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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Octhopper

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



Via: Buster Wants to Fish

Tying Steelhead Flies

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

Back Cast FFFF - A Preview!

Saturday Feb 12, 2011

Two shows for 2011 – Matinee @ 1:00 pm, Evening @ 6:30 pm!

Different Films At Each Screening!

Several "Blue Ribbon" Films!

- The best of Atlantic Salmon angling – the river, the fish, the anglers

- Hunting Marble Trout and Hocho in Slovinia

- Permit obsessed fly fishers pursue their elusive quarry in Australia

- Chasing Eastern Brook Trout, Northerns, Stripers, Peacock Bass, Landlock Salmon & Shad along the Atlantic seaboard, from Labrador to the Florida Keys

- The science, the craft, the art, the poetry, the spiritual, the losing of one's self, the finding of one's self – Explore the numerous wide-ranging aspects that make fly fishing a lifestyle choice for so many of us

- Alpine bass, Oregon Steelhead and The River of No Return

- At the turn of the 20th Century, a handful of pioneers carried their fly rods into California’s remote north coast and gave birth to a culture that would revolutionize their sport

- An epic fly fishing journey to Russia's remote Kamchatka Peninsula

Benefitting


Stay tuned for more information!

Back Cast Fly Fishing Film Festival on Facebook

Bloodknot Issue 4 (Blogger Issue)

LINK: Bloodknot Issue 4 (Blogger Issue)

Tying & Tasting

Yes, it was wine & cheese & …fly tying… at the Hook & Hackle Club meeting this week.

Thanks to the Executive for this good idea and to those who put it together.

It's almost show time

I'll be at my display booth for Bow River Shuttles at the Western Canadian Fly Fishing Expo again this year.

Is anyone reading this post planning to attend? I'd like to hear from you. You can post a reply in "Comments" below!

More snow & cold. What to do?

Take in some indoor seminars!



Sun Jan 16 (12 pm - 2 pm): “What’s in the bag?” Local guides Aaron Caldwell and Jeff Thomson talk about what they take in their boat bags. This will be an interesting one as the guys will welcome comments and discussion from everyone. Who knows where this will go???? More information here.



Sat Jan 15 (10 am – 12 pm): Steelhead Flies. Brent Piche will tie new, and traditional Steelhead flies. He'll be doing some of his Intruders, some of the nicest we've seen. More details here.

Why Fish Montana?

Many Bow River fly fishers devote a few days of the season to fishing south of the border.

This video, from the Montana Office of Tourism, helps explain the attraction.

Montana Stories: Jenny Grossenbacher from Montana Office of Tourism on Vimeo.

Via: The Running Line, American Angler

Fishing the River

Ingrid Christensen is a local Calgary artist who has taken an interest in painting fly fishing scenes.

On her blog, “A Painter's Progress”, she writes:

“I'm really hooked on fly fishing: not doing it, just painting it. Luckily for me, the Bow River is a world-class, trout river. I don't think that there's been a week that I haven't seen a fisherman or several standing in the current, trying to outwit a fish.” - April 28 2010

View Ingrid’s portfolio here

Above
“Fishing the River”
20x20 Oil on canvas

Montreal River

We made a quick trip to Northern Saskatchewan over the weekend.

The Montreal River was being guarded by a lone Merganser.

Snow sleds were lined up outside the coffee shop.

As we left for home yesterday morning, we marveled at the images of a winter wonderland.

It was a much different picture as we arrived back in Alberta.

The Fisherman

The Fisherman from Jeff Marsh on Vimeo.

“A find over at MoldyChum by Jeff Marsh and Ron Hicks that's beautifully written and gorgeously filmed with just the proper amount of contemplation thrown in.” - Tim Romano, Fly Talk, Field & Stream blog

Fishing the Bow in December

Mike (Doc) Monteith from Edmonton came down to Calgary just after Christmas to do a bit of fishing on the Bow River.

You can read about his trip here, or you can scroll down this page, on the right hand side, and click on his blog “Doc’s Ol’ Blog House”.

Photos: Joe Belehorec & Mike Monteith

Back Cast Fly Fishing Film Festival - New Theatre Venue!

I am thrilled to announce that my Back Cast Fly Fishing Film Festival has a new home for 2011 – The Cardel Theatre!

“3000 watt Dolby surround sound audio system, HD projector shooting on a 193” motorized projection screen – what more could any film buff ask for! The sight and sound quality of your film is outstanding and probably one of the best cinematic theatres in Calgary.”




This event will be an awareness raiser and fundraiser for Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Canada. Net proceeds will be donated to PHWFFC.

As in past years, festival goers will be treated to several full length films (about 3 hours total) from some of the best fly fishing film producers on the planet.

There will be two screenings, one matinee and one evening. Each show will have a different lineup of films.

Doors open @ 12:00 noon, Show @ 1:00 pm.
Doors open again @ 5:30 pm, Show @ 6:30 pm.

You’ll meet interesting people from the world of fly fishing and travel to exotic locations! Plan now to be there!!

Stay tuned for more information!

Please check out my new Facebook Page for Back Cast Fly Fishing Film Festival.

What's Up This Weekend?

Sat Jan 08 (10 am – 12 pm): Tying with new Enrico Puglisi Products. Cool new products. Not just salt water flies, trout flies as well. More information here.

Sat Jan 08 (12 pm - 2 pm): Greg & Annette Lauder. Steelhead adventures on the Skeena River using Spey rods. More information here and here.

Sun Jan 09 (1 pm – 3 pm): Matthew Slater tying tube flies. More information here.

Sherri Brillon – Power Player & Fly Fisher

An article appeared in the business section of the Calgary Herald today under the headline: “Men dominate top jobs in energy industry”.

However, the focus of the article was on a number of women who are the exception to the rule, in particular Sherri Brillon. Sherri is Encana Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, and was recently named one of Canada's most powerful women. She is being inducted into the “Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Hall of Fame”.

In part, the article read:

“Despite her busy schedule, Brillon does find time to indulge in one of her passions -- fly-fishing. It's this affinity with the outdoors that has ultimately led to Brillon achieving another first in a male-dominated world: Brillon is chairing the upcoming Calgary national conservation dinner for Trout Unlimited Canada, which has become North America's premier fund raising event for cold water resource conservation.”

Photo: Ted Jacob, Calgary Herald

Link: Read article here

Link: http://www.top100women.ca/

Murder on the Bow

In the #3 spot on the “Calgary Bestsellers Fiction” list in yesterday's Calgary Herald was a book titled “Murder on the Bow” by John Ballem.

This book has nothing to do with fly fishing. But we thought it might be fun to read a murder mystery laced with references to locations in Calgary and Alberta.

A recent on-line review of the book includes the following:

“That John Ballem loved the city of Calgary is well known to those who knew and loved him. In Murder on the Bow his characters tumble onto the page like the contents of a Matrushka doll; indeed, there are as many characters in this murder mystery as one finds in a 19th Century Russian novel. If you’re still looking for the perfect Christmas gift, by all means, pick up several copies.

This elegant author takes the reader on a veritable romp through Calgary’s streets and neighbourhoods; from the lofty hills of Mount Royal with its palatial residences, to the run-down shacks of Victoria Park, driving along well-known routes, at all times providing detailed information regarding place names.” Read the review here.

“Dirt Roads and Sand Flats”

Catch Magazine Issue #15 is now live.

Lots of eye candy from some of the best photogs in the fly fishing universe.

One of the must-see features is Todd Moen’s video “Dirt Roads and Sand Flats”.

http://www.catchmagazine.net/

(Click directly on the cover image for a larger version)

Super Cool Solstice

Photo: Courtesy Paul Harper

The Chinook Waters Fly Fishing Club headed for the Crowsnest River for their annual Winter Solstice fishing trip. Here is their story:

"Sunday was our local fly fishing club’s annual Winter Solstice Fly Fishing Trip. Despite temperatures hovering around -15 degrees Celsius, five brave souls put on as many layers of wool that would fit under the waders and trekked to the river. 10 degrees cooler than last year’s trip, but with the sun and the fat snowflakes it was a beautiful day!" Read the rest of the story here.

More photos here (see Dec 20 post)