Bow River Blog’s Fishing Friends

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Homage to My Internet Fishing Friends

Everywhere I go on the internet it seems I meet new people and become friends over time. The common interest is of course fishing. Not only do I meet new people while I guide, or while walking the banks of rivers or lakes, I meet them while surfing the internet. For me it is so cool to talk to them and ask them why they love the sport of fishing as much as I do. Some of them fish for the sport and release the fish they catch, some of them as a means of sustenance, some do it as their business and primary source of income, and some do it as a means of relaxation and meditation. Personally I do it just for the fun.

Awhile back I signed up to a huge fishing internet site that was just kicking off. It was a new concept which enabled all anglers to tournament fish from their favourite fishing holes they know well. They did not need to travel to the next town, province or state to enter these tournaments. They could fish from wherever the wanted to, whenever they wanted to. The catch is the species of the week. If the specific species they like to fish for is slotted for that week, then they enter an online tournament and compete against anglers from all over the world to take that week’s first place prize.

Here is an example; September 14-19 is Walleye week. The angler enters the tournament before the slotted week begins, they go out to their local fishing destination and try for the longest Walleye they can catch, and they take two pictures and submit these pictures before the week ends. If they happen to be the lucky angler who catches the longest Walleye they win the cash prize that is stated for that week. There are a few anglers on this site who have made more than 20,000 fishing in this tournament.

I was submitting my stories to this site and made many new friends here. Some were from the United States and some from Canada. After sending in several stories to Bounty Fishing I quickly made friends from all over the world and Ari Vineberg sent me many welcome messages and always was quick to encourage me to “keep up the good work”. I have also learned how to become a better writer by studying Ari’s work closely. His stories can be found on Bounty Fishing’s Weblog and on his YouTube channel as well. Ari is now creating his own fishing show titled “The Fishing Life”.

He will travel all over the world and feature many different personalities in the fishing community. Please watch his first few episodes of the show via his YouTube channel. I have included a video in this post for you to watch which shows him interviewing Richard Shafter who is the founder and CEO of Bountyfishing.com. Please leave him feedback on his channel and feel free to connect with him on Bounty Fishing’s website. His handle name is Dragon Slayer on Bounty’s website. Hopefully one day soon he will be here in Alberta and fishing with me on the Bow River. Thanks Ari for making our fishing community a better place to visit.

If you would like to join Bounty Fishing’s website than click the Bounty link on the right hand side of the Blog and sign up. You could be the next winner of a large amount of cash.

Bow River Fishing Adventure

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Fishing The Bow River

I was back on the Bow River today for some more trout action, this time I got to watch the fish being landed and not landing them myself. I was out rowing Stacey’s boat while he was catching fish, some nice fish to boot. Stacey asked me if we could take his boat so he could learn the river better, specifically where the deep channels are so no more props are damaged. Stacy contacted me through the site and asked if he could take a guided fishing trip down the Bow River. I kindly agreed and we set up a date to fish. We met at Policeman’s Flats and loaded the fishing gear into the boat, a fifteen foot Zeebec he recently purchased out of Rocky Mountain House for lees than five grand, and motor included.

We floated down the river not using the motor and were successful in catching some great fish, the most memorable one a twenty two inch rainbow that battled strong and fought hard. I figured we were going to slay those monsters today but it just was not too be. All in all it was a great day out on the Bow River. We chucked out Rapalas and some Panther Martins and Stacey caught fish on both hooks. The day started out chilly but warmed up to be a scorcher with the thermometer hitting thirty two degrees Celsius. By that time we were finished the trip and landed back at Policeman’s Flats after using the horsepower in the Johnson outboard to power our way back up the river. For those who are curious, it took us an hour to make our way back up the river from Mackinnon Flats to Policeman’s Flats doing seventeen Kilometres an hour. 

I would like to personally thank Stacey for hiring me as his guide for the day, it was a pleasure meeting you and getting the chance to serve you out on the Bow River today. I know you will catch more fish the next time you head out on the river. I only wish we could have slammed a few more trout on or trip. Next spring we will get out and fish the Bow River again.

Fishing For Trout With Crank Bait’s

 

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Crank Bait’s Are King

We all have seen those big fat juicy looking lures dangling from the tackle store shelves just begging us to buy them. Heck they look so life like these days I even think about eating one or two of them so why not a fish. I turn on the fishing channel on Saturday mornings and see these same lures being used time and time again, “today we will be using crank baits to catch our fish” says the host of the TV show. So why choose the crank bait to catch your prey. Well its simple really, these lures like the Rapala are tank tested to achieve the perfect wiggle, wobble, pitch and roll which makes the lure look like a reel bait fish.

The color schemes on the Rapala are matched to duplicate whatever baitfish is in your local area. I fish my local river for rainbows and brown trout so I choose the corresponding colors to catch my quarry, rainbow trout colors and the brown trout color. I see the pro’s using them while they fish and have great success with them; some even sign their name on the favourite lure like the Berkley Frenzy Jay Yelas hard baits. Relying on  Berkley Frenzy crank baits, professional bass angler Jay Yelas led wire to wire at the 2002 CITGO Bass masters Classic to capture his first world championship.

Yelas, who finished with 45 pounds and 13 ounces, entered the final day of the three-day competition with a comfortable lead of over nine pounds, out fishing the field that included fifty-two of the world’s best bass anglers. It was only the third time in the 32-year history of the Classic that the winner led from start to finish. So this is why I choose to fish the crank bait often, they are proven to work for the pro’s and for me also.

Crank baits can be used in all depths of water as they make them to dive from two feet all the way down to thirty or more feet deep. Depth is important in choosing the right crank bait for your fishing situation. When exposed to different food sources, trout spend more of their time at different depths, making the most of the variety of food that is available to them. When fishing at depth, use large crank baits for better visibility, and when fishing shallow where light penetrates easily, go smaller. Fish tend to find their food on the surface, on the lake or river bed or in the margins. The middle depths tend to be an unproductive “dead zone” as there is little food and no cover there. It is wise to begin fishing deep, on or near the bottom or on the surface when fishing open water. If you don’t find quick success, work your way up or down with your crank bait until you find success and hook up.

Crank baits can be used from a boat or while standing on a shoreline. They can be used in rivers and lakes alike, so they are very versatile and work well in most all fishing situations. My favourite crank baits include the Rapala, Berkley Frenzy, Storm, and many more. Crank baits deserve a place in your tackle box and on the end of your line.

Rainbow Trout Fishing the Bow River

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Bow’s Are Not Just For Boys

Many of us fishermen are not only fishing more, we are taking our family members along with us to let them experience the fun of fishing. After I was introduced to the sport I wanted to bring all my friends along with me for a fun day or weekend on the water. More and more I see on the internet and firsthand, men bringing their wives and or girlfriends along with them when they fish. After all fishing is not just for men, it’s for women and children as well. One example of fishing with your girlfriend is my good friend Dean, he and his sweetheart are often on the river with a picnic basket and their rods. What a great way to spend a few hours and enjoy each others company while having some fun.

Last week Dean had called me to tell me fishing stories of the day before. He stated that he and his girlfriend Angie were out on the river fishing. He told me Angie was on fire, hooking one trout after another. I chuckled and congratulated her on her great day landing the big rainbows from the Bow River. I know she gets excited when she hooks up and I bet she was full of adrenaline after her first fish. Dean was kind enough to send me a few pictures of her fish on the day. I asked dean what they were using for lures, Rapalas, Panther Martins were the choice of the day. I am so glad to see more people introducing their loved one’s to the sport of trout fishing.

There are so many great websites on the internet that are run by women who love to fish and share their passion for the sport. Some of them fish by themselves with no men around. Some write articles and share their journeys with others to enjoy. Here are a few of my personal favourite fishing sites run by women who love the sport. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. The first site is http://www.fisherbabe.com/ and the second site is http://huntslikeagirl.blogspot.com/