NEWSLETTER #51 -
AUGUST 2006
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Fly Fishing Adventures Travel Newsletter, August,
2006
TOPICS IN THIS ISSUE:
-
ELK RIVER - FERNIE, B.C. TRIP
REPORTS
-
THE WEST – SOME SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER IDEAS
-
FANTASY DAYS WITH FLY ROD IN HAND
-
DISCOUNTED BELIZE MOTHERSHIP TRIP - OCTOBER
-
AUGUST 29TH IS “SAN FRANCISCO
DAY”
We are in the fifth year of publishing our
monthly newsletter with updates on great fly fishing
venues, trip reports and insights for our traveling
fly fishers. We want to help you match the right
location with your fly fishing goals and objectives
and properly prepare you to fully enjoy the
experience. We’ve been to most locations and pride
ourselves on our ability to research new sites. One
of our services is to compare and contrast different
lodges/outfitters. Whatever unbiased information on
timing and locations we can provide comes at the
same cost to you as booking direct – i.e., NO EXTRA
COST.
ELK RIVER – FERNIE B.C. TRIP REPORTS
Last summer, we made an exploratory trip to the Elk
River and it’s tributaries in the area of Fernie,
B.C. We fished and photographed and tried to sample
as much as we could. What we found was a fabulous
native West Slope Cutthroat fishery that rose
eagerly to the dry fly and possibly the best
remaining Bull Trout fishery left anywhere with many
fish over 10 pounds taken each year. The B.C.
government has done an excellent job of creating the
laws and policies (actually restricting rod days on
the water and closing some waters to enhance the
overall fishing) to protect this fishery and the
results are visable, both in the health of the
fishery and the amount of pressure on the waters.
Add to this that Fernie is an upscale area that
transforms into a jet-setter ski destination in the
winter and has many non-fishing options and you have
something special. (slide presentation is available)
Our website (www.flyfishingadventures.org),
at the bottom of the British Columbia page, has the
complete reports excerpted below. Also, grouped
with those reports is a detailed rundown on the
streams and rivers in this watershed – including
several interesting and productive “walk and wade”
small streams.
From Josh Luftglidden –
“…..accommodations were first rate. The jacuzzi
proved to be a key asset as I returned home each day
tired and sore. The fishing was also first rate.
The first two days I floated the Elk with J.D and
Jeff………(second day) we floated the upper Elk……caught
about 20-25 fish, again all on Elk Hair Caddis. The
average fish was in the 17-18" range, with the
largest being a 22" bruiser hooked in about 18" of
water!
The third day I went on a walk/wade trip with to the
Michel and Alexander, two small
creeks. The fourth and final day, I took a trip
with Joel up to the Wigwam in search of Bull Trout.
(see the “fantasy day” reports below for details on
this day, a truly remarkable day)”
Note:
Josh’s full report on the website also includes a
link to a photo album with several of his photos
from his trip which includes a fine collection of
Bull Trout photos, all taken in one day!
From Alan Spiegelman and son,
Josh –
“Josh and I had a wonderful trip….Island Lake Lodge
was really nice…overlooking the lake and the
Rockies….The fishing was terrific. We spent our
first two days on the Elk, fishing with Curtis on
the first day and Joel on the second. We fished the
Michel on Wednesday with Andre….We had a great day,
and it really is a pretty little stream. Got some
good sized fish there, the largest about 18". The
biggest one we caught on the Elk was 20"…..Everyone
- the people at the lodge, the guides, the shops,
etc. were really friendly and accommodating. All in
all, we had a terrific vacation. Thanks for putting
it together….Josh had a great time and I think he is
now hooked on fly fishing. He said he'd go back in
a minute, so I now have a partner to fish with. The
guides were really helpful in teaching us - Josh
learned how to fish and I picked up a lot of good
tips on casting, etc.”
From Jess Erickson and sons –
“My boys and I had a great time. The whole trip
fully met our expectations. That includes the fish,
the guides, the weather and our accommodations. We
had great guides and they taught us a lot….Floating
the Elk is great. And walking and wading Michel
Creek and the Wigwam was good too. Beautiful
streams! Island Lake is a spectacular place. I
could take my wife there. The food was good and so
was the service.”
THE WEST – SOME SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER IDEAS
Some
would argue that September can be the finest fly
fishing month in many areas throughout the West.
October can share that reputation if the weather
holds. Crowds are gone and the waters offer the
opportunity for more solitude than the summer
crush. Some spots worth considering:
Independent Guides, Colorado: this is a new
operation started by a group of guides who worked
for years at Elk Creek Lodge. Elk Creek used to be
the finest private waters fishery in the west before
becoming totally private this year. These are
quality guides who know this spectacular area of
Colorado well and use their long term relationships
to access private waters in many locations. Using
an informal B & B for their base of operations, this
is a program where the fishing can be outstanding
and the costs more reasonable than a high end
lodge. Great spot for a long weekend type getaway –
Four nights with three days fishing is their
specialty.
British Columbia
- Fernie and the Blackwater River: September may be
the best month for settled weather in B.C. (October
can be a little “iffy”) In eastern B.C., on the
Elk River drainage (Fernie), the cutthroat are still
rising to the surface and the Bull Trout are in
their spawning mode. Although some waters are
closed to protect the Bull Trout, others are
available. In western B.C., this can be a wonderful
time for the float trip on the Blackwater River with
its prolific native rainbow trout fishery.
On the high end of the scale, if you like first
class service and the best private waters fishing in
the U.S., Three Forks Ranch in Northern Colorado has
two open slots for five night trips in September
still open. This has been described by one of our
best clients as “decadent fly fishing” and it has
received rave reviews from everyone we’ve sent up
there.
FANTASY FLY ROD DAYS AND EXPERIENCES
We
reserve this column for those special days when the
fishing gods smile on you and everything lines up
perfect…..or you have one of those truly
unforgettable experiences that can only happen with
a fly rod in hand. For starters, here’s our first
fantasy Bull Trout experience:
From
Josh Luftglidden on the Wigwam River (see Fernie
reports above):
“The Bull Trout did not disappoint and the fishing
was red hot all day.... I landed something like
15-20 monster Bull Trout. The average fish being
around 28", with the two largest fish coming in at
34"-35". The fishing was so hot at one point that I
was hooking a fish every 2-3 casts! The last fish
of the day proved to be the biggest and hardest to
net. He took off downstream as soon as he was
hooked, and at one point he had me 100+ yards into
my backing. We finally netted him almost a full
mile from where he was hooked!”
On our
July Labrador trip for giant brookies (see last
months newsletter for details), Jeff Reinke had a
day where he took 3 brookies over six pounds each,
all on dry flies. That certainly qualifies for
“fantasy stuff.” However, he had a very memorable
experience that merits this column. Many of the
brookies are tagged and accurate records kept to
track the movement and growth of these special fish
in the watershed. On his first day, while fishing
some caddis beds, Jeff took a 4.75# brookie. The
guide tagged the fish before releasing – tag number
#204. On his last day, fishing the same caddis
beds, Jeff took the same fish - #204. Unusual to
start and end a trip with the same fish!!
From
Belize comes a way-out report from Belize mothership
veteran, Gary Bulla, titled “How do you break $1500+
worth of fly rods in less than 2 seconds?.” At
dusk, Gary hooked a 60# tarpon and it was pitch
black by time he got the fish to the boat – by
itself not unique enough to qualify for fantasy
stuff as hooking big tarpon near dark is fairly
common in Belize. However, Gary decided to bring
the fish into the boat for photos….and lost
control. In a flash,
2 Loomis GLX's and a Winston 12 weight Boron 2X were
in pieces on the bottom of the skiff.
DISCOUNTED BELIZE MOTHERSHIP TRIP – OCTOBER
Due to an unexpected pregnancy, a disappointed
couple are going to have to bail out of their paid
for Belize mothership trip on the Seaduction with
Captain Charles Westby. The trip includes seven
nights inside the sheltered waters of the Belize
barrier reef on the 37 foot Sea Ray, the Seaduction.
Your flats skiff is towed behind to use to pursue
the great variety of salt water flats fish including
tarpon, permit, bonefish, snook, barracuda, etc.
This is a trip for a single, couple or pair of guys
– two people max. The charter is yours, accompanied
by just whomever you brought with you, your captain
and cook – check out the Belize page on our website
for some trip reports and more details. Regular
price is $5,800 for the 7 night trip – the current
holders are willing to discount it to $4,000. There
is some flexibility in the dates the trip can be
taken, but it must be from late September through
the end of October. For specifics on dates, hit
“reply” or give a call.
“SAN FRANCISCO DAY” – AUGUST 29
If you
are in San Francisco, we have scheduled August 29 as
our next day in the City. To view a list of the
slide presentations we have available, go to our
website
www.flyfishingadventures.org Under the link for
“Newsletters/Trip Reports” is the list of slide
shows. I am available by appointment to stop by
your office or home for discussion and/or slide
presentations from our library. Also, I’m available
to get together for a cup of coffee almost anywhere
in the City.
Either phone or drop us
an e-mail if you have questions or would like more
information about any of our destinations.
An
enthusiastic traveling fly fisherman,
Don Muelrath
Fly Fishing Adventures
www.flyfishingadventures.org
888-347-4896
flyfish@napanet.net
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