Saturday May 3, 1997 Lower Bow River

Me ‘n’ Sageone, Mac to Janzen’s. Tough start to this day – leave town about 10:00 – get to Innisfail and realize forgot the oars! Then, low on gas, pull into Langdon where the only gas station in town closes at noon on Saturdays. Friendly locals direct me to nearby farm, where truck runs out entirely as we pull into the yard. Friendly farm wife Wendy sells us a tankful of purple gas – we’re on the water at 1:45 p.m. It’s a 16° high today; the river’s still in fairly decent shape. We see fair numbers of BWO’s and fair #’s of sporadic risers in the flat glides at the tail of outside bends. Put John onto some happy fish in the side channel at the first island. Also still a few early brown stones. The fish prove immune to our charms, though…the wind picks up big time and we blow into Janzen’s by about 7:30 p.m. Late April/early May so far has been pretty seasonable.

Prairie Creek Note: in good shape, apparently; Robt. & Ken landing their share on Montana Stones/SJW’s.

Friday May 9, 1997 Red Deer River

Original plan was to go out to Prairie this aft., but I’m late getting away, so opt to spend a couple of hours on the Red Deer. I park over by the Bridge Club, walk down and tie on a Kaufmann Black Stone. 10 or 15 casts later, I’ve got an 18” brown on the line. 15 minutes later, and it’s another nice fish out of the pocket water. First brownie is just under 2 ½ lbs – second is just under 21” and 3 lbs! “Typical” Red Deer River browns. Sometimes this deal is too easy! Naturally, that’s it for action – fish 2:30 – 5:00. Second fish is taken very shortly after jet boat goes by…Lotsa jets this aft. (6?) - 52° water.


Saturday May 10, 1997 Red Deer River

Park by the RDG & CC boat launch, walk up to pedestrian bridge, about noon. Gusty 16° day – it’s been a dry spring so far, very little rain, seasonal temps. See 2 other FF’men – feels crowded! Fish to about 3:00 – manage 1 fish – a whitefish on bead head stonefly nymph.

Sunday May 11, 1997 Red Deer River

Sage & I float from Hwy 2 bridge to RDG & CC on a fine Mother’s Day morn…on about 10:30, out about 12:45 a.m. River is seemingly low and comparatively clear – no takers, tho.

Wednesday May 14, 1997 Prairie Creek, Stauffer, Red Deer River

Court in Rocky at 10:00; by 11:15 I’m meeting Jim Wiseman at Qually’s Bridge on a gorgeous spring day (eventual high 27°! – calm); before I have time to change out of my suit, Jim’s got a big fish just up from the bridge. I run back to the truck for the camera, so as to record the fine 24” hen brown trout; taken on Stonefly nymph. We head down to the pipeline crossing and fish up – various encounters along the way…I land a little whitefish and lose 3 browns out of one slot. Jim lands a whitefish and a nice 18” brown. We do some diggin’ around for stonefly nymphs for Jim’s aquarium – lots of ‘ern in the river. Off to Jim’s brothers Tam’s 20 acres on Stauffer for a bit – we each land a brookie! Supper at Stauffer Creek Café; I stop by the Penhold Bridge and walk down at dark/dusk – a good fish takes the stonefly nymph…is it a brown? A whitefish? A sucker? Yep, a sucker.

Saturday May 17, 1997 Red Deer River

80° yesterday – snow today! (flurry in the evening) – out to the dam for ½ hr. in the cold, rain and howling wind. See a fish rise!
Note: Bow R. below the Highwood is now blown out; Crow and Oldman blown out since mid-week. A week of warm/hot weather has done the trick…

Sunday May 18, 1997 MacNaughton Ranch

Well, the trout – atleast some of them – are alive and well on the back 40 pond! Lots of food for the little fella’s…midges (large) caddis (large) and freshwater shrimp (?) abound. Observe rising fish at the east end of the slough; wade out waist deep to reach ‘em with smallish Nick’s Mink, slow hand twist – go 3 for 5 from 4:30 – 5:30 in a period of relative calm on cool, overcast day – one 6” ‘er, two 10” ‘ers. Turns out catching one’s own store bought fish is kinda cool…be cooler if the fish were bigger…maybe later.

Note: Big snowstorms across southern Alta last couple of days – atleast big dump of snow hits R.D. May 20/97 p.m., snow in Rocky this past long weekend.

Wednesday May 28, 1997 Red Deer River

Note: after the snowstorm, we get a week of cold ugly weather, then a couple of inches of rain. Good for the farmers, bad for the fly fisherman – all rivers in Central/South Alberta are blown out.
Check out below the dam – 2800 cfs is pouring out; still fairly clear, but big. No bugs, no rises 7:00 – 7:30

Thursday May 29, 1997 Twin Lake, Strubel Lake

Tar and I arrive at Twin about 6:30 – canoe class going on, zero sign of fish, so off to Strubel; lots of fish jumpin’, but all about 3” rainbows. Oh well, lots of fun for target practice from 7-9:00; lose count on how many little farts succumb to #16 Rich’s Mink twisted or stripped. Fine, calm night. Prairie Creek is chocolate milk.