Those of us living in Southern Alberta are fortunate to have 3 very good rivers to fish throughout the winter months and up til now the winter of 2020/2021 has been very nice to us fly fisher folk. Many days this winter were warm enough to get on the water and not worry about the guides on our rods freezing every couple of minutes. Then just as February comes and we believe spring is almost upon us a vicious polar vortex engulfed us in absolute frigid temperatures. Temps cold enough to keep even those hardy ice fishers home. Now seems to be a very good time to start a writing. Retired now I was fortunate to get out the last nice day before the deep freeze came and ensured we follow the covid social distancing guidelines.
Sometimes the best thing about fly fishing is not just finding new water in an old familiar setting.
Nor is it about fish caught. Nor those that got away.
Some times the best thing about fly fishing is those little, unexpected, almost magical things that remind us that we are just one piece of something bigger. That fill us with the wonder we experienced in days long gone by when we first started exploring the wondrous natural world around us. This day was one of those where the fishing was overshadowed by the wild.
Walking back to the Jeep on the ice flanking the river, again and again, movement under the ice in the shallow water caught my eye and disappeared as quickly as it showed. Ginger, my springer, and I were being followed. Fish don’t behave this way.
Then the family of very efficient hunters showed themselves. Mom, Dad, and two young otters. They swam, porpoised, and came looking. Challenging Ginger (who was smart enough to point from a distance) to play. Sometimes the best things about fly fishing isn’t the fishing at all.
Alberta on the Fly 