In Canada where I live we have some dreaded word called winter. In the Southwestern States like California, the winter months are usually not that cold and snow is rarely seen. We here in Calgary cannot be so lucky. We are however turning the corner and winter will soon be gone, the sooner the better for me. I was fishing on the weekend with my brother-in-law and I saw the same old thing I quite often see while fishing in the winter. There is always that one or two guys fishing that same spot they were catching fish in the summer months.

I would like to inform the reader of the fact that fish do not, and I highly emphasize the words (do not) occupy the same water in the winter. Here on the Bow River or any place where that winter word is used, fish go to over winter in deep holes; pools if you will. Food slowly enters the pool and the fish do not have to exert too much energy to have a meal. I look for pools with weeds on the bottom where fish like to sit for cover and also feed off the larvae of insects that cling to the weeds. Fish will not be in spots they normally are in the summer months, it’s that simple or is it?

I will be fishing this weekend and will be looking for the trout in these slow deep pools. I will shoot some video and describe in detail exactly what I am trying to convey here. The Rainbow Trout will be moving south down the river now and will prepare for their annual spring spawn which will create some excellent opportunities for some awesome Brown Trout fishing in the next two months. If you know where you can catch the Rainbow at the staging spot on the river and hammer out 15-20 fish in 2 hours or less depending on how many fish have moved in. The time I choose to arrive at this location is usually in the third week of March. Look at your lunar cycle and pick the 4th day before or after the full moon. Bring along some A5-35 as your arm will feel like it’s going to fall off. These staging fish will do everything in their power to get off your line.

If you enjoy wading rivers, you need to try the best way I’ve ever seen to do just that. Provided your river is large enough, the best way to fish many rivers is a personal pontoon boat. The go by many different names but basically they are a personal boat and are perfect for exploring your favorite river. I do la lot of wading rivers and because of brush on the banks of the river and deep water; I can only walk most rivers for two or three miles at the most. With a personal pontoon boat, this problem is solved. Miles of river can be covered on a few hours.

With the help of this “personal boat”, if you will, you’ll gain access to new water. Much of which will experience much less fishing pressure that the rest of the river. Less fishing pressure means more bites and catching more fish, it’s as simple as that. Who could argue with that? A personal pontoon boat is the best way to fish a river.

When you’re fishing the river on a personal pontoon boat, it’s also nice just to float down the river and enjoy nature from time to time. Actually, the more time that you spend fishing in this manner, the more time you will spend doing just that. Just talking time along your trip to stop and enjoy nature and everything it has to offer.

Once you try fishing from your own personal pontoon boat, you’ll be hooked. You’ll find that it really is the best way to fish a river. You’ll find that you catch more fish as well. As I mentioned earlier, just the fact that you can access area’s that receive much less fishing pressure than many area’s on the river is a huge advantage to you. This is especially true in the west. Most anglers won’t hike more than a mile from where they park their vehicle, so this leaves vast stretches of river that only get fished by anglers with canoes, rafts, or personal pontoon boats, and a personal pontoon boat is much easier to transport than a bulky raft or canoe.

Trevor Kugler – Co-founder of JRWfishing.com Trevor has more than 20 years of fishing experience, and raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country….Montana.

Hello my fellow fishing friends. I was outdoors again on the Bow River doing my thing. The fishing was a little slow today but I was able to catch one Brown Trout. We were down at the deep hole in search of those scrappy trout. My guiding partner is down with a serious cold so I invited my brother-in-law out to slay some trout with me. On my very first cast a trout hammered my offering but got off the line. The next trout smashed my bait and pulled the same escape trick.

When fish strike, they sometimes strike out of aggression; and not because they are feeding. This is called an aggression strike and fish do this because they are territorial, especially Brown Trout. This is why I lost the first two trout. My third fish did the same thing but I was able to just hook him and actually land him. Just a little luck sometimes helps the cause.

I have just added YouTube to the website and the video resides at the bottom of the Blog. I will be frequently adding new videos to the Blog. We will shoot video out on the water as well as tips from the bench when we cannot fish. I think you will enjoy this new feature which will help me express myself live on the water where the real action happens. I look forward to showing all of you what the Bow River is all about through this tool. You can view the video now at the bottom of the Blog.