Hello all, Thought I would share my winter project here! I was in need of a 4 weight reel for a rod that I built, so I decided to design a reel that would suit both my 4 weight and 6 weight rod. The goal was to design a high performance disc drag reel which would cost no more than two decent fly reels. Since getting into fly fishing, I have had this dream of having a fly reel on the market which could compete with the best. Maybe someday! I used the info and formulas from the "2015 5 weight Fly Reel Shootout" by Trident Fly Fishing to determine my specs and adjust them. The final design had: -4.25oz Approx -3.5" OD -Spool volume of approx 4 in^3 for the 4 weight spool, and about 4.5 in^3 for the 6 weight spool -Line pickup approx 7.6" per turn The reel has a disc drag system with alternating Teflon/Rulon and Stainless Steel drag washers and has plenty of adjustment, and will be sealed. Other features include an incoming and outgoing click sound, easy spool changing, and pretty much everything else a normal fly reel would have. As my motivation for this project was high, I didn't have many issues designing the reel. Most things just took time and some research (and a background in designing stuff with CAD). The main challenges were designing a drag system to be adjustable AND sealed, as well as making it affordable. The first design was going to be fully CNC machined, but it would have cost upwards of $1500 from a Chinese manufacturer, which is way more than I was willing to spend considering it may not even work properly. I worked through a few more design iterations and ended up coming to the conclusion that I would have to do some unconventional things to make it affordable/worthwhile. I decided to utilize a lot of CNC laser cut parts in the design, which can achieve precision similar to CNC machining, although they lack the ability to do 3D features on a single part. In the end, i was able to design something that would function well and look cool (to me at least). All parts are either CNC laser cut or machined from 6061-T6 Aluminum or Stainless Steel. I wanted it to stand out and be unique, so I designed it to have fish graphics laser cut into it, featuring a rainbow, brown, brook, cutthroat, and bull trout - basically, the trout we fly fish for in Alberta. Some "wave" features joined them to provide structure. Below are some renders of the design: Most of the parts have now arrived and I am totally satisfied with them all. The drag system has been tested and feels very smooth and strong, and all parts fit together exactly as they should. It really would have sucked if it was a disaster If all goes well, I will have a fish pulling line off this thing by the end of next week! Next winter I will likely design a second housing with a different graphic, as well as play around with more finishing techniques (polishing, etching, anodizing). For now I'll just enjoy it! I'll upload a picture when its completely finished. Cheers!

Over the past year there has been considerable debate over the decline in Bow River trout populations. Fingers have been pointed at every possible direction & cause, but no agency or government department is making moves to tell us what is responsible for the decline and possible ways to stop it. One can argue that more research is needed before action is taken to correct the decline. But at the speed government works there is a possibility the the Bow River trout population will have gone below the threshold level for sustainability before they react. The Bow River Water Management Protocol is one component of fish management that can and should be changed to support the fishery. There is more than enough data available across North America to support a change. The following article by Bow River Trout Foundation addresses The Impact of Bow River Water Management on the Fish Population. The modifications to water management policy to protect the City of Calgary certainly have and impact on the sports fishery and may well have impacted the decline in trout populations. We are hopeful that a change in water management will take place. https://bowrivertrout.org/2019/03/27/the-impact-of-bow-river-water-management-on-fish-populations/ With the extremely low snow pack in the Bow River headwaters (see following charts) should there be any flood mitigation protocol this year? If we don't get a substantial dump of rain over the next month and Ghost Reservoir has been emptied - river flows will be extremely low in August and September. Keep in touch with the Bow River Trout Foundation website to river flow forecasts and current information of water management directives www.bowrivertrout.org Thanks Bow River Trout Foundation Bow River Trout Foundation

Sparkplug: There are many who are in the know suggest that TransAlta Bow River hydropeaking power generation plants could well be violating DFO legislation whereby a native fishery needs protection from man's intervention. An example is Pocaterra on the Kananaskis River where hydropeaking is at its worst. During the night water flows are almost stopped to fill the Lower Kananaskis Lake. The Kananaskis River was once a pristine Cutthroat Trout Fishery. TransAlta power generation plants on this river have eliminated a once quality fishery.

Well I put about 50 fish to work with the old rod and reel this weekend. Had to slow the casting stroke down considerably, but it was pretty nice to fish. Fighting the fish was sure different, with the rod bending all the way down to the cork. Can't say the rod has bumped it's way into the line up, but I will use it occasionally. The reel sounds better about 10" under the water

I have a scientific angler system 6 reel that was made by Hardy and I believe was a precursor to the marquis line. I also have a Marquis 6 and they are both great reels. Yours looks to have the ring tension system versus the click pawl, and I haven’t used one with that style drag. I found the drag know doesn’t make a huge difference, but It doesn’t matter as it has the palming rim. I love when you get a hot fish on these, they sing. I want my ringtone to be a screaming hardy click pawl reel, it’s one of my favorite sounds.

Reel seat looks like it is stamped WEST WOODS PAT 1908

A few from this winter

Just get two doubles and another rod!

This one has been doing well also

I’ve been fishing the Bow lately and the Stone’s have been active.

It's hard to say how much a guide certification helps. I once had a guide in BC, who was certified, tell me there were native west slope brook trout in a stream by Fernie. He was completely serious.

You mean I won't be able to go out and nymph the dumbest char in the water weekend after weekend in the same hole as they move to spawn.....

So in light of this, I would like to ask (genuine question - I don't know the answer to this - want to see what everyone thinks), what would be involved in undertaking a high-profile "rehab" project on a lake like Cow? It sounds from the post quoted here that Cow was much more popular as a trout fishery, than it is as perch/pike. So would it be a stretch to think that the angling community would generally be supportive of trying to restore Cow back to being a trout fishery - just Cow Lake, as a first step (for now)? Pike/perch crowd can go to wherever the pike/perch are otherwise.

Music to my ears: With less than 5% of TransAlta total Alberta power generation capacity derived from the Bow River hydro plants, an alternate peak demand power generation source should be considered. Decommissioning the Bow River Basin’s hydropeaking facilities or modifying their operation protocols would not only enhance the rivers ecosystem and add to the sustainability of threatened and endangered species of fish but contribute to the recreational fishery and Alberta’s economy. Leadership is needed to make a change – now is the time to do so if society is to continue to enjoy the Bow River’s beauty and the fish that depend on a sustainable environment. My (admittedly uneducated) guess is that the dams in place would still be used to buffer stream and river flows to prevent flooding, and some electrical power could still be produced, but this peak demand scenario would be mitigated by an alternative source for power? Or would all the hydro-electric machinery be removed? Would some of the dams be removed too, and if so, what might be proposed? As a slight thread drift, my electrical power shunts on/off so frequently that I am very displeased with the Transalta system. I am re-setting clocks, under-floor heating thermostat clocks, microwave, oven and desktop computers regularly as a result of disruptions to service. As a paying consumer and water conscious sportsman I am disappointed entirely with this state of affairs. Thanks for the link fishteck. While heartened by the report and the sincere effort of the foundation, I am dismayed that Federal and Provincial authorities are ineffective at data gathering, analysis, and regulation of these matters. The alliance between business and supposedly responsible government is simply an affront to common sense and responsibility. Mind, if common sense were common everyone would have it.

In regards to Perch, they are not truly invasive though. Obviously, native to the province. They just happen to be undesirable in our artificial, stocked lakes.

I think Trailhead hit it on the, er, head here with this comment - the catch-and-keep group (of whatever - trout, perch) is (very?) large. Thus I wonder, might our quality trout fisheries objectives be better served by concentrating only on a small number of lakes (at least at first), as showcase projects, and leave the rest for the catch and keep crowd, if they so love their stunted perch or heavily stocked trout? Essentially, supply and demand - keep up the supply of the put-and-take fisheries (as hard as it is to write that), while working to transition some waters to QF trout status. Others on this forum know better than I do (and will I'm sure correct me, if what I'm about to write is wrong), but our experience to date with lakes such as Muir, Beaver, etc. that have seen more effort towards the development of QF's there have not been subject to illegal perch stocking (yet). So maybe QF trout waters will continue to be respected, if there is still a supply of put-and-take fisheries (including some with perch). Perhaps the only blanket regulation change should be a significant increase in penalty for being caught/convicted of transporting live fish. Both sides of the perch zero retention/liberal retention debate discussed here have merit. But maybe a doable "win" for us is to at least get some increased focus on creating a few more higher quality trout fisheries first, with tighter regs, stepped-up enforcement, etc., rather than try to come up with a province-wide magic bullet change.

No no...no worries. It's a good debate. I wrote a reply to someone else, it was too defensive in tone. I invited people to set me straight on facts, someone did (though they were half right). There ya go. Whatever. Doesn't change my mind one bit about how I feel about a particular policy (the nonsensical zero perch limit). However, I have had ample forum time and space to repeat my point several times, so I'll say no more on it. Bottom line from my point of view is that the government should be all in, and we, as anglers, should spend more time trying to convince the government (bios, etc) the tourism and economic merits of having a trout mecca like the Parklands. Or just manage our fisheries better!

It would be no skin off my ass, or most other hardcore stillwater anglers I know, to not be able to fish a perch-infested lake for small unhealthy trout. None of us bother to fish them now anyways as it stands. You are correct in that nothing has been done to deter the idiots, it is pretty miniscule in the regulations about transporting live fish, the people who did it know they were doing something illegal and obviously took steps to ensure they wouldn't be caught. Education is a big part - but the principle still stands that these ass hats shouldn't be rewarded for their efforts. I think the next logical step is to close the lake, so everyone knows it shouldn't be done. From there it would sure be nice if a rotenone application was pursued. Then if only they could prioritize trophy trout lakes over put and takes. Stock less fish in most of the lakes and tighten up the regulations, better management, and all the extra fish can be dumped into the sacrificial put and take lakes for each area. Some very simple fixes from where we sit to create manitoba or bc-like fishing opportunities here and boost tourism, but I don't believe things will ever get to that point due to all the bureacratic BS. It's guys like Brian and Don that keep fighting and holding our management personnel accountable, that have gotten us where we are so far. We need more people to do the same. I have no problems putting my money where my mouth is, I feel bad spending so much in BC and SK and MB to fish each year, knowing I could spend that locally and help our economy...We got it bass ackwards in Alberta.

Sorry Smitty - get your facts right, Cow Lake never contained perch and pike until stocked in there. I shspect Hassee was the same. The Alberta record rainbow at one time came outta Hassee, Perch create tiny trout. and here we sit - doing nothin. I was part of the group getting fines up to reconditioning mode, modern Fisheries made illegal stocking worthwhile. Talk we, do lots of that - doing one thing - nope. Don

Smithy, we keep loosing Lakes to perch. The Anglers and govt sit on their asses. We need some cattle prods installed wired for 220v. If I could fix this idiocy, I would. This level of contempt for fisheries would get you skidded. Don

We've been at the "might as well try this now" stage for quite some time in a few lakes here. I understand Don's frustration and agree with him wholeheartedly. Above and beyond rewarding these idiots, it leaves more places for them to get perch to transplant to more lakes. Enough is enough, might as well poison all the lakes. The sooner we can start rectifying this problem the sooner we can get our trout lakes back.

That is an awesome project man. Congrats!

Love vintage Hardy's and other old reels have a modest collection amassed over the years. If there is enough interest In vintage stuff I'll start posting some.

Wow great find, Hardy the Marquis are great reels, last for a life-time. It’s the workhorse of the line with a palming rim & classic sound. I’ve taken quite a few Steelhead with a #2 Salmon sized one. Would be nice to see the face of the reel to try to date it as the color of the face changed. This is the Trout/Light Salmon sized one. The Hardy hardy Fibalite Perfection is a nice find, owned on many years ago. The spigot ferrules help to more efficiently transfer energy for a smooth cast. Medium-fast, action bit faster than most glass rods of this time period with lots of backbone and sensitive tips.

The first Hardy Marquis I bought was in 1971. It still gets used 50 or more days a year. The Marquis forms the backbone of my reel collection with sizes 1>7 in use. I have 8 Marquis c/w many spare spools. After 100>125days/year since 1971 which means 4500 fishing days with only one issue detailed below, you cannot go wrong. The only issue I ever had with the reel is when they switched from nickel silver line guards to chrome plastic. That happened on one reel in the late 70’s. The Hardy rod you got will be a honey of a rod. The blank was built by J. Kennedy Fisher who also built blanks for many other rod companies including Winston when they were in SAN Francisco. i have owned several of the blanks all who have cast just great. The rod will not cast like the graphite’s of today but toss it a line it will very well. You will have to drop the (windshield on fast whip/whip stuff) exhibited by the fast action graphite bunch and adopt a more lazy stroke. Enjoy your purchase.As far as the Hardy drag, noise, I I hope they never change it. Like the grumble of a Harley, the throaty blast from a MGB , Hardy drag noise is what FFing is all about. regards, Don

HOW long and how many piece is the rod ?

Hello everyone: My father and I are coming down to Calgary (from Edmonton) tomorrow to run a booth and sell some excess fly-fishing equipment we have. I am also keeping an eye out for any half decent, used, cheaply priced equipment. I have a class of 25 wildlife students in my class and I am taking them flyfishing 3-4 times. I could use some 4/5/6 rod and reel outfits, I figure one per 2 students. So 10 to 12 outfits would be ideal, as I have some already but I am looking to upgrade. If you have any used equipment lying around not being used, we could sure use the donation and/or be happy to pay a modest price for them. TFO, Redington, Superfly come to mind. Cheers. Mike P.S. You may certainly text me if you want to meet up; 780-970-7886 Info on the TU Tackle Swap tomorrow: Location - Crescent Heights Community Association (same as last year) Date - April 13th, 2018 Approximate Time - 1-4 PM

This week my interview is with Jeremy Wade of “River Monsters” fame. You may remember the episode where he caught a huge arapaima on an Orvis H3 and Mirage reel. He doesn’t always use a fly rod, but he does enjoy everything from those giant fish in exotic locations to a small wild brown trout river near his home in the UK. We talk about lots of things other than river monsters—what he enjoys about fly fishing, how he stays in shape for fighting those beasts, and about the pleasures of getting to know a water intimately instead of the pressure of having to produce for the camera. He has a new TV show and a book coming out soon—you’ll learn all about them on the podcast. In the Fly Box this week we have some great questions: What is the difference between wild, native, and holdover trout? How do I get small beads on hooks when they don’t want to go over the bend? What is the correct way to “haul in a fish”? Will upgrading my rod make me a better angler? Would it make sense to overload my 8-weight rod for pike and musky with a 9-weight line to throw those bigger flies? What is the best way to collect insects from my local river for reference? Who are some older authors you recommend for pleasure reading? Can I use my “saltwater” fluorocarbon leaders in Alaska? What things currently restricted by the rules of competitive angling would competitors use for their own fishing? And finally, yet another great tip by a listener on how to keep Thing-A-Ma-Bobbers from slipping on thinner sections of leaders View the full article

FishnChips, The marginal cost of generating electricity by burning gas is material (natural gas price x the heat rate, or amount of gas burned to generate a MWh of electricity). The marginal cost of operating hydro is virtually zero. Thus, hydro will always be used (dispatched) first to respond to price compared to gas, economically speaking. The only thing that can possibly mitigate/change TransAlta's operation of these hydro facilities is regulation, through greater restrictions on their operating licenses. A case would have to be made to AEP that it is in the public interest to have these facilities re-regulated (i.e., operated in more of a run-of-river mode, subject to much tighter daily fluctuation limits) to protect/enhance fisheries, as a priority over TransAlta's economic interests.

Partly right. It is a brook trout on the west slopes... ha

Fishteck and Sparkplug, Thank you both for your contribution to improving understanding of the complexity of these issues. There is good news in your first post Sparkplug, which is somewhat mitigated by your second post. It seems a bit of a tail-chasing exercise. The diurnal fluctuations in consumption will hopefully be supplanted by gas generated electricity. 2020 will be interesting. Personally, I'd love to see the dams re-purposed to water flow control, (dump the hydro generation), and restore some fishery to the Kananaskis River. I'll gladly pay a bit more for electricity for the fish. I'd love to see Cutthroat populations return, but that would likely mean significant culling of the Brown and Brook populations in the Upper Bow. Man, what a mess. We can do it with enough education and determination I think.

This is pretty black and white, he either operated without a license or he didn't, don't let your feelings blind you to facts. The crown isn't going to go forward with charges unless he didn't have a license..

I’ve put three 200lb guys and two dogs with cooler and gear in my 10 foot spratley. Tight but still fishable. I’m sure the 12 is huge.

Right on, Fishteck. The Alberta Electric System Operator ("AESO"), who administer the wholesale electricity market in Alberta, publish the hourly wholesale price for electricity in the province here: http://ets.aeso.ca/ Go to the "Historical" tab, and select "Pool Price". Then enter the date range of interest, and up pops the hourly wholesale price history. Generally, there is a materially higher hourly electricity price during the day, than at night, as electrical load in the province correlates strongly with daily human activity (household, work, etc., vs. sleeping at night). Hence the pattern in the Bow hydro flows you show above - flow the water (and thus generate electricity) during the day, when the price is higher, and cut back at night. Water in these relatively small reservoirs is valuable/scarce, and hence its value in the form of electricity is to be maximized in accordance with hourly electricity prices. The further bad news is that with all the wind generation we are adding in this province, this will increase electricity price volatility (due to the fact that wind energy generation is intermittent, and somewhat unpredictable - cannot be controlled/matched to load). Hence, when the wind blows at night, when we are generally surplus electricity supply anyways, it pushes down the price. Conversely, when demand is high and the wind isn't blowing, price shoots up. In Feb this year, through the cold, wind generation was almost nonexistent in Alberta - and we had very, very high electricity prices accordingly. So as more wind adds to electricity price volatility, the economic driver to screw with these hydro flows to take advantage of that peak electricity pricing will only increase. Coupled with the TransAlta hydro PPA's expiring in 2020, this could be a "perfect storm" for even more jacking around with these hydro facilities, with further detrimental effects to the fisheries.

3rd times the charm?

Shel, Only the flowing waters and Burnstick Lake contained pike. Every other lake only had minnow populations. These lakes were stocked with invavsives from somewhere. Cow Lake does contain pike, most have died due to winter kill. Catch rates are lower by far. What a trade - from 15 lb. rainbows to 2>4 lb, pike and tiny perch. To rotenone Cow Lake would cost upwards of a million dollars. To do other lakes in the area may add another million. Time for a perch killing tax in fishing licenses? $20/year/angler would do Phyllis and Tay the following year Struble and Twin. Don

Ah, my favorite topic...actually FishnChips, Alberta has more than ample peaking power generation, without the Bow system hydro at all. Hydro elsewhere (e.g., NSR system) and, increasingly, gas-fired generation provide all the peaking we need. In 2020, the current Power Purchase Agreements to which most of the Bow hydro plants are subject expire. Then TransAlta can basically operate these unfettered (from an electricity market dispatch standpoint - still subject to their operating licenses (Alberta Environment) and any flood mitigation protocols). These hydro assets are old, and have been fully depreciated for some time, so there really is no economic argument to be made to say that they could not be operated in another mode, i.e., more run-of-river, and with downstream flow stabilization as more of a priority, than on-demand peaking generation. Your electrical supply disruptions are a function primarily of the distribution system operation, wherever you are located. Alberta operates as an electricity pool - all generation output is sold into an pool, and then distributed from there. You should talk to your local distribution "wires" provider if you are having supply reliability problems. It has nothing to do with generation.

Don, as usual, despite your impression, on a basic, fundamental level, we agree. For invasives, you say puhtata, I say poe-tay-toe! (Anyone catch the LOTR reference there?) Therefore, by your logic, Brown and Brook trout are invasives as well, as you well know. Lots of native fish in Red Deer / Clearwater - North Sask water basins before the Europeans showed up. The minnows, whitefish, bull trout, suckers, walleye and pike weren't stocked, to my knowledge (by all means clarify the facts if I am wrong...). Funny how you'll tolerate brown and brook, but you have your hackles raised for native-yet-invasive cutts in nearly vacant niche like the Upper Ram... And I know of Cow lake's potential. Another example; Crawling Valley was predicted to have the next rainbow trout record; but according to Kyle McNeilly it was always intended to be a transitional fishery before pike-walleye-perch-whitefish took hold. Yes, I know it was a different intent than Cow, I am simply pointing out that I am well aware of the fertility levels and potential of many of our pothole fisheries. It is sad indeed. Wasn't it Mr. McNeilly also promoting the stabilization of lake levels of Upper and Lower Kananaskis lakes as well? That those 2 lakes have / had the potential to grow huge trout if TransAlta could just stop messing with the littoral zone? Again, correct me if I am wrong on that account. But that was told to me as well from Jim Stelfox. Lots of pothole fisheries going to waste. And, to completely circle back to the original point, zero retention on perch ain't solving nothing until someone cites me some studies or evidence of this much ballyhooed "deterrent effect" improving the quality of our stocked fisheries. Otherwise it's just game of regulatory one-upmanship of "oh yeah, you did that, so we'll do this to show you!" My take anyways... I'll say no more on this dead horse; topic officially beaten to death! -Mike P.S. Anyone know what happened to Kyle McNeilly? After he stopped writing for the AFG, he kinda fell off the face of the earth... P.P.S. No brainer that trophy stillwater trout fisheries attract alot of attention. 20 boats on Muir mid-week by my count last spring...too bad the province isn't quite dialed into this yet in an "all-in" basis...

I fished in BC last year for Rainbows in a lake that had been illegally stocked with Largemouth Bass. For 2018, on that waterbody, the catch and retain limit for Bass was 8 per person. Those bloody Bass do not belong in that lake, and this year, 2019, for that same lake, there is no limit on Bass. The province is going to allow natural human predation clear that lake (in theory anyway). At least there is tacit recognition by the province of BC that those fish do not belong. I am purely a catch and release type in fresh waters. However, I did kill a Bass and fed it to a beautiful bald eagle perched nearby.

I like the intent of the idea Flyfisher, but that would be a tough one to enforce. The first illegally stocked perch I ever caught was in Gardom Lake on a snow cone chroni pattern.

I agree with much of what you say here Sparkplug; yet much of what you are advocating for; isn't that already happening? Aren't we already concentrating on a small # of lakes? Based on my anecdotal observations of fishing Muir lake, and what many here have to say about Beaver (I'm relying on Don's comments alot) is that QSF fisheries are in heavy demand. And QSF's are relatively few compared to the total amount of put and take fisheries; so wouldn't that already qualify them as being a showcase fishery? And yeah, you said the magic work - 'yet'. And let's hope many of the beloved QSF's stay uninfected with perch. Could be a matter of time, unfortunately. The bios / gov't are reluctant to "convert" long-existing, traditional keep 5 trout a day lakes over to QSF's. Lots of pushback from the keep and eat crowd. Very tough to "transition" them. Lots of QSF's are "new" lakes such as the cluster of Pit lakes south of Robb. Those are much easier, politically speaking. And, absolutely, there will always have to be put and take fisheries. The problem with including perch is the (relatively) incompatible species issue. We already have plenty of cool-water lakes that sustain pike-perch-walleye-whitefish. What needs to happen here is education. Anglers should not be associating our trout stillwater fisheries as a source of "good" perch fishing. It's that simple. You might as well capitulate then and stock the pike, and have a Cow lake situation. Culturally speaking, that's the transition I'd like Alberta to go to over succeeding generations; keep the damn perch out of our trout lakes and accept it! lol Might take an existing QSF to get "ruined" by perch before the gov't takes drastic action and truly rehab lakes. So ya, step up enforcement, toughen fines, and concentrate on creating new fisheries into QSF's. Anyways, tough issue with gov't complacency and angler apathy (true for the vast majority of the 270,000+ licensed anglers).

Don: May remember this.Anyways was at a mtg.in either Edmonton or Red Deer,when the chair told us of the illegal stocking of Bullhead fish,in a pond in FT.Mac[2015].F&W had to bring in a tech person from the US.Because none of our F&W staff knew how to handle Roetone.They killed of that pond off & trained appropriate{F &W] staff on the handling of Roetone.To this day the only other place that i have heard Roetoned ,were in the town of Okotoks.That town killed of a pond infested with goldfish,because they didn't want them getting into the Bow/Highwood/Sheep drainage.They did this at the towns cost..So F&W staff are trained & still no action.Why. Is it costs.Then have a habitat regeneration fund ,dedicated specifially to iradicating invasive fish species.If they are not to be in a said lake.Then action should be taken...FT.MAC eg.happened in 2 days........

Ah! Now I see. Yes, 100%. I could closing a lake as a viable alternative, but that also punishes the anglers targeting trout. And, the biggest downside to closing lakes is that makes alot of lakes right now eligible for closure. Can you imagine closing, what ten to 2 dozen lakes? I don't even know how many infestations there are, province wide. Yeah, I totally agree; these guys already are doing something illegal, we're not going to prevent them from poaching. Seems like the best course would be (1) close the lake (2) rehab the lake rotenone, turn off aerators (3) signage and educational campaign blitz (4) toughen the laws for the live transport of fish, dumping goldfish, koi, perch etc where-ever. Education is a big component here. Too bad there aren't reverse aerators where they "suck" the oxygen out of the lakes...though I am sure PETA would have something to say about that..

Access as in non-retention. I probably could have chosen better wording. As for not getting caught, that’s what I’m saying. You’re never going to get caught illegally stocking something. So the only way to disincentivize the act is to make it pointless. “As soon as my illegally stocked perch are established and fishable, they will make it non-retention/close the lake/kill the lake, so what’s the point of bothering to do so?” IMO non-retention does nothing because if these guys are willing to illegally stock perch, they are also pretty likely to “poach” perch. They are making rules for themselves. closing a lake makes it much more observable someone is breaking the rules.

Of course it makes sense to limit access To someone’s illegal stocking fishery. That’s the ONLY way to shift cost/benefit of them taking the risk to transplant perch in the first place. They’re never going to get caught in the act. Angling is never going to knock down perch populations, especially with a limit. Who’s the guy here always on perch patrol on sundance lake? How’s that worked for them? As far as I last read, there’s still a *hit ton of them. Fisheries needs to take a hardline approach on this. That’s the only way to get through to people. As soon as foreign species identified, body is closed until it can be rectified. Due to cost constraints, pick a handful of “protected” lakes and put the resources there.

Right. Exactly my point. We've tried different policies, none seem to work. So you try something different. I'm all for the poison, except (a) that the government won't ante up the funds and (b) they don't have the political stomach. I have more practical viewpoint on this (sorry, but it is more practical): since no one has cited any evidence that a zero perch retention has done anything, why not try the opposite? Forget the "philosphy" of it rewarding the idiots, isn't the bottom line that we want better trout fisheries? So, short of rotenone, isn't the best way to do that is to reduce perch numbers? Additionally, you could turn off aerators, hope for a complete and total winterkill? I'm saying we've stuck to the principle of "let's not reward the idiots". Great. Awesome. And it's got us a whole lotta nothing except perch infested lakes where (until the regs changed back this year), I wasn't allowed to kill the little buggers. So... do you draw your sword on a hill of principles and rant about it....or do something practical? We're all frustrated. Again, if anyone has some actual evidence to support the policy of zero retention perch, great. I suspect it is non-existent. So...back to chasing our tails. Maybe a new gov't will do something... (yeah right). So sure, let's go for the poison. That is the practical solution actually: if Alberta could even come close to replicating the Manitoba parkland experience, like Don says, anglers will vote with their feet. The increased angler related tourism revenue could help offset the costs of poison. Seriously, what else is there to do? You gotta kill the perch or kill the lake. Having a zero limit makes no sense in lakes already infested.

Over 40 years nothing has been done about illegal perch except reward illegal stocking. Remember Cow Lake which was raising trout to 15 lbs.. Illegal finally stocking with perch resulted in rewarding that insult with stocking of pike, i was at Cow Lake last spring opening day. Me an one other guy. When trout were in there, the place was packed with people from across Alberta, Anglers vote with their feet. Get rid of the perch/pike. Don

Love tying and fishing the Humpy.