After a longer than normal turn-over after an early ice-off, things are really starting to pick up on our lakes.
SALMON LAKE - Excellent Chironomid fishing at both northern and Southern ends of the lake. Fishing depths from strike indicators 6 to 12 feet. Popular picks of Chironomids: Static bags, black and reds, maroons, gold wire variations in sizes 12 and 14, with the odd 16's around. The normal searching patterns of Pumpkin Heads, K-Mart specials, Black Leeched, Marroon leeches and olive Wooly Buggers have all produced some nice fish. Anglerss with good patience have capitalized on good scud (shrimp) fishing as well.
PAY LAKES - Both Little Sabin and Big Sabin started off with a bang early on. Lots of Chironomids emerging on these waters. Harry's Dam is fishing exceptionally well for fish of all sizes. The word out of Pikes lake was slow trout fishing, possibly a big population of Suckers. We will confirm this as we get a chance to document the lake in the upcoming days. Little Chapperon has had some success, yet minimal angler visits. We are still awaiting detailed reports from Wasley and Mellin, as the first anglers are set to arrive as I write this.
STONEY LAKE - Great Chironomid fishing in waters 8 to14 feet deep, mostly on the Southern portions of the lake. Static bags and blacks and blood colours have been the ticket in sizes 12 and 14. Fast retrieving big leeches along the shoals and darker water has proved deadly effective the last few days. Incredible amounts of extra large scuds are mating throughout the entire lake, creating extra plump trout.
MINNIE LAKE - Excellent Chironomid fishing on most parts of the lake, with the same above mentioned patterns.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
An INSIDE Look at SALMON LAKE CABINS!
Here's a good look at the inside of one & two bedroom cabins at Salmon Lake Resort! The Resort has a fine mix of one and two bedroom cabins, with a variety of bed configurations. Ideally, most of the cabins can accommodate up to four people. Some of the cabins also have queen beds.
The one bedroom units have a fold-out style sofa in the front living room space, incorporating a bigger common area. The two bedroom units have a smaller common area but have more beds and separated sleeping quarters. We are pretty confident to say that there is something for everybody!
Monday, March 25, 2013
SINKING LINES / BIG FLIES
Here is a short video showing some of the advantages of being prepared with a few different sinking lines during the warmer months of the still water season. Sinking lines can be utilized throughout the entire season to search low lying fish, just off the bottom. Most individuals that choose to troll flies for Trout in lakes will find sinking lines to their advantage. For superior casting / searching methods, all the normal types of sinking lines will work very favorably from anchoring in shallow waters and casting and retrieving to deep drop off / darker water zones.
The higher the number of the "type" of sinking line, the faster the sink rate. Type 1 is intermediate (very slow, best purchased in clear). Type 3 is medium sink (most low end generic sinking lines are type 3 although high end lines are available) colours may be dark green, dark blue, brown or black. Type 6 or 7 (extra fast sinking, normally black) mostly produced in better series of fly lines.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
WASLEY LAKE YURTS and FLY FISHING.
Wasley Lake is one of "those" lakes. By that I mean that Rainbow Trout can reach exceptional sizes in this smaller body of water. The water has a slight tinge and remains fairly brackish, Lily pads, marl shoals, rock faces and mud bottoms round off this stillwater in the total lake category.
On my last trip to Wasley, where I shot & edited his short film entirely by myself, was during the hottest part of our summer. The key to locating the Rainbows was fairly straight forward, BIG BLOOD COLORED Leeches with gold crystal flash and gold Tungsten bead heads. I found that my type 3 sink, casted from an anchored boat in 6 to 8 feet of water, out into the depths of about 12 to 16 feet of water was the absolute ticket. A 15 second sinking count, followed by varied fast and slow retrieves was the ticket. The larger / mature fish were grabbing the fly within the first 4 to 8 strips, so I assume that they were cruising the 10-12 foot depth range, of course just above bottom. Hitting bottom weeds or mud during the odd cast was a must.
At Wasley Lake we have two Yurts located comfortably along the productive shorelines of this magnificent
piece of water. Each Yurt is spaced quite far apart which totals this ideal setting. Wasley Lake is almost an hour drive in from Douglas Lake road. If you are heading up there, be prepared to open and close a few gates as you ascend. The smartest drivers of the "convoy" take the middle vehicle position, for obvious reasons.
It's also a great idea to bring along extra ice, a small inverter (to charge cellphones or cameras) or even a generator if you wish to recharge your electric motor's battery. The Yurts are completely gas run, so electricity is VERY far away. If you get a chance, you should really take the time to plan a trip to Wasley or Mellin Lake. I can guarantee that it will become an annual thing....
BRENT GILL.
Stoney Lake Lodge Manager.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
What's with the algal bloom?
ALGAE?
As the full swing of summer sets in with high heats and less wind, so can an algal bloom. To most, the thought of algae is something dirty, or unsanitary. Maybe because it's green, or maybe because of so many uncleaned fish tanks in houses across the planet. Either way, algae blooms in our lakes don't put an end to things whatsoever, in fact, a lake that shows a bloom with any significant depth is that of a healthy, nutrient rich still-water.
Stoney and Minnie Lakes usually show the first signs during the peak heat of the summer. What looks like sprinklings of dill spice, hovers around the top four feet of the lake. It's at this time when spectacular Rainbow Trout can be caught adjusting to a few old proven methods. A few tips remain:
1) Checking your leader / fly and tippet knots for regular cleanliness.
2) Leaving larger "tags" on your nail knots and tippet knots. That of an 8th of an inch. This helps act as a trap when particles of algae may want to travel down your line. I used to use a sequence fastened at my nail knot to collect unwanted debris.
At this point in the summer, the stratified Algae actually helps the presentation of tippets and flies, as the sunlight becomes fractured or broken up as it travels through the top few feet of bloom. During this phase, extremely large Trout can be caught using extremely large flies. That just sounds too cool. Big Dragonflies / Leeches / Wooly Buggers and Attractors seem to put the fish on. Bright irregular 'buggy' patterns, and even Steelhead flies cause huge takes. The best way to put these flies in their face is to incorporate the help of a few sinking lines. Type 3 and Type 6 lines are all that's required. A Type 3 will just take a little longer to get in that zone, so a Type 6 is always my choice in the matter. Because of the big flies and heavier fly lines, make sure your tippet is sufficient to handle hard strikes and turning of big flies. Nothing less than 6 pound Flourocarbon is my choice, even 10 pound when things are heating up with big Darner Dragonflies.
Don't be discouraged about algae conditions and "summer doldrums". It's this time of the year that you can enjoy nice weather, bring significant others, bring along children and even work on your suntan if needed. I personally enjoy this fishery just as much as the Spring and Fall, generally all of the fish are well fed, super bright and ready for war.
BRENT GILL.
Stoney Lake Lodge.
As the full swing of summer sets in with high heats and less wind, so can an algal bloom. To most, the thought of algae is something dirty, or unsanitary. Maybe because it's green, or maybe because of so many uncleaned fish tanks in houses across the planet. Either way, algae blooms in our lakes don't put an end to things whatsoever, in fact, a lake that shows a bloom with any significant depth is that of a healthy, nutrient rich still-water.
Stoney and Minnie Lakes usually show the first signs during the peak heat of the summer. What looks like sprinklings of dill spice, hovers around the top four feet of the lake. It's at this time when spectacular Rainbow Trout can be caught adjusting to a few old proven methods. A few tips remain:
1) Checking your leader / fly and tippet knots for regular cleanliness.
2) Leaving larger "tags" on your nail knots and tippet knots. That of an 8th of an inch. This helps act as a trap when particles of algae may want to travel down your line. I used to use a sequence fastened at my nail knot to collect unwanted debris.
At this point in the summer, the stratified Algae actually helps the presentation of tippets and flies, as the sunlight becomes fractured or broken up as it travels through the top few feet of bloom. During this phase, extremely large Trout can be caught using extremely large flies. That just sounds too cool. Big Dragonflies / Leeches / Wooly Buggers and Attractors seem to put the fish on. Bright irregular 'buggy' patterns, and even Steelhead flies cause huge takes. The best way to put these flies in their face is to incorporate the help of a few sinking lines. Type 3 and Type 6 lines are all that's required. A Type 3 will just take a little longer to get in that zone, so a Type 6 is always my choice in the matter. Because of the big flies and heavier fly lines, make sure your tippet is sufficient to handle hard strikes and turning of big flies. Nothing less than 6 pound Flourocarbon is my choice, even 10 pound when things are heating up with big Darner Dragonflies.
Don't be discouraged about algae conditions and "summer doldrums". It's this time of the year that you can enjoy nice weather, bring significant others, bring along children and even work on your suntan if needed. I personally enjoy this fishery just as much as the Spring and Fall, generally all of the fish are well fed, super bright and ready for war.
BRENT GILL.
Stoney Lake Lodge.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
STILLWATER LEADERS packaged or not?
500 Choices at a well stocked fly shop or sporting goods store can make beginner or even somewhat experienced fly anglers dizzy. The decision of length and breaking strength should be just as easy as flipping through a fly box, puzzled in anchor, strike free for some time. In other words, it's as hard as you wish to make it.
Tippet Rolls should be purchased as a priority if the budget fits, and so it should if you holster an array of small and large flies. I like to keep at least six different tippet / line spools at usual disposal, which in the long-run out weighs and pays purchasing multiple 'packaged tapered leaders' for every outing or so.
Two Butts and Four Tippets will take care of most all stillwater applications. When I refer to this, I'm noting that having the same materials that a tapered leader is made of, can easily save the day. I still purchase tapered leaders, but strictly for floating line butt sections. If you are purchasing tapered leaders for the breaking strength to immediately tie a fly to, there's a much more effective and efficient system to try.
Keeping The Taper Flow is key. So try purchasing tapered leaders that end in much heavier breaking strengths. This is the basics of constructing long leaders on floating lines, more so directed at indicator and 'presentation sensitive applications'. For myself, having to use tippet lighter than 4 pound flourocarbon rarely occurs. 4 / 6 / 8 / 10 pound flourocarbon spools will cover mostly all of your stillwater needs, while still being prepared for a large Rainbow to take. Some incredibly clear lakes may not agree, but that's OK.
Attaching Tippet Immediately to tapered leaders that end in 10 or 12 pound test will protect the tapered leader (now a butt section) from numerous tippet constructions and trimmings. Length is crucial in keeping the tapers correct to achieve controlled casting and turn-over. I rarely add pieces of tippet longer than 3.5 feet (42") to maintain turn over balance. Once again, another duplicate length of even lighter tippet can be attached to gain almost 8 feet of flourocarbon to your leader. As long as the tippets are equal in length and not too long, the formula of "thick to thin" is easy to construct and eventually cast.
THICK and THIN Lines will cause grief when trying to tie together, therefore keeping line to line knots within 4 pounds of each other will produce a low profile knot with superior breaking strength. I always use a 'triple surgeon's loop' to attach tippets 4 to 6 pound, and a 'double surgeon's loop' with lines 8 to 15 pound. There are other knots to attach tippets together with but I have found that indicators will slide over these knots problem free.
A Simple Example of a 16 foot leader construction, with a readily available 9 foot packaged leader is as follows:
A) A nail knotted 9 foot leader ending in 12 pound test tied to-
B) A 3.5 foot piece of 8 pound test flourocarbon tied to-
C) A 3.5 foot piece of 4 pound flourocarbon tippet.
-By purchasing a 12 or 15 foot leader ending in 10 or 12 pound test and the above formula will produce leaders as long as 22 feet, while still retaining a proper, cast-able taper.
Now just think how long your original packaged tapered leader will last. It is third down the list where the trimming takes place, even when adjusting to different tests and lengths.
*Large flies demand larger tippets. So making proper adjustments at the tippet end of things, and sometimes constructing shorter pieces will improve turnover quality and cause less break-offs. Generally, long leaders and larger or heavier flies don't get along. So adjusting things back (lengths and strengths) will make a huge improvement, when using long leaders and chucking big flies.
BRENT GILL
Lodge Manager / Stoney Lake Lodge.
Tippet Rolls should be purchased as a priority if the budget fits, and so it should if you holster an array of small and large flies. I like to keep at least six different tippet / line spools at usual disposal, which in the long-run out weighs and pays purchasing multiple 'packaged tapered leaders' for every outing or so.
Two Butts and Four Tippets will take care of most all stillwater applications. When I refer to this, I'm noting that having the same materials that a tapered leader is made of, can easily save the day. I still purchase tapered leaders, but strictly for floating line butt sections. If you are purchasing tapered leaders for the breaking strength to immediately tie a fly to, there's a much more effective and efficient system to try.
Keeping The Taper Flow is key. So try purchasing tapered leaders that end in much heavier breaking strengths. This is the basics of constructing long leaders on floating lines, more so directed at indicator and 'presentation sensitive applications'. For myself, having to use tippet lighter than 4 pound flourocarbon rarely occurs. 4 / 6 / 8 / 10 pound flourocarbon spools will cover mostly all of your stillwater needs, while still being prepared for a large Rainbow to take. Some incredibly clear lakes may not agree, but that's OK.
Attaching Tippet Immediately to tapered leaders that end in 10 or 12 pound test will protect the tapered leader (now a butt section) from numerous tippet constructions and trimmings. Length is crucial in keeping the tapers correct to achieve controlled casting and turn-over. I rarely add pieces of tippet longer than 3.5 feet (42") to maintain turn over balance. Once again, another duplicate length of even lighter tippet can be attached to gain almost 8 feet of flourocarbon to your leader. As long as the tippets are equal in length and not too long, the formula of "thick to thin" is easy to construct and eventually cast.
THICK and THIN Lines will cause grief when trying to tie together, therefore keeping line to line knots within 4 pounds of each other will produce a low profile knot with superior breaking strength. I always use a 'triple surgeon's loop' to attach tippets 4 to 6 pound, and a 'double surgeon's loop' with lines 8 to 15 pound. There are other knots to attach tippets together with but I have found that indicators will slide over these knots problem free.
A Simple Example of a 16 foot leader construction, with a readily available 9 foot packaged leader is as follows:
A) A nail knotted 9 foot leader ending in 12 pound test tied to-
B) A 3.5 foot piece of 8 pound test flourocarbon tied to-
C) A 3.5 foot piece of 4 pound flourocarbon tippet.
-By purchasing a 12 or 15 foot leader ending in 10 or 12 pound test and the above formula will produce leaders as long as 22 feet, while still retaining a proper, cast-able taper.
Now just think how long your original packaged tapered leader will last. It is third down the list where the trimming takes place, even when adjusting to different tests and lengths.
*Large flies demand larger tippets. So making proper adjustments at the tippet end of things, and sometimes constructing shorter pieces will improve turnover quality and cause less break-offs. Generally, long leaders and larger or heavier flies don't get along. So adjusting things back (lengths and strengths) will make a huge improvement, when using long leaders and chucking big flies.
BRENT GILL
Lodge Manager / Stoney Lake Lodge.
Monday, December 17, 2012
WINTER FLY TYING?
Looking forward, as the first bites of old man winter are reality, most of the hardcore fly fisherman choose to seek refuge at their fly tying bench. Usually, for myself, I notice that I need to purchase a few more varieties of hooks and beads. For some reason, Chironomids are usually first on the "must do" list, as strangely enough that list always has Chironomids on it. The choices of beads gets better every year, as do our imitations.
Most recently I have become a real fan of the shiny black metal tungsten beads, they just seem to hit the spot. The winter is a great time to experiment with different body materials, I have a few good friends who are always experimenting with different food wrappers and plastics to wrap around a hook and the results are spectacular.
A long time expert fly tier and good friend Mr. John Kent decided to use some of the reddish transparent wrap used on a famous household cheese wrap, Babybel to be exact. The pattern looks about as good as a Chironomid / Bloodworm can, and John can eat as much deli cheese as he wishes now, even after the holidays! Next time you are at the supermarket, keep your eye out for two things. Food that has packaging as potential fly tying material and Babybel cheese! Seriously, go have a taste.
*Shown photo is John Kent's fly!
-Brent Gill
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