Glenbow

Thanks a lot guys, BTW that brown was by far the smallest fish I caught or even saw on the S island. (of course). My buddy that's with me from Aus doesn't fish & I had the guide give him some lessons on the water - 1/2 hour later he caught and landed a 4lb brown! It's the one in the underwater pic. When we released him he went & hid right behind my boot in the current & we got some pics of him in the water. It was really cool to just watch him for a bit before I stood-up & he split. It's absolutely amazing over there, I wish I had more time there. Talk to you all soon!

Hello from Down Under! I am in Cairns, Australia at the moment and it's only 36 C today. A bit warm to say the least. It's been a while since I had access to the internet for any length of time so I have waited until now to post some more. New Zealand was absolutely gorgeous, with average fish sizes that would astound anyone. The North Island is a fair bit different than the South Island, but both are equally beautiful. I was in the Queenstown area of the S Island in brown trout country. The fish are very wary, and I cannot emphasize enough the importance of stealth. I got a look at an 11 lb brown that took-off as we aproached - my guide had caught him & weighed him 2 weeks before. Talk about a jaw-dropper. They use these cool landing nets here that have a scale in the handle, so you just lift the fish in the net & presto - you know the weight. Very cool, except I didn't feel like dropping another $100 on a net. I have more pics to post but will do it later. Esleech, the clothes have been awesome, that rain gear really turned out to be a life-saver. Thanks, man. I can't wait to fish NZ again, I think all of you would love it. BTW, sounds like I'm not missing anything weather wise, try to stay warm!

Twin anal fins. And crazy cross-breed paint-job. But I still want it.

Colin, that's not the Waitahanui, I am about 1 hour away from Taupo to the south on that river. Brent, I was with the guide, check out the New Zealand Update post below this post for a bit more info. You can see everything in the river (except the dang fish) - you can't imagine how well those fish blend in even in 2 feet of clear water. Without the guide, I would have missed 80% of the fish as I would have spooked them before even seeing them, and I would have fished way too long in 'fishy' water that had no trout. I have to say that I never quite believed how much you would need a guide for fishing here (not everywhere of course), but having seen it first hand, I consider it a must (at least to get started). Like I said in my Update post below this post, with the browns we spooked them (and my guide is a pro guide) before we even got in visual range. It feels weird to see a big brown go whipping by you right near your feet and know he came from the pool you are coming up to. It is a far more exciting way to fish than 99% of the fishing I have done at home. I would take this type of fishing (read fish, water, scenery, stalking) over blind fishing any day. But you can't go guided every day, can you? The rivers are really clear and low, and it's amazing to stare into the water following the guide's finger and he's telling you 'he's right there' and still not see the trout until it makes an obvious move. These are big fish in low water and their camouflage is unreal.

I wanna face-book somebody's mom. And stay in New Zealand.

Huge mayfly nymph - about an inch long almost Hook-up! A Happy Man! Stellar scenery.

I got out with the guide today, a really good guy named Craig Farrar. He took me to a little stream for a crack at some big boys. He told me that there's not a ton of fish in there but they are all a really good size - both browns & rainbows. We drove for about an hour & had a good chat about fishing & finally got there & suited up. After about a 20 minute bush-whack we snuck up the the river & promptly see a rainbow & a brown about 24" each take off because they spotted us. A good sign I thought! We crossed the stream & waded our way up a ways & then bushwhacked for a bit more until we got to a really amazing pool & spotted 2 rainbows milling about, feeding leisurely. We were peeking out behind some giant plants that look like huge yucca ( I forget the name ). We watched for about 15 minutes, waiting for an opportune moment to move me into position for a roll-cast - the only cast that there was room for. I finally got into position, & had to wait another 5 minutes for a chance to cast with less fear of spooking just by moving the rod. The tension was incredible! There 2 fish were both over 26", and he estimated them at 6.5-7 lbs. I got my cast away with almost perfect placement (a dry & a dropper) and before I knew it he yelled "strike!" - and I did. I hooked the bigger of the 2 fish, and the fight was on! I played him for a good 5 minutes on my 5wt, and he was tearing all around the pool trying like hell to get under a rock ledge. With one fail tail-flick, he was gone! I was crushed! At least he was filming with my vid, so I have a bunch of it on video, but I wanted to land that fish so bad! When you see the pics below, you can see how amazing that size of fish is in a river that size. In all, I hooked 6, landed one and the rest busted-off the 4x tippet. Some of the fish I played for almost 7 minutes before they busted off. The pics of the one I landed are of the smallest fish I saw all day. The browns were so spooky I cannot believe it. Even my guide said he didn't quite know what was up with the browns, they were ridiculous. We would see a big brown come ripping downstream from a pool that we were not even at yet - they knew we were coming. They would blow by right near our feet & rocket on by. Amazing. It is hard to impart how very cool this experience is, the huge trout in tiny, skinny water & the amazing scenery. We walked a fair way between fish, but every foot-step was a great experience & a lasting memory. I caught one big rainbow on the dry that went completely out of the water 5 times before he broke off, and kept going aerial 6 more times after that! I have a bit of that one on vid too. You only got 1 cast to each fish, and my hook-up rate was apparently very good for that river. It breaks your heart to make a cast to a nice, big rainbow & see him rocket away as soon as the fly hits the water. Saw about 20 fish in all, and like I said before, the one I landed was the smallest. Not the way I wanted it to turn out, but an awesome day all the way. All of you would love to do this - there really is nothing like it. Enjoy the pics - too bad there aren't more of fish! Here's the river (which shall remain un-named at the guide's request) Bushwhackin' Spot the Guide The BIG Rainbow I hooked - I took this while waiting for the right time to get into position from in the trees. This is zoomed way in. Hunting. He spotted fish that 60% of the time I never did see until he yelled 'Strike!' See part 2

Colin, You're right - it's the Waitahanui river. I haven't seen any BIG ones yet, mostly similar to the one I got & tons of the wee guys (didn't actually see them, but they were rising a lot near dark - caddis started coming off as I left) I did get that bigger one near the mouth though. Hawg, I left the big stik at home so's I wouldn't catch any Burbot or Lake whites on purpose. I'd hate to make my guide look bad. Thanks for the posts guys & I'll keep it comin' as I can.

I know the true identity of the Lone Fisher. And I have been to San Juan Worm's house.

Howdy from NZ! I arrived yesterday in Auckland, and spent a bit of the day getting sorted out & trying not to run into other cars that are driving on the wrong side of the road! I drove down to Taupo today (About 4 hrs S of Auckland) and it is about 30 degrees and gorgeous. The first thing I spot wheeling into town is a fly shop, so I went there before even checking into my hotel! I got some advice & had a good chat & set off to check-in to the hotel. BTW, my Simms vest that was $150 is $300 here, and a Sage Z-axis is about $1100!!! Not too cheap here for gear. I go out tomorrow with my guide, so hopefully tomorrow bears fruit. I managed to get out for about 2 hours tonight at a local river and got a few fish - my first in NZ! Here's the best one I got today: This river ( I forget the name, the map's in the car) empties into Lake Taupo & you could see the trout in nice clear water - very cool. Here's some pics of the lake The river is the bit of water this side of the row of bushes before the lake Here's the only other fisher with me on the river today - he handily out-fished me (but I got the biggest one!) As it was getting dark, the rising started all over the place, and I got a number of these little guys. Aren't they the cutest little guys you ever did see? They would hammer the P-Adams, it was a hoot! There's also a few strange signs here: Apparently when it's frosty, your rear wheels trade places with each other - thank God I came in Summer! That's it for now, tomorrow's a big day so I'll report in again when I can. That Rainbow was for you, Brownstone - I told you I'd remember! By for now, Glenbow

Hook: Partridge K3A # 16 Thread: 10/0 gudebrod tan Rib: Fine Silver Wire Body - fine tan dubbing Post - white calf tail Wing - Cock ring-necked pheasant rump feathers All right now.......on to Pacres

Look at LL Bean in the States. Very good products & they stand behind what they sell. Spey Rod for $170US ( I have it and really like it) Reels can be cheapo, no real need to even as high as $150. Lines are a bit more, but keep looking around.

Country Pleasures in Calgary. Mailing Address Country Pleasures #100, 10816 Macleod Tr. S. Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2J 5N8 Phone Numbers Phone: (403) 271-1016 Fax: (403) 271-5516 Email info@countrypleasures.com

I'm just impressed that I could use 'stagnates' and 'propensity' in the same sentence. I think I need a vacation. I think I'll go to New Zealand for a while & try to unwind. Monday sounds good!

I don't think that guiding & oil & gas are even remotely the same - the royalties on O&G are different as O&G are permanently removed from the land, whereas trout are not. I don't personally agree with the increased royalties on the O&G sector, but that is not the issue here either. Remember, the more we box ourselves in as a society with more rules/regs/taxes/fees/laws, the more restrained our lives will be and our freedoms to enjoy things will become constricted and/or more expensive. I think it should be up to the guides themselves to choose and the public as the consumer to see which guide has insurance, first aid etc. The public always shows what will win & what won't by choice. I think that as long as a guide pays a license fee to fish, good. I don't agree that he (she) must pay a fee to guide and not fish himself. He already pays a business license fee (if he does in fact) and pays taxes on the money he makes (if in fact he does). It is no different than if I were to charge a fee to go show a bunch of tourists Bull trout spawning in the fall & take pictures. Or take them on a nature hike to show them interesting sights. Why the heck would I have to pay a fee & be licensed to do that? If I were a 'fishing consultant' would that change the rules? If a consultant can charge a fee for knowledge in his own head (good or bad) then why can a guide not? The fish do not know the difference, nor are they being harvested. More government = bad idea to me. More fees and licenses = bad idea to me. I do not care if a guy charges a fee to somebody to show him where to fish, and the guy doesn't have a license. It is a guy charging for what he knows (like a consultant) and offers it for sale. If somebody hires a crappy consultant and doesn't get what he thinks he paid for, it's no good for the crappy consultant. Mr. Consultant then has 1 less referral or repeat customer. He may not continue being a consultant. It is no different. And I agree that our fish are our resource, so maybe non-Albertans should have to pay a guide license fee or whatever. But, let us preserve the opportunity for an enterprising Albertan fishing enthusiast to grow himself into a guide business without a bunch of governmental obligations and interference and cost. He is after all not a nuclear reactor technician. He is showing somebody how and where to fish. Nothing more. There are the same amount of fish there after guiding (within reason of course) as there are after. Let us not go down the road to becoming BC - we have a good thing here and it deserves to not be impaired. I strongly support the ideal of individuals being motivated and creative enough to build themselves into a business with as little governmental interference as possible. Remember, this can set a precedent and be used to support arguments to charge fees or impose licenses in any number of areas. What about the guy that mows lawns? The guy that collects garbage (as an independent business)? The guy that shovels snow for you? The guy that hangs Christmas lights? Please do not read that I am naive in making these comparisons, these are merely examples of folks that have used their own initiative to make something of and for themselves. More regulatory cost and interference constricts this healthy motivation and stagnates the propensity for growth. I do not want to see things like river access or 'rod days' ever implemented on the waters of the province that I call home. And I have just as much to lose as anyone else on this forum. I have a healthy respect for the folks that have chosen to contribute to this thread, and it is thanks to them that we can all participate & share in this turbulent discussion. I am also deeply appreciative that we can so far be as passionate about our points of view and still this thread remains a distinguished example of discussion. My hat is off to the participants. Anyone wanna talk about jet boats? (kidding, of course)

Clive, I understand your point and agree with a lot of it. I feel that we already sacrifice many freedoms and I am reluctant to see any more freedoms removed or restricted. I completely disagree with many of the licensed that are already in place (many of which you listed above) and I fail to see how more licenses and restrictions will improve the situation. I personally do not feel that guides and random campers are freeloaders. Many random campers may be irresponsible and/or destructive, but I feel that is a different issue. I think that if a guide has spent enough time learning water to know it well enough to offer guide services if somebody is interested in that, then good for him (read her also). He gets paid for some of the effort that he put in to learn that knowledge. This is not a question of if guides pay taxes after all. If it is a question of setting a professional standard, that is something that guides should collectively do if they want to see that. As I said, I agree with a lot of the points you list but with regard to guides I do not think that licensing them and some of the other points of discussion in the opening post will improve anything. I feel that the more we restrict ourselves the more we remove our freedoms and that is not a life I wish to see. I am very pleased that we have the opportunity to discuss this and have some input into the decision making process.

I do not think that they should be licensed. Period. * if you license someone, they do have a larger voice in how the resource is managed? - No * if you don't license someone, they have no voice and are counted with all others - Correct * licenses may/could incorporate things like location restrictions, age, insurance coverage & first aid training - No * licences for guides handling boats may/could require certificate of competency - No * typical resource exploiters [ oil/gas, coal, wood] pay about 15% of gross income as a "user fee/royalty/stumpage etc" - is this appropriate for fishing guides? - No * if a license system was set up, who should pay for administration - you & I, the Govt, the license holders et al? - Not the Public * how long should the license be in effect. Yearly, 5 years, quarterly, fishing season only? - Not at all * should all types of fishing guides be licensed? What about fly in camps, ice fishing guides, horsey outfitters whose wranglers point you @ the creek - No * could license holders justifiability restrict the public to certain locations if their business is effected. - Absolultely Not! * conversely, should the public, on crowded waters, restrict guides - Absolutely Not! * should guides have to adhere to a higher level of conduct and if so, who develops the ethics for guides - No * how would a guide and/or a guided operation be identified? - Up to them * should owners of business who supply guiding services be licensed? Should these license fees be greater that the guide license? - No I don't think that guides should have to conform to any of this. Free country, remember? Just because BC does things does not mean that we have to. I think that the more things like licenses and certificates and fees and access restrictions all take away from the enjoyment of life and the resources around us, not the other way around. In management of resources it should be the focus to preserve and enhance our resources, not tax or restrict them for purposes other than that. If you can be a guide and want to, go for it. If you stink, you get no more clients. If you are good at it, great - you do ok. In BC you have to buy your rod days on water, and I think that hampers any new guides (or existing also) as you have to try to 'sell' those days. You might not even have enough money on hand to buy them. At least here you have a chance at making a go of it, even if you start out part-time and go from there. I just think this is a proposal for something we do not need. These are my opinions only and I am replying to this topic as the poster requests feedback. Interesting topic, thanks for bringing it to our attention Don.

The drag on the President is just fine. I'd use it in salt as well. As with anything, just rinse it after. Check out what Max has - he's probly got supm good for you on the cheap.

The Fishin' Hole has them. You can call and ask what their price is - 291-3688. I know Pfluegers just went down. Tell 'em Glenbow sent ya if you talk to Kelly or Bill.

I alwaysa puta the dishesa awaya. I donta geta ita.

Yup - makes the world good. More real. More real than reality tv anyhow.

Hahaha

I wanna catch one.

Sweet. Say hi to Brent for me Pacres. That guy should be on tv instead of Dog. Or any cooking show. Or reality tv.

Nice fishies, some gooders there.