Bow River - CPAWS presentation - Wed Jul 22, 7pm - Preregistration Required

Water - what could be more essential to life? Find out just how much fresh water there really is on our planet. Learn about our connection to the water we know personally, the Bow River, and the ways in which we use it. Find out what we put into our water. Learn how you can help contribute to looking after the liquid source of life that flows through our city. Join CPAWS for the Bow River Water Program at Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park.

 "We're so excited for the CPAWS Bow River presentation this evening! Have you registered yet? If not, all the info and registration is below!" @glenbowranch CPAWS Southern Alberta

https://app.etapestry.com/cart/GlenbowRanchParkFoundation/default/item.php?ref=715.0.117008439

Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation | CPAWS Southern Alberta | ‪#‎bowriver‬ | ‪#‎flyfishing‬ | ‪#‎yyc‬

And The Winners Are…

Jim Bartschi, President of Scott Rods is all smiles after wining both – Best salt water rod & Best of Show categories with the new Scott Meridian. Photo, courtesy, Angling Trade

Angling Trade writes: "People often ask me how I feel about the state of the fly-fishing market. There’s no easy answer for such a complex question. But here’s some food for thought. One of the most reliable indicators of the “health” of the industry is on display, once a year, at the International Fly Tackle Dealer trade show, in the form of the New Product Showcase. I’ve seen the tide ebb and flow. “Up” years indicate that the manufacturers are investing in research and product development. Some companies (usually the big ones) make that a priority all the time. But the companies that are living hand-to-mouth don’t have that luxury. They must make money to invest, and so on.

This year’s New Product Showcase featured nearly 250 products, literally hundreds more than I have seen in the past. It was an impressive collection of very sound, smart designs. The big hitters like Far Bank, Orvis, and Simms went large. Pure Fishing is pressing reintroductions of icons like the Pflueger Medalist reel, and Fenwick (and Hardy) rods. And a number of smaller, niche players really made statements. That tells me the doldrums from a few years ago are gone, and there is optimism looking forward. You have good reason, as a retailer, to share that optimism, and check these things out."

American Fly Fishing Trade Association | ‪#‎IFTD15‬ | ‪#‎ICAST‬

Here are the winners, in every category from the show:

The Making of a Marlin

Costa Brings Kick Plastic Message to ICAST, Commissions Nine Foot Tall Marlin Sculpture Made of Ocean Trash

Costa Sunglasses commissioned a sculpture made entirely out of Pacific Ocean trash collected from the beaches of Oregon to exemplify the problem of plastic waste in our oceans.

Read more here: http://bit.ly/1gFA1uy

And here: https://www.costadelmar.com/inside-costa/kick-plastic

American Fly Fishing Trade Association | ‪#‎IFTD15‬ | ‪#‎ICAST‬

In Current

In Current from YETI Coolers on Vimeo.

Southern Alberta trout streams threatened despite recovery plan, says survey

A new survey of trout streams in southwest Alberta suggests that virtually all of them are threatened by industrial development or overuse. Bull trout like the one pictured here have lost more than 70 per cent of their historic waters. Photo, courtesy Kevin Turner / The Canadian Press

Southern Alberta trout streams threatened despite recovery plan, says survey

by Bob Weber, Calgary Herald/The Canadian Press, July 12, 2015

EDMONTON — Virtually all southern Alberta streams that spawn native trout are threatened by industrial development or overuse, says a survey from a respected fisheries biologist.

That’s even though both bull and rainbow trout are protected under federal law and are supposed to be benefiting from a recovery plan, says Lorne Fitch.

“I have watched habitat and fish populations crater,” says Fitch, an adjunct professor at the University of Calgary, who spent 35 years as a leading provincial biologist. “All of our systems are under extreme pressure.”

Fitch studied 54 small rivers and streams that flow into the Oldman River and hold bull and cutthroat trout. He found nearly every one of the waterways face multiple pressures: from logging roads to energy development to off-highway vehicle trails.

Read more here: http://bit.ly/1CCVbU6

‪#‎bowriver‬ | ‪#‎flyfishing‬ | ‪#‎BullTrout‬ | ‪#‎CutthroatTrout‬ | ‪#‎yyc‬

CREEKFEST 2015 (Calgary) - July 19

CREEKFEST 2015 (Calgary) - July 19

This free one-day celebration of water in Fish Creek Provincial Park is an important component to the Friends’ Watershed Public Awareness Campaign, designed to inform and inspire community members to take actions to protect and preserve our water. Creekfest is now on Alberta Parks Day! Creekfest provides a great opportunity to learn about water conservation and protection in Fish Creek Provincial Park. 

Juno-Award winning Peter Puffin’s Whale Tales will be returning to Creekfest for the 5th year!

We are pleased to welcome back award-winning theatre troupe Parks Canada’s Mountain WIT, and Coyote Kids Theatre, who will perform The Muskrat’s Tail, a fun and innovative look into the world of water loving mammals. 

More info and schedule here: http://friendsoffishcreek.org/event/creekfest/

‪#‎bowriver‬ | ‪#‎flyfishing‬ | ‪#‎yyc‬ | Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society | ‪#‎abparks‬

Southern Alberta's rivers face high threats to overall health

A fisherman in the Bow River under the Glenmore Trail bridge, a popular spot for fly-fishing in Calgary in May 2014. Photo, courtesy Crystal Schick / Calgary Herald

Southern Alberta's rivers face high threats to overall health

by Colette Derworiz, Calgary Herald, July 7, 2015

A report on Canada’s watersheds suggests the threats to rivers in southern Alberta — including the Bow River through Calgary — are high.

The assessment, released Tuesday by the World Wildlife Fund, shows pollution, habitat fragmentation and overuse of water are the top threats to the Saskatchewan River watersheds. It includes the Red Deer River, Bow River and the Oldman River.

“The health of Canada’s fresh water is a hugely important issue to Canadians,” said David Miller, chief executive officer for WWF. “Our goal as an organization is to help all of Canada’s water be in good condition by 2025.”

To that end, they are looking at the health of Canada’s 25 major watersheds and assessing them on four indicators of water health — flow, quality, fish and bugs — and seven indicators of threats to aquatic ecosystems: pollution, climate change, habitat loss and fragmentation, overuse of water, alteration of flows, and invasive species.

They’ve created an interactive tool on 12 of the watersheds so far to help people learn more about the one they live in and find ways to ensure there’s safe and clean water for future generations.

Read more here: http://bit.ly/1M5d7tk

Check out interactive tool here: http://watershedreports.wwf.ca/#intro

#‎bowriver‬ | ‪#‎flyfishing‬ | ‪#‎yyc‬ | ‪#‎KeepEmWet‬

Today along the Bow River - July 2015

High today 28°C, smoke, wind avg 10, max 24.

Bow River at Banff 67 cms
Bow River at Calgary flow 96 cms
Bow River below Carseland 74 cms

‪#‎bowriver‬ | ‪#‎flyfishing‬ | ‪#‎yyc‬ | ‪#‎KeepEmWet‬

Looking back along the Bow River

Father and sons

‪#‎bowriver‬ | ‪#‎flyfishing‬ | ‪#‎yyc‬ | ‪#‎KeepEmWet‬ | ‪#‎tbt‬ | 8252012

Today along the Bow River - July 2015

High today 29°C, Scattered Clouds, wind avg 9, max 36.

Bow River at Banff 61 cms
Bow River at Calgary flow 96 cms
Bow River below Carseland 74 cms

#bowriver | #flyfishing | #yyc | #KeepEmWet

My Home Town - La Ronge, Saskatchewan

Lynn and Iris Riese's beautiful log home. Photo, courtesy Tammy Cook-Searson

My Home Town - La Ronge, Saskatchewan ‪#‎skfire‬

The area that I grew up in has been much in the news in recent days as a result of wild fires. 

A 'mandatory evacuation' order was issued late this afternoon for the Lac La Ronge Indian Band (La Ronge), Town of La Ronge and Village of Air Ronge.

Anyone interested in following these events can check in at the FB pages of Tammy Cook-Searson, Chief of the LLRIB and Thomas Sierzycki, Mayor of La Ronge. Another very informative site is La Ronge & Area Rez News. 

- Michelle

Everything Stampede - 2015

Everything Stampede - 2015

‪#‎yyc‬ | ‪#‎calgary‬ | ‪#‎bowriver‬ | Calgary Stampede

Hoot Owl Fly Fishing - 12 Midnight to 2:00 pm Only

Seasons of Brown Trout - Summer Drought from JensenFlyFishing on Vimeo.

Jensen Fly Fishing writes: "In the video above – we are at the place of fish struggling to find oxygen, to find a comfort zone. We are well into drought and the heat is having impact. Fast forward to 3:55 of this video and that’s exactly where we are. (PLEASE NOTE: drought similarly impacts all trout, not just brown trout)."

Hoot Owl Fly Fishing - 12 Midnight to 2:00 pm Only

Our current hot dry weather and warm water conditions are generating many posts about the state of the fishery in our local waters, as well as those further afield.

A post earlier this week on Moldy Chum featured a video from the Truckee River in Northern California/Nevada where local fly fishers banded together to launch their own "hoot-owl" closures - no fishing from 2:00 pm to midnight.

Today, officials in Montana imposed mandatory "hoot owl" closures on a number of rivers, including the Blackfoot, Bitterroot, Clark Fork, Big Hole, Jefferson and others. 

Over on Vancouver Island, the B.C. government today issued fishing bans on rivers from Bamfield to Victoria on the west coast, and from Campbell River to Victoria on the east coast. 

Closer to home, we have:

"TUC Concerned About Low Water and Rising Temps" from Trout Unlimited Canada | http://bit.ly/1LNAkQD

"Consideration: Warm Water Angling Restrictions on our Trout Streams" from Alberta Fishing Guide Magazine | http://bit.ly/1NCWUJg

and good advice from Fish Tales Fly Shop as their contribution to this week's "Alberta Fishing Forecast July 2 – 5, 2015" | http://bit.ly/1CQYTE4
 
‪#‎bowriver‬ | ‪#‎flyfishing‬ | ‪#‎yyc‬ | ‪#‎KeepEmWet‬

TUC Stampede Breakfast - July 07

Trout Unlimited California invites you to join us at our Calgary Office, Suite #160 6712 Fisher Street S.E., on the morning of Tuesday July 7th from 7:30-10:30 for some delicious pancakes and refreshments served up by our staff and volunteers in support of conservation!

All that is required is a hearty appetite and a minimum $2.00 donation. 

‪#‎bowriver‬ | ‪#‎flyfishing‬ | ‪#‎yyc‬ | ‪#‎yahoo‬

Women fly fishing in Calgary

CBC News Calgary | Jun 30, 2015 | 

More and more women are getting hooked by fly fishing in Alberta's lakes, rivers and streams.

‪#‎bowriver‬ | ‪#‎flyfishing‬ |‪#‎womenflyfishers‬ | ‪#‎yyc‬ | ‪#‎KeepEmWet‬

Out Fly Fishing Outfitters Fly Shop AKA West Winds Fly Shop: Grand Reopening - June 27

Out Fly Fishing Outfitters Fly Shop AKA West Winds Fly Shop: Grand Reopening - June 27

‪#‎flyshops‬ | ‪#‎bowriver‬ | ‪#‎flyfishing‬ | ‪#‎yyc‬ | ‪#‎KeepEmWet‬

Rain gardens help protect Bow River trout

Strips of native Sheep's Fescue grass were laid between the foundation and the rain garden. It doesn't need water, stays green and never needs to be mowed!

Street to Stream - Building Rain Gardens

Help protect the Bow River trout: install a rain garden

Most of our readers will be familiar with the Trout Unlimited Canada Yellow Fish Road program. Since 1991, thousands of Canadians have become leaders in their community by raising awareness about pollution entering local waterbodies through stormdrains.

One way to achieve that goal is to prevent roof rainwater from getting to the street in the first place. That's the purpose of a rain garden. 

In late May, my husband Armand and I volunteered to help build a rain garden on a private property in Inglewood. This project was a joint venture between Cows and Fish - Alberta Riparian Habitat Management Society and the Alberta Low Impact Development Partnership (ALIDP) https://alidp.org/

More info:

ALIDP construction process at Inglewood (pdf): http://bit.ly/1IzSUFI

City of Calgary YardSmart - Residential rain gardens: http://bit.ly/1GrDO4t
 

Leta van Duin (left), Executive Director, Alberta Low Impact Development Partnership (ALIDP) and Michelle Magotiaux, Bow River Shuttles

The final step, which was completed prior to this photo, was to lay down a thick layer of mulch - 3 to 4 inches.

View more photos here: http://on.fb.me/1BOQKoR

Hooked: Fish, Water and Angling in Art

Hooked: Fish, Water and Angling in Art

May 30 – October 4, 2015

Organized by Glenbow
Curated by Mary-Beth Laviolette and Douglas MacLean

The Oldman, Crowsnest, Castle, Highwood, Sheep, Kananaskis, Elbow and the Bow: boasting some of the best fishing in the world, the streams and rivers of southern Alberta and British Columbia have long attracted visitors from all over the globe.

The breathtaking scenery and meditative act of fishing has inspired many artists and photographers; Hooked takes a unique look at the art and culture of fishing.

Featuring paintings, prints, photography, sculpture in clay, glass and bronze, Hooked marries all of this creative activity with other fishing-related objects and books from Glenbow’s collection and that of avid fisher and co-curator, Douglas MacLean. Featuring work by artist/fishers like Tom Thomson, Ted Godwin, Jack Cowin, and Walter May among many others, Hooked opens a window into the passionate world of art dedicated to fish, water and angling.

More info here: http://www.glenbow.org/exhibitions/hooked/

‪#‎bowriver‬ ‪#‎flyfishing‬ ‪#‎yyc‬

Meet Aaron Feltham, new manager of Bow River Troutfitters fly shop (Calgary)

Meet Aaron Feltham, new manager of Bow River Troutfitters fly shop (Calgary)

‪#‎bowriver‬ | ‪#‎flyfishing‬ | ‪#‎yyc‬ | ‪#‎flyshop‬

Fly Fishing Team Canada at World Fly Fishing Championship 2015

Photo, courtesy Josh Jelly Gelinas

Fly Fishing Team Canada at World Fly Fishing Championship 2015

Team Canada members: (from left) Ionut Cotinghi, Rafan Ciprian, David Heine, Josh Jelly Gelinas and Gary Hanke (Calgary).
 
http://35thwffcbih2015.com/

Photo, courtesy Fly Fishing Team Canada

Fly Fishing Team Canada at Opening Ceremonies of 35th World Fly Fishing Championships (photo c/o Nazif Suzi Fetahovic https://www.facebook.com/dedonazzif)

From left: Josh Jelly Gelinas, David Heine, Gary Hanke (w/flag)

More photos here: http://on.fb.me/1GvyYFx

Bow River Drift Times Increase

Click directly on graph for larger image

Fly fishers floating the Bow this weekend will need to add a bit more time to their trips. In recent days, the flow rate was in the 220 cms range. It's now down below 90 cms.

The reason: The water level in the Ghost Reservoir was originally scheduled to be raised begining July 07. However, with the Rocky Mountain snowpack now gone, that process began earlier this week, on Monday. More info in the article below. 

Snowpack in Rockies melts four to six weeks earlier than normal

Colette Derworiz, Calgary Herald, June 16, 2015

June’s hot weather has completely wiped out this winter’s snowpack in the Rockies, prompting concerns Western Canada could be entering into a drought.

Last week, the mountain snowpack — already 10 to 25 per cent below normal — melted about four to six weeks earlier than expected by scientists monitoring the situation.

“The hot weather in the past few weeks has really wiped out the snowpack,” said John Pomeroy, a University of Saskatchewan hydrologist.

Read more here: http://bit.ly/1N7RAhr

World Fly Fishing Championship 2015 - June 16-21

Pogledajte premijerno na SrednjaBosna.ba promotivni video 35. Svjetskog prvenstva u Fly Fishingu koje se u periodu od 16.-21.06.2015. godine održava u Bosni i Hercegovini.Produkcija: Turistička zajednica SBK/KSB, 2015.#srednjabosna #flyfishing #jajce #donjivakuf #plivsko #jezero #pliva

Posted by SrednjaBosna.ba on Thursday, June 11, 2015

Bugs On The Bow (Calgary) - June 17 at 7:00 pm

‪#‎bowriver‬ | ‪#‎flyfishing‬ | ‪#‎bugs‬ | ‪#‎yyc‬ | ‪#‎CalgaryWomenFlyFishersClub‬

Signs of drought appear to be in Western Canada for the long term

Signs of drought appear to be in Western Canada for the long term

Mark Hume, Globe and Mail, June 14, 2015

"High in the Rocky Mountains along the British Columbia-Alberta divide, John Pomeroy is seeing signs of the changing climate that has brought a crippling drought to the U.S. West...."

"....This year, the Rocky Mountain snowpacks, which usually melt slowly, releasing water well into the summer, have had “a dramatic decline.” This past winter, those snowpacks were as low as 25 per cent of normal measurements, and they vanished quickly in the spring.

“All our stations are free of snow now, which is the earliest we’ve seen it,” Dr. Pomeroy said. “Not only was the maximum of snow water available quite low, but the snow melted much earlier – about a month to a month and a half earlier than what we would expect....”

Read more here: http://bit.ly/1FlvlxS

H/T to Kevin Van Tigham

Fly Fishing Eh?

Find Your Water: Season 1, Episode 6: Fly Fishing Eh? from Redingtongear on Vimeo.

Fly Fishing Eh?

Southern Alberta with Amber Payliss and Brendan Toner

‪#‎bowriver‬ | ‪#‎flyfishing‬ | ‪#‎KeepEmWet‬ | ‪#‎yyc‬ | @AmberPayliss | @BrendanToner | The Bug Parade |

Recovery of threatened trout taking too long: conservationists

A Westslope Cutthroat Trout.

Shane Petry/Department of Fisheries and Oceans / Herald archives

Recovery of threatened trout taking too long: conservationists

Colette Derworiz, Calgary Herald, June 12, 2015

Conservation groups are calling for immediate action to help threatened trout in Alberta after a review showed most streams and rivers in the Oldman watershed are still being negatively impacted by development.

Read more here: http://bit.ly/1ThDMVG

H/T to @Kevin Van Tigham

‪#‎NativeTrout‬ | ‪#‎bowriver‬ | ‪#‎flyfishing‬ | ‪#‎yyc‬ | Alberta Wilderness Association

War on Trout: Destructive Activities Cripple Native Trout Populations

War on Trout: Destructive Activities Cripple Native Trout Populations

Alberta Wilderness Association, June 09, 2015

Human-caused threats to bull trout and cutthroat trout in the Oldman watershed combined with snail’s pace recovery action by the provincial and federal governments has led to severe limits on population recovery. A new review of overlapping human impacts throughout this watershed shows virtually every creek and river home to native trout has been negatively impacted or is threatened by logging, off-highway vehicle use, stream crossings, oil and gas development, coal mining, overharvesting, roads, dam operations or combinations of these. (See map below)

Read more here: http://bit.ly/1KJjG39

H/T to @Kevin Van Tigham

Officials urge Calgarians to respect rivers and stay safe

A man and his dog drive through the Bow River in a Jeep near the Graves Bridge on Glenmore Trail in Calgary on Monday, June 8, 2015. Photo, courtesy Aryn Toombs / Calgary Herald

Officials urge Calgarians to respect rivers and stay safe

Eva Ferguson, Calgary Herald, June 9, 2015

Provincial and municipal officials are asking river enthusiasts to keep motorized vehicles far away from the water.

After the Calgary Herald took a photo Monday of a man driving his Jeep through the Bow River near the Graves Bridge on Glenmore Trail, government officials were outraged that anyone would think it’s OK to run a vehicle through the river intentionally.

According to Alberta Environment and Parks, the offence can be punishable through a range of fines under the Public Lands Act, anywhere from $250 to $25,000 if someone is intentionally driving through sensitive aquatic habitat, particularly if fish are spawning.

Earlier this month, a judge in Rocky Mountain House handed out fines of $1,500 each to two men who drove their ATVs through the Clearwater River, the highest fines ever handed out for that type of offence.

Read more here: http://bit.ly/1GqbsLm

Empty the Tanks Worldwide (Calgary) - June 06

Empty the Tanks Worldwide (Calgary) - June 06

Empty the Tanks is an annual worldwide protest and public awareness campaign against the cetacean captivity industry. Empty the Tanks is not a radical movement demanding the release of all captive marine mammals into the wild. Some of these animals might be great candidates for release, but those that are not should be retired into sea pens, where they can enjoy the rest of their days in natural seawater, feeling the waves of the ocean around them. They should not be worked until their last breath is taken and then thrown out like trash and replaced.

Empty the Tanks Calgary: https://www.facebook.com/events/1523165167950035/

http://emptythetanks.org/

2015 GoPro Mountain Games - Costa 2 Fly (Fishing) X-Stream

2015 GoPro Mountain Games - Costa 2 Fly (Fishing) X-Stream

June 4-7, 2015

Athletes ready for GoPro Mountain Games

by John Laconte, June 4, 2015, Vail Daily

"...While the GoPro Mountain Games offers something different for everyone who attends, for anglers, it’s something really different.

Fly Fishing Team USA member Josh Graffam says he’s really excited about competing in the GoPro Mountain Games this year. Graffam is a regular at the America Cup International Fly Fishing Tournament, also held here in Eagle County, but pro fly-fishing events like that one are quite a bit different than the GoPro Mountain Games.

“There’s a couple thousand people, crowds there from all the other events going on, not exactly what we’re used to,” he said.

Spey-O-Rama at Fish Tales Fly Shop - A Look Back

During the off-season months, Fish Tales Fly Shop offers free seminars on Sunday afternoons on fly fishing and fly tying topics.

Their final seminar is a spey casting session on the Bow River. This year's instructors from the shop included Kurtis Giles, Chris Iskiw and Paula Shearer.

‪#‎bowriver‬ | ‪#‎flyfishing‬ | ‪#‎KeepEmWet‬ | ‪#‎yyc‬

Catching more than a fish on the mighty Bow

Getting out on the river gives a new perspective on its power.
Photo, courtesy Colleen De Neve / Calgary Herald

Catching more than a fish on the mighty Bow

by Jennifer Allford, June 1, 2015

Most of us see the Bow River every day, often while stuck on a bridge in rush hour. The river is a traffic bottleneck and the line between north people and those people in the south who don’t understand which lane to get in heading up Crowchild.

Two years ago this month, the Bow burst its banks. And this time of year the thousands who were flooded and the thousands more who helped them recover are inclined to give the river a wary eye.

Which is why you should go fishing.

Read more here: http://bit.ly/1I2urOe