St. Mary Angler Fly Fishing - Call Toll Free 1-800-667-2311

Fishing Reports:

2007 Season in Review

Last winter left us with just over the long term average amount of snow that we usually get. This meant the rivers of the East Kootenay region of British Columbia started out with enough water for a good spring freshet. The runoff started in early May, was in high gear by the third week and had peaked by early June. Rainfall throughout the season was mostly below average after June. The daily temperatures were normal, except for July when it was warmer than the long term average. This left us with many hot, clear, beautiful days throughout the season. The combination of lower rainfall and increased temperatures meant our rivers were O.K. in terms of flows, but the guides did have to get out to walk the boats over the odd shallow ledge come September.

Rainfall:

Month	June	July	August	September
Long Term Average Monthly Rainfall	52.7 millimetres	38.2 mm	31.6 mm	27.3 mm
Rainfall in 2007	60.8 mm	18 mm	10 mm	12 mm

Temperature:

Month	June	July	August	September
Long Term Average Daily High Temperature	21.6 C	25.6 C	25.4 C	19.6 C
Temperature in 2007	22.1 C	31.4 C	26.3 C	19.7 C

By May 15th we had already been fishing our favourite alpine lakes for a couple of weeks. We experienced a lot of beautiful spring weather and White Swan and Premier lakes produced some spectacular results as we fished chironomids and took in the annual massive hatch of flying ants. We landed and released many bright rainbows in the 14 to 16 inch range, as well as bigger beauties in the order of 17+ inches. We had plenty of fun manoeuvring our pontoon boats amongst the tight lines on these picturesque bodies of water. By early June we were keen to hit the rivers for some dry fly fishing.

By mid-June the St.Mary was fishable and by early July we were taking clients out on both the St.Mary and the Elk rivers. As always the freshet had redistributed many millions of tons of river sediment and removed a number of riparian trees. The result was the creation of a few new sand and gravel bars here and there, and the removal of others in different areas. On June 30th we guided our first float down the St.Mary River and on July 2nd we hosted our first guests on the Elk. The temperature was already hanging around the early 80’s F. and the fishing was surprisingly good early on. During our first trip out on the Elk the two anglers caught and released around 50 fish. Most were in the 14 -15 inch range, but we did land a few of those chunky 17 inchers! So the season started out on the right foot.

During the month of July the fish found their summer grooves as the rivers settled in to their new surroundings. By the end of the first week the St. Mary was fishing very well. Each hole and riffle was producing hungry cutthroats. Many were in the average slot of 14 to 15 inches, and we were fortunate to land some gorgeous 17-18 inch cuts. The anglers were also experiencing good catch rates by this time. The dominant hatches were Golden Stones and Yellow Sallys. By the third week we noticed the yellow and brown hoppers active in the adjacent fields signalling the move to terrestrials. By the last week of July the Elk was in prime form. Cutthroats were coming to the surface to take our flies with great regularity. The average size released was 15 inches, anglers were catching 20-25 cutthroats each, we were landing fish as large as 18 inches and the grasshoppers were everywhere!

We started August with a trek to the beautiful Bull River. There is very little fishing pressure over there so the trout were ripe for the fooling! As soon as we unloaded a few good casts where the fly was allowed to drift down through the feed lane, the trout were on it right of way. This produced a lot of fun and excitement as each angler caught and released around 20 fish in the 12-14 inch class. We also pulled in a few lovely 16 inch cutthroats. At the end of the day the anglers commented on how their arms felt spent and what a good feeling that was!

After the Bull, it was onto the Skookumchuck River with her unique remote setting and ability to produce all kinds of fish within a scenic backdrop that is just breathtaking. Meanwhile the St.Mary was fishing very well with good catch rates and some big fish showing up. One angler managed to release four 17+ inch cuts during one float. The grasshoppers were providing plenty of feed by mid August as they were pretty well omnipresent. By the third week of August the hatches on the Elk also included Blue Winged Olives, Green Drakes and even the odd stone fly. The fishing on the Elk remained strong with plenty of chunky cuts testing the line of our anglers. The weather remained good for the month with hot days and clear skies. The temperatures started cooling off in the mornings as we approached the last week of August.

By the end of the first week of September the weather was cool enough that we were wearing waders in the mornings. Given the rain this summer was half of the normal amount we usually get, we were noticing the effect on the rivers. That said, the Elk continued to fish well as we caught a lot of nice, big, healthy looking fish in September. As the locals moved from fishing to hunting pursuits and the vacationing kids took their parents back home for school, we had the rivers pretty well to ourselves.

By mid September on the St.Mary we were noticing the mornings were fishing a little slower, while the afternoons produced well. At the same time the October Caddis were coming out of their cocoons and hatching. This left the cuts with their last opportunity to really gorge themselves before winter and they took full advantage of it! This left us the chance to catch many of these fat fish. Their stomachs were big and round as they keyed on the huge number of October Caddis. Late in the month they got the added bonus of a big Blue Winged Olive hatch which neither they, nor us, passed up!

We continued to fish into early October catching some really nice sized fish on the Elk and St. Mary rivers. Sure the water levels were low and the mornings were cool, but the place was empty and the fishing was very exciting! Fall really is a great time to fish out here!

So there you have it. 2007 was another great year on the St.Mary, Elk, Bull and Skookumchuck rivers. The weather was consistently sunny and clear, as the rain stayed away a little more than usual. The season started on time, the rivers produced well throughout, and finished very strong. We had a wonderful year of fishing and greatly enjoyed and appreciated your patronage. We hope to see you next year and are booking 2008 trips now. We will be attending tradeshows this winter and hope to see you there! Have a safe winter and don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-667-2311 to chat about next year’s available days.

Take care,

Kelly Laatsch, St. Mary Angler Fly Shop.

Archive of Fishing Reports:

HTML FORMAT	PDF FORMAT
2007 Fishing Reports 2006 Fishing Reports 2005 Fishing Reports 2004 Fishing Reports 2003 Fishing Reports 2002 Fishing Reports	2007 Fishing Reports 2006 Fishing Reports 2005 Fishing Reports 2004 Fishing Reports (60KB/pdf) 2003 Fishing Reports (48KB/pdf) 2002 Fishing Reports (45KB/pdf)

TOLL FREE: 1(800)667-2311

If you have comments on this web-site let us know.