First Time Tarpon

Curtis Bartlett went saltwater fly fishing for the first time this past May.
Below are a couple of phots of his very first Tarpon.

Not a bad start!

The grimace on his face in the photo on the right is not from lifting the Tarpon, it is actually the sudden realization that any plans for "partial retirement" have now been completely messed up by a new, addictive habit. Seems the blame has fallen completely on me and Curtis is not speaking to me...until it's time to go again!

Stephen Doolan......Way to go!!

Not to be outdone by his skiff partner, Steve caught his first ever Permit within a half hour of Greg's.

A few hours later he also had his first Grand Slam. Awesome!

By the way Steve, the Pool dunking is standard procedure for a first Permit! Ask anybody.

Greg Moffat gets a Permit

Another congratulations from all of us at CP goes to Greg Moffat for his first ever Permit and Grand Slam at the end of May.

Mike Schaalje's First Permit

The week of May 15-22 saw Mike Schaalje catch his first Permit, at Cayo Largo, Cuba.

In addition, he caught a Grand Slam that day as well!

Pretty cool for his second time Permit fishing. He actually hooked a Permit on his first trip but "Murphy" stepped in and broke it off.

Conratulations from everyone at CP.

Congrats to Dave Pryce

Just a quick "way to go!" for Dave Pryce, for his first ever Grand Slam,
from all of us at CP.

The Permit, Bonefish, and Tarpon were caught May 24 at Cayo Largo, Cuba.

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Floatant 'Techniques'

A common question we see in the shop, is what floatant we choose and why. So here's our typical floatant assortment that we use throughout the day while fishing.

Loon Aquel:

Our favourite silicon based floatant is Loon Outdoor's Aquel. Not only does it seem to float flies better then other liquid floatants, it also doesn't become an unusable liquid on 30+ degree days.

Squirt some onto your fingers, and rub until the floatant liquifies. Then apply to your fly and leader to start the day. Throughout the day apply to your fly and then use Top Ride for the most efficient float.

Do NOT use on flies that contain CDC, as you'll goop the CDC and not have a very useful fly.


Loon Top Ride:
You'll commonly hear this referred to as 'Shake and Bake'. Probably the most useful floatant we've found, this product contains a power floatant, as well as desiccant to pull to moisture from your bug. Place your fly into the contain while on the leader, close the lid and shake. Pull the fly out and blow off any remaining powder. Your fly should be good to go. This is the preferred method for CDC flies after they've been chewed on.



Using these two products in unison really does make a difference. After your fly has started to sink a bit, dry it off as best you can, apply aquel and then dip it in the 'shake'. You'll be set for your next rising fish!

ps. Probably one of the leading problems with flies and leaders not floating, is a sinking fly line. Be sure to care for your fly lines, and if the line is cracking, it's probably time to get yourself a new one!

Good fishing!

Clean your gear!

Anglers,
It's time to get serious, we all love fishing and we love traveling to fly fish but with the discovery of Didymo (also called rock snot, that toilet paper looking goo infecting many of our rivers including the Bow River) in Chile's Patagonia region we need to start paying more attention.
http://www.santiagotimes.cl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18963:invasive-algae-species-discovered-in-chiles-patagonia-region-&catid=44:environmental&Itemid=40

If you don't know how to properly clean your gear, check it out: http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/pests/didymo/cleaning-specific#felt

Keep in mind, you don't have to travel to New Zealand, Alaska or Patagonia to transfer invasive species, it could be as simple as transferring something from the Oldman River (vast amounts of Didymo below the Dam) to the Crowsnest River or another unaffected watershed.

Protect our rivers, they are our future.

Bow River- June3

Bonefishing at Cayo Largo

Video of a group of Bonefish coming across the sand at Largo.

Caitlin fishing with a really bad guide (her dad).

The dark mass coming across the sand are all Bonefish.

Bonefishing at Cayo Largo from Mike Gifford on Vimeo.

Fishing Reports June 2

Bow River Report –June 2, 2010

Well, the winter weather seems to have finally left us. The river came up with the rain and snow last week but is still not that high. Visibility remains at around 2 feet.

With the push of colored water now is a good time for the larger nymphs like Stones and Worms.

Streamer fishing should get hotter as the water temperatures come up with warmer weather.

There are still lots of Caddis around with rising fish as well as fish eating larger caddis fished blind.

Remember to get your Angling License online at www.albertarelm.com
Takes about 2 minutes.

Hatches: Caddis

Streamers: ¼ Pound Bugger, Geek Leech, Marabou Clouser, Party Boy, Witch Doctor

Nymphs: B/H Wire Worm, Conestone, Tung Stud, Tungsten Soft Hackle, TB Super Pupa, Conestone, WMD Golden Stone.

Dry Flies: Bloom`s CDC Caddis, Bloom`s Parachute Caddis, Slackwater caddis Parachute Adams

Crowsnest River Report – June 2, 2010

Runoff has gotten started at the Crow with last week’s rain and snow. River levels should stabilize with the drier weather coming.

This is normally a good time to do well on large nymphs and dry flies.

Hatches: Stonefiles, March Browns, BWO

Streamers: Brunette Leech, Chamois Leech.

Nymphs: Pheasant-Tail, Hare's Ear, Copper John, Tung Stud, and San Juan Worm

Dries: Berrett’s Barred Leg Stone, Neversink Caddis, Film Critic-BWO

High Country River Report – June 2, 2010

All of the High Country Streams are now closed until June 16, 2010. Check your regulations as to exact openings. ALMOST THERE!!!!