The day started leaving the only motel in Nordegg, Alberta and making our way west on HWY 11 (aka the David Thompson HWY):
The early morning weather looked far more promising than the heavy rain we experienced the day before.
The further west we drove, the more prominent the blue sky became:
Yet the fog was a reminder that the area received significant precipitation the day prior:
Once at the Heli Company at Cline River, we prepared for the short flight ahead. All the while, we were wondering how much snow had fallen at higher elevations:
The birthday Boy got to ride shotgun and videoed the flight, while us two tag-along's took it all in from the back seat:
Before we knew it we were in the air:
What a view of the Canadian Rockies:
Doesn't take long to realize how big this place really is:
Doesn't take long to realize how insignificant we are:
The knowledgeable pilot was able to point out and name most of the significant peaks:
Soon we were hovering over our fish'n hole for the day:
Ah, but we were not to be alone today as others have arrived during the first morning heli run:
And, we were greeted by fresh snow:
The eager participants wasted no time:
Packs were put down and rods quickly assembled:
Several bamboo rods accompanied us on this trip including three rods from Dennis Stone blanks (a 7'9" 5wt Cascade, a 7'6" 4wt Granger taper and an 8' 4wt FET taper) and a ca. 1939 Goodwin Granger Special 8642 I recently restored:
While I fished bamboo exclusively, the others did use graphite in addition to trying the various bamboo rods:
This is a stunning little alpine lake about 1000' above tree line:
The outfall of the lake plunges 900' in the Cline River valley below:
The birthday boy didn't waste time:
He figured out quickly that small streamers fished with a dead sink along the steep drop-offs were the order of the day:
While many anglers coming here are just happy to get one or two fish in a day, all of us in our party (as well as the other group) were more than successful:
The fish far exceeded our expectations in number and beauty:
And before you knew it the day was coming to an end. We were content with our first trip to this little gem of a lake:
The departing scenery didn't disappoint either:
Almost back to civilization (Abraham Reservoir):
And back to reality:
My lingering question from all this: if you intend to do something again and perhaps again, does it qualify for the bucket list?
