The Manitoba Parkland was worth the trouble of going to. So was fishing with stillwater guru Phil Rowley, who organized the trip and clinic. He's been fishing the Parklands for 10 years. Every morning before fishing he put on a little seminar over breakfast. Some involved insects we don't have here like the massive backswimmers. Another considered leaders and properly rigging indicators. At the end of each day we traded notes. Very informal but an excellent learning environment.
The ponds are way spread out, an hour at least from where we were staying. Most were wooded, beautiful places. All were dark, rich and filled with food, ranging from fathead minnows (clouds of them, all 3/4" long) to backswimmers and boatmen to conventional things we'd recognize here.
One lake has a new species for me: tiger trout. They are exceedingly handsome, big, and fight like crazed beasts. Another had rainbows of huge proportions. That lake winter killed three years ago so the bow in the picture is only 2 1/2 years old. And then there are browns...
The rainbows and browns like to cruise the edges of the Thule reeds, vacuuming up any innocent creature that doesn't run and hide quickly enough. You can see the V-wake coming. This presented an interesting technical situation because your fly had to be exactly in their path. The key to success was using an indicator and putting an accurate cast 6" off the reeds before your fish came. A balanced bruised leech or ice minnow tied on a 60 degree hook worked like magic.
That magic came at a price: a large number of fish took the fly at speed and kept on going, snapping 2X tippet like it was sewing thread. Many fish and flies were lost this way. I've never seen anything quite like it.
Then there are the backswimmers. Several afternoons they took flight and fell awkwardly back into the water. The trout crushed them. Probably because they inflict a very nasty bite.
One of the true joys of the trip was the people. Truly friendly and welcoming, a joy to be around. The scenery surprised me. Yes, it's flat and in places you could watch your dog run away for two whole days. Other parts are forested and the whole area is a study in browns, golds and strong, raking light.
Would I go back? Yes. I'd jump at the chance.
The ponds are way spread out, an hour at least from where we were staying. Most were wooded, beautiful places. All were dark, rich and filled with food, ranging from fathead minnows (clouds of them, all 3/4" long) to backswimmers and boatmen to conventional things we'd recognize here.
One lake has a new species for me: tiger trout. They are exceedingly handsome, big, and fight like crazed beasts. Another had rainbows of huge proportions. That lake winter killed three years ago so the bow in the picture is only 2 1/2 years old. And then there are browns...
The rainbows and browns like to cruise the edges of the Thule reeds, vacuuming up any innocent creature that doesn't run and hide quickly enough. You can see the V-wake coming. This presented an interesting technical situation because your fly had to be exactly in their path. The key to success was using an indicator and putting an accurate cast 6" off the reeds before your fish came. A balanced bruised leech or ice minnow tied on a 60 degree hook worked like magic.
That magic came at a price: a large number of fish took the fly at speed and kept on going, snapping 2X tippet like it was sewing thread. Many fish and flies were lost this way. I've never seen anything quite like it.
Then there are the backswimmers. Several afternoons they took flight and fell awkwardly back into the water. The trout crushed them. Probably because they inflict a very nasty bite.
One of the true joys of the trip was the people. Truly friendly and welcoming, a joy to be around. The scenery surprised me. Yes, it's flat and in places you could watch your dog run away for two whole days. Other parts are forested and the whole area is a study in browns, golds and strong, raking light.
Would I go back? Yes. I'd jump at the chance.
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