nkuchmak

Hey guys, Thanks for the positive feedback following my trip report from the Elk river drainage. For those interested here are a few words to conclude our trip to the west and a few photo's as well. Following our journey to Fernie, we left Canada to venture down to Montana. When we chose to go west, BC was the focus but when I realized we had the time to fit in a side trip to Montana I felt this would complement our journey nicely as it was somewhere we had talked about visiting most of my adult life. It was a pleasurable 4 hour drive south through rolling hills, pastures, mountains and political billboards before we arrived in Missoula. We stayed in a cabin along Rock Creek - a very friendly river to the wading angler only about 40 mins outside of Missoula. The rustic cabin would be our home base for trips to other systems and for exploring the nearby area. We had arrived during the spruce moth hatch; a unique terrestrial insect that falls from the spruce trees while laying its eggs in the spruce tree and is beloved by the trout as a calorie rich meal. I began to notice them fluttering about only moments after arriving . I was early to bed that evening with the visions of trout rising to these moths circling in my head. We had a guided guy booked the following day to float the Big Blackfoot, a river name familiar to anyone who has ever held a fly rod due to its role in the movie " A River Runs Through It". This was the river that haunted Norman Mclean and for me definitely lived up to its expectation. The river was full of boulders the size of cars and our fishing techniques simply involved putting dry and dropper rigs along the countless seams created by these obstruction infront of the hungry trout that lay hidden beneath. The fish caught consisted mostly of rainbows and cutthroats which often interbred with the rainbows to form hybridized cuttbows. Montana no longer stocks trout in its waters; however, many years ago, similar to many Western watersheds, the Big Blackfoot saw the influx of non native rainbow and brown trout into the native bull trout and cutthroat trout waters. While the rainbow trout was the hollywood star in the film, absent from the movie was Mclean's fascination on the challenging nature of brown trout detailed in the book. In the novel Mclean hooks and looses a large brown trout only to have the fish bury his line in the tree all the while his brother Paul watched the scene unfold from the bank. Somewhat to my disappointment my guide explained there is not a large population in the upper Blackfoot but the ones that are there are often large although they prove to be very elusive. Our day was great and only got better as the spruce moth hatch picked up throughout mid morning due to rising air temperatures. We boated many cutthroats and rainbows on dry flies and were completely satisfied with our float in the beautiful scenery consisting of parched hills and scattered trees. The intensity dial turned up though when my dry fly dipped below the surface, indicating a fish had taken the sunken dropper below. Following the hook set it was one of those moments that we as fisherman dream of. Heavy weight and few serious head shakes which had my heart racing and I knew something was different this time. The guide seemed to recognize the situation almost instantaneously and his shift in calm collective mannerisms changed immediately to intense focus and calls of "let him go" and "this is a big fish". Luckily, the fish was hooked in a perfect location without obstruction and following a deep water tug of war later the fish was brought to the net. I don't think I even looked at the fish until I managed to peer over the side of the raft to see the golden flanks of the brown trout shimmering in the morning light. The guide lost it with excitement. This was the best brown he had guided a client to and his excitement was only matched by my own. A few quick pics and careful release sent this fish back to its home in the pool. The day was made already and the cutthroats and rainbows that followed were really just a bonus as I tried to simply enjoy the scenery and take in the fact that I was floating down a river I had dreamed about since I was a kid. While floating a swift section It came only as a matter of reflex as my blissful state was disrupted when my dry indicated another fish had taken the dropper. I set and the rod bent over harder than on any rainbow or cuttbow before. Drag peeled and almost exactly as before, I knew I was into another good one. This fish ran directly up the river this time and headed straight for the boulder s above as I called out "Ohhhh crap". The guide yelled to maintain pressure as I leaned as hard as I thought the tippet would hold. The fish took a dive into a unseen sunken tree as we hovered above it in the raft. I looked down into the clear water only to watch a trout even larger than the last weave my tippet in and out of the branches like a surgeon with images of the two foot bar of gold thrashing wildly until I felt the end of my line go still. I knew he was gone. I had to laugh as this was Norman's result although at least I could say I put a magnificent fish in the net earlier; however, it has been a month since and that fish is certainly haunting me. The remainder of our time in Montana was spent as a DIY operation and we explored Rock Creek on our own accord. I have been lucky enough to take a few guided trips in my life and while they are not cheap, I find them to be extremely rewarding, educational and the guides I have had the pleasure of fishing with are really some of the most hard working people out there. That said, as i become more and more confident in my angling abilities beyond my home waters, I have come to realize that fishing unguided has a greater feeling accomplishment that comes when one finds sucess. The flexibility to try your own techniques, methods and fly patterns is really what this sport is all about to me. Our time on Rock Creek was the perfect example of that. We had spent the previous few weeks fishing dry flies both in B.C. and in Montana and while this is my preferred method, I had come to realize that the dry fly fishing really didnt pick up until mid morning when the spruce moth's began to fall into the water. Our early mornings on Rock Creek saw me tight line nymphing the runs and pocket water and this method did not disappoint. Rock Creek is not famous for extremely large fish like others nearby systems but instead the population density of trout makes for some of the most enjoyable watersheds to fish in the area. Small mayfly nymphs were the ticket as I plucked a large number of fish out of both primary and secondary water. I found it beneficial to stay away from the very fast currents which often saw the rocky mountain whitefish grabbing the fly before any trout could get to it. While these were super exciting at first as they were a new species for me, soon they became a nuisance. My Dad however, stuck it out with the spruce moth and once the air warmed slightly his patience was rewarded. While I was busy putting bends in the rod upstream, the slower tailout sections began to see rising trout taking interest in the spruce moths. I moved back down after he put a few nice fish in the net and here we fished side by side to rising trout until the spruce moth fun ran out and the bugs returned to the trees and us to the cooler of beer back at the cabin. It was cycle we repeated. We returned to this water on our last evening, hoping to find a few more rising trout before having to make the long drive back to Calgary the next day. The fish again made an appearance; however, our moths and hoppers now being ignored. I went back to nymphing but yet again, Dad stuck with the dry fly. I put some nice trout in the net including a wonderful tiny bull trout, which is threatened but making a comeback in this region. As the sun began to set the last week of fishing hard was beginning to take its toll. The browns continued to rise and I opted to put my rod on the bank as my Dad attempted to stalk the weary rising trout with minimal success. I worked together with him as the caster and myself as the spotter as I cycled my favourite patterns for evening fishing. The fish were keyed in on none of the flies that we had found success with so far in our trip. The low casual rises indicated that they were likely taking something low in the surface film and after an hour of trying I had one of those eureka moments. "Give this tiny mayfly a try" I said as I tied on the tiny fly. The low profile, low light and his aging eyes meant that I would need to be honed in on his fly through the drift but it wasn't long before we knew we had it right. On the perfect cast to an actively rising fish, the fly disappeared in a sip indicating the fish had taken it. A few amazing leaps and we had the gorgeous brown in the net. The sun was behind the hills and with a few hrs left of light we knew It was one of those moments in sport that could not be improved on. We decided it was time to break down the rods and end the trip on that note. Thanks for reading. Nick @nickgoesfishing

Very envious that you lived near such an awesome place.

Aw thats too bad. It is such a great destination with lots of great fishing nearby.

I fished one of the lakes in Arrowhead and it had very good smallmouth fishing. The fish weren't huge but we caught tons in the 1-2lb range. It was a blast. We caught all of them on senkos. There is a canoe rental right at the lake we fished where can grab one for a few hours. I have also fished the big east and caught plenty of smallmouth and there are some brook trout spots. Definately worth fishing if you can locate access.

Hi all, Let me introduce (or reintroduce) myself. I was an old member of just about every Ontario fishing forum a long long time ago but have fallen away from the online fishing community and even fishing itself for some brief periods but this last year saw me diving head first back into this sport I love. I moved to the Hamilton area a year ago and have been looking for some sort of community outlet to talk fishing since my wife is starting to get frustrated hearing my "theories" of why the fish aren't biting. Hopefully this great forum will provide this fix and may help to save my marriage In the meantime, I figured I'd share a brief report with photos from a trip I took with my father this month. When he turned 60 last year he asked me to plan something that we could do together since he has growing concerns that soon I will have kids and forget to make time for fishing with him. Over the last few years we have fished together only on a semi annual basis and I thought this the perfect opportunity to spend some high quality time together. I almost exclusively fly fish and my father enjoys this style as well despite being a little rusty so we chose a destination that provide some guided fishing and some DIY fishing. We chose Fernie BC as our first destination and it truly did not disappoint. A few thoughts on the fishing in this region... Cutthroat trout are typically given a reputation of being non selective near suicidal surface feeders. This was actually not my experience as frequently I would cast to rising fish with the same pattern I had success on the day prior only to get refused. A few fly selection changes later would usually bring the fish around but to call these fish unselective is insulting to the trout. That said, they certainly were focused on the surface and if the hopper pattern or beetle pattern didn't get a rise, a small may fly or ant likely would. The cutthroats are quite large in this region. It was rare to catch tiny trout with the average cutthroat being around 12-16 inches and very thick due to the powerful currents of the systems in this area and prolific bug life. This is no place for your 6x tippet. Routinely we fished 3x and only went to 4x for smaller flies when needed. A note on the Bull trout. These fish are known as voracious predators and while that definitely is true, When I arrived at the end of July the fish I encountered were at the very beginning of their run upstream. First thing in the morning they would chase down large streamers and crush them with reckless abandon however as the sun crept in the sky the fish would shut down and become lethargic or "zone out". Despite being able to see large fish in the crystal clear pools I found the inactivity of the fish to be reminiscent of spring time great lakes steelhead and preferred to leave them be when they were clearly not active. Unfortunately, even in the mountains, many anglers find the temptation of these impressive fish too great and end up foul hooking them. Local guides informed that it is becoming an even larger problem of anglers targeting these fish later in the spawn when they turn colour and move up onto the reds. Sad to see this behaviour in such a pristine location. On a more positive note there is incredible backcountry fishing throughout this region and it was not hard to find some DIY locations if you had a 4x4 vehicle and a can of bear spray. While I enjoy guided fishing in new locations nothing really beats going exploring on your own and finding success at the end of the journey. I am already planning to head back in a year or two as I have only really scratched the surface of this amazing place. Lastly if you are fishing in BC the classified waters regulations are something very different that we have in Ontario. Some of the best rivers in this area only permit a certain number of non resident anglers per day and must be booked well in advance. Advance planning is needed and I'd suggest doing your homework if you want to fish these popular rivers and you are not a BC resident. To conclude we had an absolute blast fishing for 5 days in this part our beautiful country; however, we were not heading home just yet. After our time in Fernie we moved on to fish near Missoula, Montana. A bucket list destination for me and what I have always considered the epicentre for fly fishing (think A Runs Through It). I will put a post together sharing some of my experiences in that great state next. I have attached a few photographs below that I hope you will enjoy. I posted a heck of a lot more on my instagram if you'd like to see more i'm at @nickgoesfishing. Im always looking together to connect with others from the province so shoot me a message anytime. Anyway thanks for reading, Nick

I second hiring a guide. The learning curve will be decreased very rapidly and you will have a lot more confidence in your approach. The local fly shops are a great resource and there are some really great independent guides in this area too. In my opinion the best thing you can do if you interested in river fishing is to start with bass. Trout can be super snobby and picky and steelhead...well sometimes they just arent there. Since your in the Hamilton area the middle Grand is the PERFECT place to learn some basics. Theres good fishing from Brantford to Cambridge. Grab some basic wooly bugger flies and practice casting upstream. Let the fly sink to the bottom (use weight if needed) and experiment with slow and fast retrieves. You really cant go wrong! Have fun and welcome to one of the most pleasant ways to fish. Nick

Wow dude. incredible! I fished char in nunavut 10 years ago but Im dying to do it again they are such an awesome fish.

Wow great photos and a great family trip! Thanks for sharing.

Hi guys, Thank you for all the incredibly useful responses. I have been in touch with a few operators including Mike at Handlebarz. He seems like a great guy and Im currently working on finalizing the dates with him. Again thanks for the help! Nick

Hello all, One of my best fishing buddies is getting hitched this year and I have taken on the challenge of planning the bachelor party. The only guidance the unlucky fellow has provided is that it must involve fishing! Almost all of the men in attendance are serious fisherman and we are less interested in partying (during the day at least) and more interested in spending some quality time on the water. There is a total of 6-7 men and I thought it would be a great idea to book a charter on Lake St Clair to chase some muskies. A quick google search revealed a few charter options but it seems most of them are on the states side. I could use some help if anyone can recommend a charter company based on the Ontario side that may be able to accommodate us? Any recommendations are welcome. Thanks in advance,

thanks for the comments guys. Unfortunately gone are the days when fishing spots can be shared online without negative reprecussions. Algonquin is a massive place but splake are only stocked in selected lakes and stocking information exits out there. Im sure you can find some good spots without putting in the tears and sweat it takes to find something like say....the brookie hot spots. As far as lures go. We took a lot on the slash bait style raps, small spoons and worm harnesses/spinners. Most of the fish were tight to structure although a few were taken trolling off drop offs in about 20 feet of water. Glad you enjoyed the photos!

Sheepshead (freshwater drum)

Thanks for the comments guys. Im glad you enjoyed the report. NorthernPike56 - as far as general photo advice goes id say just keep shooting digital makes it easy to take hundreds of pics. Musky or Specks - what exactly is an F1 splake? are their different strains stocked into specific lakes? I was wondering this as most of the fish we were catching seemed to be closer looking to the specks.

I've mentioned in previous posts that my yearly backcountry/fishingtrip into Algonquin was not able to happen this spring which of course left much to be desired as fall seems quickly to be taking over. I was asked by both my Dad and my friends if we could get something going in the fall which we allcommitted to, however, most of us were not able to get away before trout seasonclosed on the 30th of September. This left only the thanksgiving weekend openand i picked up the phone and made some reservations. 20121006-DSC_0021 by nickkuchmak, on Flickr Just because the Lake Trout and Specks were busy doing their thing didn't mean we had to forgo the fishing either. Splake a hybrid of the two, are stocked in a number of lakes in the area and are unable to reproduce making them the perfect gamefish in the fall. Having never targeted splake before i wasn't sure what to expect however I figured they were pretty much the same as a lake trout in behavior so I packed accordingly. This assumption was definitely challenged over the next few days. 20121006-DSC_0003 by nickkuchmak, on Flickr We made it to our lake of choice after some portaging and thats when the weather went from bad to worse with rain falling from above just a few minutes after we got our tents up. Some tea was boiled and our group sat under the tarp waiting for the system to pass overhead. We hadn't been at our site longer than 20 minutes when a heavy antlered moose was spotted high tailing it across the lake in search of a female I'm sure. Since the camera was still packed away I was unable to manage any photos but the image of the big bull appearing out of the rain was certainly a great way to start the trip. 20121008-DSC_0418 by nickkuchmak, on Flickr After an hour or so there was a slight lull in the weather and while the other 3 didn't seem to share my enthusiasm, i was out solo in the canoe fishing in front of our site. I was worried that the cold front that had just occurred would have shut the fish down but it was only a few minutes later that i was into my first fish. A short tussle and the fish was in the boat meanwhile i noticed the rest of our group was scrambling on the shoreline trying to get rods rigged up. The fish was a plump 18 inches and it was bit busted up so it was decided we would have this first fish for dinner that evening. 20121006-DSC_0054 by nickkuchmak, on Flickr That evening I landed 3 more fish around the same size and our other canoe managed a few small ones with a big one lost boat side. As the sun dipped down, it was clear seasons were changing with temps around zero, sleeping was relatively uncomftorable for those of us without thermal sleeping bags. 20121008-DSC_0385 by nickkuchmak, on Flickr The following day we lucked out with clear skies and no wind allowing us to explore a lot more of the lake and fine tune our techniques. I managed to pick up a few small fish on a bottom bouncer rig with a spinner while my Dad in the front of the canoe managed more and larger fish fishing tight to the wood on the shoreline with minnow baits. It seems that the splake follow their brook trout genes and take to the shoreline cover in a similar way. What left me more awestruck was the aggressiveness of these fish. Despite a drop in temperature over the last few days, these fish would often strike multiple times if they missed the bait usually hooking themselves right beside the boat as they chased the lure down. 20121008-DSC_0367 by nickkuchmak, on Flickr The highlight was on sunday evening, just before we were about to head infor dinner my Dad proclaimed he had a good one on. This being a smaller size lake i wasn't sure of how big the fish could get but we knew it was a little heavier when his line began to head for deeper water. The first view we had of this fish our mouths just about hit the floor with the spectacular colour on this fish. I have long had a fascination with the char species and got the opportunity to catch chrome bright arctic char in Nunavut a few years ago but never have i seen anything like the colours on this male splake. The fish measured 23inches and looks almost like someone mounted a lakers head on a brookies body.Of course this fish was released. 20121007-DSC_0346 by nickkuchmak, on Flickr The following day we broke down camp in the morning and managed a few more hours of fishing and of course a few more splake on the way out. Having never had much interest in fishing for them before and despite the smorgasbord of weather including rain,snow,sleet, and sunshine, it was a great long weekend.

yup...leaving in a few hours!