Fly fishing North Saskatchewan

[etownangler]

Hello all,

Ive been reading for awhile but this is my first time posting. I've been fishing for a couple years with a spin set up, both out west in the mountains and the north Saskatchewan in and around Edmonton.

I just bought my first fly setup for next season, and I'm pretty excited. It's a 5wt fentwick HMG with a Cabela's reel.

I understand that the 5 wt is used for general trout fishing, and that most would use a heavier weight for pike. However, I can't always make it to the mountains.

My question is, can I use my 5wt to practice on the NSR? I could target smaller species like Golden eye, however I've seen pike take smaller lures before. Will this put me at risk of breaking the rod? Or just the tippet? Should the NSR even be fished with a 5wt?

Thank you in advance!

Jason

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[FlyTheory]

Originally Posted by etownangler

Hello all,

Ive been reading for awhile but this is my first time posting. I've been fishing for a couple years with a spin set up, both out west in the mountains and the north Saskatchewan in and around Edmonton.

I just bought my first fly setup for next season, and I'm pretty excited. It's a 5wt fentwick HMG with a Cabela's reel.

I understand that the 5 wt is used for general trout fishing, and that most would use a heavier weight for pike. However, I can't always make it to the mountains.

My question is, can I use my 5wt to practice on the NSR? I could target smaller species like Golden eye, however I've seen pike take smaller lures before. Will this put me at risk of breaking the rod? Or just the tippet? Should the NSR even be fished with a 5wt?

Thank you in advance!

Jason

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You're 100% good to go with a 5wt on the NSR. Worst thing is that a pike will cut your tippet. If you fish hoppers to goldeye, the chances of hooking a pike on a hopper are pretty small. If you fish a sink tip and a clouser you might catch a few like, but use fluorocarbon tippet and you'll be good

[etownangler]

That's great to hear, thank you! Glad to hear I'll be able to fly fish close to home!

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[Fish-Taco]

Goldeye on the fly are very fun. They are very hard scrappers and will surprise you in the fight. I have found that foam grasshoppers around sunset seem to work best. It may be different for you on the NSR. I fish the SSR down here but I'm sure the tactics will be the same.

Good luck and welcome to the club!!

[Jason.seaward]

Originally Posted by etownangler

That's great to hear, thank you! Glad to hear I'll be able to fly fish close to home!

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Hi Jason, another jason here.

No probs with fly fishing the NSR with the 5w. I have been using the same set-up fly fishing the NSR over the past couple summers with no issues. It's a lot of fun!

I think you will really enjoy catching the Goldeye with that set-up. I have caught some pike on it as well, but they were smaller, so no concerns.

If you can, try to either use a separate (cheaper) floating line or wash your line right after. The NSR is known to turn your floating line into an intermediate over time.

[scel]

While there are exceptions, the wt of rod is indicative of the size of fly you will cast more than the size of fish you will catch. There are certainly exceptions to this: a 2kg bonefish fights WAY out of the size category of most local freshwater fish, but you are just casting little shrimp flies.

Goldeye on the NS are super fun. A 5wt is perfect for them. A 5wt will also handle the walleye quite well. The pike you will catch with goldeye/walleye sized flies will not challenge your 5wt. However, the biggest pike I have ever caught was on a surprisingly small hook. Pike over 4kg would definitely benefit from a heavier rod, if, through some miracle, they do not bite through your 4kg tippet.

In the future, for specifically targetting pike/walleye, you would likely want a heavier (7 or 8wt) rod that can handle the bigger flies and sink tips to work the water. An 8wt rod is an excellent all-around rod.

I look forward to further exploring the NSR in 2017.

[Jason.seaward]

I too am looking forward to exploring the NSR in 2017. I have found a couple productive spots, but they typically stink from city run off. I am hoping to find a few descent, quiet holes between Devon and the entry into the city.

[AspenCreekOutdoors]

Great idea! I've heard good things about the fly fishing on the nsr

My question is are there any spots that are wade able or is it all from shore due to the silt bottom

[etownangler]

Thanks everyone for the replies! Maybe I'll invest in a cheapo floating line for the NSR. I know it's turned my spinning mono brownish green haha

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[scel]

Originally Posted by etownangler

Thanks everyone for the replies! Maybe I'll invest in a cheapo floating line for the NSR. I know it's turned my spinning mono brownish green haha

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Your line is the single most important thing in your fly fishing set up performance. Especially if you are new, I would even recommend upgrading your line to improve your casting performance. A good line can make lower end gear cast like higher end equipment. It just takes 3 or 4 minutes to clean the line after every other time fishing---if you do this, a high quality line will last for years.

BTW cleaning your line is simple. Here is what I do: in my kitchen sink. Fill one side with 5cm warm (30C) lightly soapy water; fill the other side with 5cm clean warm water (30C again). Strip your line into the soapy water. Swoosh it around a bit. You do not need to run the entire spool---just the line that spends time in the water (a goldeye is very unlikely to take you into your backing). Strip the line through a clean cloth (wet from soapy water) to the rinse side of the sink. Swoosh around. With a different clean dry cloth, reel the line back onto the spool while pinching the line through the drying cloth.

[etownangler]

Originally Posted by scel

Your line is the single most important thing in your fly fishing set up performance. Especially if you are new, I would even recommend upgrading your line to improve your casting performance. A good line can make lower end gear cast like higher end equipment. It just takes 3 or 4 minutes to clean the line after every other time fishing---if you do this, a high quality line will last for years.

BTW cleaning your line is simple. Here is what I do: in my kitchen sink. Fill one side with 5cm warm (30C) lightly soapy water; fill the other side with 5cm clean warm water (30C again). Strip your line into the soapy water. Swoosh it around a bit. You do not need to run the entire spool---just the line that spends time in the water (a goldeye is very unlikely to take you into your backing). Strip the line through a clean cloth (wet from soapy water) to the rinse side of the sink. Swoosh around. With a different clean dry cloth, reel the line back onto the spool while pinching the line through the drying cloth.

That's great advice, I did actually invest in decent line, Rio in touch perception. I was just thinking about fishing in the NSR and worrying about damaging it, but your cleaning technique sounds pretty easy to preform.

Lately driving over the NSR I've seen sections open to the bank, is there anything wrong with tossing a line in this time of year if it's safe to access the bank? I was thinking about just throwing some woolly buggers just for practice and the chance of a bite.

Pertaing to that scenario, what leader/tippet should I use?

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[cranky]

Originally Posted by etownangler

That's great advice, I did actually invest in decent line, Rio in touch perception. I was just thinking about fishing in the NSR and worrying about damaging it, but your cleaning technique sounds pretty easy to preform.

Lately driving over the NSR I've seen sections open to the bank, is there anything wrong with tossing a line in this time of year if it's safe to access the bank? I was thinking about just throwing some woolly buggers just for practice and the chance of a bite.

Pertaing to that scenario, what leader/tippet should I use?

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Im thinking why does a guy need tapered leader or tippet. Not like fish in NSR are spooked easily. They might even come check out a splash.
Lots of guys say they use straight mono or flouro. for non Trout fish like Bass etc. on forums ive been looking up.

[professori]

Originally Posted by cranky

Im thinking why does a guy need tapered leader or tippet. Not like fish in NSR are spooked easily. They might even come check out a splash.
Lots of guys say they use straight mono or flouro. for non Trout fish like Bass etc. on forums ive been looking up.

A tapered leader turns the fly over and delivers it at a distance from the end of your fly line. You then have a straight line from your fly to your line and if you have decent cast, your line is a straight connection to your rod. A fish strikes and you are in contact. A level leader doesn't transfer energy as well and often piles up near the fly line end. It will eventually straighten, but you may end up with a strike but have too much slack in your leader to set the hook.

[scel]

Originally Posted by etownangler

Lately driving over the NSR I've seen sections open to the bank, is there anything wrong with tossing a line in this time of year if it's safe to access the bank? I was thinking about just throwing some woolly buggers just for practice and the chance of a bite.

Pertaing to that scenario, what leader/tippet should I use?

Nothing wrong with getting some practice. I am not sure about the NSR, but I know the goldeye in the Red Deer River near Red Deer will head downstream in September, and do not generally return until May/June.

That being said, your quarry would be pike/walleye. In the Bow River, during the winter, the fish tend to bunch up in deep slow pools. Other than some weird magical days where a pod of brown trout will start eating midges, catching fish means getting your fly right to the river bottom. The NSR cannot be too much different in the winter. If I was in your situation, I would probably use 1X (15lb) tapered leader with 20cm of bite tippet (this is the easiest option). Personally, I would make my own leader 3' 20lb fluoro leader -> 3' 15lb fluoro -> 3' 10lb fluoro -> 1' bite tippet -> type 0 Mustad Fastach clip (the fluoro sinks quickly compared to mono, but it is much more expensive. Leader material is stiffer and thicker than running line).

You do not necessarily need the bite tippet, but you will need something strong enough to horse through a snag (since your fly will be close to the bottom). It is the little pike that have the line-ripping razor teeth. If the fly is smaller than the width of their mouth---goodbye fly since pike mostly hit from the side, which means they will get a good purchase on the line as well as the fly.

[Chief16]

Originally Posted by etownangler

That's great advice, I did actually invest in decent line, Rio in touch perception. I was just thinking about fishing in the NSR and worrying about damaging it, but your cleaning technique sounds pretty easy to preform.

Lately driving over the NSR I've seen sections open to the bank, is there anything wrong with tossing a line in this time of year if it's safe to access the bank? I was thinking about just throwing some woolly buggers just for practice and the chance of a bite.

Pertaing to that scenario, what leader/tippet should I use?

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I usually use a sink tip with 3' ish of 8lb fluorocarbon