Monday, January 31, 2011

Bow River Fly Fishing - How to get yourself and family started

TROUT UNLIMITED CANADA
BOW RIVER CHAPTER

SOCIAL NIGHTS

EVERYONE WELCOME - FREE ADMISSION

“Bow River Fly Fishing - How to get yourself and family started"





Join Bow River Guide Terry Johnson for a slide show presentation and discussion on the how, where, when and why of getting involved in Fly Fishing.

Topics include:

- Where to start
- What to use and when to use it
- Where to go
- How to get your family involved
- Why get involved

Date: Feb 17, 2011 @ 7:00 pm

Location: Calgary Delta South
Atrium Building, Kananaskis Room
135 Southland Drive SE

Admission: FREE

For more information, please contact Michelle Magotiaux
at 403-278-9165 or michelle@bowrivershuttles.com




Support Your Local Bow River and
Coldwater Conservation Efforts!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Meeting Jim Klug on Day 3 at WCFF Expo



It was great to finally meet Jim Klug of Yellow Dog Fly Fishing Adventures/Confluence Films. I had obtained permission from Confluence Films to screen their films “Drift” and “Rise” at my Back Cast Fly Fishing Film Festivals in 2009 and 2010.

Other than that, it was “business as usual” at the Expo today. Although the weather had cooled down, the additional forecasted snow stayed away, and the sun came out. As a result, visitor traffic seemed to be very good for most of the day.



I got to meet quite a few more of my shuttle clients who dropped by to say hello, as well as many satisfied subscribers to my newsletter “The Stimulator” and the “River Reports”. During the slower times, I got to visit with some of the others in the fly fishing industry who also had booths at the show.



The guys over at Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Canada said that they were quite happy with the amount of interest that Fly Fishing Expo goers showed in their organization. They had a poster for the Back Cast FFFF at their booth, as did I. So we hope that the additional exposure for that event will work to our mutual advantage by encouraging a good turnout for the film festival in a couple of weeks.









Saturday, January 29, 2011

Good Causes at Day 2 of WC Fly Fishing Expo

Bring some extra cash with you when you attend the Fly Fishing Expo tomorrow!

There are several good causes whose members are raising funds with raffle ticket sales at the Fly Fishing Expo. They are all offering some very worthwhile prizes!



Alberta Stream Watch: Westjet return tickets for two to any regular scheduled Westjet destination, a Loop fly rod and reel and a Temple Fork BVK fly rod



Casting for Life: Bow River Drift, a CFL numbered print and a tackle box of Bow River flies



TUC – Bow River Chapter: A Bow River Float trip, a Orvis Frequent Flyer 906 7 pc rod, and a LE print from Diane Michlin, TUC Artist of the Year.



Canadian Youth National Fly Team, 2011 Team Member Kyle Snarr, age 15 is raising competition funding to attend the 31st Annual World Fly Fishing Championships in Arrezo, Italy in August 2011.

Kyle has hand-made a custom portable Walnut fly tying bench loaded with accessories donated by others. You can find Kyle’s bench and raffle tickets at the Calgary Hook & Hackle Club booth.


(from left) Paul Morrell,(with water bottle) Director, Calgary & Southern Alberta, PHWFFC; Kerry Pitt, President, PHWFFC, and Ray Fairweather,(side/back view) Vice President, PHWFFC

And last, but not least, please remember to pick up your tickets for my Back Cast Fly Fishing Film Festival in support of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Canada (PHWFFC).




It was Saturday, and lots of kids were out with their parents and grandparents.




The excitement of the minnow races, fly casting lessons, fly tying lessons, colouring and drawing, fish identification and explaining the different flies in the fly bins!



Friday, January 28, 2011

Day 1 at the WC Fly Fishing Expo


Michelle with Ray Fairweather, Vice President, PHWFFC (left) and Walter Simbirski, Director at Large – Alberta, PHWFFC (right).


Michelle visits with long time shuttle client Clive J.


It was a good first day at the WC Fly Fishing Expo. It was a pleasure to meet Kerry Pitt, President, Project Healing Waters Fly Fish Canada (PHWFFC) and Ray Fairweather, Vice President, PHWFFC. We’re all looking forward to the Back Cast FFFF in a couple of weeks.



I got to meet a number of long time shuttle clients, and made arrangements to get paperwork and spare keys from several new clients who have just purchased boats. In fact, one of them, whom I had not met before, come to the show with a spare key for me!


We understand that the show “sold out” all exhibitor booth spaces. We met a number of exhibitors from south of the border who have come up to promote their Montana guide services, lodges and drift boat companies to the Alberta fly fishing community.


Thursday, January 27, 2011

It's Show Time!



This will be my "9th Annual Appearance" at this popular event for the fly fishing community. There will be lots to see and do for both children and adults.

A Kids area with lots of activities, plus presentation theatres, casting ponds, and of course, many exhibitors, including me - Bow River Shuttles.

Be there or be square. :-)

Also, I will have tickets for my upcoming Back Cast Fly Fishing Film Festival at my display booth at the Expo.

See you tomorrow!

January 28th to 30th, 2011

Western Canadian Fly Fishing Exposition 2011

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Back Cast FFFF - Film Lineup & Ticket Purchase


4th ANNUAL

BACK CAST
FLY FISHING FILM FESTIVAL


SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2011

BENEFITING PROJECT HEALING WATERS FLY FISHING CANADA
_____________________________________________
SEVERAL BLUE RIBBON FILMS

Matinee

"Memories of the Miramichi"

"Slovenia on the Fly"

"Heads or Tails"

“The Good Life – Tall Tails from the East”

Evening

"Q the X"

"The Best of Catch Magazine"

"Rivers of the Lost Coast"

"Why Fly Fish"

“Eastern Rises”
_______________________________________________________________

"DVD's are cool but nothing can compare to seeing something on the big screen with a couple of hundred cheering fishermen" - Nick Reygaert

1:00 pm and 6:30 pm. Cardel Theatre, 180 Quarry Park Blvd. SE
Ticket Sales: $15 ($25 for both shows) in Advance, $20 at the door
Children: $10 ($15 for both shows) in Advance, $15 at the door
Limited seating - For ticket information
Call 403-278-9165 or contact michelle@bowrivershuttles.com

Detailed information on films here

Purchase tickets here

Monday, January 24, 2011

Lunch & Tye: Stonefly Patterns

Bow River Troutfitters Fly Tying Club

Wednesdays Noon hour open house Fly Tying sessions

Come join us at the shop over the lunch hour on Wednesdays. Each week we have a different theme.


Tying Bull Trout flies on Wed Jan 19
Courtesy: Bow River Troutfitters

January 26th theme is Stonefly patterns.

So bring your best dry fly pattern or nymph pattern and share it with the rest of the group. You will need to bring your own tools and materials. There is no cost for these sessions.

Or just come and watch and share stories with everyone else. Tying usually starts at 1130hrs and finishes up around 1330hrs.

Bow River Troutfitters

Sunday, January 23, 2011

2011 Stream Watch Raffle



100 % of proceeds will be used to support Alberta Stream Watch


Donated by WestJet Airlines

1st Prize - Return trip for 2 on WestJet Airlines.


Donated by Fish Tales Fly Shop

2nd Prize - Loop Opti Stream 9' 3" 6wt 4pc rod with Loop Evotec FW 4/6 reel!


Donated by Temple Fork

3rd Prize - The New BVK Fly Rod - Winner's Choice of Weight!


Tickets will be on sale at Stream Watch booth at this year's Fly Fishing Exposition being held on January 28th-30th at Spruce Meadows.

Tickets will also be available at this year's
Back Cast Fly Fishing Film Festival and from Fish Tales Fly Shop .

Purchase a ticket and help support Stream Watch's continued efforts to protect the rivers and streams that we all love.

More information about the raffle and prizes here

Alberta Stream Watch

Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Hook Up


Photo: Walter in green boat, with camera person

Walter Simbirski of Wylde Outfitters was able to help out with a couple episodes of “The Hook Up” last summer.

You can catch the series on APTN.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Faster tying, Better photos


Courtesy: Dan Jackson

Sat January 22 (10 am – 12 pm): Production Tying Techniques. Tricks to speed your tying. Perfect for saving time when stocking up on your failsafe patterns for next season. Jeff is a long time guide on the Bow as well as a commercial tier, supplying flies to several shops. Learn more here.


Sun Jan 23 (12 pm - 2 pm): Fly Fishing Photography. Join Dan Jackson for a presentation on how to take better fish photos. Dan's had photos published in the Canadian Fly Fisher and runs hipwader.com. He's an avid fly angler who's fished all over Alberta and Ontario. He's also fished the flats in Cuba, Belize and Guatemala. He's an FFF certified fly casting instructor. Photography is Dan's other passion. He'll share some of his images and invites attendees to bring in their own. Discussion will include ways to enhance example photos. This will be an interactive seminar. Should be interesting.... Learn more here.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Guide’s Kit Bag








Fish Tales Fly Shop put together an enjoyable seminar last weekend. Bow River Guides Jeff Thomson and Aaron Caldwell discussed, and compared, fishing strategies, rowing techniques and a host of other topics. We got to see what type of flies each of them stocked in their bags.

It was like listening in on a couple of guides shooting the breeze on a variety of subjects on which it was obvious both had a lot of knowledge, although not necessarily the same approach. A fun afternoon.






Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Octhopper

Fishing hoppers in the rocky mountains during October on bamboo fly rods for wild brown trout.



Via: Buster Wants to Fish

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Tying Steelhead Flies


Brent Piche demoed his skills at tying both new and classic Steelhead flies at Country Pleasures last weekend.