River Observations May 19

Well it seems like we jumped from April straight to August. As I am sure many of you are experiencing it has been super smoky!

And the brewery has also picked up so we have been hard pressed to get to the river for more than a walk or to simply flip a few rocks let alone cast a rod.

But the water conditions seem to be shaping up pretty well for the time of year.

Water Conditions

The Crowsnest River gauge has been on a steady march downward all week and unless some rain pops into the forecast that is unlikely to change.

While I was out and about around the falls there were a lot of people enjoying the river and fishing.

If the current conditions hold into the beginning of June then we may get a rare alignment of decent river clarity and Salmonfly nymphs in the drift.

The Tailwater River Conditions

We haven't made it down to the tailwater recently.

But it looks like they are stepping the releases up and the river has made its way back into its normal range of flows and the reservoir is definitely filling up.

Let us know if you make it out there this weekend.

Bugs Observed

The next big hatch to occur will be Salmonflies.

Judging by the rocks that Adam and his boys flipped in the lower reaches of the Crow a person will likely begin seeing adults flipping around in the air during the next week or so.

Make sure to check stream-side rocks and bushes for the dried nymphal shucks.

When we see the shucks, it is a good cue that within a few days the adult female Salmonflies will be returning to the river to deposit their eggs.

This is when trout will start grabbing big bushy orange bodied dry flies like a Sofa Pillow or Orange Stimulator.

Until then though nymphing or dead drifting big heavy black flies is the most effective technique.

Add on a beadhead pheasant tail below and you're good to go.

Suggested Flies

Typically this time of year we will swing or dead drift wooly buggers in size 6.

This fly is a good imitation of a large Salmonfly nymph that has dislodged off of a rock and is in the drift.

The Wooly Bugger has a large presence in the water and can be heavily weighted in the body so that it can be seen and descend quickly through the murky violent currents of the spring.

Another major advantage of this fly is that it is easy to tie.

Typically this kind of fishing results in a lot of flies snagged on the bottom of the river.

This is a much less painful experience if you only spent 4 or 5 minutes at the vice per a fly.

Here is a good tying video.

We will typically use black or brown colours for this time of year to imitate the Salmonfly.

Also getting some weight in the pattern is important to get it down to the fish so you could add a bead head or wrap weight around the shank, which isn't shown in this video but I'm sure you can figure it out.

Fishing Tactics

If you are new to this type of fishing the Jensens have a pretty good video that shows how to rig and fish this setup.

Now if you aren't comfortable with casting two big flies you can always just fish one.

Also if you have a quiver of rods definitely choose the 6 weight so you have a bit more backbone to throw those big hooks around.

Thats all for this week!

If you are in the area stop by the taproom in Lundbreck and say hi to Adam. He will be the chief bottle washer stuck in the kitchen for the weekend!