I went fishing on the Crowsnest River today. First time out in a while. When I went into my garage this morning to collect some of my gear, I noticed there were cobwebs on my wading boots. That’s not a good sign. I’ve never seen this before. I guess it had been longer than I thought since I was able to wet a line. I laughed to myself, then brushed off the cobwebs and headed to the river.
The Crow is in great shape. Water levels are higher, compared to this time last year. It’s good to see this. The river is still flowing from bank to bank in places. I was able to cross the river in quite a few spots but had to be careful.
I couldn’t have asked for a better day to be on the water. It was sunny and warm. There was barely any wind the entire day. That doesn’t happen very often in the Crowsnest Pass. But best of all, I didn’t see another angler all day. That doesn’t happen very often, either, especially this time of the year.
The fishing was steady from the start. I had good success using a dry fly with a small bead-head nymph dropper. It was about a 50/50 split between fish taking dries and nymphs.
Caddisflies were fluttering along the banks in the morning and by early afternoon a few adult Yellow Sally and golden stoneflies could be seen flying over the water. There was not much of a hatch to speak of today, at least where I was fishing. I’m sure the bugs appeared this evening.
About half the trout I caught were rainbows, the other half were browns. The fish are fat and healthy-looking. They are eating well.
I had an enjoyable time on the Crow today and managed to catch some trout. I also missed my share of fish today, too, but that’s what happens when you find cobwebs on your wading boots.
8 Comments
Geez! My knee is 3 months old, my back is trashed, and I’ve been out twice. How does this happen Vic? Cobwebs? I remember when we vowed to catch rainbows in the Crow every month for a year and then spread that out to 24 months. That was young and this is now. You’ve still got in it ya young fella! Great to see healthy flows this year and happy to hear you treated yourself. Cheers!
Hi Bob,
I guess we’re not spring chickens anymore. With your new knee, I will not be able to keep up with you. I hope to treat myself a few more times before the snow flies. Still lots of time before that happens. Thanks for commenting. Talk to you soon!
Great story and pics. I’m planning a trip to the Crowsnest in a few weeks, maybe I’ll run into you on the river!
Hi Steven,
I’m glad you enjoyed the post and photos. You just might see me on the river when you come. Thanks for commenting!
Thanks for the post and pictures. Great to hear that the river is doing well.
– Nick
Hi Nick,
The cool, wet spring helped to keep water levels up on the Crow and other streams in SW Alberta. August can be warm, so hopefully we’ll get some more rain in the coming weeks. Glad you liked the photos. Thanks for dropping in!
Vic: A bit of Merlin’s magic in the mid day sun! With your angling prowess ever consider getting into the Fly Fishing business?… Great trout. Don’t let the cobwebs return…keep those boots wet.
Bob.
Hi Bob,
There was a time when my boots were always wet when I put them on. I don’t know if I’m cut out for the fly-fishing business. Anyway, I’m too old to start now. Had a good day on the river. I saw you driving by just after 9:00 am. I was going to follow you but you were going too fast!