ccmtcanada

Mike..it's been a great summer! We are still here in Alberta...just outside of Red Deer. Today we go to the West Edmonton Mall to visit the indoor waterpark and amusement park...and the new Cabelas that just opened up! When I was 10, my family drove from Vancouver back to Ontario...the memories are still fresh from when I was a kid! As great as some of the pictures turned out, the pale in comparison to seeing them. You feel so "small" when you are in that setting...and visually overwhelmed! That's what she kept on saying..."WOW!!". And of course I had to look at everything she was seeing..."DADDY LOOK!!!!" The blue water is incredible to see. We asked the park official if it was ok to fill a water bottle up with the runoff from the glacier and she said it was fine. It's amazing how clear and clean the water is...and cold!

Before I left for Alberta, I did a bit of research on fishing guides in the area and I found Keith Rae. His charter company, Get Hooked Fishing Adventures, has catered to Bob and Mariko Izumi, Dave Mercer and the Dixie Chicks. I called him up not thinking he'd have any openings, but to my surprise he was available while I was here! My brother and I were on the road by 6am, and we saw this incredible sunrise. Love the mist in the field here... We met Keith at a gas station at 8am near the lake and hopped into his truck for the remainder of the trip. I was impressed with the fact that when he started guiding in Alberta, there were no regulations or certification for guiding and he set out to do something about it. Here's an excerpt from a press release. "After completing a certification course that is offered through Emerit and the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council and passing the required standards as well as through evaluation and written exam Keith now becomes Alberta's first and only certified freshwater angling guide." He told us today that his other guides are all now certified. Anyhow, as he was launching the boat, I noticed the engine looked very different! It was a jet propelled outboard...I had never seen one before. We headed off to a "magic depth" where he says not a lot of people know to fish. On the shore, there were lots of reeds and weeds that I would have concentrated on. Although they hold fish, he said that's not where the numbers and size necessarily are. We used storm swim baits exclusively. I was a bit nervous about losing fish since Alberta is a barbless fishery...and to top it off, he uses only single hooks on all his outings. He explained that I had to lose the impulse to set the hook straight up...and that a side hookset is the best. When fighting fish, keep the rod low the entire time...and I have to tell you...he was absolutely right! In 4 hours, we boated 28 pike! We lost a bunch of fish too. Easily the best day I have ever had on the water for toothy critters. I will let the pictures tell the story from here! Steve with a nice one! Steve fighting one... We released most by the boat...so the fish had the best chance at swimming away healthy. By the end of the half day I had learned a lot about pike fishing and will break out the storm swim baits I've had in my tackle box for ages without ever being used! Here is Keith and I at the end of the outing. The next time I'm out here, I will be hiring him again...likely for a day on the North Saskatchewan River!

I had planned this trip to Alberta to see my brother for quite a while now. I hadn't been into the Rocky Mountains since I was a kid...the same age as Sydney is now. I never forgot how absolutely amazing it all was. Anyhow, I will let the pictures tell the story. I'm hoping the memories I've held since I was a kid are kept within my little one for years to come. This is only a fraction of the pictures I have taken! Driving from Calgary towards Banff A few from the top of Sulphur Mountain, Banff. A few from Johnston's Canyon Lake Louise...we rented a canoe and paddled out there... Athabasca Glacier (Columbia Icefields) Syd and I standing on the glacier Maligne Canyon <embed width="600" height="361" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullscreen="true" allowNetworking="all" wmode="transparent" src="http://static.photobucket.com/player.swf" flashvars="file=http%3A%2F%2Fvid120.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fo185%2Fccmtcanada%2F2011%2520Alberta%2FVID-20110807-00006.mp4"> Animals we came across... Grizzly Bear A tagged Elk Ground Squirrel Mountain Sheep Some random shots... Oh, I did get out fishing too...report coming!

Happy birthday!

You worked hard to find your spot and it sure paid off! An excellent write up...great report!

I was like you when I was younger. Worms it was...just worms and sometimes minnows. I had a few artificial lures and never caught anything on them. Once I learned how to use them, I am pretty much 100 atrificials now. The only time I use worms is when panfishing with my daughter...or if I already have them I may tip a jig with one fishing for walleye. Truth be known, I'm lazy...and live bait is too much work lol.

If I had to put together a quick multi species tackle box, I'd have the following in there for sure.... - red devil and 5 of diamonds spoons - some natural looking rapalas in a few different sizes...try jointed ones as well. - a few husky jerks - mepps spinners. - some basic jig heads in various weights...with some twister tail grubs. - large bass hooks...with some senkos. (Natural brown and pink works great for me) - the stuff above has caught me lots of pike, walleye and bass...and the odd accidental muskie. - terminal tackle can be cheap on ebay...hooks for panfish, weights, snap swivels, floats. Oh yeah...you can get good deals on tackle boxes on ebay as well. I have bought more than a few things off ebay and have never had a bad experience...just check their ratings and go with your gut when it comes to sellers. Hopefully others will chime in too...I'm not by any means an experienced angler like a lot of others on the board! Good luck and good fishing!

Great fish Beans!! Let's just call it a new PB! Congrats!

Thanks guys for the replies! And Victor...I haven't fished for carp at all this year! Maybe I should try that for a change of pace again!

I knew you were holding out on all the good spots when we show up Bernie! Great catching! You did really well by the looks of things in those pictures!

Nice work from pounding the shorelines and from the boat! All I can say about the Bowfin accident is "OUCH!!!". Good on him getting back on the water though!!! LOL. Great pics...thanks for posting!

LOL...great report!

Fishnsled and I hit the waters again this past Sunday. The weather was perfect...even though they were calling for rain and thunder. On the drive up, I checked the radar and it looked like we were in for a soaking around 9am. The clouds were getting thicker and darker as we approached the launch. We launched around 7am...clouds above and almost hoped for a storm...maybe the fishing would turn on as it approached. About a half hour in, with Fishnsled and I going for bass, I spied some waters that looked great for muskie, so I tossed a few bigger lures in the water. Suddenly I felt the hit! Set the hook and I tell him that I have a nice sized fish on! It took off straight away from the boat...my drag screaming...and then....nothing. DAMN! Didn't even get a chance to see it.... We got a phone call from home around 9am...saying that horrendous thunderstorms were moving through. We looked up in the sky and the clouds were breaking. A quick check at the radar again and it seems the storms weakened where we were and went south of the lake. The sun soon came out and it was blistering hot! We didn't catch a lot of fish, but we caught a few... Will said "take a look at how fat this looks!!!" He walked right into it...of course I said "What? You or the fish????" The weather cooperated and although it got hot in the afternoon, and the deerflies were horrendous it was still a great day on the water. Wont be long before we start searching for those fall muskies! I'm leaving for the Edmonton area on Thursday for a week...fishing charter for huge pike is set up...hope to have a nice report upon my return!

Beauty fish! I've never caught brookies before...gotta get out for them some time soon!

Whoa!!! Incredible fish and a great spring and summer I'd say! All around angler!!

If you have a car or truck, I'd do what mercman suggested.

I'm not an expert here, but a quick google search came up with this... "Yes, it is possible, but to a very limited extent. The reason for this is that in order for a rechargable battery to charge there must be electrical current flowing through it. The greater the difference between the volatages of the two batteries, the greater the flow rate. With one fully charged battery and one dead battery, if connected with the polarity correct, then there will be some current flow, and thus a little bit of charge on the dead battery. Again, the charge gained by the dead battery will be very small. Generally, normal vehicle alternator output voltage is from 12 1/2 volts [minimum] to 15 or 16 volts, which results in a relatively rapid charging rate." What about attaching an inverter to your starting battery and using the deep cycle charger you have, plug it into the inverter and charging that way? I'm not sure if that will drain your starting battery quickly...don't have specs of usage on inverters handy...

Lots of memories there for me too. I heard about it yesterday...very sad to hear this and see the pics. I still called the restaurant June's...always have. The marina shocked me when I saw it...this doesn't compare. I'm glad no one was hurt, and I hope they rebuild.

Congrats! What a monster!!

Fantastic report!! Little Averie is quite the angler already...and I know the feeling well at getting shown up by your own daughter lol. Keep up the great work Dad...you make memories with each outing with your kids!

Wow Mike!!!!!! This may be my favourite report of the year! Your kids are growing fast...Riley has changed a lot since I saw her last. Great to see them both having such a great time. Say hi to your dad from me too!

Great picture! How long ago was that?

Very interesting about keeping it still in shallow water! Will try that for sure. Like I said, I just read what was on the package lol.

Well done and happy belated birthday!

The suicks I bought have a picture on the back of the package that shows how to use it. I cast it out there, and with long backward motions, pull it forward. This causes it to dive. When you pause the lure starts to rise. I try and reel and keep the line as taut as possible as I swing the rod back to the front and I repeat. A few I have caught have hit it on the pause, so it's important there isn't too much slack in the line. I've had muskie take it from behind as well as torpedo it from the side. I cant figure out how to make it dive deep, so I generally use it in under 10 feet of water. I have trolled with it as well with the same motions, but haven't had luck that way yet. I'm sure there are other ways to use it...maybe others can chime in here...