Alberta’s spring creeks offer anglers a year-round fishing paradise, flowing crystal clear through rolling pastoral landscapes and banks lined with willow and alder trees.
But that’s just part of the reason anglers are lured to Wild Rose Country to cast their lines into the temperate spring-fed waters. Hard fighting trophy trout make spring-creek fishing an exotic and thrilling alternative to the waters of the continent’s busier rivers.
The North Raven River, known locally as the Stauffer, along with the nearby Clearwater River, are easily Alberta’s most famous spring creeks. Both are just a short drive from the international gateway cities of Calgary and Edmonton.
A little further south is the spring-fed waters of Palmer Ranch, another popular destination for those in the know.
Get Fish, Get Away
“The number one reason people come here to fish these rivers is to get away,” says Dave Jensen, owner and guide of Red Deer-based Fly Fish Alberta and Fortress Lake Retreat. “There’s not a lot of anglers,” he adds.
While the Rocky Mountain foothills are visible on a clear day, the North Raven and Clearwater creeks, located just a few minutes west of Red Deer, actually meander through a pastoral, parkland setting. It’s here that anglers cast their lines among the calls of scores of bird species.
“One fellow who had been birding around the world came and stayed here and said he saw more birds in this area than anywhere else in the world,” says Margie Moore, owner of Lazy M Ranch, the only accommodation right on the North Raven. “There are prairie, woodland and marsh birds—quite a variety.”
Enjoy Powerful Springs
According to Moore, both the North Raven and Clearwater rivers are fed by springs coming “full bore out of the ground,” at a rate of more than 15,000 liters—almost 4,000 gallons—each minute. Because the rivers are fed by massive springs with deep emerald green boils, the temperatures on the upper portion of both rivers remain the same, regardless of weather or season.
The Stauffer and Clearwater are also smaller, shallower streams, so there’s a lot of light penetration, which leads to greater photosynthesis. In turn, this allows for a longer plant-growing season, which keeps the insects more active throughout the year. As a result, the fish-feeding season begins earlier and ends later than on other rivers traditionally fueled by mountain runoff.
“So the stable temperature and additional light kick starts the ecosystem and is more conducive to dry-fly fishing,” says Jensen. “The Stauffer and Clear are open year round and stay ice free. The water temperature acts as a thermal barrier to the colder temperatures.”
Try Brook and Brown Trout
Both these rivers are known for their brook and brown trout fishing, though it’s not always easy to fish here. The North Raven in particular can be a difficult, demanding stream and is regarded by some as the “PhD. of fly fishing,” according to Moore. The vegetation on both sides of the stream makes great hiding spots for the fish but restricts access for the angler.
“It can be quite difficult to fish, but has nice holes where the brown trout like to hide,” says Moore, adding that most people wade the river. “The trout are very territorial, so some people catch and release the same fish every year.”
Though they can frustrate the less experienced, the North Raven and the Clearwater really come into their own during the hot summer months. They are always clean and clear, even after heavy rains when the more famous Bow, Crowsnest and North Ram rivers are running bank-to-bank mud.
Sharp Shoot Your Casts
While conditions on the North Raven are conducive to dry-fly fishing, few fish are actually caught. Overgrown banks and a narrow river, not to mention the host of in-stream entanglements, make casting an exercise in sharp shooting. What’s more, the brown trout are very spooky.
“They see your shadow and they’re gone,” says Moore. “It’s very similar to fishing streams in Scotland. Some people come from England and are amazed by this spot.”
Despite the challenges, the North Raven is famed for its hatches of green drake and brown drake mayflies each June. Anglers can expect a challenge when they pursue the river’s 20-45 centimetre (8 to 18 inches) brown trout.
Discover Easier Fly Fishing
While not strictly a spring creek because other runoff streams feed it, the nearby South Raven River offers easier fly-fishing conditions as it meanders slowly through pastures, forests and hayfields.
Throughout June and July, the North and South Raven rivers act as the egg-laying grounds for numerous insect species. At the height of the six-week window, these large insects rain down and the fishing is exceptional.
Alberta’s only other true spring creeks are located further south on Palmer Ranch, which is wedged between the border with Montana and Waterton National Park. The ranch is privately owned and the owners limit the number of fishermen on the river to about six each day.
Challenge Hard Fighting Fish
Like the North Raven and Clearwater rivers, the limited competition, wide-open spaces and long feeding season brought on by the constant, year-round water temperature means excellent fishing.
“The size of the fish is one of the strongest attractions,” says Jeff Mironuck, owner of Home Waters Tours, a guiding outfit based in the area.
The rainbows on the ranch reach trophy proportions of 4.5 kg (10 lb) and are “incredibly hard-fighting fish,” adds Mironuck. “Because it’s spring fed, the water is the same temperature year round. So even in the heat of summer it can really put some spark in the fish. Even in August they’ll be really spunky.”
Explore Palmer Ranch
Palmer Ranch is a series of ponds created by beaver dams on a creek. Because it’s spring fed, the creek remains crystal clear regardless of how much rain and flooding is in the area. That, in addition to remaining ice-free year round, makes the fishing incredibly consistent.
Waterton National Park and the distant Rocky Mountains make a spectacular backdrop and grizzly bears, black bears, deer, elk, moose and beavers are all frequent visitors in the area.
“The scenery, with the mountains, is just incredible,” says Mironuck.
Resources:
Lazy M Ranch
Home Waters
Fly Fish Alberta