Glenbow

I just got off the phone with the biologist for the Kananaskis area and he had some good info. By 2013 Trans Alta is REQUIRED to dismantle the powerplant at Pocaterra (the boat launch side of the Lower K lake) and the fisheries folks are going to lobby to stabilize the Lower K lake & therefore the K river to enhance fish populations. All the study work is already done, and lake levels/fish populations etc has been settled on & figured out (to the best of their ability) - this has been a 10 year study. The hope is to allow the Lower K lake to become more productive & allow the Cutts to spawn in the K river which flows into lower K. Also, it would allow for greatly increased trout pops in the K river downstream & a dramatically improved fishery. He also indicated that the fish in upper & lower K feed almost entirely on mysis shrimp & the occaisional chronie, and that they are stocking the upper this fall with 26,000 more cutts in the 25cm range. He also said the bulls in the lower are the place they get all their eggs from for re-populating other waters including the upper K, and that around 1200 adult bulls spawn in the Smith-Dorrien in the fall. There are lots more bull trout in there in other age classes though, and that the bulls live somewhere between 13-17 years, whereas the rainbows & cutts are more in the 5-8 year range. This means that soon there will not be any more rainbows in the upper or lower K lakes, once they are harvested or die of old age. The cutts however will continue to be stocked in the upper K. There is no stocking of the Lower at all since a number of years ago, and there is no plan to do any stocking of it. They will be netting the upper lake starting July 29th this year for about 1-2 weeks for pop studies, so anglers are encouraged to stop by & say hello & chat with any questions etc. The biologist's name is Brian Lajeunesse, and he is a very nice fellow. He is going to send me some information on an article that they are getting published on Trans Alta's impact on the fisheries in our region (including the upper Bow), and when he does I will forward it on to you here. We will have the opportunity to probably help with the lobbying with a petition when the timing is most appropriate, and I would encourage all of us on this forum to at least have a look at it if not sign it. I hope this info has helped some of you with your questions regarding the K lakes. Glenbow

There should also be a designated stretch of river as topless only.

I am not a toaster. And thanks Birchy.

Toolman, Thanks a lot for the great review on the TFO. It is good to get the inside report from a Spey guy. Thanks a lot. I will try to attend the next Spey clinic if you guys do another one.

Dave, when I get to 236 posts like Birchy, do I become 'Banana Hands' too?

Just Jokin'. But see? another post.......mmwwwaaahahahaha

"Move over little dog, the hot dog movin' in" - George Thoroughgood

I think it's because all the photos are actually of Bow River Browns & are photoshopped with a New Zealand background.

Ya, I give up. I can't post that fast. I'm not even close to you, in fact I'm falling further behind. Damn fishing keeps getting in the way of my posting.

No I'm not high. Nor have I licked a toad, not that there's anything wrong with that.

Nice. Nice-nicey nice.

As long as you don't still LIVE IN A VAN, DOWN BY THE RIVER (under the 22x)

Congrats Lynn. May you have many blissful & fishfull days on the water with your prize.

I gotta redcommend Guitar Works, they got the stuff & the buys know what they're on about. I also highly recommend Simon & Patrick & Segal (Seagull) guitars. I have a S&P Pro Flame Maple & it sounds better & feels better than a Fender twice it's price. IMHO. I'm also not a rock star, so for all that think that I am, sorry for the let down.

Okay, if 'myself' wins with that post, I'm quittin'!

Oh yeah, and post once as barnes126.

Why don't you become 'barnes126' instead? then yer in like Flynn.

Hey Toolman, I was wondering if you'd swung the new TFO Spey yet, I'm interested in hearing what you think of it.

Sounds good to me Dave, just make sure I win. Or else.

Word to the wise - buy one, and then if you win one you got a spare for when you break the other one. Also, your next (or current) boyfriend can always buy you one that's a little better for a gift. Or whatever.

I believe that the Smith Dorrien is the single most prolific & successful breeding area of Bulls in Alberta, and that these fish are used for the breeding of Bull stocking in other places in AB. So, I believe that the upper K bulls are realated to the lower K bulls as they were harvested as eggs & raised in a hatchery. This is my understanding & may not be gospel truth, but I seem to recall this being said to me by the biologist up there. Anyhow, I think they'll allow a harvest (planned) soon enough as the recovery rates are showing they're doing well. I think you'd be surprised at the size of some of the Bulls I've seen in the OM in places you'd swear they couldn't survive. I have seen 30" bulls in the OM. I think they get that big when they out-compete something else so there's enough food for them to get that big. Lower K has the ability to support these bulls & some will get that big - we just gotta be extra-good fishermen to find the real big boys! BTW, there's 30+" rainbows in there right now, and the cutts are supposed to get even bigger than the rainbows (according to the biologist).

Fantastic photos & report, DDF. Gorgeous over there, ya? It was kinda cool to see a brookie over there. Thank-you for posting those excellent shots for us.

Good luck Esleech, lookin forward to the pics!

Way to go Max, Yer in the 'century' club now!

Welcome Brownee, I'll take you out anytime. I can't show you things like the THNT until I have perfected it though, for safety reasons.