Clearwater Adventures Fly Fishing

August 2 - August 5, 2007

I spent these four days as one of seven or eight guides for the first of two Royal Canadian Pacific Fly Fishing Adventures planned for this summer. I had the pleasure of spending the time guiding Norman, who was on a fishing vacation with his wife and several friends. Our first day, on the Bow River was like several days we've had lately; hot and slow, with the addition of very strong winds for much of the drift. Only two rainbows were landed.

The initial plan was to spend the second day fishing in the Crownest Pass area but due to the extreme fire hazard and low water conditions along several of the rivers and streams in southwest Alberta, it was decided that all three remaining days would be spent on the Elk River near and in Fernie, BC. Our third day on the Elk was a fantastic one fly day. Apart from a short slow down following lunch, Norman had constant hits on a foam chernobyl pattern. A lot of fish were landed and it was a great way to end a very enjoyable four days. If you enjoy fishing for cutthroat trout in a spectacular setting, the Elk is a river you will want to check out. Guided trips on the Elk and it's tributaries can be arranged through Dave Brown Outfitters.

On a side note, I stopped Thursday evening on the way to Fernie and checked out a section of the Oldman River that I fish regularly during the summer and was amazed at how low the water was. I fished a couple of holes that are usually fairly productive and never a hit. Hopefully we'll get some rain and get the levels back up. On the way home Sunday night, I stopped to fish the Crowsnest River for an hour. Water levels are low but the river still looked like it was in decent shape. I missed a couple of nice fish and landed a rainbow and a cutthroat trout that were in the 14 inch range.

Filed under: Recent Trips on August 9th, 2007