It's been a pretty amazing start on the Elk this year after the June 15th opening. Lots of bugs, big fish and good flows. An early and steady runoff that began in April allowed fish to feed throughout most of the freshet and the beasts got... beastier (word???). Most of my pets from last fall were still out in their lairs rounding out their waistlines and putting on some heft. Really nice to see that they wintered so well.
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| Happy Ending |
The flows on the Elk and surrounding East Kootenay and Alberta streams has been excellent if not perfect in some cases and we may run into some low water conditions by mid August if we don't continue to get the rains we've been getting....who knows for sure and only time will tell. For now we have it good.....really good.
Golden Stoneflies, caddis, sallies and even some ants on the bright sunny days and the mayfly buffet of drakes, pmd's and bwo's on the cloudy low pressure/rain/stormy/shitty days. Hard to keep them out of the net really and many of my regulars have felt it's some of the best days they've seen on the Elk.
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| A Nice Elk River Cuttie Resting in the Brodin Net |
I got back to the Columbia which fished tough in late May and early June due to poor weather and heavy pushes of water from the dam.....like 50,000 cfs on the weekends. Fish were looking a bit haggard but all is good since my return. Healthy, hot and plentiful fish on top as the caddis drape the water like a brown mist. It's my favourite fishery at this time of year and still remains limited on pressure. Always amazes me how many times I'm one of a few or simply the only angler out there. People really need to see it to understand how good it can be. Could be one of the best rainbow tailwaters in the country.
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| Columbia River Redband Adiposing |
The Slocan has also been good although still a bit high...pretty much there though...really a gorgeous stream with some incredibly beautiful assortment of water and fish. About to go on a guiding marathon in Fernie and Alberta starting Thursday. July still has a few openings as does August, particularly late August. September pretty much full for the first half and then quite open.
Looking forward to an excellent season after such a great start
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| Looking Upstream on the Elk River |
