MOUNTAIN CASTING
Golden offers prize spots for bull trout fly fishing
After two hours of fishing, the tally wasn’t good. Thanks to my suspect fly-fishing skills, I snagged a boulder, my backpack, and a few bulrushes. But no bull trout. Enter Gandalf... the fly. And when it comes to enticing the big, bad, burly bull trout of the Columbia River, Gandalf – due to his flowing white beard, strong and steadfast demeanour, and rugged good looks, I suppose – wielded plenty of wizard-like power.
As it turns out, fishing in and around Golden isn’t just about the elusive, fierce-fighting “bullies,” which are one of the largest inland wild species in British Columbia and a late-season favourite for fly-fishermen. Thanks to numerous bodies of water – including stunning alpine lakes, freestone rivers, spirited streams, and more – Golden is one of the most exciting and diverse fishing “holes” in Western Canada.
Enter fishing guide Dave Burns, a.k.a. The Golden Gillie.
“I’m licensed to guide on 43 waters, including 12 streams and 31 lakes, all within an hour of Golden,” says the laid-back and likable Burns, who seized an opportunity just last year to throw his hat into Golden’s under-the-radar fishing “ring.” (Golden is located approximately three hours west of Calgary on the Trans-Canada Highway.) Although there are many in the fishing fold who are well aware of Golden’s world-class bounty, Burns is the only licensed fishing guide working the fish-rich waters in and around the adventurous mountain town.
“So what do you want to fish for tomorrow?” he asks as we slurp a pint at a downtown watering hole the evening prior to our bull trout brouhaha. “Pick your Pisces. If you want plenty of action we can head to Susan Lake or Nine Bay and get into non-stop rainbows. Guaranteed to catch plenty of fish and, for their small size, they fight like there’s no tomorrow,” says Burns, a transplanted Nova Scotian who found blue-collar Golden to his liking back in 2000. He’s never looked back. “Or, if you want to take a stab at a big bully, I’ve got a few good spots in mind along the Columbia. We might only get one or two, maybe none, but the big boys are coming out of Kinbasket Lake to feed on Kokanee and, well, you never know.”
“‘Go big or go home’ is typically my motto,” I say. “Done,” he replies. “I’ll pick you up at 7:30.”
And, when it comes to bull trout, “big” is the name of the game. Burns’ record is a massive 16-pound (seven-kilogram) beast and he’s landed “too many to count” in the five-to-10 pound (two- to five-kg) range. “Basically, they’re willing to take a bit out of anything that crosses their path,” says Burns, who logged over 50 full days on the water this summer in his first season of guiding. “Early to mid- October is the peak of the bull trout season when they’re fattening themselves up for winter by gorging on Kokanee and other small fish. But there are resident bull trout in the Columbia all year.”
At 7:30 sharp Burns picks me up at my cabin-in-the-woods along the bubbling Blaeberry River (www.rockymountaincabins.com) and within minutes we are flinging flies into one of his go-to holes along an idyllic section of the Columbia where the Bluewater Creek empties into the mighty river near Donald. No luck. We decide to move along to one of his “secret” spots, just a little further up the logging road. No go. Another lone fisherman had claimed it. “Doesn’t anyone work in this town?” he quips.
By mid-morning, after rumbling down a few more logging roads to a few secluded, seldom-visited holes deep in the Blaeberry, we end up at another favourite, appropriately called Waitabit Creek.
“I’ve got a special homemade fly that I’ve got a good feeling about,” he says. Out comes Gandalf, his beautiful and enticing white beard flowing in the cool mountain breeze. Within minutes the action heats up and the “bullies” start making their presence known. After a number of near misses, finally, a big boy is on the line.
Considering I’ve already lost a few on the line, I’m cautious with this feller, enjoying the fight, the chess match, and the challenge of landing my first ever bull trout. Five minutes later I’ve got him near the shore and Burns grabs him by the belly, holding up the beautiful fish for me to see.
Alas, it’s not a trophy. Nowhere near it, as a matter of fact. But, regardless, I’m thrilled. We take plenty of photos of our prize and, after the fish is released back into the wild, I take a look around me. Eagles are soaring, the morning fog has burned off, and snowchristened peaks are exploding into the baby-blue sky. Thanks to surreal scene — and, of course, the magical powers of Gandalf — the experience of fishing for “bullies” in Golden will be seared on my brain for years.
For more information or to book a fishing trip with The Golden Gillie visit www.goldengillie.com.