Winter has a way of putting a bit of a damper on fly fishing here in Southern Alberta. I still find the time to get out, but right now I’m dealing with a –41 C wind chill…so it’ll be a while before I can hit the river again. Fortunately, I can still somewhat satisfy my fishin’ itch with looking at all the new gear coming out on the market, and planning trips for the upcoming year.
I just got back from the Western Canadian Fly Fishing Exposition in Calgary where Amundson had a booth showing off their products. It’s a great event where you get to see some old friends, take in some great presentations and ‘fondle’ the new products on the market. You never seem to have everything you need when it comes to this sport. What starts off with one or two rods, quickly turns into 6, 8 or 10. Unfortunately, I have a passion for 4 wt’s and hand made nets. Not sure what the limit is, and hoping I never find out.
The one thing that probably gets me through the winter the most is dreaming about trips. I’m lucky enough to make numerous ‘extended’ trips into the mountains and surrounding areas but the ones that excite me the most are those that take me into the back country. Alberta stocked Golden trout into a few remote lakes in the 1960’s and 70’s and they’ve now become a self-sustaining population. I’ve made this hike numerous times, but it never seems to get old. I keep looking on the internet for old stocking reports, different trails in, or someone else’s reports on the lakes. There’s also some nice flowing water in the area, so Google Earth keeps me searching for cut lines, trails or the closest access points to the creeks. I guess you can also add cutties and big bull trout to my list of passions.
The 5 day forecast calls for +1 this Saturday in the Crowsnest Pass, so I just may be able to find a different way to scatch that fishin’ itch.
-Tim Bloomfield
