Today promised to be a long day. We’d planned to drive to the northernmost point of our journey today, the town of Edson (due west of Edmonton) and back to Nordegg on the Forestry Trunk Road. We planned to fish our way down the FTR, looking for Grayling in particular. In our readings we’d discovered that the southern most natural distribution of Grayling is in the Athabasca River drainage. One of the southernmost rivers draining into the Athabasca is the McLeod River and it’s tributaries near Edson.

We were up at 6AM. The weather was cold & crisp. The sun was rising and it looked like we were in the arctic.  We were headed east on Hwy. 11 from Nordegg to Rocky Mountain House at 6:45AM. At the end of the driveway, we’d decided to travel north to Edson using blacktop roads even through it was over 100 miles further, then drive back down the gravel FTR that afternoon. After seeing 3 deer along the road, we arrive at Rocky Mountain House at 7:50 turning north on Hwy. 22 and passing thru Drayton Valley at 8:40, it’s 43-degrees. We stop for fuel and a snack. At Entwistle we turn west on highway 16.

Reaching Edson at 11:30AM we stopped at Ron’s Outdoor Source for Sports (5014 – 4^th Ave., P.O. Box 6540, Edson, Alberta, T7E1T9, Phone 780-723-4284, 1-888-799-0200) where we met Alton Hunter the store manager. Alton had been a guide in the Northwest Territories and is an avid fly fisher. Alton was more than generous with information marking up our maps with several spots to try for Grayling and other species.

Alton suggested:

• Fishing the confluence of the McLeod & Embarras Rivers for Grayling near the abandoned bridge pilings.
• Pull off at the Weald Group Campsite and fish the Embarras, 14-miles south of Edson, just past Fickle Lake.
• Fish the Embarras as it parallels Hwy. 47 for Grayling.
• On Hwy. 40 (FTR) Fairfax Lake near Penbina River, east side of road….3# Rainbows & Brook trout; need a pontoon boat.
• Fish the Penbina River where it crosses Hwy. 40.
• Off Cardinal River road, near Thistle Creek, Thunder Lake, lake not named on maps, 5# Brook Trout; need a boat.
• Further up the Cardinal River road, Musquike Lake….huge fish, need a boat.

Heading out of Edson to the south on Hwy. 47 we cross the McLeod River at the junction of the Embarras River. Alton told us to look for old concrete bridge pilings and fish there. After some looking we found the area and set off to give it a try.

We tried dry flies & nymphs without success. There were two young anglers fishing the area with maggots for white fish and an older gentleman upstream casting maggots into the center of the stream. We talked to the older fellow and he told us the river was up from the recent rains and fishing had slowed. He also said that the Grayling tend to hang out in the same schools as the Rocky Mountain Whitefish. He suggested that we fish upstream of the McLeod / Embarros confluence where the fishing is "catch & release" and predicted that the fishing would be much better for Grayling. As we were leaving, we heard him grumbling about talking to Alton (we hadn’t mentioned Alton) about giving away all his good fishing spots to strangers.

We took the old man’s advice and headed for the second spot that Alton had suggested. We found the Weald Group Campground turnoff and pulled in. The gate was closed so we parked the vehicles and hiked down to the campground.

MS went downstream, AB went upstream and AM/JR tried the middle. The stream was wide, slow & deep. No fish activity, so AM went for a hike way upstream and started finding Grayling activity, catching one on a bead-head nymph.

JR moved upstream near AB and found a pool with several accommodating Grayling…..well at least they were striking his fly. After several misses, AB joined JR and tried several flies….BWO’s, emergers, Ants, Hoppers, nymphs & Stimulators without a strike. JR kept getting hits on his Royal Stimulator & Royal Trude, as a matter of fact, anything he threw into the water….AB called him the "Fly Meister", since he seemed to be "charmed" in his fly selections….. but no hookups…later we determined that the fly was a bit too large for the Grayling to eat….but they sure tried. AB finally tried a green LaFontaine Emerger that has caught many persnickety fish and finally caught a Grayling. JR kept trying as AB acted as "rod-caddy" tying on different flies while swapping rods.

Meanwhile MS joined AM way upstream….whistles were blasting as they moved thru the dense woods along the stream. AM & MS worked on getting a grayling for MS, but weren’t having much more success than JR & AB. The fish were down & just weren’t interested in any fly.

As we hiked off the Embarras thru the campground, AB pumped water for MS. Back at the vehicles we had lunch and relaxed.

We’d read in our research for the trip that Lambert Creek held Grayling so we went off to find it. MS & JR fished a very likely looking beaver pond and a good pool under the railroad bridge while AB & AM hotfooted it down stream trying to find a place that held fish for MS & JR.

 Lambert Creek is a 20’ wide stream with clear waters, deep pool, lots of wood in the water and densely forested banks. AB & AM passed several excellent looking pools & radioed their location back to MS & JR, but kept moving downstream without fishing them. Then we came across a huge pool with a downed tree in it. Both of us made a cast catching Grayling on Royal Coachman and BWO emergers.

 Again we radioed the guys upstream and moved on looking for more active waters. AB checked out two huge pools without success, we just couldn’t understand why some pools had fish and other great looking pools had none….none that we could raise. AM was determined to find the confluence of Lambert Creek and the Embarras River and took off on a long walk thru dense forest….blowing his whistle while yelling "Yo Bear" at the top of his lungs all the way.

MS joined AB and we fished several holes with no action. AB then hiked back to join JR who had had three LDR’s in the hole that AB/AM had caught fish. MS joined us and he and JR took turns trying to entice a Grayling to the fly.

AM reported in on the radio that he’d reached the mouth of Lambert Creek; saying that the Embarras was running solid mud. He was doing well catching small Grayling (7) on a Royal Coachman fly in the Lambert Creek flow or at the junction of the clear and muddy waters. He admitted later that the hair was standing up on the back of his neck, realizing how deep he was into Grizzly country…..alone!

JR hiked back to fish the beaver pond near the vehicles. AM called saying he was headed back. MS & AB waited for him and eventually could hear his whistle & "Yo Bear" calls. We guided him via radio uphill thru the woods to a trail we’d found.

6:55PM we were headed toward the town of Robb & the FTR junction. 63-degrees. We were looking for the Cardinal River. We crossed the river but elected to keep going as it was getting late and we were still far from Nordegg.

As we were driving down the FTR, 7:30PM, AB looked out the side window of the truck. He saw a huge Grizzly Bear staring back at him. AB grabbed the CB and yelled; "Stop, Stop!! Grizzly Bear! Grizzly Bear! Right side!" MS couldn’t stop fast enough and drove 40-yards past the bear. But JR stopped right next to the bear….only 30’ away. Turned out there were at least two bears, possibly three. At first, we thought it was a Mom bear with two cubs, but later when we met four Canadian Game Officers, they looked at the pictures and said they were all BIG bears.

MS turned the truck around and headed back to take a closer look, while AB was on the radio warning JR to keep his vehicle in gear & his foot on the gas as the bears could close the 30’ distance in a heartbeat if they got upset with us being there. Grizzly Bears that have attacked people in cars in the past have been overheard saying; "Yumm, Crunchy on the outside, but Creamy on the inside!"

After snapping a few photos, the bears got bored with us and ambled off. We got some great pictures with the digital cameras……didn’t have the door ripped off the Jeep…..nor mauled or eaten…so all is well.

A little further down the road JR called to report he’d stopped near an animal that had been killed along the road, but he couldn’t identify the critter. MS stopped to take a look…he & AB identified it as a large beaver.

A few minutes later, JR & AM had stopped again to photograph a large Horned Owl perched in a tree, while MS & AB had just spotted a huge 5-point Buck Whitetail deer.

At this point, someone said that this trip was like; "Visiting a Canadian Zoo………Without Bars!"

We crossed the Brazeau River bridge at 8:10PM and turned left onto a rutty road headed downstream. The Brazeau is a large river and was moving fast. We spread out on the river, some using Bull Trout rods; others trying dry flies…..both without success.

AB & AM came off the river at 9PM and took a trail that lead thru the campground and ran into a young couple and their 6-month old baby who were camping along the river. They were from Yellowknife (the start of the "Ice Road" (TV program) to the DeBeers Diamond Mines), both were Geologists, he specializing in diamonds, she in gold. They were both from New Brunswick and like many young people we’d met on this trip, had moved west because of job opportunities and the big money to be made out west.

The husband said that they were on vacation and were camping as they wanted their baby to get use to the rigors of camping. AB asked if they were concerned about bears, as we’d seen a couple Grizzlies just up the road. He calmly said, "No, I have bear spray right here."

We arrived back at the Nordegg Lodge at 10:10PM, a fox ran in front of JR’s vehicle on the FTR. We’d just completed a 320-mile, one-day, fly fishing adventure. At this point we realized that this trip was taking on more of an exploratory nature, finding new waters and checking them out. Other YG trips use the "base-camp" method where we stay in an area and fish the surrounding waters with more intensity. Both types of trips are rewarding and we enjoy the diversity.

We walked into the bar. Mike, owner of the Nordegg Lodge, he said his son was fishing at the "Trout Pond" a few miles north of town and spotted a Grizzly Bear. A couple hours later, the bear wandered thru town and one of the visitors snapped a few photos.

AB spend 15-minutes at the poker machine, wins $9.00.

1,415 miles from Spokane at this point.