I received a call from a good friend of mine, Gene Acquilini, inviting the Pieroway crew out for a fun tournament on Saturday July 10th on the Bow River. The plan was to get as many boats and guys out as we could, put in at McKinnon Flats, spend the day drifting to Carseland, and spend the night at the campground. Gene had his team all set and ready, and I was joined by good friend Nate Byce in my boat.
We arrived at McKinnon around 8:30 AM, geared up, agreed on the rules, chose team names, and launched. Since there were only 2 of us in our boat, we were already handicapped (but not worried). For drawing the short straw, Nate would be on the oars first and I would get to fish one of the best runs on the Bow being the downstream stretch from McKinnon Flats. We agreed that after each fish landed, we would switch positions and the rower would then fish, and vice versa. Before we made the first bend in the river, I had hooked up and lost 3 nice rainbows. Adding to the frustration was the fact we could hear a lot of cheering and hollering from the other boat, leading us to believe we were behind already.
Then, our luck changed. I hooked into (and landed) a nice 15 inch rainbow, then it was Nate’s turn to fish. This swapping of the rowing chair continued most of the day, as the action was almost non stop. We had figured out what the fish were liking, and where they were holding. Then, it happened. As we rounded a bend in the river, we hugged tight to the outside bank as Nate tied into a fish. He assured me this was a good fish and I rowed frantically to get to the slack water so I could anchor and ready the net. A few minutes later, we had a 20+ inch Brown trout landed, measured, and photographed. A quick high-five and I told Nate to row us back into that run. As we drifted back over to the bend, I dropped my fly in the water and prepared to fish the same run we just had produce big for us. What happened next, neither of us could believe. My indicator went for a dip and I set the hook. I knew it was a good fish. I told Nate to get us out of there and drop anchor. I knew it was another big fish. After a few tense minutes from behind my Pieroway 5 weight, we had another big Brown to the net. We taped him at a hair over 20 inches and just realized we had caught two 20 inch Browns from the same run less than a minute apart. We checked the pictures to make sure it wasn’t the same fish, and another round of high-fives ensued.
The rest of the day produced many more fish, but no more to the boat exceeding 20 inches. We were wondering if out twin Browns were going to hold up. We docked at Carseland and headed to the campground for a BBQ and a few cold beverages. Once the other guys arrived, we found out our fish were the two biggest of the day, and Gene produced the trophy he had graciously made and donated to the winning team. He made us promise to come back next year and defend the title, conditions we happily accepted.
Great friends, perfect day, spectacular fishing, and an amazing time had by all. A special thanks to Gene for setting this day up and all the hard work he put in to pull it off without a hitch.
Bobby Owens
