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Golden Trout Gathering


Jim Fox

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So this follow-up post is a little late coming but I hope that hasn't created any difficulty. Earlier this year, I expressed my intention to hike into one of the few golden trout lakes this summer for somethign really different. This adventure will take place in the very south west corner of Alberta from August 18 through August 23 or so. Here is what is going down:

-on 18 August, I will leave from Calgary to drive to the Castle River jump off point. I hope to find the camping area vacant right at the trailhead. The starting point is the intersection of Highway 3 and Highway 507, just east of the Leitch Collieries. Drive 14.1 km south on Hwy 507. At this point, 507 turns east but you will keep going south on a road called Hwy 774. Travel for 24.2km and you will now be on a rural dirt road. At this point, you should see a power line following a rough but passable road traveling roughly east and (if I get there before you) a FF@ sign. I will post a GPS coordinate later in the week. This is our operational base (for a while at least).
-I will spend some of Monday reconnoitering the trailhead and fishing the West Castle River near the camping spot. Depending on weather, I intend to hike into Barnaby Ridge Lakes on Tuesday or Wednesday. I won't be overnighting so i intend to get up at the crack of dawn on hike day, push up to the lakes (2-3 hours), fish and come back to camp all in the same day.
-The rest of the time at this location will be spent exploring the Castle and West Castle Rivers - there is a lot of other water to fish nearby and a trip to the Crowsnest might be in order.
-Later in the week (probably Thursday), I intend to move my camp to the Oldman River, to meet a friend who will have my kids with him. The Oldman/Livingston is more amenable to younger fishers and I know the area better. I will stay at this location until Sunday. Conclavers are welcome to follow me there, stay on the West Castle, or do whatever else strikes their fancy.
This is the latest annual gathering that I organize through the Flyfish@ list and among a bunch of old friends. These are pretty loosely organized affairs. Lots of serious fishing will be done, a few beers or malts will be tipped, and at least one gigantic fire will be had. Anyone interested is very welcome to join in the fun.
More details will be provided later. Email me (abklaver@gmail.com) if you have any questions.
Jim
PS - as I mentioned earlier, this is a STRICTLY non-political event. If you intend on talking about global warming, immigration policy or military funding, I can give you directions to a nice lake on the other side of the province. ;^)
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So I managed to check my GPS tracking and found that the camping site I have suggested is about 500m before the point that I gave directions to. Google maps gives the coordinates as 49.350261,-114.41175. If you have street view, it actually shows you what the turnoff looks like - note the power pole on the SE side of the intersection.
When I get there, I will post a couple of signs showing where I am located. My vehicle is a dark blue 4runner with a FF@ sticker on the liftgate.
Jim
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I don't know where I will camp. The road up the Oldman washed out last year about 10km up. Camping will depend on what is free and how many places we will need. I will post a sign with the FF@ logo when I get there. I may have to come into Calgary on Thursday night, in which case I would send an email message out as to location. I would prefer a random site but if I have to, the Dutch Creek campground would be a good backup.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thinking of heading down Aug 19th Tuesday afternoon , 1400 hrs , I will be hauling my trailer so will not be traveling to fast.

I'll check and see if I can get the time off...pretty sure that I can, but just to confirm things...I'll call you tomorrow night and let you know...

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  • 2 weeks later...

We are under a week away from this event and I am really looking forward to this event. My plan is the same early in the week - Drive down Monday (I expect to arrive around 2pm) and try for golden trout at a high mountain lake on Tuesday or Wednesday and otherwise fish the Castle/West Castle River areas. On Thursday I am going to drive up to the Oldman and find another random spot to camp at. The weekend has become a bit confused with some family stuff so I may actually have to go home Friday night or Saturday rather than stay. However, I am sure the gathering will continue without me.

 

If you are coming down for the golden trout part, I would like to hear from you directly. Please email me at abklaver@gmail.com so I can be sure to look out for you (it will also help me assess how much space we need for camping). If you are camping on the Oldman, let me know where you intend to camp or just put up a sign. I will certainly drop in later in the week.

 

Today I talked to someone who was up the Oldman River Road two weeks ago and the washout was not yet fixed. There was some material piled up in preparation for repair but no work yet. Also note that the whole are is more or less under a fire ban - stoves and propane fireplaces allowed but open wood fires are not.

 

Looking forward to high country trout on dry flies!

 

Jim

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  • 2 weeks later...

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