My Life My Way

  Happy new year to you all! May 2016 bring you tight lines and memorable fish tales to talk about for years to come. My goal for 2016 is to scratch another Alberta trout species off the catch and released list, so bring on Mr. Bull Trout. Last years mission was Grayling and from my previous posts you've may have read came with great success. So I am setting the adventure bar high with moderate expectations of what may or may not end up on the end of my line this season.  Looking forward to posting my adventures so stay tuned and enjoy!   The quest for a Bull Trout on the fly begins now! With that comes the joy of tying flies! Big, articulated, multi hook, fuzzy hunks of "meat" these river monsters wouldn't dare to let drift pass. So with that fly description and when your current fly tying station is the family dinner table, your wife is not always a fan of your "epic" fly designs.  Even though you may think you've done your best post session...

  Well now that it's December here in Alberta you can in vision snow capped mountains, winter driving at its finest and your pant size ballooning as you stuff your face with yet another holiday dinner. With that being said, here are two fishing trips I embarked on to close out the 2015 fly fishing season. So grab yourself a glass filled with holiday cheer, unbutton your ever bulging pants and enjoy. As the season opens in six months...but who's counting?! Part 1:    The "Muir-icle" Trout!   It's Canadian Thanks Giving weekend and while all of my friends & family are stuffing their faces with turkey legs, I am stuck at work. Stuck having to be on call and stuck not getting any Turkey in my belly. So after having a crazy two days of on call shifts and having the best wife in the world. I was free to enjoy an afternoon on one of the local trout lakes on the outskirts of Edmonton, Muir Lake.   No expectations of catching fish but high expectations for...

  Okay so I've slacked a little these past two months and haven't recorded a fishing blog for September or October. So I present to you the following post for September, "Operation Rainbow Pout." Hope you enjoy reading about that day as much as I enjoyed the events that unfolded that crisp September day.   My brother Jordan, friend Dave and I went on what was to be a laid back fly fishing adventure to seek out some Grayling in early September. The events that unfolded that day couldn't have been more comedic and and memorable, one of my favourite days of the 2015 season. I cannot recall the name of this Grayling stream for the life of me so I've dubbed it the "Samsquanchy" river in place of the Native Canadian name it's truly called. Not in spite or ignorance, just simply because I can't recall it's true name and likely never will. Yet "Samsquanchy" is how my brain has catalogued the name of this creek and filed it for futur...

A Man Walks Through Your River Shot, #socialmediageorge    With the family cabin renovations wrapping up, it was time to get out there to help with final set up. So August long weekend we loaded up the SUV and were off. Plus it was my son Griffin's first trip out to the cabin. Quite a first trip for 2015 for the wife and I, with a five month old, a dog and a cabin on the verge of renovation completion. Oh and "Grumpa" George there to be a pest for Gram B. With our chores list completed for the day and Griffin in bed it was time for "Grumpa" and I to chase some Pike & Walleye on the fly and finally put the flies I tied in the winter to the test.   Boat loaded and fly rods strung we hit the water with a bone to pick with some fish. That night we only managed to land the one Walleye but it felt good to be back out on Buck Lake regardless of the fish count. The following evening I decided not to bring a camera in the boat, being a bit superstitious and the...

Elk Hair Caddis Size 12  In the spring like to set a goal for the coming fishing season. This years trip / goal was to scratch another of Alberta's game fish species I have yet to catch off the list. There are seventeen different game fish in Alberta, according to mywildalberta.com and I've caught all but five of them. The five that still have not met my net & camera are as follows, Arctic Grayling, Bull Trout, Golden Trout, Lake Sturgeon and Sauger. Although I may have caught a Sauger while night fishing on the North Saskatchewan River and mistakenly thought it was a Walleye. So it will remain on the list for now ha ha!  It was a hard choice, but in the end it came down to the best chance of catching fish closest to home. So my brother Jordan and I decided on visiting Alberta's own Arctic Grayling rivers and creeks. Having never fished for Grayling, only hearing rumours of their existence. It was time to put the research cap on and start with a river we would ...

Dolberg Lake, Alberta Canada  I would consider my father in law George and I rookies when it comes to still water fly fishing. We've dabbled in these waters but normally stalk the mountain streams for trout. So we booked a trip with local guide Phil Rowley to learn a new skill along with the hopes of catching a fish or two along the way. Phil is quite the accomplished pro and great guy to hang out on the lake with also. I highly recommend you look him up if you're interested in learning from one of the best.  Phil guided us out to one of his favourite rainbow trout lakes in Alberta, Dolberg Lake. This lake is located just over an hours drive north west of the city of Edmonton, just west of the town of Barrhead. It's not the biggest body of water but I've heard tales of this lake holding fish up to eight pounds, so I was cautiously optimistic. Plus with the weather being in the high twenties all week I suspected a slow day out on the water. We were not so lucky i...

  With the May long weekend in full swing here in Alberta, the mass exodus from the city to the regional lake camp grounds it in full effect. For me, well I am on call this year so it will be time to prep the back yard for summer. So I will be dreaming of catching Pike and Walleye on the fly for at least another couple of weeks. Once I do get to the lake I will have a full report to share so have no fear, ha ha.  For my birthday this year I treated myself to an Outcast Fish Cat 4 kick boat and all the gear along with it, flippers, pump, rod holder and yes even a portable fish finder. I've always wanted to learn more about the world of still water fly fishing but it's been so hard to get off the river when the river hold a special place in my heart. Now that I am a proud new dad to an amazing little boy and have an even more amazing wife who lets me adventure out fishing, it was time to stick closer to home and finally work on my still water trout game.  My father in l...