Just returned from 4 weeks of road travel checking out 5 fishing zones. Zone 1: Bow River, 25 km south of Calgary. I swear the trout were as big as steelhead. Most exciting moment? The monster swam two feet in front of me, rolled to its side, looked me right in the eye and stuck his tongue out at me. Folks were using 0x leader. For a Bow neophyte, I was happy with 4x and c&r of 3-4 lbs babies. Zone 2: Crimson Lake. Rocky Mountain House. "Duuhhhh...the lake is dead, you fools!" Next time I'm going to phone Alberta Parks to double check accuracy of their reviews. Zone 3: Trout Pond/William Switzer Park/Hinton: This tiny pond holds trout between 2 to 8 lbs. Green Spratley/Caddis Fly worked well. Tried chirominids but could not hold the canoe steady in the wind despite the anchor system. Zone 4: Lac La Jeune/McConnell Lake. Four glorious days on the smaller lake. One day clearing line from the prop on the bigger pond. Beautiful trout on caddis hatch. Mighty winds nearly blew my 20lb We-No-Nah back to Kamloops. Zone 5: Clearwater River/Wells Gray. Heaven! Nice fat, healthy, clear-eyed wild trout. Enough heart to make c&r a challenge. Folks were using a modified Tom Thumb on nearly continuous caddis hatch. Truly lovely days and only a few fried eggs from the Alta oil patch. Jacqueline
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