Authentic Ice Fishing Experience In Banff National Park
When I am planning activities for an upcoming trip, I most always search for big adventure. Things like paragliding in the Swiss Alps, running my own dog sled team in Muskoksa, Ontario and skiing down insane terrain in places like St. Anton, Austria. I want to feel a rush. And I want to feel out of my comfort zone. Which is why when ice fishing in the remote Canadian wilderness came across my radar, I almost wanted to seek something that would be more extreme.
But little did I know that when you catch your first fish- it is more than an adrenaline rush. It’s an experience that you have to work for in a different way and requires patience. It’s also about the entire experience Jim Dysktra, owner of Hawg Wild Fly Fishing Guides, creates on one of his ice fishing expeditions in Canmore just outside of Banff National Park in Alberta.
Jim, who is known as “Big Jim” to locals thanks to his 6 foot 4 inch frame, has been taking groups out to Spray Lakes (near where the movie Revenant was filmed) for 20 years. He thought about hiring employees at one point, I mean who doesn’t want some time off? Right now he is booked up almost daily between teaching people to catch lake trout and running a chauffeur business. But by hiring employees he knew there was a chance customers wouldn’t experience exactly what he has created-which is about a lot more than hoping to catch a fish.
Before the tour, the first thing Jim asked myself an fishing pal and videographer, Colin, is if we had a certain time we needed to be back. Lucky for us, we had cleared the day in hopes we could have as much time as possible to reel in dinner.
“The day just slips away as it is so beautiful up there with the surrounding mountains and the sounds of silence that it’s late afternoon before you know it,” Jim tells us.
He said to expect to spend at least 5 hours on the lake, which was fine with us.
We started our trip (after about a 30 minute drive from Canmore) in a virtually barren spot on the frozen over lake. On our way, we passed a slew of ice fishers camped out close enough they may have felt the same fish biting bait at the end of their rods. But in the spot Jim’s scouted and takes all of his customers, it feels like it’s just you, the lake and gargantuan mountains surrounding the area like Mt. Nester, Mt. Bowler and Mt. Shark.
We park on the side of the road right next to a snowy walking path in a dense forest Jim created. I know we are on track by following orange ties he has placed on a few trees. In really steep parts, he has carved out stairs making what could be a treacherous climb much easier. After about 10 minutes we are out of the forest and can see his white shantee ahead.
“It takes me about five days to build it each season,” Jim tells us. “I haul in the wood load by load on a sled.”
By the time it’s done the shantee is a square 8-feet by 8-feet, which is just big enough to fit five people. The inside holds extra necessities for fishing, pots and pans and a stove for the fish fry. But before we get to that part we need a lake trout!
Jim wastes no getting out his ice auger, a spiral shaped tool that is spun by hand in a circular motion and eventually breaks through the ice, leaving a hole about 8 inches wide. He teaches us how to automatically lower the line so it reaches the bottom at about 110 feet. From there, we reel the line for a two turns every few minutes. If nothing bites, we keep following that pattern… until you know you have one.
I tear off my gloves and start reeling as fast as I can. “Jim, I caught one. I think I caught one! Jim! I really caught one!” I yell towards the shantee where Jim is preparing lunch. I start to wonder if there is really a fish. It has been less than 5 minutes on the ice. But when the rod starts to bow, I know I have one.
When Jim comes outside, I have already pulled the trout out of the hole and onto the ground. He unhooks it and takes care of the rest, which means the main course for dinner is served.
My expectations of the trip were already passed because I didn’t think I would actually catch a fish. And even though I didn’t have any more luck through the day, I never lost interest over the next several hours to keep trying.
When the temperature started to drop, we headed inside the shantee for lunch, taking a seat on a padded wooden bench. The three of us chat as Jim cuts up steak, onions and mushrooms for our first course, which is followed by grilled cheese piled with salami and warm cup of chamomile tea. Warmth from his trusty 20-year-old green Coleman stove and propane heater made for a cozy environment. Inside, Jim set up two more ice fishing holes set up for us, which is where my fishing pal caught his trout.
After lunch, Jim packs up a sled and takes us on an expedition to a spot he calls “Five-Pounder” because of the big catches he has found in the area.
“It’s about 440 paces away but we have caught some pretty big trout there recently. The water there is a lot deeper too, at about 300 feet.”
As I sit in a Canadian fold up chair Jim set up in front of the hole I am trying to catch another trout in, I finally start to process the entire experience: I have just caught my first fish, on my first ice fishing experience in the Canadian Rockies. And with someone who is so incredibly passionate about his trade. It’s a pretty unique memory and I’m glad I opted to swap out a day of adrenaline adventure for this reflective time on the ice.
With just over an hour of light left, we head back to the shantee to eat the fish we caught. Jim pulls out a pan, fires the stove back up and sautés it with fresh cut onion, lemon and garlic better. We enjoy every bite, still keeping an eye on the poles inside, hoping something bites. Who would want this day to end?
To Book A Trip: Visit:
Or Email BigJim@BanffFlyFishingGuides.com
Pricing: ½ Day Rate $375 per person, $450 full day; 2 people: $475 half day, $550 full day; 3 people: $575 half day, $650 full day; 4 people $650 half day, $750 full day.
