Oh, Elk River. We love you. I recently traveled with Trout TV to visit our neighbors to the North in Fernie, B.C. We fished with Elk River Guiding Company, and had the fine fortune to be guided by Beckie Clarke, a seasoned pro and a creel of fun.
We put in about 16 miles north of Fernie at an access called The Aquarium. We got on the water before the fish were ready to rise. Beckie warned us things wouldn't heat up until after lunch. And while mid-morning brought us a few big, beautiful, pure cutties, Beckie was right--the real action started just after noon. And HOW! She easily got me into some serious cutthroat...just take a look at the pictures.
The big guys liked the olive mayfly patterns. Everything was hitting on top, and the larger fish took their time slowly rolling over the fly. It was all I could do to contain my excitement enough to let the fish hit and not rip the fly away from them too soon.
Mostly Beckie and I think we drove dear Bob the shooter nuts with our dorkiness and tongue-in-cheek high-fives. "Knock it and LOCK IT!" (Knuckle bumps, baby!) We turned the "Shop Stop" segment of the episode into a tour of the fly shop that was right out of MTV Cribs. Thanks for putting up with us, Bob!
Beckie and I fished a couple of holes together, and it was so fun to fish WITH someone instead of just for the camera. And a double hook-up with her is a good time, let me tell you.
After a slammin' couple of hours, we got slammed by an epic rainstorm and hailstorm. Bob had to put the camera away, of course, and Beckie turned the boat around to pull downstream through the deluge. Still, the laughs kept coming, and it turned out to be one of my favorite days on the water this year.
I highly recommend to EVERYONE that if you love dry fly fishing and catching big native cutthroat in an amazingly gorgeous setting, go see the folks at Elk River Guiding Company in Fernie, B.C. They are fun, knowledgeable, passionate, and they have a fridge-ful of Molson.
http://elkriver.ca/
Toll Free: 1.877.423.7239 PO Box 568 791 - 7th Ave Fernie, BC, Canada V0B 1M0
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