Girdy’s Rainbow
We recently went on a trip to the Canadian providence of Alberta and stayed at the Fairmont Banff Springs resort located in the city of Banff in the Banff National Park. It was a pleasant stay allowing us to escape the sweltering heat of central Alabama in July. The highs were in the sixties each day and many days were overcast.
The scenery all around us was breathtaking and it reminded me of our pacific northwest states. All around us we could see snow-capped peaks, glistening glaciers, tranquil lakeshores, raging river rapids, ancient glaciers and sweeping vistas. We partook in several activities. One day we took a four-hour horseback ride up to the glaciers above Lake Louise. The ride started along the shore of Lake Louise which is a beautiful turquoise colored glacier-fed lake ringed by high peaks and overlooked by a stately chateau. The scenery was dramatic, and it was interesting to ride through and observe the deep ravines that have been cut by the ancient glaciers.
On another day we played golf at the Banff Springs Golf Course. This course was opened in 1911 as a nine-hole course laid out by Bill Thomson, a Scottish expatriate who apprenticed under Old Tom Morris at St. Andrews. It was expanded to an 18-hole course in 1924. The 4th hole (Devil’s Cauldron) is one of the world’s most scenic par 3s. The course is surrounding by dramatic mountain scenes, it runs along the Bow River and is one of the most beautiful courses I have ever played. We also had the pleasure of observing the resident elk heard along the river by the course.
One of the highlights of the trip was a float trip down the lower Bow River to fish for trout. We met our guide Doug at the launch, and he gave Gretchen some instruction on the hook set and landing fish on a fly rod. I am a seasoned veteran fly fisherman and I have been trying to convince my wife, Gretchen aka Girdy to pick up a fly rod for some time now. I was finally able to talk her into it because our travel companions were Craig and Laura Gall from Birmingham and they wanted to add fishing to our activity list. I took her to our local Orvis outfitter prior to the trip to get her some casting instruction. She was feeling a bit apprehensive and overwhelmed when Doug was giving her the instructions on what to do when a trout actually takes the line, as all of this is new to her. We started out our drift down the river and before long I hooked and landed a white fish. Gretchen was getting bites, however she started out slow on the hook set and was missing opportunities to connect. Eventually she started to get the hang of it and made the connection with a nice rainbow that proceeded to make a series of jumps, which was exciting and then it threw the hook with the head shake. I believe that got her heart pumping. A little later I hooked and landed a beautiful brown trout. Gretchen made the connection again and had another rainbow on the line, however she clamped down on the line instead of letting the fish pull it out and get on the reel where she could use the drag and the fish broke her off. This is the learning experience you go through with fishing for trout with a fly rod. Everything must come together, first the cast, then the presentation, the hook set and then once the fish is on the line and the heart is racing, landing a strong trout in fast current takes a bit of finesse. A little later in the drift she set the hook again and this time she let the fish run the line out and was fighting her first rainbow trout with a big bend in the rod and the fish pulling out line against the drag on the reel. She was beyond excited, and I think everyone on the river could hear her squealing with delight. Doug told us in his thirty years of guiding this was the best reaction he had ever had from someone catching a fish. Gretchen’s fish gave her a “run for the money” and Doug and I watched and help coach her through landing the fish from the drift boat in the current. She handled it like a pro and we were able to get the fish netted and Gretchen had landed her first beautiful rainbow trout on the Bow River in the Canadian Rockies. She gets it now and is already asking when I am going to take her fly fishing again. Like they say, “the tug is the drug”. That made my whole trip to see my wife experience that and enjoy it so much. Like many adventurous things we do I often drag her to it kicking and screaming, then she ends up loving it. We finished up our drift and I was able to land several rainbows then we headed back to the resort.
If you get the chance you should try to get up to Banff and experience the beauty of the Canadian Rockies and Lake Louise. They are true treasures to behold.
