Category Archives: On The Water

Bucket List Fish

I returned a few days ago from a trip to Manitoba, where I visited family and friends. While there, I was able to catch some fish that have been on my bucket list for a long time.

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Spring Fishing on the Crow

Spring has arrived in the Crowsnest Pass. As the days become warmer and longer, more and more people are getting out fly-fishing on the Crow. I was able to get out on the river last Wednesday for the first time this year. I made it out again today.

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Fall Fishing

I was able to make it out fishing a few times this fall. I chased bull trout a couple of times and also fished for cutthroats in the backcountry, and for rainbows on the Crow.

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Opening Day – 2023

The fishing season on our local trout streams officially opened today. While a couple of rivers around here, including the Crowsnest, are open year-round, most close at the end of October. It’s been 8-1/2 months since anyone has fished these waters.

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Crowsnest River Cobwebs

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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Bamboo Trout – Part III

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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Bamboo Trout – Part II

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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Bamboo Trout – Part I

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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A River Never Sleeps

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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Late-Season Trout Fishing

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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