The spring found us guiding and fishing in Alberta on the Oldman and Bow rivers with some great success. The Bow produced some excellent browns on a variety of patterns while the Oldman showed us again why it's a world class rainbow trout fishery. The weather in May was excellent and it seemed as if summer was approaching fast. Then the clouds opened up in June and began hammering rain upon us here in the Elk Valley. It got so depressing I fled to the West Kootenay's for some relief and upon returning found some sunshine. The rains brought the river up fast and it's pretty much looked like chocolate milk for the last little while but it's slowly coming around. Brown or not the Golden Stones are so big and bright the fish still find there way up top to them and its seems the fishing, although spotty is really turning on at some moments. We have a few more days of sunshine and by the weekend the river should be explosive. Some green drakes are showing up as well and the trout are responding well to them. We will pretty much be fishing everyday from here on in and will be using this here blog for updates. Stay posted for photos, talk and all that other fish stuff.

Spring Arrived and Gone Again

I have returned from the Coast after a miserable month of March which saw epic rainfall and cool temperatures. As I drove back into the interior of our lovely province I was expecting to re-embrace winter but was warmly welcomed by spring thaw and warm temperatures.
After a brief stop in Nelson, I continued further east and didn't start seeing snow in valley bottoms until I reached the Rocky Mountains and the Elk. There wasn't much left on the ground but the Mountains where still thick with white reminding me of the heavy snowfalls that were pasting the mountains before I departed.
The weather was nice, sunny and warm so my brother Kevin, Jeff and I took a boat out to a small lake and fished chironimids for a couple hours. Kevin's first two casts resulted in some nice rainbows and Jeff hooked a few right after. The day was a little sporadic after that, but the sun and the melting of the last patch of ice on the lake made for a pleasant afternoon.

The following day we headed east to Alberta to fish the tail water of the Oldman Reservoir, again blessed with warm sunny weather. The visibility was good and we hooked some beautiful rainbows along with some cutts and a good bull trout. We focused fishing the shallow troughs along the banks as the mid-river seems were showing any signs of feeding fish. It's a beautiful stretch of river and the fishing will be improving dramatically as the weather warms and bugs begin to hatch. This is a great time of year to fish on this river and temperatures are often in the between 70 and 80 degrees.

Another gem of a river at this time is the Crowsnest which we will be hitting soon. More photos and river reports will follow, however; it is snowing lightly again today and I am definitely your fair weather angler type. Ice on the guides and cold fingers doesn't appeal to me as much as baked goods, tea, a fire, and a tying bench.

Selenium Release From Coal Mining on the Elk Watershed

http://www.trcr.bc.ca/docs/2004-chapman.pdf

This was a study conducted on the Elk River in regards to the release of selenium in the Elk Watershed. Although the study appears to show no ill effects on fish stocks as selenium release increases during active coal mining periods, the study also indicates that certain levels are unacceptable (toxic) in some lentic zones of the watershed. Currently there are more studies being done on the cutthroat trout of the river system for genetic imperfections. Deformities in fin and maxillary growth can be contributed to the increase of selenium in the wathershed yet it remains to be proven. Check out the link for further information. This is in no way an endorsement by us for continued coal mine process' in the Elk watershed, it is just a study that both shows the release of by products due to the mining process as well as the ablity of the Elk to absorb larger amounts of a natural occurring elements without hurting fish stocks.
Coal bed methane on the other hand has no beneficial elements releasing back into the environment. Cyanide and ammonia are not in any way beneficial to the watershed' inhabitants. This process presents a greater danger and should not be exercised in the headwaters of our system. More on this later.

Alternative Floats for 2007 and Welcome Atlanta

As mentioned in the first post of this blog, Homewaters was planning on expanding it's portfolio of floatable waters which included a two day float on the St. Mary's River. We are also planning on adding two boat trips on the Bull River which requires 'guerilla style' launching techniques and some goat trail access points; the extra effort is well worth the scenery and will pretty much guarantee isolation from other boats. There is the possibility of an upper float on the Elk as well but some recon will have to be done in the spring to ensure the drift is snag free, but we will update in the spring and let you know of it's availability when the time comes. The upper section is a bit of a late starter compared to the Elk's lower runs, so we are hoping that float will be ready for the second week of July. We will be running these trips with pontoon boats that will be added to the fleet this year.
In other news Homewaters would also like to welcome The Fish Hawk from Atlanta Ga. as one of our new travel outfitters. We already have a strong contingent of quality anglers from this area and are welcoming more representation from the eastern side of the continent. Their site is being updated but anyone wishing to check out their shop can have an online preview at www.thefishhawk.com

Mining Operations Affecting the Elk River and Sorroundings

Here is a link to some information regarding resource extraction in the Elk Valley. These are mining proposals that are quite simply unacceptable to introduce to a watershed as magnificent as the Elk. Eco-Tourism is clearly a more sustainable and healthy route to the future of our residents and I strongly urge anyone opposed to this to forward commentary. Coal Bed Methane Extraction is not what we need in our headwaters!!!! The open pit mining operation at the headwaters by Cline Minging is contained within the document below.
http://www.flathead.ca/issues/issue9.asp
Please read

From White to Green

I have finally made it to the coast of BC and am about to begin my work in silviculture again, the grass is green here, the flowers are budding slightly and the East Kootenay's and it's snow-chilled winter seem a long way away. I am looking forward to my spring return, however; open lakes and rivers, green snow capped mountains and fresh winter thawing air. I live in a very special part of the world and feel blessed to have found it's clean water and fresh air, two things that are becoming less and less available to people in the world. It is sad to think that most people in the world will never share that same clean breath or that clear, quenching sip but it is also something that could be eliminated from my part of the world if industry continues to push it's hunger for resource consumption and we have to protect this as well as the rest of the world where people are already living without these basic rights to life....clean air, clean water.

The mining business has gone out of control! As commodity prices rise the appetite of the beast increases and machinery exploits the ground worldwide ripping our mother earth open, selfishly exposing and removing her insides. In a previous blog entry I addressed the Cline Mining Project of the Flathead Valley that has seen great opposition from many groups here in Canada and the US and this opposition recently lead to the resignation of Bill Bennet (BC's Minister for Mining) after he responded to a letter of opposition using profanity. Sounds like Billy kind of snapped. This is the sort of pressure that can create change if people share their feelings strong enough to create a positive and forceful message. This does not mean the successor to the position will have a better objective when it comes to issues of mining but what it does show is that when people come together through word, song or congregation we can have an effect on our world and the people who attempt to control it. The struggle will continue but perhaps under a more watchful and caring eye.

It has been brought to my attention that there is currently another mining project proposed in the Alexandra Creek Drainage (main tributary of the Michel Ck) and I do not yet have full details on this, but will be gathering information shortly and posting it. For those of you who have fished these waters with me know, this area deserves special attention and should not be subjected to industrial exploitation. I will be back to you soon on this, however; I am still en route to my forestry workplace and have not yet had a chance to unfold the information regarding this issue. I will be back to you soon though.

Early Season Options....Get Off the Couch and Throw Some Line!!!!

Hello Friends,

This year we are beginning to look at early season options, a way to extend our somewhat minute season and expose some of you to new waters and new areas. For the last few years Jeff has been taking people to the Bow and Oldman Rivers in early season and having great success fishing for large browns and rainbows without crowds. These trips are staged out of the city of Calgary which is easily accessed through it's international airport. April, May and June are prime months for this river.

Another option for May and June is the Columbia and Salmo Rivers in our neighbouring West Kootenay region. The Columbia is a huge body of water that contains numerous rainbows and even some walleye pickerel, but it is the caddis and mayfly hatches that we pay attention to in these waters. Dry fly is again the chosen method although during periods of hatch inactiivity we also throw streamers and nymphs, it is fished from boats.
The Salmo is a little more intimate but can still be floated, there are many mediocre sections throughout despite it's fishy appearance but in recent years a catch and release section has had a positive impact on the fish stocks here. There are green drake and caddis hatches here as well and during these hatch periods, rainbows readily look and feed on the drifting bugs. There are, however; a few delicious little sections with boulder runs that contain many 20" fish and the areas are quite secluded. This is also an early season fishery although sections of the Salmo can fish quite well throughout the year. Trips would be run out of Nelson BC, which is a cute and funky heritage town located on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake. There are some unique accommodation options here, one of our favourites is the Nelson Guesthouse www.nelsonguesthouse.com
Please feel free to contact us about these destinations and we will do our best to answer any questions you may have.