North Raven River (Stauffer Creek)
Central Alberta had some major weather fronts blow through yesterday. Between the thunder and lightning I managed a quick side trip to Stauffer during a visit to friends in RedDeer.
Stauffer is a beautiful spring creek situated in Central Alberta’s farm country that will challenge your skills as a flyfisherman (and at times your sanity for venturing into this jem of a jungle creek).
I got to the river around 12:00pm and was happy to see that I was the only car in the Buck for Wildlife parking lot- the river would be all mine. There were some nasty looking clouds to the west so I quickly slipped my breathables on knowing my fishing may be cut short today. Venturing into the river with my 5 weight Grigg I was greated with the picturesqe bridge.
From here I worked my way upstream roll casting and pitching a tiny #18 BH nymph to the side banks, corner pools and wood piles from blown out beaver dams. This was the first time I fished the river in full breathables and I couldn’t believe how much more enjoyable the fishing was. Even though this is a small river it has some deep holes and when you fish in hipwaders you will spend a lot more time battling the bush then casting to the fish. There was nothing to speek of in terms of insect hatches. The odd BWO 
but the river was pretty calm with only the odd rise here and there.
My efforts were rewarded with a few small jewels that were picked off corner banks and at the outlets of some busted up beaver dams.
I worked my way slowly up stream for about an hour or so and hit a large beaver dam that blocked up the entire river. There was some serious holding water on the other side and I was looking forward to a shot at one of those elusive big browns. As I was re-rigging to a clouser minnow the skies opened up big time and a major T and L storm forced me off for the day. The short time I had on the river was relaxing and the "jungle" was much kinder to me on this trip then in times past. If you are ever in Alberta you have to give this spring creek a try. It will test your metal and if you hook into one of those big browns you’ll be in for quite the ride.
