[Fish Bones]

Any fly fishing book by John Gierach will be great reading.

[JBinUTAH]

Originally Posted by Funnel30

Curtis

Would that be a large arbor? j/k

[BigCliff]

On the weight issue, regarding using a 6/7wt reel on a 5wt rod, if there was ever a reel that was ideal to do that pairing with, I think you've got it. I'm pretty sure that reel will be on the very light side for that range and will likely balance the average 4pc 9' 5wt just fine. But I'm more inclined to put a reel on a given rod that some would call a little too heavy. Using a slightly oversized reel like that will also give you more room between the line and the frame, which can prevent the rubbing that can possibly break a fish off.

On the reading, yeah, Gierach is great. Googling "fly fishing fiction" would probably get you some good stuff as well. I've got a great book by Ed Shenk called "Trout Tales" which is kind of a memoir that's a combo of fishing stories with some technique laced in there. I found it real cheap, you probably could too.

[cuttbow]

Hi
Take the Sage(it will hold up just fine) and the 6 wt if you are gonna fish the Bow it is large water with large fish and ALOT of wind. Plus if you are taking a drift boat the guide will probably tie steamer patterns on and it is easier to cast all day with the 6 IMHO

[Funnel30]

Cuttbow,
If I'm going to be heading down to the crowsnest and cataract creek will the 6wt be as efficient as it would on the bow? Thats what I am not totally sure on, I like the smaller water, but the bow will be good I figure it out. Thanks again for all the replies, I've read a bit of Gierach, it's good stuff to read when stuck in Nebraska.

[cuttbow]

Funnel

The 6 wt is more efficient by design if you mean will it cast longer with less effort. If you want presentation the smaller the wt the more delicate the cast and more finicky to control so if you can only take one rod and reel(why is that by the way?)take the 6 so you can fish the largest river and put smaller tippets on for the smaller water to give the fish a chance

[troutbum]

First of all I have many years experience fishing both the Bow and the crowsnest,both are fantastic for different reasons and both are very different.if you plan on fishing the bow anywhere near or below calgary keep in mind that it is a very large river that holds plenty of massive trout(both brown's and 'bow's)The wind near and below calgary can be a huge factor and alot of guy's use a rocket taper,If you plan on walking and wading the bow I would recomend a large arbor reel with a very trust worthy drag as almost every fish will smoke off almost all your backing,The crowsnest is a very pretty river that is not unlike most of the mountian streams in the area,except it get's alot of preasure,and that was the reason I stopped fishing it,the crowsnest is a stream not a river it is not a problem to roll cast across it in most places it amazes my how such a small stream can handle the volume of people who come from everywhere to fish it,reels on the upper crowsnest are there to hold line and that's about it,I must say I have only fished the crow from around coleman to well below the falls.oh there is one exception here,if you plan on going after bull trout in the crow your gonna want a reel with some stopping power they get huge and are very powerfull,if you want some alterative's to the crowds on the crow let me know and I can point you in the direction of some outstanding water in the rockies 20mins from coleman.......tight lines..

[troutbum]

keep in mind cataract hold's mostly brook trout to 15" and is a small creek,the crow holds fish to 20" and the bow has massive brown's and rainbows to 30inches that are shaped like football's,and the water can be fast and you will want a reel with stopping power to keep fish out of stuff you just dont want them in,I always take 2 different set up's for the bow that only get used on the bow it is totally different than the crow or cateract,I have the geirach collection and I consider "trout bum" a must read.

[Funnel30]

If your going to be fishing the crow and other places like it what set up would you take? Would a 5wt do the job? What about places such as the highwood and livingston? This summer I plan on making some trips down that logging trail trying to find some spots on those rivers.
The reason I only have one setup at the moment is because it's hard to spend a lot of money on rod and reels at the moment and convince the fiance that it is a necessity. So I will expand the collection when I can but for the moment I think a 5wt sounds like the all around rod that should be able to cover all the rivers. Any more insights and troutbum any locations would be greatly appreciated, I am in the south end of calgary, so whatever you have or information regarding rod information feel free to send me an email.

Curtis

[troutbum]

The highwood is a good riverwith easy access and the fishing has always seemed good for rainbows but I love the highwood for it's bull trout in the late summer and fall and if you want to keep some fish the highwood is full of rocky mtn whitefish in late summer,livingston is one of my favorite trout streams of all time it holds very good size and numbers of cutt's and bull trout turn off at chain lake and continue on dirt road over the "hump" and left at the "t"you will see livingston on your right there is a pull off where a small stream flows into it I fish it from there up untill it's unfishable.If you continue past livingston on the trunk road you will cross the upper oldman then dutch then racehorse,the oldman and dutch both have rough dirt roads that take off up the creek from the bridge and lead to open camping areas,on the weekend's dutch is filled with dirtbikers and campers but the fishing is fantastic,the oldman (upper) is great fish seem a bit larger than in dutch and not as busy,any flowing water in this area holds cutts and bulls and also whitefish,racehorse is past dutch and the roadthat takes you up to the headwaters is a oil servace road and can be tricky to find but the fishing on racehorse from the bridge up is great as well.5 or 6 years ago there where weekends when I was the only one fishing the area but now you will find lot's of fishermen on these creeks with dutch being the worst for crowds and race horse the least,like most fishing though the further up you go into the head waters the more solitude you will find,if you gointo these places be alert for bears as i have come across many make lot's of noise and I always carry bear spray,yes a 5wt is a great choice for line wt and rod and a hand full of hoppers,beadhead nymphs,and adams will fool most of the trout most of the time,dont bother with these creeks before the first week in july or later as run off will have them high and hard to wade,hope this help's you