New Books/DVD's In Stock.

We recently recieved a shipment of books and DVDs, newly published and some "oldies but goodies."
Can be a great addition to your library or a present for a fishing friend.

Angling the World by Roy Tanami
-This book features amazing photography and personal essays to document fishing adventures in ten of the world's greatest destinations.



Currier's Quick and Easy Guide to Saltwater Fly Fishing by Jeff Currier
-Everything you need to know about the who's, how's and what's of saltwater fly fishing including gear, knots, casting, flies and general tips.



The Greatest Fly Fishing Around the World by R. Valentine Atkinson
-Fly fishing destinations around the world are detailed through pictures by Atkinson and stories by fly fishing writers including John Gierach and Tom McGuane. This is another must have for any fisherman's book shelf.



Spanish for the Fisherman
-A quick and easy spanish pocket book reference for the fisherman.



DVDs also in stock: Trout Bum I, Trout Bum II, Fish Bum I, Drift, Tarpon, Tying and Fishing Stillwater Flies (Brian Chan and Phil Rowley), Saltwater Fly Casting and Bugs of the Underworld.

-C.

Cutthroat continuation

Oncorhynchus clarki

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Note: A High Stream Temperature advisory was placed between Rocky Mountain House and the Montana-Alberta border on July 28, 2009. Please choose to avoid streams where the water temperature rises above 22º C, carrying a water thermometer can come in handy.

Even if the water temperature is below 22º C please use caution when fishing, taking extra care when fighting and releasing fish to minimize stress.

More information can be obtained at:

http://alberta.ca/acn/200907/26590C2C3DCA4-9DDF-CB57-832170F5F31ED1E8.html#

-C.

Some More Albertan Cutthroat

Went fishing in the afternoon yesterday. It rained like mad, but the fish couldn't be happier. We lucked out on a Green Drake hatch that lasted about an hour, and the fishing was just nutty. Here's some more photos. We'll add the last tomorrow.

A pocket water bully.

Caity's very pretty Cutthroat.

A few photos

A few photos from a rainy, rainy day.
More tomorrow!

Caddis on the Bow River

I managed to get out after work when I saw the cloud cover. I walked a lot of water without even stringing up my rod, until I found this little fellow who wanted to play.

And the end result



I fished the same area for a while, before getting some dinner and heading elsewhere.
It didn't take long for me to be hiding under a tree until this passed by. It was a nasty burst of water, but exactly what we need to keep the water temps reasonable.
And my final sight for the day. Not as many Caddis around in the evening as there has been, I suspect that they are still drying off.

Overcast days rock.

-Brent

Trico Fishing the Bow River

For some very wierd reason, the Trico's are already going (2 weeks early!). A very, very weird year ('runoff' in July, Stones and PMD's late, etc).

Here's some video that Mike shot on his point-and-shoot of some fish they found rising.
(Blogger tortures the quality!)

Alberta River Fishing Report Roundup

Heres a report from most of the rivers that we frequent for the last few days.
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Bow River Report:

The Bow is fishing better again, especially on overcast days. The elbow is finally starting to clear up, so we're seeing better visibility each day. All stretches of the river are fishing quite well, and you can still be fishing big foam bugs to great success. Caddis fishing continues to be great, especially with the diminishing PMDs. Look for fish sipping caddis on grassy banks and in foam lines. We should continue to have good caddis fishing and the tricos are starting to show down on the lower end. Should be good fishing for a long time (we hope anyway)
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High Country Report:

The cutty's are finally looking up consistently. The water temps have increased dramatically since the big rain, so the fish are finally happy to be eating on top.Green drakes, Stimulators, Humpies and anything with rubber legs seems to be working extremely well. A caddis tossed over a tough fish usually gets an eat when presented with a solid drift.Be on the look out for bullys, they'll be on the move and killing whitefish like it's their jobs (oh wait, it is!).
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Crowsnest Report:

From the reports we've been getting from the Pass, the crow is fishing extremely well right now. The water has receded and cleaned up at last.Caddis, stoneflies, hoppers and green drakes continue making the fish rise. Using a hopper dropper setup will certaintly have some success on both top and bottom. Don't forget PMDs as they have been fishing well in the evenings as well.

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Join our facebook page for consistent updates on our rivers!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=90475561761&ref=share

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More Favourite Fly Fishing Setups

We understand that not everyone is a gear junkie but deep down there is a bit of it in all of us. This is our second blog "article" is our series of staff favourite setups, this week's is Caitlin's favourite setups.


Dry Fly- 376-4 ZXL, Litespeed 1 & Wonderline G3 WF-3-F
This seven foot six inch three weight is my new baby, it's been on a fewadventures with me and so far I couldn't say anything negative. The ZXL is the new medium acton rod from Sage, available in two to six weights and a variety of lengths. I love it's light weight, smooth action and ultra delicate-ness. From high country cutties to Bow River risers, it seems to mold itself into whatever rod I need it to be. The Litespeed 1 is the perfect match to this rod, it weighs 3.55 oz and utilizes the same sealed conical drag system in their high end, big game reels. Waterworks/Lamson has created one of the lightest, prettiest and toughest large arbor reels on the market. The Hard Alox coating on the reel gives it durability while keeping weight low.The Wonderline Generation Three line claims to be the slickest trout line on the market and I wouldn't disagree. I mostly use this line for short, accurate casts and it definitely produces.

Overall Trout- 590 Z-Axis, 4540 CF & Sharkskin Trout WF-5-F
The Z-Axis is the favourite among many anglers, me included, making it one of Sage's best selling rods. It's light weight and fast action, allowing me to throw small PMD's and size six hoppers alike.
The 4500 series from Sage is new for 2009 and is available in a Carbon Fibre spool. Some anglers are thrown off by its black finish and near weightlessness (the whole reel weighs only three and seven eighths of an once) but trust me this thing is tough. The spools are interchangeable with the regular 4500 series reels as well as the original 2500 series reels.
Oh, the Sharkskin. For those that haven't heard the Sharkskin is a new line from Scientific Anglers utilizing a textured surface which decreases friction allowing greater shooting distance, higher "floatability" and increased ease of line manipulation.

Streamer- 690 Z-Axis, Battenkill Large Arbor & 200 grain Streamer Express.
Do I need to say more on the Z-Axis? Check out our online store for more info http://www.countrypleasures.com/store/contents/en-ca/d8.html I use a Orvis Battenkill Large and spare spool system for my streamer rod allowing me to easily change between a floating line and a sink tip line. The large arbor design comes in handy for reducing line coils on the mono core streamer express. A heavy duty drag system adds even more to this reel, allowing me to use in the salt. The Scientific Anglers Streamer Express gets my flies down and fast, it has a extra long sink tip that I cut down to make casting and line manipulation easier. The only down side is it utilizes a mono core which on cold days can coil and be a bit difficult to straighten.

Thats my favourite trout set-ups, stay tuned for Mike's, Mark's, Dee's and Zach's!
(check out Brent's fav's from earlier this month.)

-Caitlin

Whats new?!

Saturday Seminars
Country Pleasures is pleased to announce the line-up for Saturday Seminars for the Fall, Winter, and Spring of 2009 and 2010. Each Saturday at 10:00 a.m. we host a free seminar on a fly fishing topic. Come and participate.
EXTENDED FOR 2010!!!, AT EACH SEMINAR WE WILL BE DRAWING FOR FREE PRIZES. ONLY THOSE ATTENDING THE SEMINAR WILL QUALIFY. FLY LINES, GEAR, FLY TYING SUPPLIES, ETC. WILL BE GIVEN AWAY AT EACH SEMINAR. IN ADDITION, EVERY TIME YOU ATTEND A SEMINAR, YOUR NAME WILL GO INTO A DRAW FOR A ORVIS HELIOS FLY ROD TO BE HELD ON APRIL 10, 2010. THE MORE SEMINARS YOU ATTEND, THE BETTER YOUR CHANCES.
Seminars now scheduled and can be found online at: http://www.countrypleasures.com/fly_fishing_seminars.htm

Fly Tying School
During the School students will learn to tie nymphs, streamers and dry flies, including local favourites and new patterns such as the San Juan Worm, Bead Head Nymphs, C.D.C Caddis, Stimulators, and Clouser Minnows. All flies are chosen for their effectiveness in local waters as well as the techniques required for their tying. Join us for your introduction to this fascinating hobby.
Fly patterns covered include
» nymphs
» streamers
» dry flies
» popular patterns
Tuition for the School is $140 (plus GST), payable at the time of registration.
2009 Enrollment dates: Thursday, October 22, 2009 - enroll now to ensure your spot.

More information at: http://www.countrypleasures.com/fly_tying_schools.htm

Saltwater Fly Tying School
Country Pleasures is pleased to offer a fly tying school focusing solely on saltwater patterns and the techniques and materials to tie them. This course is designed for intermediate to expert tiers. During the School students will learn to flies for Bonefish, Tarpon, Permit, Trevally, Barracuda, as well as Shark. All flies are chosen for their effectiveness during past trips as well as the techniques required for their tying. Students will receive instruction on several different techniques including tying with epoxies, synthetics, flashes, etc.
Fly patterns covered include
» bonefish flies
» tarpon flies
» permit flies
» trevally flies
» baracuda flies
» shark flies
Tuition for the School is $150 (plus GST), payable at the time of registration.
2010 Enrollment dates: Tuesday, February 10, 2010

More information available at: http://www.countrypleasures.com/salt_water_fly_tying_schools.htm

Last Couple Days on the Bow River and in the High Country

Been a good couple days, including possibly the worst sunburn of my entire life.

I finally got to fish my Helios 3 weight, and it is great for small stream cutthroat.

Get out and get fishing, Bow River fish are turbo charged, Cutthroat are looking up and the Bullys are aggresive. Some of the best fishing of the year!

- Brent

Bow River, July 21

Pretty slow out of the boat, with the water being a wierd color (it seemed like the clarity got worse the later in the day, as well as being not "great" to start with). Getting out and looking for fish produced the most results, with most fish taken on a Caddis dry or nymph. A few fish on the foamies, but not too much action. Best bet is to look for happy fish that are rising, they are out there!

The Elbow was still pumping mud as of Sunday, so i suspect that this is the main culprit still behind the color (the Sheep is clear, as well as Fish Creek). Hopefully it will clean up in the next few days (which it should)

Will post a bunch of pics tomorrow (hopefully!)

-Brent


p.s Don't forget your sunscreen. It's very bad out there for burning right now. Also, with the warm water, don't release a fish till you know it's going to be ok. They may need some extra attention with the higher water temps that could occur with this burst of hot weather.

Highwood River-July 20

Just back from a long day at the Highwood River, fished very well for both Bulls and Cutts.
Clarity is great, Stimulators and good old Humpy's worked well for Cutts while large, light streamers were very effective for Bulls.
More information and pictures will be posted on Wednesday.

We noticed a large amount of evidence of the use of bait (recent use) so remember if you see someone who is illegally using bait call it in, the number can be found on the back of your license.
The more information you can collect, the better this includes license plates, physical description, location and even the type of bait they are using.

-C.

A day of rest

Orvis Rep Doug Best with a Bow River Browny

A simple blog today, we'll be out fishing for the next few days, so the blog might take a stutter till wednesday (it may be fine). Got lots of catching up to do with what the rain did to the river last week!

Will try to get lots of photos (if the fishy's cooperate).

Children's Wish - Bow River Masters. August 23rd, 2009

The Bow River Masters Fly Fishing Derby is a volunteer driven community event run in support of The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada.
The funds raised directly benefit deserving children living in Alberta and NWT who suffer from
high-risk, life threatening illnesses.
Following a traditional catch-and-release, single day derby
format, points are awarded per fish landed.
An excellent selection of prizes, including a fabulous West Coast Resorts
fishing trip, motivates anglers to do anything within their
means (and the rules) to avoid letting the big one get away.
After a full day drifting the “trophy stretch” of the Bow River,
participants are treated to a closing banquet and an awards
ceremony.

Testimonials speaking to the event’s excellence
abound, but most importantly participants have commented on
the satisfaction they left with knowing their day on the river
translates to delivery of important community services to very
deserving children.


REGISTRATION FEES
$3,000 per angling team or $1,600 per person. Registration
includes meals, guide & boat (if requested) & shuttles. Event
sponsorships are also available.


Stop by the store for more information, and a sign up sheet. Sign up is due by August 3rd. Event runs on the 23rd.

A Bow River Piggo

Greg Moffatt was out with Jeff Peterson yesterday and caught this monster.

Nice fish Greg, especially with the tough conditions.

The Fishin' Life

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Working in a fly shop is pretty much the best job in the world (arguably of course.) It may not pay the best or make me rich but there certainly are some serious perks. Really how many fisherman wouldn't love being able to talk fishing all day, and when R&D is needed, I've got one of the world's best textbooks a hop, skip and a jump from my front door. Actually, I spend more time reading the water than I spend reading my biology textbook. The river can teach you a lot, more than any lecture or book about science, faith and life.

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I grew up with the river; from the Elk to the Crow and eventually the Bow along with everything in between. I started fishing around age six and when I hit thirteen a switch was flipped; I started working in the shop and fishing went from a hobby to being my whole life. I'm not alone in this, it seems somebody is walking around flipping switches on alot of anglers!

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This sport attracts men and women, young and old, it's truly amazing how big the demographics are. It's the only sport that I am aware of that attracts both 90 year olds and ten year olds equally.

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A perfect example is Robbie (seen below) who went on a fishing trip with guide Jennifer Buck and caught this huge Rainbow out of the Bow River. A fish this big would get anyone hooked on fly fishing!
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I'd love to say it's easy, that anyone can do it but it's simply not true. It takes a special person to fly fish, they have to have a certain quality, something that can't be put into words. It's like a magnet, it draws them to fly fishing and never lets them go. Maybe it can be developed or maybe your born with it, this I may never know. One thing is for sure, I've got it.

-C.

400kms of driving, for fishing 45 minutes away!

Yesterday hurt. Rain and more rain. Drove down to the Oldman in hopes that the rain would have stopped and the river clear. It wasn't. The rain was still pouring (to the point that the road was in brutal shape).

Seems like the Oldman got the worst of it for weather, as it was pure and utter mud.

Drove upstream a bit and followed the mud, before finally giving up and heading back north.

Ended up on another stream, and headed to a favourite spot, to only have the rain start pouring again on us. Luckily we had a back up plan, and made our way there.

400 km's of driving to end up fishing an area 45 minutes from home.

I guess it didn't suck all that bad. (sorry bout the bad quality, the zoom on the camera aint great)

A pretty good bully on a brand new fly. Makes up for the long drive pretty quickly

Conditions Update

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain. Let it STOP raining.
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While the rain is much needed it would be better received if it didn't come down in torrents. Many anglers got stuck in the extreme weather yesterday, a few trying to stick it out while most gave up and went home.
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It was early afternoon when the color change occurred, the pounding rain caused the river to rise and mud up. The Bow River spike at 153cms at 2:00 pm yesterday and has dropped to 123cms (at 5:30 am.) Its no surprise it did this since the Elbow Ranger Station received 50.8 mm of rain in six hours yesterday which explains why the Elbow would jump up to 63 cms (from 8 cms.) The Sheep River is also pumping in dirty causing the Bow below the Highwood confluence to dirty slightly as well. Above Fish Creek we've had reports of good visibility.
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This clarity level and light is perfect for a Flesh Colored Medusa or Silvey's Sculpin Leech.
Also working consistently is the Chamois Leech and of course, the Golden Stone.
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If your planning on heading further south, the conditions may be a bit better but they still received a large amount of rain in the Oldman River Sub Basin.
A Oldman River report will up ASAP, probably tomorrow morning.
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. Hooked on National Geographic is apparently not airing in Canada at this time, but still be on the lookout for it.