I went fishing on the Crowsnest River today. First time out in a while. When I went into my garage this morning to collect some of my gear, I noticed there were cobwebs on my wading boots. That’s not a good sign. I’ve never seen this before. I guess it had been longer than I thought since I was able to wet a line. I laughed to myself, then brushed off the cobwebs and headed to the river.
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I’ve been able to get out fishing a few times since my last post. Each time, I used my Shakespeare bamboo fly rod. I acquired this rod in a trade about thirty-five years ago. It’s a 9-foot, three-piece, 8-weight outfit. I’ve nicknamed the rod, Romeo, in honour of William Shakespeare, England’s “Bard of Avon,” not to be confused with William Shakespeare Jr., inventor of the level-winding fishing reel and founder of the Shakespeare Fishing Tackle Company, who produced my fly rod. To my knowledge, William Shakespeare Jr. and his father, William H. Shakespeare, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, were not related to the English playwright, poet, and actor, whose name they shared.
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Over the past month, I’ve been able to get out on the water a few times by myself. With temperatures climbing above 30 degrees Celsius (85°F) on some days, I’ve been fishing the cooler headwater reaches of a couple of local trout streams. It’s places like this where I enjoy using my bamboo fly rod the most.
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As a young boy, I used to go for my haircuts at George’s Barber Shop in Coaldale. My father would usually take me here when it was time for a trim. The shop was located in a small, white stuccoed building just off Main Street. Inside, it was set up like any other barbershop of the day. There was a barber chair, along with all the usual accouterments of the trade – hair trimmers, clippers, scissors, razors, combs, and towels. There were chairs where customers would sit and wait their turn while conversing with George. What set George’s Barber Shop apart from the typical barbershop was the array of fishing tackle that was for sale. The walls were covered with all sorts of lures, spinners, lines, and other fishing paraphernalia. Clear plastic boxes stacked on shelves were filled with colorful trout flies. There was a rod rack near the front where bamboo fly rods were on display. I’m sure there were fiberglass fly rods in the rack as well, but I remember being drawn to the bright, honey-coloured cane rods.
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Visiting a river in winter is an experience unlike that of any other time of year. From a distance, a river blanketed in snow and ice may appear as if it is asleep in the season. Upon close examination, all is not as it seems.
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Autumn is my favorite time of the year to go fishing on our local trout streams. After Labor Day, there are fewer anglers on these waters. By the end of September or early October, you can often have the river to yourself.
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One of the great things about fly-fishing for trout is that these fish often live in some of the most picturesque places you will ever visit. The headwaters of some of the trout streams in southwest Alberta are a good example of this.
Continue readingThis is the conclusion of my post on Crowsnest River fishing holes. I’ll continue from Highway 507, upstream to Crowsnest Lake. At the bottom of the page, there is a link where you can download this article in its entirety.
In my last post, I talked of how some trout streams, including Alberta’s Crowsnest River, have had certain sections of their waters named by anglers. Sometimes, the names of these places become well known and are passed down from one generation to the next, while other names are forgotten over time. Below, is the continuation of Crowsnest Fishing Holes.
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It’s not unusual for popular trout streams to have stretches of their waters named by anglers. Alberta’s Bow River is a good example, with places like Must Be Nice, Policeman’s Flats, Far & Fine, and the Trico Hole.
The Crowsnest River also has stretches of water that have been named. Providing the anglers you are speaking with are familiar with these places, it’s a good way of letting them know where you were fishing, and which pool or run might have been productive – or not!
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