Don't Discount the Small Stuff

In my intro to my Bugs page I used the analogy of a large bear tearing into a log to get at a few juicy bugs as an example of why larger trout, which are able to tackle larger food items, will also capitalize on hatches of tiny aquatic insects. The adage "big flies = big fish" sometimes holds true - but I prefer my catch phrase; small flies during a consistent hatch = big selective fish.

Not much gets in the way of a hungry bear looking for a high protein meal

Getting Caught Up

These last few weeks have been a little hectic. Between weekly camping/fishing trips, work, and home-life there seems to be little time for much else – including blogging or fly tying: I actually had to buy some flies to get me through the next trip. I will try to get things caught up here and hopefully I can get back into the groove over the coming weeks.

Two weekends ago I spent some time west of Rocky – this was more of an exploratory trip to assess the damage and road conditions. Most rivers (including the North Ram) were in reasonable shape; some channels have shifted significantly, but what struck me the most was the number of bugs – or lack thereof. A quick look in the water and under a few rocks revealed what I already suspected. Most of the species one would expect to find were still there, just in much reduced numbers. The usual hatches were also there, and the fish were rising, but again the number of adults coming off the water were sparse. Luckily nature is resilient – insect populations will recover – but it will take a few years before populations approach “normal”.

A lone Megarcys signata Stonefly (adult male) drumming on a log
in hopes of attracting one of the few females flitting about

Smaller tributary streams fared much better – But since these refugia can play an important role in the recovery of both aquatic insect and fish populations it is important that they are not over-stressed.

Stream and river conditions are fluctuating daily; with spotty showers, what you see on any given day on one stream may not necessarily translate to the next. On our way home that Sunday evening a massive thunderstorm dumped enough rain and hail to spike flows overnight.

A mid-July hail storm just west of Rocky Mountain House - creating a winter-like scene

Last weekend found me hiking into a few new lakes out west for some Pike on the fly action. I mostly worked surface poppers over the drop-offs and around weed edges – lots of casting, and some beautiful surroundings, but admittedly the fish got the better of me.

Hiking across a fen to a promising looking pond

Casting poppers on an idyllic morning

Success!?

Some of the "Gators" were lurking in surprisingly shallow water