Fly fishing here in Alberta, Canada is about as good now as it was when my father first took me as a young boy, 35 years ago. My dad was my fishing partner for all of my life, but sadly he got very sick and that was the end of his fishing days. Fishing was never the same after that, as for 2 years I walked the backwoods and cut lines alone, and I caught my share of trout, but something was missing. I finally decided that I would have to find someone to share this experience with me, someone who would enjoy this as much as I did.

Over the next two years I fished off and on with 10 different partners and came to the conclusion that I would never find anyone that enjoyed fly fishing as much as I did. I was totally convinced that I would never find anyone that would walk the remote creeks and rivers all day long without complaint, and sit by the campfire long after we should have crawled into our sleeping bags. My brother came out to fish with me one day and brought along a friend of his by the name of Zuk. Now this guy was green as grass when it came to fly-fishing. Zuk fished the day with us and I don't recall him catching anything more than rocks, and he lost all his hooks, and a dozen of the hooks I gave to him. Later that evening we started a small fire along the river we were fishing and I fried a couple of trout that my brother and I had caught. After we had finished eating we ended up sitting around the campfire long into the night, talking about the events of the day and poking fun at Zuk. The only comment Zuk had about the day was that he had never had this much fun fishing before, and he was wondering if he would be able to do this again. We were in the early days of September, 1994, and I thought we would be able to do one more trip, but the weather changed to early snow and we never did get out again that year.

The following spring I decided to give Zuk a call and we arranged a five-day trip together in September. After months of planning, the big day was here, and we packed my truck and headed out on the four-hour drive. I could see that he was as excited as I was and when we arrived I don't ever recall setting up camp in such timely fashion. We got geared up and spent the whole day fishing, and that evening, sitting by the campfire, Zuk's only question was why I caught all the fish and he couldn't catch any. We talked about fishing long into the night and I told him many little tips and tricks that I have picked up over the years. He sat in silence nodding his head. The next morning we arose with the sun and headed out for a long day of fishing, and as I watched him fishing and I could see that what I had told him the previous night had not been in vain. Zuk caught several fish that day and he was amazed at his good luck, that night by the firelight we talked about what he had learned that day. In all my years of fly fishing I have never seen anyone that could be so absorbed with every little detail he was told and still be able to store it in his memory, never to forget.

We have been fishing partners for 11 years now, and I have to always been at my best game when it comes to fishing for fear that he will show me up, as he has done so many times in the past few years. The first few years we fished together at some of the more popular spots, where there was usually several other fishermen, it was normal for at least one or two of them to come over and ask what I was doing different that allowed me to catch more fish than they could. As the years have slowly gone by and people wander over to us looking for advice, its not unusual for them to direct their questions at Zuk, and you know for some reason I feel good about that. This story is not about my abilities as a fly fishing teacher, this story is about an exceptional fishing partner who had the ability to learn, and teach himself, and in doing so helped make me a better fisherman also.

Good luck and tight lines.

Andy Klynstra works for Oil-Net.Com providing professionals in the global oil and gas industry with the information, products, and services they need.

Catching fish couldn't be any easier than here in the Fraser
Valley. You can wade 1,000 miles of streams, wander
around 1,000 acres of high mountain lakes, or troll 11,000
acres of reservoirs.

Whether you're fly-fishing or have a night crawler on the end
of your line, you can find many different species of fish
throughout Grand County. Rainbow, cutthroat, brown &
brook trout can be found in most of the rivers, while
mackinaw and kokanee salmon cruise the depths of the
larger bodies of water.

The Colorado River offers gold medal trout fishing with
some of the biggest browns and rainbows found in the
state. The Fraser River runs through the town of Winter
Park, as well as the resort, and is fed by many other great
little secluded creeks with hidden pockets of trout. St. Louis
Creek and Willow Creek offer brookies, bows and browns
with scattered creek-side campgrounds.

The four major lakes of the area are located in the Granby
area, and offer plenty of ramps & marinas for boating
enjoyment. With 7,250 surface acres and 40 miles of
shoreline, Lake Granby is known for its big mackinaws.
Grand Lake, the largest natural lake in Colorado, and
adjoined Shadow Mountain Lake can also produce 20
pounds macks. The lakes of the area are also well known
for great ice fishing in the winter.

You just never know what the snowmelt will do in the high
country, but one thing is for sure, it will produce an
abundance of streams and lakes to choose from. The
seclusion and surrounding wilderness will make you feel
like an early American explorer, discovering your own trout
paradise.

Stay Walking Distance From Winter Park Resort:
Slope View Bed & Breakfast – Just a five minute walk from
Winter Park Resort
970-531-2386
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Enjoy fishing for those largemouth bass? Here are some largemouth bass fishing tips that should come in handy the next time you are ready to do a little angling.

(1) Worms or tubes bought in bulk could get smelly, even outside of the bag they're stored in. You should seal these worms in smaller vacuum sealer bags like those you purchase for food storage. Keeps the largemouth bass bait airtight and fresh, so they can be stored anywhere for any length of time.

(2) Fish seem to gain leverage with hard baits such as top waters, jerk baits or crank baits and can easily throw them. One solution to this is to add a split ring, putting it between the ring that is already there and the hook. This reduces the fish's leverage, which puts a greater number of fish in the live well.

(3) Begin a fishing excursion before you ever reach the water. Largemouth fishing tips include formulating a plan. After executing the plan for a few hours, decide how it's working and if it's not go to plan "B".

(4) Are those largemouths not cooperating? Switch to a bait you have confidence in.

(5) Change fishing spots, even if you have a favorite, be sure to try new spots often.

(6) You should also be willing to study a lake map and consider the season and current weather conditions even if you are fishing on a very familiar lake. You may have missed a great fishing spot.

(7) Use a personal computer to discern lake levels, weather forecasts, and wind and wave conditions.

(8) Be willing to change your game plan. Pay attention to your instincts.

(9) Don't get ahead of yourself and set the hook as soon as you see the strike. You need to feel the fish.

(10) When the largemouth short strikes behind top water bait and you don't connect you should not give up. Cast a different bait very quickly.

(11) If you have been using larger lures and you have experienced only a few nonproductive bites it may be time to try something smaller.

(12) Remember to take into consideration the root system when fishing a stump. The root systems may hold more fish than the main part of the stump.

Now that you have these largemouth bass fishing tips, head for the water and bring in a big one.

For advanced bass fishing techniques, please visit http://www.catch-largemouth-bass.com/