After many vicarious fishing adventures reading Rich Mason's website, I decided to combine a trip to the Canadian Rockies with a couple of days fishing with Rich. It was everything others have reported--good companionship, great staying with Rich and Wilma, and three of the best trout rivers I've ever seen. But as usual, my luck wasn't the best. We floated the Bow on a day of REALLY hot weather--I'm guessing close to 90 F. We caught a few fish, but we felt like steamed lobsters at the end of the day. The second day we went to a secret spot, filled with big fish, but the temperature on Rich's truck thermometer read 38C, which believe it or not, translates to about 100F. Rich said it was a record day of heat for Alberta! Again, a couple of fish caught, but I wilted. The third day brought us to the Oldman, perhaps the nicest dry fly water I've ever seen. Caught 3 cutts in about 15 minutes--then the big blow started in the canyon. The wind blew steady all day. This wasn't just a stiff breeze--I'd say at least 50 mph all day long. Casting was basically impossible. So I managed to hit the three worst days of weather Rich has probably ever had. I think he wanted me out of there just to remove the bad mojo from the area!
Nevertheless, a fun time. I learned more about Hardys and Dingleys than I could have in an eternity of research on my own. I fished a Dennis Stone 8' 6/7 8014, which was a smooth powerhouse, and a Pickard 8013 that was a superb dry fly rod, both for the first time. And a Bow River rainbow can make a Dingley St. George scream! I'm looking forward to the next time and better luck weather wise.
