Gearing Up For the Spring Season
It’s that time again folks, a time where anticipation runs high and hooks are plentiful. Over the winter I have been socking away lots of fishing tackle gearing up for the 2009 fishing season. My tackle box, which is actually a back pack, is overflowing and bursting at every seam. Let’s hope the fish are hungry and looking to eat my new gear. The season the Bow River run off is late, usually by the middle of May the water is stained and sometimes un-fishable. It looks like we will see run off start in the first weeks of June. While the water is dirty and high in the Bow River system I switch my fishing to lakes loaded with Walleye and big Pike.
I was out yesterday to one my old favourite places to fish for Walleye, Crawling Valley Reservoir. It’s only an hour away and I can usually manage to catch plenty of fish. I arrived and there were a few people fishing. I asked how their day was going and one guy stated it was slow, six hours and no fish landed. He told me that on the other side of the reservoir they had hooked and landed six fish. They were using minnows for bait which is what I bring with me when I fish there. I decided that I needed to use a lure and not go with live bait as they were not catching any fish with this method.
I rummaged through my ongoing supply of tackle and picked out something new just out this year, and new to me as I have not had a chance to fish it yet. It’s called the Clackin Rap made by Rapala. I purchased this lure in to different colors, the SB or Silver Blue and the YP or Yellow Perch. I tied up the blue and heaved it out into the reservoir. I have watched the videos on Rapalas website as to how to fish this lure. My technique was to let the lure hit the bottom, peel the lure of the bottom and let it drop again then retrieve at a medium speed. It worked on just my fifth cast, a two foot pike was hooked up and coming in to shore. I removed the hooks and released him. Several more casts later and again another Pike was onboard the Clackin Rap. “Ok this lure is good” I said out loud to the other two guys that were there before I. Then it all went quiet and no fish were biting.
Thinking back to the past years I have fished here I could not help but wonder why the fishing was so slow. I remember dropping my minnows down to the bottom and as they were sinking I would have a fish biting them. Sometimes I would hook two fish on one cast, one fish on the bottom minnow and one fish on the top minnow. It was not uncommon to have to send someone into Bassano to fetch more minnows after going through two tubs in two hours. They were Walleye of all sizes, and great sized Pike to keep you busy when the Walleye stopped feeding for an hour. This was once an awesome fishery but poaching and major fishing pressure has reduced this body of water to what I would now consider mediocre at best. I know you will write and comment about this statement but this is just my perspective. If you own a boat you will say that you catch fish all day long, everyday. I fish here from shore and don’t use a boat so I am limited in where I can fish.
The good news is I can always go somewhere else where I have never fished before and try a new spot. There are many great fishing destinations right close to the city of Calgary for me to enjoy. Next time I fish for Walleye it will be in a new location, maybe I should go to Lake Newell next trip? It’s going to be a good spring season; I can feel it in my bones!
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Thanks for the report on the new Rapala Clackin’ Rap. Sounds like it is another good lure from the folks at Rapala. Sounds like some Pike and Walleye are on board with it. Good luck in your spring fishing season.
Author
Your very welcome Mel, now I need to test it on those monster trout that live in our rivers here. I will keep you posted as to how they work for trout.
Thanks for stopping by and your comment, I look forward to your next post.
~Mike.
never fished crawling valley. Went to badger on the 8th of may and had lots of action. Hooked a couple of twelve pounders then I got my first twenty plus pound fish from there. I dont usualy catch nice fish there on my first trip but i think the late spring helped. just a thought, I see lots of empty minnow buckets along the bow, I see people bait fishing lots and keeping every fish they pull out of the water. This is not good and I would like to see the odd warden on yhe river. There is lots of access to the river so why no warden? in four years I have never seen a warden checking anything on the river. Please dont mess up the fishing on the bow. If you are one of those people please borrow some money and go get some food. and people please dont leave your garbage on the river bank, some spots look like a garbage dump. went to the river last night good fishing. I took your advice and got stronger gear, not loosing as many fish and with the et berkley line it sure helps. Enough talk off to the store to stock up on spinners and spoons the fish have been robing me lately. keep up the good work, love your articals and happy fishing.
Author
Hey Ron, thanks for the info contained in your comment. Minnow’s are illegal bait to be using when fishing in the Bow River, check the Reg’s guide and you will see “NO BAIT ALLOWED” when fishing in the Bow River. That means for those who do not know, NO POWERBAIT which is a dough bait, NO SCENT’S of any kind are allowed to be poured onto your lure, dipped in, smeared onto your lure! NO WORM’S, LEACHES are allowed. You will see in the Reg’s guide however, “Maggots are the only bait allowed and only in the river from August 16 to September 30”
This is only allowed from Bearspaw Dam downstream to Western Headworks Diversion (W.H.D.) Weir (including the Elbow River below Glenmore Reservoir) If you are fishing the Bow River from the WHD Weir, which is the weir at Memorial Drive, to the Carseland Weir than there is a Bait Ban in affect and you will be fined if you are caught or I see you using bait! I encourage folks to call the local Fish & Wildlife office and report any infractions of the rules.
As per the garbage along the river, I pick up ALL my garbage when I am finished fishing. My boxes that I use when I open a new hook I throw into my back pack. Old fishing line also goes into the back pack as does any soft drinks I consume when fishing. Please try to pick up as much garbage as you can carry away with you, I keep a Safeway bag with me in my back pack for this very reason.
Glad to hear the advice is working for you Ron, less lost fish translates into bigger smiles on faces.
Thanks for your time and your great comment.
~Mike.
hey mike,
i was at lake newell last weekend and had a great time. we hooked into some big pike and some big walleye as well. the head gates are always a good spot to try. i was on the bow last night and finally caught my first fish from those waters, it was around 8 pm that i got there. i went to the spot that you had taken me too before. i walked up stream about a km and started casting. i tried some differant colour plugs and had not much luck untill around 9 ish i hook into a 3 lb whitefish, that was the first one that i caught. but i wasnt satisfied with a white fish i wanted a trout, so i continued to fish and at 10 pm the fish were jumping all around me and i couldnt get nothing, so i decided to try out a lure that i got a 8 lb brown out of the red deer river with and as soon as i threw it out there i hooked up right away, it was a big bull trout, the first one that i ever caught, i was pretty excited. it wasnt long after that and i hooked into another bull , this one smaller at around 2 lbs but it put up a great fight. i was using the perch x-rap, the next one that i hooked into took my hook as i tried to set it, so that ended my fishin for the night. it was time to go as it was getting dark out.
Hi Mike I am new to Calgary and want to try my luck on the Bow. I read here that the spring run off is late this year, when do you figure the river will be suitable to fish?
Author
Thanks for the comment Blair, sounds like you had some good action. I am glad to hear you hooked your first Bow River trout. Plugs work awesome for me when I fish the Bow.
We will have to hook up and do some fishing this summer as spring is almost gone.
~Mike.
Author
Hello Dave, welcome to Calgary! Sorry it has taken me so long to respond to your question, I have been very busy as of late.
I figure the river will be fish-able in late June, I watch the river to see how clear the water is looking. If it looks like chocolate milk it’s not fish-able, if it looks fairly clean than you can try your luck. Just keep an eye on it Dave.
Thanks for your comment and hopefully you get to fish soon. If you want to float this summer see my “Guided Fishing Trips” Page on the blog for more info and rates.
Hope to see your comments and questions again,
~Mike.
why is it called crawling valley what is crawling there!!!!!! it sounds creepy there
ive camped there though and cauht 7 walleye and 4 pike in like 3 hrs
hey mike! i am looking forward to our river trip on friday but have a question that couldnt wait. my girlfriend and i want to go camping on the weekend. we would like to find a lake within a couple hours of okotoks that has good fishing. i will be using the boat also..
thx stacey..
Author
Hey Stacey, I would suggest fishing Mcgregor Lake for Walleye. It’s south on Highway 2 then left towards the town of Milo.
Lake Newell is also a good bet this time of year, its very near the town of Bassano.
You could also try Travers as there are some monsters in that Reservoir.
Hope that helps you plan your trip,
~Mike.
Author
Hey Taya, im not too sure why they named it after something that sounds creepy, but I do know that it once was an awesome fishery back in the “Good ol’ Days”
~Mike.
hey mike me again lol so i was thinking of dusting of my leaders and spoons and goin after some slough sharks. i was wondering where a person could shore fish for them thats close. i read glenmore resevoir is decent what about chestermere? i am way NE and am basically a part timer so the closer the better my truck is thirsty
Author
Yeah you could do Chester-slough. Its fairly good for Pike. Its better in the spring though. Glenmore is good too, I fished it and did well for Jack there as well. Try the Clackin Rap by Rapala, you will clean up. Go perch pattern !!!!!
~Mike.
thanks i got the clackin did well for pike till one chowed through my leader actually happened twice that day
Hey im new here.
Im sam, how is everyone?
I look forwards to being a active memeber
Author
Welcome Sam, looking forward to talking fishing with you.
~Mike