Trout License already bought. Cannot wait to continue my streak of not catching anything this year!

[foshizzle11]

Originally Posted by Bmuzyka

I am going house boating in two weeks. Have my Trout License already bought. Cannot wait to continue my streak of not catching anything this year!

Haha, this is always a worry of mine when I go out. I always try to pick cool places to explore so at least I can take nice pictures and stuff.

Where are you going?? Shuswaps? Is the fishing good out there?

[troutman]

Fishing closures in South Kootenays:

https://instagram.com/p/6VwSVNHMap/

[Angelamc]

Additional Alberta Closures
http://alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=38...C472E717711D5B

[Neeper]

Dire times! These closures are needed for sure though.

I fished for cutties the Elk and the Upper Old Man the last few weeks. I didn't get to walk and wade much but it was nice to wet the line and catch a few here and there.

[PaperBagger'14]

I bought my fishing license 2 weeks ago and caught my first fish today maybe 4lb brown trout. Absolutely stoked!

[troutman]

Hopefully all the rain has recharged the rivers and streams.