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Kevin Sproule | profile | all galleries >> 1997 >> July, 1997 --- Red Deer and Bow Rivers; Cypress Hills, Sask. tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

July, 1997 --- Red Deer and Bow Rivers; Cypress Hills, Sask.

July 1, 1997 Red Deer River
still nothin’ happening at the dam

Friday July 11, 1997 Red Deer River
Maiden voyage for the new boat! It’s mostly a shakedown cruise, but we get a few goldeye by the high cliffs – with John S.

Sunday July 13, 1997 Red Deer River
More boat adjustments, some goldeye by the “school pool”. Tar falls out of boat.

Tuesday July 15, 1997 Bow River
With John S. & Ken Short – we meet at Carseland at 10:00 a.m. and on the water by 10:45, put in a Hwy 24 bridge. River looks to be in great shape. We float down into the reserve a mile or two, fishing streamers mostly – Bow R. Buggers, Wooly Buggers. We get solid hookups with 15 or so fish, all big, hard fightin’ browns and rainbows, land about half. First fish is a big brown within sight of the bridge. Hot (75°) and sunny, mostly calm. We motor upstream starting about 5:30 p.m., 2 hours later, we’re at the bridge. Waay too slow…pretty thick caddis hatch at dusk, but one fish in the tailout of the pool above the bridge, but they’re too finicky for our humble efforts. Off the river by 10:30 p.m., home at 1:00. 64° water.

Thursday July 17, 1997 Red Deer River
A run up to the high cliffs gets us into a “pod” of “prairie tarpon” – we get a dozen or so with dragging King River Caddis, straight downstream. Get caught in heavy thunderstorm on way back, almost run out of gas in the midst of the trip back…

Saturday July 19, 1997 Red Deer River
We strap the 20 horse on neighbour John’s 14’ jon boat, just for the halibut – considerably sportier and more maneuverable. We head up to the Penhold Bridge, pausing to catch a bunch of rising goldeye at big pool by new subdivision. I start flogging a streamer below the bridge, and pick up a …pike!! Turns out that the streamer works pretty good on a larger class of goldeye; see the back eddy below Diewolds…off the river about 9, get ready for tomorrow.

Sunday July 20, 1997 Bow River
Marc LaRose, Roper & I are on the water about 10:30 a.m. – it’s a hot (85°) sunny day, but the water is down about 800 cfs and considerably dirtier than on Tuesday. It’s also warmer - 69° today vs. 64°, 5 days ago. It’s a humbling day – we get a fair # of short strikes on Bow R. Buggers (#4 best ?) but we land only 1 fish; a nice hot 17” ‘er, taken right in front of where we’re parked for lunch. Lots of activity today – guys in a 12’ boat with 10hp prop, guy in a float tube, bunch of canoeists, fire dept. jet boat loading a guy on a stretcher – guy in a Zodiac with 2 german shepherds, guide ahead of us with 2 sports…I have a notion that the fish may have moved into the softspot/riffles on the inside of the bends…off about 9, burned out (caddis hatch is just getting going)

Wednesday July 30, 1997 Battle Creek
In the Cypress Hills for a family reunion – John Mac’s wedding last weekend…I sneak away from the reunion and check out the Creek both in the Alta. Side and at Fort Walsh N’tnl. Historic Site in Alberta. I land a few longnose dace (?)(Chubs?Shiners) on dry flies – cattle in the park here have pounded the banks pretty good; small stream, a bit turbid. Nicer water in Fort Walsh; no cattle, lots of fish – Hot, dry day – I hook 25-30 fish, rainbows and dace, up to 10” but most are smaller.
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