Reminder for this Saturday

Just a quick reminder about the Customer Appreciation Day this Saturday, June 2 from 8 AM to 5 PM here at the shop. Obviuosly did either a really good job at advertising it (or a really bad job) considering how many people showed up for it last Saturday!

TAIL!

 Our friend, David Leake, sent us these photos taken while he was at The Palometa Club last week. Some very cool shots, makes me want to check flight availibility.....

David Leake Photo



David Leake Photo



David Leake Photo



David Leake Photo




David Leake Photo




David Leake Photo



Couple of Kudos!

First " Way to go!" goes out to Wes S. for his firt ever landed Permit. Fought a little weather but managed this very respectable first from The Palometa Club. It's been a pretty awesome year, with a whole whack of anglers who came with us catching their first Permit. Nice fish Wes!

Second kudos to David Leake, from Tailwaters Travel, for this very nice specimen. David has recently completed his training in Advanced Fish Posing/Artsy Shot/Brazen Logo Positioning!

Well played Dave!

Every Day's a Bonus

Just a note for those who are wondering. The Bow is still completely and utterly fishable up to this post. Should hopefully see it stay that way for a few more days, looking at the mountain streams a lot bumped and have dropped with the cooler nights...

Therefore, get out there. We're heading into the period where any day could be the last before the big mud comes, and right now every day is a bonus!

Come stop by for current hatchs and bug recommendations, dry fly fishing has been pretty damn good.

Outdated, Old News, Tired Out, Retro Videos

From last year.... to get us all in the mood for cool things to come!

Customer Appreciation Day

The Country Pleasures 30th Anniversary Customer Appreciation Day

is next Saturday, June 2 here at the shop from 8 AM to 5 PM.

Everyone is welcome, customers new and old!

Come join us celebrate 30 years!

Door prizes from Sage, Maui Jim, Patagonia, Simms, Willow Park Village, and Fishbum will be drawn on the hour, every hour starting at 9 AM.

Storewide sale with 10% off everything in the shop!

Selected items from Patagonia, Sage, Simms, and C & F at 30% Off

Selected items from Scientific Anglers/Mastery, Simms, and Orvis at 50% Off

All rods will be available for test casting.

In addition, our Accuracy Casting Competition starting at noon with some fantastic prizes!

There are 3 divisions:

Open Category

 1st prize - Sage VXP 590-4 Fly Rod

2nd Prize - Sage 4550 Bronze Fly Reel

3rd Prize - Simms Deyoung Tarpon Water Bottle

 Womens Category

  1st Prize- Redington Deschutes Jacket

2nd prize - Simms Womens Flyaway Shirt

3rd Prize - Simms Deyoung Print Hat

 Pro Category

1st Prize - Patagonia Stealth Chest Pack

2nd Prize - Mastery Sharkskin Fly Line

3rd Prize - Simms G3 Guide Wallet

The pro category is for guides, shop employees, and anyone in the flyfishing industry. All guides and shop employees welcome to come and show your stuff! Women can enter the open category, pro or the women's category.

We hope you can drop by for this event! All of you made the last 30 years possible!

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest!

Saw the Bow in a couple of different ways last week......

Kev, Jason, and I spent most of Thursday on the river. The afternoon saw the emergence of March Browns and BWO's with enough fish chowing down on them to make it a pretty nice day! Biggest thing, the few boats we saw were doing their thing, catching the odd fish, having a good time, and not affecting anyones else's day.

Sunday, Maureen and I went out for the afternoon and saw a different river. Lots of Pontoon boats, drift boats, and jet boats. Now I know it's a long weekend and you say we got what we deserved but some of the things you see on the river now are mind blowing! There's not THAT many people on the river. I've seen more people on rivers in the U.S. with nowhere near the lack of consideration. I know there are

a ton of people who have new, or newer, boats that are just learning how to use them on the river but just a few (kind of common sense) practices will make for a better experience for all....

Summer Hours

After seven months of whining about cold, snow, and all of the icky parts of winter we're now open for summer hours. Until Thanksgiving, shop hours are as follows:

Monday-Friday: 8 AM to 6 PM
Saturdays: 8 AM to 5 PM
Sundays & Holidays: 8 AM to 4 PM

Let's hear it for green grass, flowers, leaves, bugs, rising fish, etc!

Nice Words From Lefty

The week after we were down at the Palometa Club in March,

Lefty Kreh made his first visit to The Palometa Club.

Here's his review for The Angling Report......

Lefty Kreh’s Trip Report for Angling Report

Hi Don,

Here are my comments about the Palometa Club in Punta Allen, Mexico. Feel free to edit my language I have always been a fisherman and not a writer. If you have any questions I’ll be home the next few days—gone on the weekend be back Monday and Tuesday.

I think my first trip was in the 1980’s to Pez Maya so far as I know was the only fishing lodge on the southern end of the Peninsula south of Tulum, Mexico. This was well before they built any bridge you cross when traveling from Cancun to Ascension Bay. I think a hurricane later destroyed the camp. Since then I have fished several times from that area south to Espiritu Santo Bay.

With several friends of mine we spent the first five days of March at Palometa Club Lodge at Punta Allen, a few miles from Ascension Bay where last year clients caught and released 150 permit. We came to catch permit on the fly.

Unfortunately the weather was poor to bad for four of our five days despite that seven permit were caught and as I write this 130 have been landed this season.

Owners Kaye and Dick Cameron run one of the finest fishing lodges I’ve stayed anywhere. It’s a no frills, clean, comfortable place where they make you feel like a good friend the day you arrive.

I have fished from pangas in the Sea of Cortez and other places around the planet and when told we would do so here I was a little dismayed at how pangas might work on the flats. Guides poled the 23 footers silently in a foot of water and when crossing open water in unfriendly seas I was delighted we weren’t in a flats skiff.

An outstanding feature of Palometa is each panga carries two guides who function as a well oiled team. One poles while the other stands beside the angler managing line and locating fish. When a permit is sighted if possible the angler and guide wade to it. This helps immeasurably to insure a hook up. It is the first time I’ve seen two guides working from the same boat and was impressed how much it assisted the angler.

Another asset to the operation is all the guides own their boats and motors. Over the years I have seen guides abuse boats and or motors simply because they were lodge owned. All of the boats at Palometa were surgery room clean, comfortable and the motors in top condition.

There is no question in my opinion if you want to catch a permit on the fly you stand a better chance here than any place I know.


- Lefty Kreh

Fishing Reports!

Bow River Report –May 15, 2012


The river is in great shape right now. The last couple of days have seen the caddis start to hatch in a big way and there are still BWO’s and March Browns around. We are currently enjoying some of the better pre-runoff dry fly fishing for a couple of years.

The water color is perfect for streamers right now with a little green and levels lend very well to floating line streamer fishing.

Nymphing is getting better. Over the next while the stonefly nymphs will become more active so the corresponding flies will work even better.

It’s pretty good out there right now! Remember the lawn and garden will always be there….rising fish, you never know! Go fishin’!


Hatches: Caddis, BWO’s, March Browns

Streamers: Pseudo Sculpin-Olive #4, Silvey’s Sculpin Leech-Black #4,
Darth Zonker-Black #2, Clouser Minnow-Black/White #2

Nymphs: Yeager’s Big Eye hares Ear #14, Bloom’s Tung Dart #14,
Jimmy Legs-Rusty Olive #6, Morrish’s WMD-Golden #8,
Hogan’s Rubber Stone-Golden #8

Dry Flies: Wilcox’s Low Rider-Olive #18, Quigley’s Film Critic-BWO #18,
EC Caddis #14, Price’s Periscope-March Brown #14

**Guide’s Picks In Bold

Crowsnest River Report – May 15, 2012


Reports from the Crow indicated a little clearing a few days ago. The levels has bumped up to 18 cms which won’t help. Best bet is to fish the higher stretches. Check the regulations before heading out as there are sectional closures.

Should see Salmonflies in the next week or two. The nymphs will be VERY active!

Hatches: Few Caddis

Streamers: Morrish Wooly Sculpin #4, Near Nuff Sculpin-Tan #4,
Geek Leech-Brown #2

Nymphs: Bloom’s Tung Dart #14, Tung Stud-Olive #16,
Jimmy Legs - Dk. Brown #8, Hogan’s Rubber Stone-Golden #8

Dries: Berrett’s Golden Stone #8, Hogan’s Plopper Stone-Golden #6

**Guide’s Picks In Bold

High Country River Report – May 15, 2012



High country streams are closed until June 16, 2012

North Country River Report – May 15, 2012

Had a few good reports from the streams north of Calgary. Stauffer sounds like it’s fishing tough but some of the others are pretty good.

Hatches:

Streamers: Morrish Wooly Sculpin #4, Near Nuff Sculpin-Tan #4,
Geek Leech-Brown #2

Nymphs: Tung Stud-Olive #16, Hogan’s Rubber Stone-Golden #8

Dries: Wilcox’s Low Rider-Olive #18, EC Caddis #14,
Price’s Periscope-March Brown #14

Back Again!

Just back from the Palometa Club (again!)...

Had a perfect weather week and had a great group of anglers!

Dick, Kaye, and all of the crew did a wonderful job of things!

A fair bunch of Permit were landed, with an inordinate number hooked and lost!

Special congrats to Ron K. and Art F. for their first ever Permit.

A Permit, Tarpon, Snook Grand Slam was landed on Sunday and there were Permit landed

every day. You would have a tough time saying that about any other Permit Lodge in the world.

Dick and Kaye are quickly approaching 200 permit landed this season. Some of you might remember

they hit the 500 all time mark last April. It doesn't look like it'll be long until 1000.

Fall 2012 and March-June 2013 Palometa Club trips are now scheduled. Check out the website, drop in, or give us a call to find out more!

Fishing Reports

Check our new River Report Chalk Boards hanging about the fly bins in store!

Bow River Report –May 9, 2012

The last few days have been beautiful, bringing out large numbers of anglers. The weather is supposed to turn on us towards the end of the week and then return to spring for the weekend.

Most of the dry fly fishing occurs later in the day, towards dusk. Midges have been decreasing in numbers but the first few caddis are coming out, keep an eye out as this hatch should start very, very soon.

Streamer fishing has been inconsistent but good at times. Nymphing has been improving likely due to consistent weather and conditions over the past few days.

BWO’s have been around for a bit now. On those cloudy days in the next bit will likely see them hatching in big numbers with maybe even some fish eating them.

Hatches: Midges, BWO’s, Skwalas, Caddis

Streamers: Gonga-Rust #2

                  Geek Leech Olive/Black #2

                  Near Nuff Sculpin

                   C/H R/L Bow River Bugger-Black  #4

Nymphs:  Yeager’s TB Soft Hackle-Hares Ear #14

                Jimmy Legs- Peacock #6

                Prince Nymph #16

                Copper John - Black #14

Dry Flies: CDC Griffiths Gnat #18

                 Wilcox’s Micro Midge  #20

                 Hippie Stomper-Black  #14

                 Etha Wing Dun - BWO  #18

**Guide’s Picks In Bold 

Crowsnest River Report – May 9, 2012

Visibility is at about 2 feet on the Crow but levels are up quite a bit.

Midges and BWO’s are kicking around.

Hatches:   Midges, BWO’s

Streamers:  Morrish Wooly Sculpin #4
                    Near Nuff Sculpin-Tan #4
                    Geek Leech-Brown #2
                  
Nymphs:    Bloom’s Tung Dart #14
                  Tung Stud-Olive #16
                  Hogan’s Good and Plenty-Olive #14
                  Jimmy Legs - Dk. Brown #8

Dries:        CDC Griffiths Gnat #20

                 Wilcox’s Micro Midge  #20

                 Etha Wing Dun - BWO #18

High Country River Report – May 9, 2012

High country streams are closed until June 16, 2012

Hatches:  

Streamers:   

Nymphs:

Dries:  

**Guide’s Picks In Bold

Palometa Update

Update from Mike and the gang down at the Palometa Club:

"Day 2 finished up with 2 permit landed, 1 yesterday. One of the permit today was combined to make a permit,snook, tarpon grand slam. Ron kapp got his first permit. Great for a nice guy!

Weathers very good so far. Just about lost John Bonin to tequila margaritas last night but we got that ship righted."

More to come, hopefully less snoozing Soice's and more fish shots...