Stories by Scott

 Well, it was a crapshoot; but a well reasoned crapshoot. When my fishing partner and I made plans to fish some streams in the East Kootenay region during the second week of July, we knew that it can be a little early in the season for good fishing due to high water. But we reasoned that with the lower than average snowpack, the forecasted warmer than average spring, and with the spectre of summer wildfires and hoot owl stream closures potentially limiting opportunities later in the summer, taking a trip in early-mid July was a good gamble.  Turns out we're pretty good crapshooters.  Water clarity was very good, the streams were wadeable, and the fish were agreeable.What more can you ask?  While eating dinner in camp on our day of arrival, a flying ant landed on the table. We might not be the sharpest knives in the toolshed, but it was clear to both of us what fly we'd be tying on first in the morning! A black Chubby Chernobyl became one of our go-to flies over the week. A spot

With the rain and cooler temps during the month of June, the Little Campbell (Tatalu) River was running strong during early summer.  But we knew it was only a matter of time before the river eventually de-watered in a 1-2 km reach centred around 200 Street, in the Brookswood-Fernridge area of South Langley, and salmon fry stranded in disconnected pools would require salvaging. The first extended heat wave of summer, beginning the first week of July, really kicked the de-watering into high gear. On Friday, July 12 the river was still connected and flowing. Two days later, a section of it was dry and there was already salmon fry mortality in one of the disconnected pools. The organization that I volunteer with, A Rocha Canada, quickly mobilized a salvage response with DFO and on Monday morning July 15 we were on the river with nets and DFO's water tank trailer. Fish were seined and dip netted from pools, placed in buckets with battery powered aerators, and the buckets carried to the