There’s a popular commercial currently airing on television, and in it a question is asked “How many seasons in Canada?”, with the answer given as “Winter, and construction?”. Understandable, given that our winters are know for their duration, and its reluctance to cede to the warmer seasons has produced snow storms as late as May, and as early as August, but thankfully those occasions are quite rare.
Notwithstanding the aberrant weather that each season produces, the real issue is the disparity in the length of the seasons; Summer can come as early as late May and last until October. Autumn follows but it usually only produces a few glorious weeks of crisp air and sunshine, perfect for walking in forests. Winter is capricious, and can last from November until late April, and then we get two beautiful weeks of spring, in which the grass turns from brown to green, tulips and crocuses spring up overnight and buds no sooner appear on trees than they become fully opened and almost magically we start wearing shorts and t-shirts and can actually enjoy our time outdoors.
That brings us to the fifth Canadian season, the most important one, fly fishing season. It overlaps all of the others in some places, but practically speaking it runs from late April to the end of September. This may seem like a good long time, but there are so many factors that affect it so that in truth we might only get a few short weeks where conditions are perfect for us (anglers) to hit the waters and escape to our own personal Mecca.
Spring runoff can make waters far too turbulent for the fish, not to mention anyone who wades out into them; summer temperatures can cause trout to migrate to very deep waters wherever they can find them, and hot months with limited rainfall can reduce the most productive rivers to little more than a trickle.
Nevertheless, you can rest assured that anglers will be out scouring the countryside for smaller spring creeks or haunting the tailwaters of the numerous dams. When the freestone rivers have turned off mid season, there are always places that will still offer a good day’s outing. You just have to find them, which is also part of the fun.
This year, the weather has been really good leading up to opening day, with a nice balance of rain, and I’m looking forward to a record breaking season. Especially since last year the biggest trout I’ve ever had on my line, approximately 24 inches, was two feet from my net when it threw my hook. If I used barbed hooks, it would have been game over, but I don’t, so it got away. However, I know where it lives, and this year I plan on introducing myself.
So with that to look forward to, it’s coming up to the fifth season, the best season, or Les Cinquieme Saisons, in the words of Harmonium.
Come Fly With Me 