For Summer Travels....

Full selection of Backroad Mapbooks now in stock.

HATCH

A few shipments have arived from Hatch reels.

We have Finatics from 1Plus all the way to 11plus in stock!

Charity Work!

So, we're off the The Palometa club on Wednesday for the first annual PC Permit Tournament to benefit the BTT and, most important for us, Punta Allen School.

Last year, with the new President in Mexico, they instituted a new program where the Mexican Government would match funds raised by parties to benefit educational institutions. So, in this case, the school in Punta Allen gets some much needed financial assistance.

Looking forward to hearing the boys from Howler Brothers play for us. For those who aren't aware, they make up the band Wrinkle Neck Mules. Check 'em out on iTunes.

We'll try and keep you udated on the shenanigans as the week goes by.

For those who have spent time in Punta Allen, and wish to help out, donations for the shool are greatly appreciated.
Give us a call at the shop and we can take care of it.

Congratulations!

Our congrats go out to Ashley Brown for winning the Orvis Helios 2 906-4 Tip Flex rod at our Customer Apppreciation Day!

Hope you enjoy it Ashley!

New from Orvis!

A new slant on an old favourite!

Simplistic design and flawless construction make this the perfect click-and-pawl fly reel for nearly any freshwater fishing situation. A minimalist's dream, the all-new Battenkill features a classically styled, yet technically enhanced, four-position click-and-pawl drag system that is adjusted internally and is designed to work in tandem with the palm of your hand on those sizzling, screaming runs. Constructed with a narrow spool for less line stacking on retrieve and a larger spool diameter for higher line retrieval rates. The ultra-lightweight fly reel design balances perfectly on shorter rods. Machined from heavy-duty bar-stock aluminium for added durability. Easily adjustable left- or right-hand retrieve. Highlighted by laser-engraved logos. In black nickel
Battenkill III $112 CDN  Now in Stock!

Fishing Report-May 7

Bow River Report –May 7, 2013

 

After a grueling stint of sucky weather you might have noticed summer has arrived for the time being. Warm temperatures are forecast through the weekend as well.

There are some rising fish to be found out there, you just need to look for them a little bit. Fish up on BWO’s, but there are some Stones and Caddis kicking around as well. Likely another week to ten days before the Caddis thing ramps up.

Our first rainy day should bring some good BWO and March Brown fishing. As long as we don’t get what has become annual monsoons all will be well.

Fishing reports have been varied, but for the most part good. Those looking for snouts in the right types of water have been rewarded. Nymphing continues to produce and streamer fishing has gotten a little more productive. As water temperatures rise the streamer fishing should get better.

The Highwood, Sheep, and Fish Creek all came up a little yesterday and the Sheep and Highwood got quite dirty. This will be low level melt and shouldn’t do much. Even with this warm weather, we are still about 3 weeks away from the real runoff.

Hatches: Midges, Baetis, March Browns, Stones, Caddis

Streamers: C/H R/L Bugger-Black, Geek Leech, Marabou Clouser

Nymphs: Tung Stud, Peacock Water Boatman, Tung Dart, R/L Hares Ear

Dry Flies: Wilcox Low Rider, Film Critic-BWO, Skwaller Stone, March Brown Parachute

Country Pleasures Spring Steelhead Trip

Well, we're back from our Spring Steelhead trip. Everyone had a great trip judging by all of the babbling, giggling, etc.

Had a great week all the way around. Weather was perfect, had a bump of water when we arrived with slowly dropping water as the week progressed and more than enough bright, hot fish! And even better, spent a bunch of time fishing super close to the ocean!

Jeff Cooper with a 38 x 19 buck!

Best part of the week was watching Scott and Jeff C., on their very first Steelhead trip. They caught a bunch of Steelhead, essentially kicking butt. I would hazard a guess that they are forever messed up!

A big thanks go out to Chad, Dustin, Sky, Jeff, and Scott, who took care of us every day. Also a huge cheer to Jezz and Pip, who operate Pioneer Lodge. Can't say enough about how comfortable they kept us and how well they fed us.

Mother's Day!

Don't know what you're getting your Mom......but you might want these for your favorite Brown Trout!

CDC Elk Hair Caddis

Got More Permit Munchies In!

Black Fly Lodge Report

We just returned from our inaugural trip to Black Fly Lodge, Abaco, Bahamas on April 13. Some of you may have seen our review/report from our scouting trip last year in which we spoke very highly of Black Fly. However, it's always a better test when we have clients along to judge a lodge and fishery.

Black Fly Lodge

Vaughn and Jean Cochran, Clint Kemp, and Dave Byler (the owners of Black Fly Lodge) set out to do something different and special at Black Fly and have, without question, succeeded. The foundation of their operation lies in a very special fishery. A truly world class bonefishery exists here with Bonefish as big as you'll find anywhere. In addition, they have a very viable Permit fishery that not a lot of people talk much about, with some very large Permit. Add to this some Tarpon, a good bunch of tailing Mutton Snapper, and a massive amount of available real estate that they fish and you have something pretty unique.

Clint Kemp...he who keeps everything running smoothly.

Last year I stayed in their temporary lodge, which was great, but this year we stayed in the newly opened lodge. WOW! This place is truly amazing. Indicative of the classic sporting lodges of days gone by, you can almost picture Hemingway wandering the halls. A wonderful staff, managed by Clint Kemp, finishes everything off with a level of service you don't find just anywhere. The meals (even the skiff lunches) are simply amazing. Head Chef, Devon, is very talented with the rest of the staff (Samantha and Elizabeth) make sure your stay is as close to perfect as possible.
All ten in the group raved every night about the wonderful dinners and it's one of the only trips I have been on where I gained a few pounds.

The view from your room.

Full stocked pro shop. 

Dinner time.

An impressively stocked bar.

The specially designed East Cape skiffs turned out very well. Not only are they the most comfortable and dry skiff I have ever run in, they are awesome to fish from. They run very skinny, meaning we can fish pretty much anything we want, and they can pull away from a dead stop in very little water. The deck is a dream. Very clean with nothing to catch fly lines and BIG! Anglers also have the option of a clear deck, a combination brace/folding seat, or a raised standing platform. Fly line tamer buckets are one every skiff (which, as it turns out, I quite like, unlike the brace thingy). Clients do like the brace/seat option. Skiffs are kept in immaculate condition with a maintenance regime and cleaning performed every night.

Black Fly East Cape Skiffs

The guides, Paul, Derreck, Nick, Kirk are top-notch. These guys are as good as it gets! They are very dialed in, personable, professional, the whole package. Every single angler in our group loved them. They aren't just Bonefish guides either. They know their Permit fishery, the Tarpon, Mutton Snapper, etc. I would fish with any of these four, any day, any time...period. They rock!

Heading out in the morning.

We had non-anglers in our party and Black Fly was perfect for them. They had stuff to do every day, touring all over the place, and had a great time. This is one of the very few fishing lodges where you can safely take a non-fishing companion.

Clint is quickly developing a working knowledge of the bluewater fishery as well, so non-anglers can go give that a try on conventional tackle and those who are anglers can give Dorado, Tuna, Sailfish, etc. a try on the fly. The have a 32 foot Yellowfin for this application which is a very nice setup.

Just in case you want to go bluewater.

32 foot Yellowfin.

Well, we could go on and on, but to sum things up....Black Fly is a top notch operation! And will we go back? Without question!