|
 |
As much as anglers enjoy warm summer days to fish, many can hardly wait for some of the best fishing of the year, in October, when large specimens seem particularly eager to comply.
Weather cab be an issue most of the year, but October brings its own challenges. Earlier this month, Bullshead Reservoir south of Medicine Hat greeted us with clear skies, warmth and still waters – apparently highly unusual. Then the next week, anglers expected ice to start forming soon as they nearly froze their toes wading in five or so metres to cast.
Bullshead is a 142-acre, delayed-harvest quality fishery about 2 ½ times bigger than Henderson Lake. Regulations were changed in 2004 banning use of bait and allowing anglers to keep one fish over 50 cm. The rest must be released to grow. Stocked fish will normally become a harvestable size in less than two years.
You can fish the reservoir casting a leech, blood-worm imitation, water boatman, gold-ribbed hare’s ear or prince nymph – everyone seems to have a different killer fly – from near shore out past the weeds to schooling rainbows in the 16-20-inch (40-50 cm) range and bigger.
On a rare calm day, you’ll see anglers in pontoon boats, kayaks, canoes, u-boats and small electric-motor drive boats. A little breeze won’t stop that approach, but also entices the odd sailor.
If Bullshead is a favorite fall fishery, it’s certainly not the only one. Perhaps the Oct. 31 season end at Bullshead and in most flowing waters could explain the urgency to get as much fishing in is possible.
But, it’s more than that, a combination of potentially-spectacular weather, colourful scenery and hungry trout getting winterized.
Parts of the Crowsnest, Oldman and Bow remain open to fishing year around, but other sections are closed, as are the Castle, St. Mary, Belly and Waterton, at the end of the month. Milk River is open all year except Mar.16 to May 7.
If you wait a day or two, by mid-week, the temperature’s supposed to be mid-teens again. That’s perfect for an October Caddis imitation, size 10 or 12, which large Crowsnest rainbows rise lazily to from riffle corners. Or, a size 18 blue-winged olive under cloudy skies to trout sipping the tiny mayfly duns in shallow pools.
That’s just for starters. Those realities are among the attractions in this corner of the world. The rivers that remain open draw anglers from elsewhere throughout the year. When the temperature’s just warm enough to keep guides and lines from icing, you’ll frequently find fly fishers from the Edmonton area and beyond dropping nymphs in the Crow or Oldman below the dam any winter month.
A group of area fly fishers traditionally angle on the Crowsnest at the Winter Solstice. And the real die-hards will even find a way to fish through the ice on most area lakes, whenever.
For the rest, summer isn’t really that far off.