On a cold February morning I thought it was a good time to give an early prediction of this upcoming season. It was -22 C and felt like -29 C when I got up. That’s about -20F !!!!BRRRRRRRR
We are at about average or just below average on snow pack for this time of year but a big Fernie dump can change that very fast. The province as a whole is also at about average and we hope this will keep the rivers at levels we are used to. I repeatedly tell clients that I am not a weather forecaster but just the messenger of a guy who can get his information wrong more than 50% of the time and still keep his job. That said, being optimistic and going form our 18 years guiding in Fernie, I think we will be on the Elk shortly after the River opener on June 15th. This would mean hitting the Golden Stone Fly hatch at the start as it carries on into July. My best advice is to closely watch our flows once we get into June, and if things look good then give us a shout and we can set up a float. If you are not that flexible on your dates then any time after July 1 should be great fishing and water conditions.
This winter we have experienced one of the best off season booking periods ever. With our attendance at the Denver Fly Fishing show and the repeat clients returning we are at about 85% booked on our rod day allocations. This is a challenging situation as we try our best to accommodate our past clients with their favorite guides. Knowing it’s hard to plan so far in advance, Leah and Jess will do their best to give you as many options as possible. However, book early so you are not disappointed.
Our Guide crew remains relatively unchanged aside from Aaron likely shortening his August stay and the addition of a very fishy guide Steve Reed. Aaron will likely spend more time on the Bow this summer but Steve who has had 4 previous season guiding will pick up the slack. Steve is very well versed on the Elk as well as on some of the southern Alberta trout waters. He is also an amazing photographer so a day with Steve is often captured by his other talent.
The regulars in no particular order, Darcy, Aubrey, Steve, Kevin, Dylan, Tyler, Sebastien, Tom, Will, Sean, Donna, Randy, John, and myself, are all ready to put in a full season on the sticks or in the back country. A couple of areas to ask about if you want to try something new would be to ask about the Southern Alberta waters and our Bull Trout Safari. Sean, Steve Reed, Dylan and Will are eager to float the lower Old man and some other great Rainbow and Brown trout waters while Paul and Darcy will be pushing the October trips on the Kootenay for trophy sized Bull Trout. Even though October is a long ways away, those trip dates are starting to fill.
As we wait for the season to start we should have a good selection of still water flies showing up soon and will be able to do guided lake trips as soon as ice is off. The shop will start getting all the new gear as well so stop buy if you need to check some of it out. We are here to help plan your next fly fishing adventure in Fernie and we can outfit you as well. Looking forward to 2019 on the water.