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Rocky Mountains Fly Fishing: Attitude and Altitude

It is exotic fishing in Alberta's Rocky Mountains, where you can savour wide-open spaces, breath-taking scenery and utter solitude. Your attitude shifts with the altitude, bringing your appetite for fishing up a few pleasurable notches.

Crystal clear streams flow through valley bottoms. Unspoiled wilderness flanks the riverbanks. Big game is never far away. Soaring mountain peaks compete with bountiful fish for anglers' attention. And there's not another fisherman - or fisherwoman - for miles.

All these facets of fly fishing the Canadian Rocky Mountains Rockies ensure an unparalleled North American fishing experience.

Fishing licenses, which come in a variety of time frames, are both inexpensive and readily available.

Whether you're drawn to the great fishing in the meandering Upper Bow River, the solitude of remote streams around Crowsnest Pass or the unspoiled beauty of Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park, all are within a pleasant drive of the international gateway cities of Calgary and Edmonton.

Focus on Fishing in Spectacular Scenery

"It's stunning, the majesty of the Canadian Rockies," says Dan Bell, owner of Upper Bow Fly Fishing in Banff, which is in Banff National Park. "It's a pleasant distraction to focus on the fishing when you have so much spectacular scenery."

But a tug on the line will refocus even the most awestruck.

While catch-and-release has been the rule in Alberta's rivers and streams in recent years, the measure has dramatically increased the size of available fish.

The average size is 30 centimetres, but fish now get as big as 45 cms, though that's not as common, says Kim Straker, owner of Calgary-based Clearwater Adventures.

"The bull trout get pretty big and very aggressive," he says, adding that the solitude in the Rockies and the quality of fishing is what makes it so great.

"I've fished quite a bit in Montana and there's more pressure there," he says. "Here, you don't deal with the crowds. The fishing in many instances is just as good and the scenery is at least as beautiful, if not more so."

The streams and rivers in Alberta's Rockies are teeming with Westslope cutthroat, bull, rainbow, brown and brook trout as well as whitefish. Dolly Varden and splake can also be found in select lakes and rivers. The species vary on location but local guides will ensure each angler gets what he or she came for.

At the northern end of the Rockies, Barry Wood takes his clients fishing on Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park. Wood is owner and guide of Maligne Tours Limited. He takes his clients out on the lake when there's too much sediment in the rivers during the spring runoff.

No Crowds, Only Fish

"The fishing's unbelievable," he says. "There's no people and no crowds. My clients enjoy the beauty and serenity of the mountains. I get people who want to catch fish and others who don't even care."

Given the strong attraction of the environment, it seems like icing on the cake that the fishing is so good. Wood says that in five hours of fishing, he can catch as many as 40 fish.

"If you go fishing in Montana, it's wall-to-wall fishermen," he says.
"Here, you've got more diversity and the peaks are a lot more spectacular."

Straker knows what he's talking about. For instance, the highway between Jasper and Banff is off-limits to commercial traffic and the highway is maintained just for tourism. It is one of the most spectacular drives on the planet and it's a region to which Dan Bell also takes his clients.

In these rivers the fly-fishing is great, says Bell, whether it be streamer, nymphing or dry flying. He adds that while the Upper Bow is arguably the most beautiful stream in the world, other streams, like the Ram River, are quite isolated and beautiful and there are lots of big cutthroat and wild animals.

Between Jasper and Banff National Park are countless streams and rivers, all isolated and protected within national park boundaries. There are also great rainbow, cutthroat and bull trout in Kananaskis Country (which is less than an hour's drive from Calgary), and southeast of Banff National Park.

Alberta's Rockies run in one continuous spine from Jasper down to the Crowsnest Pass, near the U.S. border. Throughout the entire range, rivers and streams are plentiful and population sparse. The whole region is home to deer, waterfowl, ospreys, eagles, bears, moose, elk and a variety of other wildlife of all shapes and sizes.

Heading south, the Rockies look different than Jasper, but they remain just as wild and spectacular. Crowsnest Pass, located in the southernmost Rockies, is situated in a windy valley just before the mountain range crosses the border into the United States. It's home to the Crowsnest, Old Man, Livingstone and Castle Rivers.

Women Only Packages

While guides and guiding companies will help anglers find the solitude, scenery and fish they're looking for in the area's rivers and lakes, only the Angler's Ridge Bed & Breakfast offers women-only packages.

Wendy Meerveld, owner and operator of Angler's Ridge, along with a little help from partner companies Saddle Mountain Ridge and Tread Softly, teaches her female clients to fly-fish. At day's end, there's yoga, meditation and Reiki, a spiritual-healing exercise. There's also emphasis on healthy eating and wellness living.

"In three days the women reach total relaxation," says Meerveld. "We take someone from the city who's all hyped up and stressed and they go back utterly relaxed and wishing they could stay."

Though Meerveld and her two business partners have only offered the program for one year, she says there's been lots of positive feedback.

"Women think fishing is a man's sport, but they're catching on," she says. "When you're fly fishing, you have the river coming at you and its very tranquil."

But Angler's Ridge B&B isn't just for women. As the name would suggest, it's one of the few accommodations that caters specifically to anglers.

"I cater to the fly-fishermen," says Meerveld. "I pack them a lunch and if they want to rise at 5 a.m. then I make them breakfast at 5 a.m. We also give them tips because my husband and I are fly-fishermen. We know the areas really well, we tie flies and we can give them tips."

About the Author

Travel Alberta is the destination marketing organization for the Province of Alberta. Guided by the Strategic Tourism Marketing Council, Travel Alberta is the steward for the effective delivery of tourism marketing programs. For information about our organization, please visit our Travel Alberta industry web site.

Fishing Boat Setup- How Can I Improve My Setup?

One of the worst things when it comes to day fishing would have to be having a poor fishing boat setup. Ensuring that your fishing boat is well equipped to handle a day on the lake or ocean is imperative to success and even safety. When it comes to a fishing boat setup, much of the fine details come in the way of convenience and accessibility. Having the appropriate electronic devices such as fish finders and GPS can indeed make all the difference in the world when it comes to a good day of fishing.

With sensible applications such as live wells, rod locks, and navigation equipment a boat will easily be prepared to meet the rigors of a long day on the lake. Ensuring that your fishing boat setup includes flares, life jackets, and emergency response transmitters only facilitates the sensible boating needs. With the addition of such fine luxuries as fridges, cooking equipment, radios, and or Televisions you ensure that you are not left in boredom when the fish just are not biting at any given moment.

When it comes to fishing boat setups and storage, one only need ask themselves, just how much equipment and people am I planning on carrying on this vessel? This question will follow with sensible storage needs, as there are many pieces of fishing gear for each angler aboard. This does not in any way answer the question fully as there are many other articles that could be found or stored in a fishing boat. Often times people will include fresh dry clothing in their storage compartments, for those little mishaps that always seem to happen when you least expect. All of this can be chalked up to good fishing boat setup.

Depending on the size of the vessel will primarily determine what type of fishing boat setup you will be able to have. For obvious reason a smaller vessel will be able to carry small loads and will no doubt have less storage than a bigger vessel. When you have a smaller boat it seems that proper fishing boat setup becomes far more apparent as there is a limited capacity and acceptance for passengers, their goods, and the storage allowable will quickly decrease in size should you not plan ahead and make accommodation. Look to ensure that your fishing boat setup is appropriate for the type of fishing you plan on doing and that you have a clear decision on what would be most beneficial to the day on the lake.

About the Author

Check out 1-stop-fishing/ for more articles on canada fishing camp and alaska fishing trips.

Worm Fishing

There is probably no more popular fishing bait on the planet earth than the good old worm. Just for the record, I'm not speaking of the colorful plastic things that Bass fishermen use. No, I'm speaking of the real thing, a live worm and the best way to fish it. Some anglers believe it's as easy as buying a Styrofoam container of worms, tying on a size 4 hook, and threading a worm onto that hook. Of course worm fishing can be done this way (if you're 10 years old), but an angler can get a bit more technical and learn how to present their worm naturally by employing a set of gang hooks.

Worm fishing becomes as much of an art as fly fishing when a set of gang hooks and ultra light gear are used. So what is a set of gang hooks? A set of gang hooks is simply two small hooks tied in tandem. You see, two small hooks tied in tandem allow the angler to present the worm in a completely natural way. The live worm that you're fishing with ends up looking the same as if you just took a live worm and through it in the water. A set of gang hooks is the only way to go worm fishing, in my opinion.

So how do you get your hand on some of these gang hooks? You can buy them from somewhere like JRWfishing, or with a little research you can tie them yourself. If you what to tie them yourself, simply do a little knot research and you'll be on your way. I personally like to use small hooks (size 10), but size 8 seem to work well for worm fishing as well. If the hooks are too big, the natural presentation is lost while worm fishing.

The bottom line is that if you like worm fishing, and catching more fish, gang hooks need to become a part of your fishing repertoire. My fishing mentor taught me how to use gang hooks while worm fishing, and I've been catching fish ever since. As I alluded to earlier, by using gang hooks and ultra light fishing gear, worm fishing becomes every bit of the art that fly fishing claims to be. Remember: You don't have to be waving a fake flea back and forth to be considered an artist.

Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country?..Montana!

href="jrwfishing/gang_hooks.asp "> Gang-Hooks Tied And Ready! .

href="jrwfishing/signup.html">FREE Fishing Tips & Advice PLUS $10 for your trouble!

href="jrwfishing/bait_pouch.asp">This Is How To Carry Your Worms!

Headlines on fly fishing reels
The Hunt for Reds in October upcoming

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:49:02 GMT
The annual benefit event, a spot tournament will be held in a few week. Below is a list of everything going on.

Fly fishing for beginners and more - California Chronicle

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:38:53 GMT

California Chronicle

Fly fishing for beginners and more
California Chronicle, CA - Sep 23, 2008
We will have a large selection of fly fishing equipment – rods, reels, pontoon boats, vests, etc. - along with special trips. This promises to be the best ...