Oldman River, Alberta - perfect for fly fishing

Once caught, fish need to be handled with wet hands to
protect the slime on their skin, which is their immune s
ystem. SUSAN NERBERG/THE GLOBE AND MAIL

Not far from Calgary, in the Alberta Foothills, are waterways perfect for a peaceful day of fly fishing

Life is on the line as I teeter in the current of the Oldman River in southern Alberta. No, I’m not about to engage in a daredevil rescue of a capsized canoeist from ripping rapids. The Oldman is rather laggard today. The life in question belongs to a cutthroat trout, and the line is the translucent extension of my rod and reel. But soon, the fish is off the hook – and, luckily, so am I, preferring to live and let live.

I’ve come to Alberta’s Foothills for two reasons: to explore a part of the province usually bypassed for adventures in the Rockies, and to get a feel for why fly fishing is becoming an increasingly popular leisure activity in Canada among both millennials and women. Thanks to Calgary-based Topwater Fly Fishing, which supplies not only hip waders and boots, rod and reel, but also guidance and patience courtesy of owner Brandon Healey and guide Devon Scott, I learn that a forecast – the technique used to toss your line onto the water – has little to do with predicting the weather, but that weather can have implications for fly fishing or, rather, what kind of fly you use as bait.

Alberta may be best known for prairie and cattle to the east and mountains and bighorn sheep to the west, but the Foothills – the rolling landscape that stitches together those distinct geologic regions – offers its own wealth. A quarter of a million kilometres of fishable rivers span Alberta, and many of them flow through these hills. The Oldman River starts as a steep tumble down the east slope of the Rockies, cutting a gradual descent through the Foothills before snaking through grasslands. A two-hour drive south of Calgary, the stream flows through uplands swaddled in the hushed tones of late-summer grass studded with dark-green spruce.

Standing on the Oldman’s pebble bank, Healey ties to the end of his line a pea-size fly made of feathers attached to an unbarbed hook. The objective is to catch and release a cutthroat trout, one of five native species in the region. Unlike brown trout, a species introduced from Eastern Canada, cutthroats like colder water with more oxygen, so Healey looks for whitewater. “Trout are intelligent freshwater fish,” he says. “The trick to catching them is to figure out how they think and live.” It’s taken him more than a decade of consistent (and persistent) practice to get there. It has paid off: On his second cast, he reels in a speckled fish the length of his forearm.

It looks easy. Scott, who’s waded countless Alberta rivers since he was a kid, breaks down Healey’s overhead cast, the foundation for learning other casts. It’s actually two casts executed by flicking your wrist: The backcast gets the line behind you so you can play it forward; the forecast lays the line and bait on the water. “Fly fishing is all about how you present the bait,” he says. “No slapping the line loudly on the water.” Fish, it seems, prefer to be served with white gloves and grace.

Practising, I realize fly fishing is more than a sport. It’s a pursuit that requires focus and patience – qualities drowned by today’s multitasking madness – and it offers the gift of being in the moment. It makes you slow down. And when you do, you hear the Oldman babble and buzzing insects tempting fate by hovering dangerously close to the surface. As I’m listening, the river plays back a new rhythm. It doesn’t matter that I don’t reel in any fish, because each cast means a new way of connecting with nature. And that’s an even better catch than the one I originally hoped for.

How to get there
The Oldman River is located two hours south of Calgary, via Highway 22. If you don’t have access to a vehicle, Topwater Fly Fishing can arrange for transportation from and back to Calgary.

What to bring
A fishing licence is required throughout the province, available through My Wild Alberta. Buy it before your trip, and keep it handy in case a conservation officer shows up. Polarized sunglasses will cut the glare on water and help you see past the surface to spot fish. And trout are picky eaters, so if they don’t take your bait, you need to be able to change flies on the fly. Fingerless gloves will help you do the work while keeping your hands warm on chilly days.

Where to stay
Calgary’s Hotel Arts Kensington sits on the Bow River, which runs through Calgary before merging with the Oldman to become the South Saskatchewan. Stroll along its banks and you might come across anglers casting for rainbow or brown trout.

*BY SUSAN NERBERG, SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL