3 Days in Heaven- Maligne Lake Trip Report

[blue_skies]

Originally Posted by Strikemaster

Amazing! How many batteries for the electric motor did you have to take?

x2

[SNAPFisher]

Never been past the narrows yet so I just have to stare and the amazing pics you brought back. I can only imagine how that is... yep, amazing place.

You know the real reason I posted, so, how is Medicine water levels

[Bull's-Eye]

Beautiful pictures!

[Albertadiver]

Now THAT'S what it's all about!!!!

[Dale S]

Great adventure Steve.You've seen more of Alberta than most.

[thumper]

Maligne is awesome in all seasons - but fall is my favorite. Great stuff - as always - thanks for the photo essay!

[Sakoman]

Awesome pics, thanks for sharing.

[Shawnlh]

It's posts like this that keep me coming back.

Truly Excellent!!

Thank You

[fish gunner]

amazing how fishing can bring such a richness to ones life, thank you BLL that is one epic fish camp you got going there. home grown epic, you have inspired me to fish the maline system. just wow, AO form rules.

[Pikey]

Speechless!

amazing stuff.

[HopperDropper]

What a weather window. Congrats. Those are sensational fat brookie pics (your favorite was mine too). I loved the Here Comes the Sun photo. Getting all the way to Coronet in fall is on the bucket list. Great work, thanks for the streamer pic too!

[BobLoblaw]

Originally Posted by HopperDropper

What a weather window. Congrats. Those are sensational fat brookie pics (your favorite was mine too). I loved the Here Comes the Sun photo. Getting all the way to Coronet in fall is on the bucket list. Great work, thanks for the streamer pic too!

No kidding; weather was fantastic.
Last year, my friend did this trip at the same time with his nephew, and 2 more guys in another freighter canoe. His buddies got blown ashore & swamped, just before the narrows. They pulled all the gear, batteries, etc, out of the canoe & bailed most of the water out with a cooler. When they tipped the canoe over to drain the rest of the water out, a freak gust of wind picked the canoe up like a kite & blew it several hundred yards down the beach; punched a bunch of holes through the hull. They camped right there for the night; next day, the warden took the 2 guys & the canoe back to the launch- no fishing for those guys!
So, yeah, we got lucky with the weather, for sure!

[BobLoblaw]

Originally Posted by SNAPFisher

Never been past the narrows yet so I just have to stare and the amazing pics you brought back. I can only imagine how that is... yep, amazing place.

You know the real reason I posted, so, how is Medicine water levels

PM sent- not good news, I`m afraid...

[BobLoblaw]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

Looks like a dream trip, nice photo's, I always look forward to yours. How many batteries for that trip? Do you troll all day, troll all the way to the camp? How deep are the fish?

Thanks, Piker.
My buddy carries minimum 8 batteries(4 sets) when he does this trip.
He runs a 55lb thrust motor, carries another 50lb as backup. We boogied down past the narrows, then trolled the rest of that day, all the next day, and trolled our way back to the narrows on day 3. Then, he hooked up both motors & made good time back to the launch. We trolled our flies around 10-12' deep, and had the most luck in 14-16' of water, which is pretty dang tight to shore down there- she gets deep in a hurry!

[TreeGuy]

Steve......

You're pics have always been the best of the best. You have however outdone yourself on this one.

Thank you SO much for taking us all along on such a fun adventure that most will never be able to share. (yes, it does take a loooong time to get to the narrows.... lol ).



Tree

[BobLoblaw]

Originally Posted by matt1984

Awesome pictures, by the way that is a spruce grouse. Not nearly as tasty as a ruffy.

Ha-ha-ha!!!
Thanks, Matt. I was pretty sure it was a spruce grouse, but Googled it to be sure, and confirmed that I was right. Then, I spent some time looking at some great pics of ruffies; must have had them on my mind when I typed that...

[BobLoblaw]

Thanks, y'all!
I really appreciate the positive comments.
I know that I appreciate when you guys take the time to share your adventures; happy to reciprocate every now & again.

This trip is way up there on my list of favorites. I kid you not when I say that the fishing was secondary to the experience of just being in that spectacular setting. Pics cannot convey how I felt while sitting in a canoe on that lake; whichever direction I looked, I was looking up...way up...at some of the coolest mountains/cliffs/fortress walls I've ever laid eyes on. Just before hitting the sack on the first night, I walked down to the dock & just looked up one last time. Good Lord, where did all those stars come from??? Living in the city, you forget how full the night sky is when you're out in the middle of nowhere, miles away from all that light pollution. It was phenomenal!

[slivers86]

first picture of post #10 should be for sale. What a beauty.

As usual, fantastic photos buddy! Definitely, as stated in above posts, trip of a lifetime!

[Steven Noel]

Thank you so much for posting. A beautifully written report accompanied by stunning pictures.

If someone one-ups this report before soft water season is over, I'll be surprised.

Thank You

Steven

[greylynx]

Bob:

Did you notice any hatches?

If so, what was popping up?

Thanks for the pictures.

[kissarmygeneral]

Wow what a trip! Amazing photos and beautiful fish.

[McLeod]

Awesome report .One of the best I have ever seen..thanks for the time it must have taken !


Note.... The lake closes on Sunday !!!!!!!

[Bigwoodsman]

Incredible Pictures and a fantastic report. You had yourself an awesome adventure.

Thank you for posting.

BW

[timsesink]

Nice, I do it every year and cannot wait till next! Seemed you were catching mainly smaller ones, intersting? Maybe a time of the year thing?

[rugatika]

awesome pics, and thanks for sharing. Got that trip on my bucket list for a few years now. Ya gotta love the mountains.

[BobLoblaw]

Originally Posted by greylynx

Bob:

Did you notice any hatches?

If so, what was popping up?

Thanks for the pictures.

Not much. A fair number of mayflies around the dock on Friday; light-colored with super long tails???


Thanks, y'all, for the positive comments; they are genuinely appreciated!

[thumper]

'Where did all those stars come from?'

The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada recently officially designated Jasper National Park as a Dark Sky Preserve. It's the largest designated Dark Sky Reserve in the world.

When I was growing up, every kid could identify The Big Dipper, and use it to locate The North Star. Sadly - that is not the case any more. Viewed from the dock at Maligne Lake, both can be almost overwhelmed by the clear view of the rest of the cosmos!

[BobLoblaw]

Originally Posted by thumper

Viewed from the dock at Maligne Lake, both can be almost overwhelmed by the clear view of the rest of the cosmos!

Ain't that the truth!

[Speckle55]

WOW Maligne Magic..great trip Steve!!! once you have been to Maligne the love affair starts ,, its been 33 years of camping at Maligne for me and Coronet is a little piece of Anglers Heaven ..

Thanks for sharing

David

[BobLoblaw]

Originally Posted by Speckle55

WOW Maligne Magic..great trip Steve!!! once you have been to Maligne the love affair starts ,, its been 33 years of camping at Maligne for me and Coronet is a little piece of Anglers Heaven ..

Thanks for sharing

David

You speak the truth, David.
The whole lake/area is spectacularly beautiful, but once you go through the narrows & enter the south end of the lake, the scenery is just taken to a whole other level. I feel sorry for those who only get to look at photos of that piece of paradise; pics just cannot convey the scope of the 360 degree panorama of awesomeness!