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S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S • 169 F or a lot of American anglers, a fishing trip to Canada is way up on their bucket list. Just the mention of Canadian fishing conjures up visions of hidden backcountry lakes in northern Saskatchewan filled with voracious pike and muskies; clear mountain streams in British Columbia teeming with hungry brook trout and grayling; deep, frigid Ontario waters holding whopper walleyes—and that's just the start. There are three other species that deserve consideration if you're thinking about a Canadian fishing excursion. Not to disparage the aforementioned gill- breathers, but these three were, at least for me, the most memorable. As with any angling experience, the people and the place have as much to do with the memories as the fish itself. Chasing rainbows on the Bow The Bow River west of Calgary comes tumbling down from the Rockies in a series of steep, rocky rapids. Eastward from Calgary, the river moves at a somewhat gentler pace, winding through rolling prairie and teeming with rainbow trout that average 17 fat inches. Best of all, the Bow contains some of the last under- fished, easily accessible trout waters in North America. Maybe anywhere. fishing by larry chesney Three buckeT-lisT desTinaTions norTh of The border. My wife and I had the opportunity to fish with Eric Grinnell, a hunting and fishing guide who's been chasing rainbows on the Bow for nearly 25 years. Needless to say, he knows where the fish are and where to toss your fly. As we floated the Bow we marveled at the sheer raw beauty of the cliffs and prairies. Probably some nice mulies up there, I thought. The weather was as diverse as the terrain, with one day of 20-mph winds and blowing rain. A morning of that and Kathy was done fishing. I couldn't blame her. Learning to fly-cast in a blowing rainstorm is rather uncomfortable, aggravating, and, well, just sucks. As Eric and I battled the elements, we were still able to find fish that didn't seem to mind the weather. They're already wet anyway, right? Our best luck came when we beached the boat and eased upriver, casting into the riffled edges of the current. The hopper- dropper was the rainbow bomb that day, providing both a floating and sinking entree to choose from. Guide Eric Grinnell casts to rainbows on the Bow River in Alberta. The author caught this beautiful 'bow on a hopper-dropper.