CLASSIFIED GUIDE TO FISH AND THEIR HABITAT IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS PARK

Another wayof travel is to take the canoe trip from Castle Mountain to Banff, some forty miles of river with some of the best fly fishing in the Park and rapids swift enough to give you

I''

Issued by the DOMINION PARKS Brvn:i^H«**-or vne

CLASSIFIED GUIDE

TO

IN

COMPILEDANDILLLSTRATED BY

S C VICK

Fiihery Iniprctor

DE ARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

OTTAWA

Ps> 5i

CLASSIFIED GUIDE TO FISH AND THEIR HABITAT

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS PARK

and stream, po„e„c, in it,elf a lure and charm almo.t impo„ible to de,cribe

there s the place where the five-pounders lie waiting for the dainty fly to drop •

It I, Ml that kmd ofpool that yougel them * ' '

There remanysuchpoolsin theparkwaitingfortheangler,orifheprefers lakefishingthere are lovelv

^:r '•",

in ^^" "'.":""'*•"'"' •" """''' "°'*""^'^"'^ -"•= "• "•> At evening when th^

Or, if he withctto vary the sport, Lake Minncwanka and a thirty-pounder at the end ofa trawling line

can be hi* in teaaon

To reach moat oftheie lakes ajourney on horseback is necessary and to those who have never ienced the wild abandonofa pony trip through the passes, I would say with Gunner Pyecroft "Bug an 'am

exper-and see life." You will need the ham by the time the ride is over and you will see western lifeand hear it

too ifyoulisten tothe packerand he feels thatwaywhich he generally does

Everyoneon such trips takes a kodak and the onl< •>4evance will be that there isnot enough daylight

forall you will want totake

Another wayof travel is to take the canoe trip from Castle Mountain to Banff, some forty miles of river

with some of the best fly fishing in the Park and rapids swift enough to give you a thrill ortwo anda little

water thrown in forgood measure

Of all the streams in the Park the Bow River is the most important, extending fromthe Power dam at

andwithallthese waterscontaininggamefishsome ideamaybehadofthe finefishing possibilitiesconserved

govern-ingthis sport willbe enforced without fear or favour

GAME FISH IK THE PARK

The six game fish having their habitat in the Parkare

The Cut Throat Trout (SalmoClarkie)

The Lake Trout (CristovomerNamaycush).

The DollyVarden (Salvilinus

The Bull Trout, of t)c same st:ries.

(C >rcgonus Williamsonii)

of fish, weight, theLakeTroutofLake Minnewanka. Thislakeittheonlywi: r

intheParkinwhichthisparticularfish ii found Theyrunto40lbs.inweight,are cannibalisticandvoraciousfeeders and, though ttrongand swiftswimmers, donotputupa bigfightwhenhooked

A BOWRIVER Ct. THROAT

At the openinguf the season 1st June, the largest fish aie taken, one thirty-pounder and a number of

twenty-pounders being taken during this month in 1913 Numbers of small ones, fromthreeto.tenpounds

werealso caughtupto theendofthe season August31st Inthe earlydaysofthe Park, themodeof fishing

was from a raft with a large hook and a pound of beef for bait (and regrettable to say many wagon loadswere taken in that way) Atpresent the trawling line with spoon, sometimes wUh apiece ofashor beef on

'^ ^ -^-^'- «'•• '-« —«^ the a.e on he

Coachman and my cast had hardly hit the water before a battle royal

was on My daysfishing was ended right there, for Itookfivered bellied beauties that together went 16pounds

It isnot uncommontogettwoor three fishon yourcastatonetime Then, ofcourse, yourwork iscutoutfor youandit maystring your nerveup atrifle, butif youwinout and landyourthreefish you certainly

have somethingtoremember. Atsuch times youmust not hesitate to stepinto the water eventhough it is

icy cold Handled from the water, one hasa better chance to manoeuvre the fish.

they take thefly in thelakes, and along intoAugust, when thehigh waterisover, they aretobe foundintheeddies andswiftwatersbelow arock orbreakofany kind, suchasalogjam, always readytodartupandpick

up a fly. You maybe sure if you strike a four or five-pounderin front of one ofthese logjams, there will

be somethingdoing Ihaveknowna five-pounder givean hourandtwenty minutesofnerve racking suspenseunder conditions of that kind They willjump clear, then go to the bottom, nosedown and sulk as though

theythoughtyouwouldgetimpatientandjerkyourline,which would,ofcourse,meanlosingyourfishandcast

A strange thing about thesefish is that theyfight in some streams ten times as hard as i- others and alsochange in colour, taking on the prevailing tints of the rocks and bottom There are several lakes in thePark, high up among the mountains, where the connecting creek is small and very steep In these lakesthefisharenotlarge, notmore thanapound andahalf at best Not being anichthyologist, I cannot be sure

of the cause, but I believe thisis the fault of inbreedingand that if these waters hadconnecting streams so

Nipigon district. That they have adapted themselvesto the conditions ofthe mountain stream life is shown

by the number and quality of the fish caught this (1913) season There is httle need ofsaying muchaboutthese fish as every angler knows them well They are said to be rankcannibals as are most of our native

fish. They are anexcellent tablefishand a gamey flytaker They spawn insmall streams late in October

I

up the The sight of these fish in thespawning seasonin the shallowwater ofa limpid stream is one tobe remembered. Theirbrilliant colours

learned that certain living springs do not freeze at the bottom and then overflow is a query; that they

and streams They run as high as two pounds in weight This is a clean little game fish, even ifhe doesfollow the otherfish when spawning to eat up the spawn, as he is said to do He takes the fly at all times

and

A house flyon the tiniest ofhooks is the "dope" he likes. He spawnsinthefall,thencomes downinto

deeperwater, where heistakenin greatnumberschiefly by thesmall boy, and ismuchlikedas a food fish

least a noveltyin the Park People whodonotknowoften takehimforamountaintrout That he s a strong

swimmerisproved byhis being with us for nothing but a strong swimmercan getup the Kananaskis Falls

atSeebe Heisfound everywhere,butprincipally inthe shallowand warmVermilion Lakes wherehe breeds

somesay toofast,comingoutintothe riversand streamsoccasionallyto '

mopup " troutspawn However

he does not have it all his own way for, when the high water is on and the streams are opaque with

mountam wash,the Uy Varden and Bull Trout lay for him at the mouth of the clear streams that come

outofthelakes

It is an interesting sight when the suckers gather to mate in a small clear spring near the Vermilion

The cnmsonstreak along thebody makes them lookverypretty,even ifone doesnot care toangleforthem

THE FALLS OF THE BOW AND KANANASKIS RIVER AT SEEBE ON THE C.P.R

Just below the junction of these rivers, where their combined waters once dashed overthe rocks in alovelyfall, the growing needs ofcommerce have made necessary the building of a gigantic power damthathas silenced the music ofthese falls andcaused theirone time foamingcataracttojoin the waters below by

means ofunderground tunnels Thepools and swirling eddies below, where thefish used torest ere takingthe mightyleapthatcarried themupthefallsontheirspring migration totheheadwaters, fortunatelyremain and anglers will, no doubt, stillfind fish and pleasure awaiting them at this point

Above, instead of the junction of rivers, is now a lake and it cannot be any stretch of imagination to

supposethat in a few years this localitymay be one ofthe great fishing points in the mountains To thoseanglerswhoare notafraid ofaswiftcanoerun, the tripfrom Banffto this

with great pleasure There is no need to hurrya canoe trip of this kind;thereare lotsof lovelyspotsinwhichtocamp and someofthebest poolsintheBow Rivertofishontheway down.

Idonotwishitunderstoodthatanyone whocansituprightinacanoemayventurethistrip. Farfromit,

one must know what swift water canoeing means before taking this run After the high water in August and earlySeptemberis the timeforthe trip. ThentheCut Throatrise totheflyasatnoother time Everyvariety offish known in the mountains isto be taken in this river, with the exceptionofLake Minnewankairout Theonlyexpenseentailed bythis trip isthat for canoe hire

THE TWIN FALLS OF THE UPPER KANANASKIS RIVER

This lovely bit of dashing water is situated half way between the upper and lower Kananaskis Lakes and will well repay the exertion ofwalking there even if you do not whip the stream with cast and fly rod.Thebest spotiswherethe stream emptiesintothelowerlake Irememberitwell, forhereImadeconnection

a goodtrail If adelightful surprisedoes notawaityouthere, I willnevertell anotherfish story This lakehas no fish in it as yet but itsbeauties will appeal to every naturelover I really doubt whetherinall this

broad iand a lovelier spot is tobe found To put such a pictureon a small canvas would not do it justice

Imagine abody oflimpid water twoorthree miles square; numerous islands, wooded to the water's edge,locked on three sides with mountain ofthefirstclass, glaciers inthe distance, a glorious cascade water-fall

a thousand feet in theair on the far side, and sunset wrapping the peaks and reflecting the goldenwarmth

onthe placid bosomofthe lakebelow withonly thecalloftheloonto breakthestillness—suchisthe picturethat breaksuponyea atthe turnofthetrail Ifyouare a cameraloveryouwillgo rightuptothe pole with arushand call for films

THE LOWER KANANASKIS RIVER

This river inthe earlysummer afterthe high watergives fineflyfishing,theCut Throat beingthemost

in evidence A wagon road willtake you fornearly twenty miles towards the head waters, a pack trail the

way lake ThestartingpointisMorleyorSeebeon the lailway Thisriversplitsjust before

sport with thefish and lotsoffun getting the cayuses through the fallen timber At acamping place where

AREDEARTH CREEK CUTTHROAT

Indian tepee poles stand you will find a game warden's cabin (known as the ' Chateau Peyto' ) and below

this alovelywater-fall whichisafavorite subject forthe cameraartist.

THE LOWER KANANASKIS LAKE

The areaof this lake is about three square miles, the altitude 5,400 feet above sea level. Beautifully

wooded all around, it forms one of the delightful spots of the Rockies It can be reached in a three-dayhorse-back journey from Banff, also fromMorley and Seebe

Thislakehasbeenformanyyears thefish supplydepotforthe MorleyStoney Indians andcontains the

the mountains These fish are the most delicate of tablefish, their fleshbeingof

the deepest slimonred and they are fighters from stai i to finish.

The DollyVardens andSilverTroutare alsofoundthereattheir best,also theRocky MountainWhitefish

July, August and Septemberare the best months forfly fishing The spinner, a minnow ora piece of

beefwillalso getresults Asyet there arenoboats orcanoes onthe lak-,soonemustcarry acanoe or portablecanvas boat unlesscontentedto fish trom some likelypoint onits shore, and as the wateris deep enough tofloat a dreadnought and of an iry coldness, ones canoe or boat should be thorough y seaworthy.

Inmostofthese mountainlakes, thefish 'school' around, soonemusthavepatienceandlookfortl jm,butwhen youcatch one you maybe sure it willnot beaminnow.

THE SPRAY LAKES

The altitude of these lakesis about 5,600 feet above sea level with an areaofaboutthree square miles

Twoofthese lakeshave goodfishing,theotherisso small astobehardlyworthythenameoflake The last

one, asyoustrikethemfromthe Banfftrail, is the greatfishing lake. Thisone hasbeenwell fished ever sincewhitemenhave beenin thecountryand,Iam sorrytosay, notalwayslawfully Beingonlyfifteenmilesfrom

the coal minesat Canmore,the miners, especially whena strike is on, have used thislake more orless as a

meal ticket, taking tonsof these gamefish even in spawning time, and often using adynamite cartridge as

bait. In spite of this slaughter good fishingis yet to be had there

and thedynamiter,ifcaught, willbesummarily dealtwith With thehatcheryatBanffalso turning millions

ofCut Throatinto the streams everyyear, these lakes willsoon be restocked

Cut-Throat, Silverand Dolly Varden Trout runvery large bothinthe lakesandinthe streamsentering

into and running out of thelakes July and August are the best fly-fishing months. A raftorpunt is best

forlakeworkwith spinner orbeefforSilver or DollyVarden Trout Rocky MountainWhitefishandSuckersare alsohere in plenty

twenty-eight miles fromBanflfover agoodtrail, with fine scenerytoadd tothe pleasure

ofadelightfulponyride Thereisagameguardianstationedatthese lakestoseethatnoonefishedillegally

or otherwise violates the Park regulr.tions

THE UPPER SPRAY FALLS

This is thelastfishing pointon this fine stream, the Falls being toomuchevenforCut Throattoget up

In the nearfuture fishwill be put in abovethe Falls inthe hopeofstocking the upperwaters, whichinclude

a numberoflovely lakes

AMOUNTAINNIPPICONTROUT-M'LE

Afinestreamjoinsthisriverabouttwomiles belowthe Falls InAugustthis spot seemstobe a vous for the largest ofthe Cut Throat tribe. They lie in the foam-fleckedswirlbelowtheFalls and snapup

rendez-theflies and whenone ofthem takes yourlure you are likelytohave some excitement

THE LOWER SPRAY FALLS

The Spray joins the Bow River at Banff, a rapid and limpid stream indeed Five miles above be^ihthe series offalls andcanyons thatmakes thelocality oneofthe beauty spotsofthe Park Deeply wooded

withdark jreenfirs, the drive fortwentymiles followsalmostcontinuallythe windin|{sof this splendidriver.

befollowedrightuptothelakes,twentymilesaway Halfa mileabovethefirstcamp,wherethereisabridge,the second falls with the bigcanyon takesyoubysurprise Atthisfallsmanyasplendid catchofCutThroathasbeentaken

Todrivetothe oldcampon asplendidsummer day andtospendthe daylight there withrodand camera^

will give sporting pleasure such as only aday in the open with nature can give Pure air, pure water and

snappyfly-takingtrout, iswhatan angler considers the joyofliving. You cangetithere August, afterthehighwaterandthelogdriveareover, isthe besttimeto fish thisstream Flyandspinnerwillprovethe lures

foragoodday's sport as DollyVarden and SilverTrout areboth to be had

A BIT OF BOOM LAKE

This 'sl^c nas an altitude of6,200 feetabove sealevel with an area ofabout three square miles It is

almost aduplicateofthefamous LakeLouise SituatedontheVermilionsummit,fifteenmiles southofCastle

thispointbids fairinthe nearfuture to be extremelyattractive tomountainclimbersandanglers Thereisasplendidglacierandwaterfallatthewestend andthefishingisunexcelledforCutThroat,DollyVarden, Silver

andBullTrout, alsoRockyMountainWhitefish.Fly.beefand minnoware thebaitsgenerallyusedintheselakes

Five miles eastofthe automobile road, alsoonVermilion summit,are theTwin Lakes and almostbelow

with the same trout asintheother lakes There are other small lakesnearby, butnofish. One branchof

BoomLaxe The otherBranch drains the Green and the TwinLakes In

a properangling sensemanyofthese lakeshave neverbeenfished Here and there a prospector orpacker

may have fished with a bent pin and a piece of string so that the angler is here an explorer as well asafisherman and should, therefore, not expect to make a record catch in any ofthese summit lakes fished at

venture onafirst visit.

THE HOGARTH LAKES

Altitude, about 6,000 feetabove sealevel.

the Pass leading tothe Kananaskis Lakes, oneof the others being Mud Lake, the rest are unnamed The

Hogarthsdrain one way into the Spray River The water inthe Hogarth is ofa light greencolour but theothers are of a grey mud colour showing strong glacier sediment This glacier sediment does not seem

detrimentalto fish,forthere are plentyofthem, CutThroat, DollyVarden,andSilverTrout,alsoRocky tain Whitefish and Suckers They will take any bait you like to offer with the excefijn ofangle worms.

Moun-That is afood that none ofthe mountainfish seem to knowanything about These lakes are small in size

butcanbe writlargeforbeauty, veritablegemsinadark greensettingwithglaciers and mighty peaksinthebackground Theyare ten milesfromtheSprayLakes andaboutfortyfromBanff Thevalley of thisPass is

ofparklike beauty, meadows andtreesandwildtimothygrassinabundance The trail isnot the bestintheworld, butwith patience and afew cuss words, one can get apack horse through

RUNNING THE UPPER BOW RIVER

On thistrip, fromeither Eldonor CastleMountain onthe railway, you mayhave thedoublepleasure of

a canoe triponthe lovely Bow and a chance tofishsome ofthe best poolsinthatriver. This run shouldonly

be taken afterthehighwater, Imeanofcourse, ifyouareafterfish. Thenthe poolshavethe bestBy takers

ofthe season, all othermountainfish can also be taken Imean theCut ThroatwhenIspeakofflytakers