brewingup

bah. that will take me 2 bathroom visits, maybe 3 tops, to finish. can't wait. sounds like it will be a 'motivational read' to boot, if you know what i mean.

Looks to me like he just retreived a half eaten hot dog he dropped in the water, especially by that smile on his face ;0)

this board is great. especially for us who have 18 kids and a 9-5 job, not to mention mortage, car payment, ... you get the picture. I get to learn from others experience and imagine myself out there when I can't be. Not to mention I get to bill time for surfing this site all day. so in a way I make part of my living from fishing! K, i feel a bit better now.

what colors are on the chironomid Glen? Is that black or brown? And where did you say that was again?

Oh, and maybe a brew or 2.

Nice ghost pics / story (all of em) Glen. I get a taste of the sense of peace you can only get being out on a boat on a quiet lake in beautiful surroundings. The only thing that makes it better is getting fish. ah. thanks for the posts!

whoa crazy catch Glen. Nice job! In the last photo you look like a handsome George Clooney type chap compared to the ugly mug you're holding up! wtg!

haha i knew i would get it for the waders. there was a small school just out of my reach but i think the guy in the boat inadvertently scared them closer to me. I followed some suggestions and casted out, waited, then did some slow stripping then bang! Here's the fly I tied. It's pretty much a combo of a couple different flies another guy showed me: i think I get to go out again today if you can believe it!!

Update: Well, i have just finished having a couple celebratory brews, and here's why.... I came out here hopeful to get out fishing. I was super hopeful to catch maybe a sea-run cut. I never expected to actually hook into a coho. Not to mention on my own hot pink fly inventions (i have only tying for about a month) my first coho, my second day on the ocean flyfishing, one of the best times ever!!! I can now return home to calgary.

Congrats Glen. I have no idea what the spey is all about, nor do I want to know. So please, no-one tell me ok? My marriage has enough stress as it is!

awesome thanks! I just finished tying up some 'hot' pink flies and am heading out right now! wish me luck this time ;0)

Update: Well, i checked into the Mill Bay estuary, and it's closed. But guy at Bucky's told me to check out Cherry Point Beach for sea-runs and coho. So, I checked it out and.... well, I didn't catch any coho or cutts. Though there were some nice coho rising within 20 feet of me at times, up to 20lbs. I cought quite a few sole and sculpin, mostly small. I guess it's still a bit early for coho, but I'm going to try again if I have time. I must say it was a blast just fly fishing in the ocean for the first time! Just trying it out made the trip. I still plan on making it to the cow river, so we'll see how it goes!

Thanks Kerry! I appreciate your help. I'll let you know how it goes. I'll try and snap some photos too. Mind you the forecast is for rain all week, so I'm not sure if I'll be taking my digital camera out or not. I love it out here too. I've been visiting for the past few years now and would move here in a heartbeat. I have been spending time in maple bay and just discovered genoa bay yesterday. It's just beautiful. Plus there seems to be a multitude of fishing possibilities that I could spend years and years learning about. It probably won't be this trip, but I'd love to go fish for sea-run cutts when i get a bit more time. thanks again!

Hey, I'm in Duncan (on the island) for the week. I have to work a bit but should have at least 1 or 2 days where I can slip out fishing. I have fished the cowichan river before when I've been here (around Skutz falls) and was thinking to head back there and hike above the falls (they have closed below the falls!) Does anyone have any other suggestions? I'm somewhat limited as I have my family with me (including 4 small kids) so can only get out for relatively short bursts at a time. Also, I have both a 5 wt and 7wt rod with me ^^ thanx!

thanks everyone. I'm going to spend a bit more time looking into this (based on all the feedback) to figure out what I really like.

Great reply flyslinger! I'm not a 'pro' so I'm not sure if I should be even posting a reply. However I feel I'm in a similar situation - trying to read as much as possible and then trying to apply it... I found that reading anything I could find on fish behavior really helped me to start understanding (and I'm still learning!!) the best way to apply a lot of the techniques you will read about, and where to apply them to catch fish.

What should I get? 4-5 wt. Gonna spend up to 200$ I'm not a product guru and couldn't even list more than 2 reel makers, but I want a good quality reel that I'll keep for years.

I'm with kungfool. i snuck out of work early to hit the elbow for just an hour. didn't catch crap but had a great time. I'm also with birchy and thinkin of addin 500 volts to my flyline / nymph setup to see if that helps. (just kiddin birchy!!)

Not really related to fish, but I had an amazing experience on the lake scootin around in my dad's zodiac with my friend. We didn't catch anything so started exploring a bit. We found a narrow inlet on the south side of hte lake and drifted into it casting for fish. After some time we realized we were being watched. There were about a dozen large white owls standing along the steep walls. It was all overgrown and dark from overhanging trees. we ended up just sitting there watching them as they watched us for quite some time. It was amazing. I wonder if some developer bulldozed the place and put a private boat dock in there now.

If you get it can you post it again, or send it to me also please? I'd really like to read it. brewing_up@hotmail.com thanks!

I have seen a number of 'Thank You' posts on the board and have been building up some courage to say thanks to Glenbow. I basically tought myself to flyfish as a kid and didn't have much experience beyond dry fly fishing about 5 different patterns. I loved it but got distracted over the years (family / kids / etc). About this time last year I bought a new rod and reel and started feeling a real strong desire to get back out there after about 10 years. I went to Kananaskis with my wife and a ton of motivation, but started getting pretty downhearted watching people pull beautiful bulls and rainbows while i was suckin it hard. Then I watched Glenbow pull a beauty 30" bull and could not believe my eyes! I sheepishly asked him for some pointers and to my surprise he was more than willing to help me out, give me flies and even put me in his spot (which was the best spot to be)!! I reluctantly accepted his generousity, and i'm sure glad I did. Wouldn't you know it, I started catching fish and had one of the best days ever. My entire year has been a continuation of that day. I have learned so much (also thanks to this board!) and I often wonder if it would have even been near as enjoyable hadn't he helped me out. I don't think it would have. So thank you. Here's the beauty bull Glenbow pulled that day (I hope you don't mine me posting your pic) and one of mine.

I fished above the dam years ago (when i didn't know squat). I never cought anything but did see lots of rises on certain occasions - numerous LARGE fish. I was there one time on a zodiac when the fish went into a feeding frenzy. The water was literally boiling around us but we didn't catch a single fish. It was very frustrating, but very exciting. I plan on heading back up there one day and try out some techniques I have learned since. I did see a guy catching smaller trout on dries wading right near the dam one time too. But like I said, it was a long time ago. I'm not sure what has changed there since. I know there has been a lot of development in that area.

Here are the new Oakley's: http://oakley.ca/pd/4868 In the description on their site it says: "And to keep fish from getting an unfair advantage, we eliminate the kind of haze and distortion found in ordinary polarized lenses by bonding our filter at the molecular level." Dam those cheatin fish!

On that subject.... the only fish I have spotted and subsequently caught are ones that have risen, if even subtly. I've tried to spot fish under water (wearing cheap polarized glasses) and can't say that I've seen any. I've looked for shadows, flashes, etc in places I would expect fish to hold. Sometimes I think I see a flash or shadow but I think it's just ripples or else my mind playing with me. Is there something else I'm missing (e.g. patience)? I wonder if they sell polarized goggles or periscopes.

There have been some good discussions about the elbow lately: http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?showtopic=1410 http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?showtopic=1298 http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?showtopic=1233 I have experienced some good fishing on the elbow lately also, but it does seem to be hit and miss. Don't give up!!!