GPS Coordinates: 49°15’40.56″N 113°40’31.23″W
Trip Questionnaire: Please click on the link below. This will take you an electronic questionnaire form that we ask you to complete and submit to The Fly Shop®. Please be sure to click the “Submit” button at the end of the form. The information provided will help us — and the outfitter best coordinate your trip.
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Important: Entry/Exit Requirements
Entry into Canada is solely determined by Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) officials in accordance with Canadian law. Please see the CBSA’s website for details. https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/menu-eng.html
Non-Canadians Entering Canada:
When you enter Canada, a border services officer will ask to see your passport and a valid visa, if you need one.
If you are a citizen of the United States, you need a passport to fly to or transit through a Canadian airport, but not to enter Canada by land or by boat. You must carry proof of your citizenship, such as a birth certificate, certificate of citizenship or naturalization, or a Certificate of Indian Status, as well as photo identification. If you are a permanent resident of Canada or the U.S, you should bring your Permanent Resident Card with you.
U.S. citizens entering Canada from a third country must have a valid U.S. passport.
When returning to the United States from Canada, it is very important to note that all U.S. citizens are required to present a valid U.S. passport to enter or re-enter the United States via air. For entry into the United States via land and sea borders, U.S. citizens must present either a U.S. passport, passport card, NEXUS card, Enhanced Driver’s License, or other Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)-compliant document.
You must claim your luggage on your first point of entry into Canada and clear immigrations and customs. Failure to claim your luggage will result in your luggage not showing up at your end destination.
Inoculations & Health Concerns:
There are no formal requirements, or recommendations for immunizations and very little risk of infectious disease in Canada. The risk would be about equivalent to what it would be for trip to Colorado. You should check with your personal physician if you are concerned. We recommend that anglers be up-to-date on their Tetanus, Hepatitis-A and Hepatitis-B vaccinations.
Driving Instructions to Eastslope Adventures
Driving directions from Calgary International Airport, Canada, to Eastslope Adventure Lodge (about a 3 hour drive):
From Calgary International Airport, travel south on Highway 2 to Cardston, then turn west on Highway 5 and drive about 15 minutes to Mountain View. Turn right onto Highway 800 at the west end of Mountain View, and go north about 10 minutes to the bridge on the Belly River; continue past this another 5 minute, then turn left on TWP RD 40 (gravel road) – there is a sign here that announces the Waterton Colony (which refers to the Hutterite colony located just past the lodge). Proceed west on this road for 4 miles, to the bridge on the Waterton River. Turn right just before the bridge (about fifty yards – 282028 TWP RD 40) and follow that private, one lane gravel road about ¼ mile downriver to the lodge (the road terminates at the lodge). Cam asks that if it is convenient, to give him a call on his cell number – (403) 382-8962 – when you’re en route from Calgary or Montana, and let him know your estimated time of arrival to the lodge.
From Glacier National Park:
Take the Going-To-The-Sun-Highway, then on to St. Mary’s, cross the border, and about 15 miles into Alberta you come to a town called Cardston. From there turn west onto Highway 5, then pick up from the directions above.
From Fernie British Columbia:
Go east on Highway 3 to Pincher Creek then south on 6 to 505 then turn left on 505 and follow it east until they cross the Waterton Reservoir, go about 2 miles east of the Reservoir and turn right on secondary highway 800, go south 2 miles past Hillspring and turn right on township road 40 then go 4 miles west on the gravel and turn right 20 yards before the bridge on the Waterton River and fallow the small gravel road down river to the lodge.
Contact Information
If you have any problems during your trip with missed connections, or want to leave an emergency number for family members or office:
Eastslope Adventures:
Cam Jensen
282028 Township Road 40
Hill Spring
Cardston County, Alberta Canada T0K 1E0
(403) 758-3632 | Mobile: (403) 382-8962
- The lodge is 2 miles south of Hillspring on Highway 800 and 4 miles west on Township Road 40
The Fly Shop®
(800) 669-3474 | (530) 222-3555 | travel@theflyshop.com
U.S. Consulates General Calgary, Alberta
615 Macleod Trail SE, 10th Floor
Telephone: (403) 266-8962
Emergency after-hours telephone: (403) 266-8962 then press ‘0’ | Facsimile: (403) 263-2241
General Information
Gratuities:
Gratuities are a personal decision based on services rendered. Normally, guides and staff are tipped upon departure, in accordance with their effort and service. In most cases, we like to leave a gratuity with the lodge owner, who will disperse it equitably among the guides and lodge staff. A good rule of thumb for figuring an amount to leave is 10 – 15 percent of the package cost. If you have any questions concerning gratuities, please feel free to call or ask the lodge owner for guidelines.
Wi-Fi:
As with most Canadian lodges, Eastslope Adventures has Wi-Fi available for clients who would like to bring their own Wi-Fi-enabled electronic devices. It is satellite-based and not completely predictable – some days it works better than others – but generally speaking it is more than adequate to send and receive emails. There is not adequate bandwidth to support sending images or for streaming videos.
Liquor:
Canadian Liquor Laws are different than ours here in the States. Beer and wine must be purchased in special stores. These stores usually stay open well into the evening and are open on weekends. However, “spirits” or hard liquor must be purchased at a Government Store. If you like a cocktail at the end of the day, plan on bringing your own from the States or purchasing in Canada.
You are allowed to bring into Canada only one of the following amounts of alcohol and alcoholic beverages free of duty and taxes: Alcoholic beverages are products that exceed 0.5% alcohol by volume. Certain alcoholic and wine products that do not exceed 0.5% by volume are not considered alcoholic beverages.
| Product | Metric | Imperial | Estimates |
| Wine | Up to 1.5 liters | Up to 53 fluid ounces | Two 750 ml bottles |
| Alcoholic Beverages | Up to 1.14 liters | Up to 40 fluid ounces | One large bottle |
| Beer or Ale | Up to 8.5 liters | Up to 287 fluid ounces | Approximately 24 cans/bottles |
You must meet the minimum age of the province or territory where you enter Canada. Minimum ages are established by provincial or territorial authorities: 18 years for Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec and 19 years for the remaining provinces and territories.
There is an opportunity to purchase beer, wine and spirits at a Government Store near your end destination.
Great Canadian Liquor (liquor store):
838 Main St
Pincher Creek, AB T0K 1W0, Canada
Hours: 10:00 am – 11:00 PM Phone: (403) 627-2920
Mountain Spirits Liquor Store (liquor store):
504 Cameron Falls Dr.
Waterton Park, AB T0K 2M0, Canada
2:00 pm – 9:00 pm Phone: (403) 859-2015
Altan Duty Free Shops Ltd (liquor store):
Best choice if you are driving from Montana
126 1 St W
Coutts, AB T0K 0N0, Canada
7:00 am 11:00 pm Phone: (403) 344-3000
1 hour South of Lethbridge on Highway #4 right before you cross the border at Canadian Customs at the Coutts, AB Sweetgrass, MT, border Interstate 15 Montana. You will purchase your liquor in the store, and then clear Canadian Customs, and a store employee will take your purchases across the border and hand them to you in Canada, Duty Free.
Lethbridge, Alberta:
Lethbridge is a relatively large city with a population of approximately 100,000. There are dozens of liquor stores in Lethbridge where you can find anything you want. Lethbridge is located off of Highway #4, Interstate #15 in Montana and is a little over an hour’s drive from Eastslope Adventures.
Best Choice Driving from Calgary:
If you are driving from Calgary, Alberta, there are liquor stores adjacent Interstate 2 in the towns of Nanton (11-Eleven Liquor), Claresholm (Petro’s Liquor) and Fort McCleod (Town & Country Liquor).
Recommended Tackle
Fly Rods:
Multi-piece 6, 5 & 4 weight fly rods will cover most of the fishing situations you’ll encounter. Please note that these trout are large and you will be fishing light tippet often (5X) so a rod with plenty of tippet-protection qualities is an asset. We strongly recommend a multi-piece travel rod (3, 4 or 5 piece). Rods you might consider are from Scott, Winston, Sage, and The Fly Shop’s Signature series of fly rods.
Fly Reels:
Good quality, lightweight fly reels, with simple disk drags or pawl drags, are the best choice. Reels should be filled with fresh 20 pound backing. Reel models to consider might include Galvan, Ross, Hatch, Abel, and The Fly Shop’s L2A reel.
Fly Lines:
You will basically need one fly line at Eastslope Adventures; a weight-forward floater. Scientific Anglers and Rio make excellent floating lines.
Leaders & Tippet:
Keep it simple on leaders; 10’ leaders tapered to 5X, 4X and 3X (throw in a couple of 12’ 5X leaders in case the fish get a little touchy). Two – three of each leader size should be plenty. Bring fresh tippet in sizes, 6X, 5X, 4X, and 3X. Scientific Anglers, Seaguar and Rio make some of the best tippet and leader material available.
Flies
June 15 – July 20:
- Dark Stone flies #4-8
- Little Yellow Sallies #14-16
- Golden Stones #8-10
- Mayflies – PMD #16-18, Green Drake #12
- Caddis – Dark Brown and olive #12 and 14
July 20 – September 30:
- Mayflies – Tricos #18-22, BWO #18-20
- Ants #12-16
- Caddis – Dark Brown and Olive #14-18
- Hoppers #8-12
- Micro Mayfly Nymph, brown #14-18
- Caddis Poopah, brown #12-14
- BH Prince Nymph #12-16
- BH Poxyback PMD Nymph #16-18
- GB San Juan Worm #12
- RK Flatulator, PMD #16
PLEASE NOTE:
Although you are welcome to bring your own favorite trout flies, as well as leaders and tippet, the guides will provide ALL flies, leaders and tippet for your fishing.
Recommended Clothing & Equipment
Clothing:
The weather in Southern Alberta is constantly changing. One afternoon it may be 70° (+) and sunny, down right hot; then only a few hours later it may be rainy, damp, windy and in the low 50°s or cooler. It is not uncommon to have morning temperatures in the mid to low thirties, especially when clear weather prevails, warming to a balmy 50° or 60° degrees by the end of the day. Clothing strategies should be based on the “layering system.” By using the “layering system,” anglers can adapt to whatever Mother Nature dishes out. The whole idea behind layering is to trap heated air (generated by your body and stored between the different layers of insulation), thus keeping you warm.
Here is the formula preferred by the staff at The Fly Shop®:
Base Layer: Start off with a synthetic type fabric next to your skin. This often is a pair of thermal underwear (tops and bottoms) and they usually come in three weights: light, mid and expedition. According to your individual metabolism, pick what is best for you. Synthetic (non-cotton) materials retain little moisture and “wick” moisture away from your skin. This is very important when you are walking in waders or when outside temperatures heat up.
Thermal Layer: Your second layer of insulation should match the weather and conditions you are going to be fishing in. Lightweight insulation for cool weather, mid-weight for colder conditions and heavy weight for really frigid days. Fleece is an outstanding choice here in either tops and bottoms or overalls. Merino Wool is also a good choice as it stays warm when damp, though dries very slowly.
Outer Shell (Rain jacket & Waders): Your final layer should be a breathable rain jacket and waders.
Rain Jacket:
High quality Gore-Tex® type products are the best. Your rain jacket should be 100% waterproof and breathable. Rain jackets must be seam sealed, multi-layered, of QUALITY construction and from a recognized outdoor clothing company. Simms, Skwala, and Patagonia are excellent choices in fine breathable raingear. Jackets specifically designed for fly fishermen are the best.
Wading Equipment:
Stockingfoot, breathable waders are the only way to go. Neoprene waders are antiquated, do not permit moisture to escape, are heavy and cumbersome and only appropriate for sedentary fishing (float tubing) where insulation is the only concern. Gore-Tex® “Breathable” waders have totally revolutionized wading equipment. You will experience little or no moisture build-up inside the waders, even after a long hike; they wear like iron and are comfortable to be in all day. Lastly, Gore-Tex® “Breathable” waders take up a fraction of the space neoprene waders take-up when packed in your duffel bag. All waders should be worn with synthetic fiber under-wader wear for maximum comfort, minimum moisture retention, and warmth. For safety we strongly recommend wearing a wading belt at all times. Patagonia, Skwala and Simms make excellent products.
Socks:
Anglers should bring enough socks to alternate daily. For a week’s fishing trip, three pairs should be fine. Do not wear the same socks every day, but alternate, leaving one pair to dry and air while wearing the other set. Wool, polypro or a combination of both are the best choices in sock material. Try on your socks with your waders and wading boots before you leave for your trip to ensure that you have plenty of room to move your toes. Being unable to move your toes and cramping of your feet in your wading boots are the biggest reasons for numb toes and cold feet. We’ve experienced great success with the disposable air-activated heating pads available at many outdoor stores. Removal from the cellophane wrapper activates them and they then simply stick to the outside of socks for hours of cozy warmth.
Wading Boots:
Felt soled wading boots are highly recommended as they offer superior ankle support and are exceptional for hiking to and from waters. Simms, Patagonia and Korkers make some good models to consider. For the most part the rivers fished by Eastslope do not pose any real difficult wading situations, however the mostly gravel bottoms do get covered in algae (slime) and can be slippery. In these situations, studded boots can be handy. Gravel guards are a must. We recommend Korkers, Simms, and Patagonia.
Wool or Polypropylene Gloves:
Fingerless gloves are great for cold, rainy days. Neoprene gloves are fine but retain a lot of water when wet. We have had the best success with synthetic or wool gloves.
Fishing Vest or Tackle/Vest Pack:
For vests, we like a high-quality product, in a ‘shorty’ model. Choose one that has room for a rain jacket, or camera in the back. Brands we like are Fishpond, Patagonia, and Simms. If you prefer a tackle pack, take a good look at Fishpond and Patagonia.
Small Day Pack:
This can be an important article to include while packing. We like a waterproof, top-loader day pack that can hold extra gear, clothes, flies, camera, snacks, etc.
Boat Bag:
A waterproof boat “dry bag” can be extremely handy for storing extra clothes, tackle and camera equipment while on a raft. The whitewater type “dry bags” are the best.
Fishing Hat:
Look for a hat that is comfortable, relatively waterproof, and that has a good size brim to shade your eyes and face.
Line clippers, Pliers, Hemostats, & Hook File:
These are essential to any fisherman and should not be left behind.
Polarized Sunglasses:
Fly fishing is often a very visual experience. Spotting the fish is part of the excitement, and part of the challenge. Good quality polarized sunglasses are a must. Polarized sunglasses not only let you spot fish more effectively but protect your eyes from the intense sunlight experienced in Canada, as well as hooks. Smith and Costa del Mar make some of the best in the industry.
Camera:
Waterproof digital or splash-proof digital cameras are handy. If you are going to take your digital SLR camera, make sure you have a waterproof case for it. The best waterproof cases we have found to protect expensive camera equipment are made by Pelican Products, www.pelican.com.
Headlamp:
Our favorite headlamps are models with LED bulb(s) and are rechargeable.
Sun Protection:
The summer weather in Alberta is generally pleasant with average temperatures ranging between the low 50’s and mid 80’s. Wide-brimmed hats, long-sleeved shirts, and frequent use of sun block (SPF 30+) are highly recommended. Sun gloves will save the backs of your hands.
Bug Repellent:
Although bugs are usually not too big a problem in this part of Alberta; a bottle of bug dope with active ingredient DEET is not a bad idea to include in your tackle bag.
Camp Shoes:
After a long day of fishing, it’s nice to get out of your waders and slip into a comfortable pair of shoes to wear around the lodge. Crocs are a great choice and super lightweight.
Wading Staff:
If you use a wading staff on your home waters, then bring it, it will come in handy.
Canadian Fishing & Hunting Licenses
Fishing License Only: The lodge asks that all clients arrange for their own fishing licenses in advance of arriving, if at all possible. You will need to secure a WIN number before you purchase your Alberta, Canada fishing or hunting license. https://www.albertarelm.com/licensing.page
As soon as you have that WIN number, proceed on to the fishing license part of getting a license. Most guests will want the six day license, but get the duration that best fits your trip. If you are unable to acquire your license online, the lodge will drive you to a store the first morning of fishing, and you can purchase one at that time.
Cast & Blast:
Guests on a Cast and Blast Trip will not be able to procure their fishing and hunting licenses online, so please send us all the following information (see below) (we will get it to Cam, and he’ll get all your licensing from his vendor prior to your arrival).
However, before Cam can do this you need to secure a WIN number. As soon as you have that WIN number, please email it to The Fly Shop® at travel@theflyshop.com, we will forward it to Cam and he will purchase your hunting license before you arrive. You can reimburse Cam for the cost of the hunting license when you get to the lodge.
We will need the following information sent to us along with your WIN number:
- Full Name as it appears on your passport:
- Address:
- Driver’s License Number:
- Phone Number:
- DOB:
- Height:
- Weight:
- Eye Color:
- Hair Color:
Bringing A Shotgun(s) Into Canada As A Non-Resident
In order to bring a shotgun into Canada as a non-resident, you must fill-out a Non-resident Firearm Declaration Form and present it to the Customs Officer at your first point of entry into the country.
You can go to this website – it explains the process and what you need to do. You can also download the Non-Resident Firearm Declaration (form RCMP 5589) from this website.
Option 1:
Declare firearms in writing to a customs officer at the point of entry to Canada, using the Non-Resident Firearm Declaration (form RCMP 5589).
If there are more than three firearms, a Non-Resident Firearm Declaration Continuation Sheet (form RCMP 5590) should be added.
The declaration form should be filled out prior to arrival at the point of entry to save time. However, it should not be signed before arriving at the entry point, as a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) customs officer must witness the signature.
A confirmed declaration costs a flat fee of $25, regardless of the number of firearms listed on it. It is valid only for the person who signs it and only for those firearms listed on the declaration.
Once the declaration has been confirmed by the CBSA customs officer, it acts as a license for the owner and it is valid for 60 days. The declaration can be renewed for free, providing it is renewed before it expires, by contacting the Chief Firearms Officer (call 800-731-4000) of the relevant province or territory.
If you have any questions about filling out this declaration, please call (800) 731-4000 in Canada and the USA, (506) 624-5380 outside Canada and the USA.