Harps

Yeah, my wife and the cat came to the river one day... The cat enjoyed it, the wife had a good walk, and I caught fish. Can't ask for more.

I like cats...

http://www.dtnicolson.dial.pipex.com/ Oh and check out Donald's Site... He's around 80 and has some of the most amazing flies and wonderful history.

I love fishing soft hackles!!! Fished down and across... on the swing and they imitate an emerging caddis. In the film (greased), its a crippled mayfly. Bottom bounced- dead drift and its and attractor nymph. Dap them on the surface for emerging diptera. They are my go to fly during a hatch I can't seem to match. They are excellent for drifting towards cover on a small stream... Check out this site for more on the history of soft hackled flies. http://www.flymph.com/ I've been a member of the IBF since we (flyfishermen.com) started it in 2005, although I haven't paid much attention in the past couple years...).

Monger, I see more in Alberta... but I live here. I do see alot along some of the Montana backroads too... I have no real clue... I was just being disagreeable. I'm not really keyed into pheasants short of my friends that go out and bring me back skins and feathers. I have followed some of the discussion on alberta outdoorsmen, but find it hard to sift through fact and fiction. Pheseants are an introduced bird, and heavily stocked... and I don't know if the habitat is enough for them here...

Come on Rick... everybody wants to be my friend, I'm just so popular it's hard to give everybody the Attention they deserve. We haven't had a good "discussion" in a long time. Plus all my friends are great... you'd be greater... guilty by association, right? The link is to our Big Club Meeting tonight at 7: http://goneflyfishin.ca/flyclub.html

Keith, I always though pheasant hunting was better in S. Alberta (Lethbridg Area), and largely because of the tons of habitat available... there are just more guns and shooters in Montana. In terms of hunting, there is no public access that is applicable, short of going to crownland, which I'd think most hunters use anyways. This Pay to Play mentality is a direct result in Alberta's urban population boom, and the gov'ts lack of management (keeping up with the pressure). I'd suspect that the majority of hunters in Alberta are landowners also and would support this, even if they own land that isn't condusive to their type of hunting (sheep/elk/antelope). Like I said, most folks likely hunt on Crown Land. If this does affect fishing... expect everything to go the way of the Palmer Ranch... pay for something that we already pay for in our taxes (even though we don't pay enough). Luckily the highwater mark isn't just a law... It's titled land that the province owns. To return it to the landowner, I think would be a tough process.

JMasson Feds, through Transportation (Navigable Waters Protection Act), can only ensure clear boating on waters deemed navigable. The Provinces are in charge of land ownership/ lease issues... If the landowners got riparian rights... Touching the bed of the river would be considered trespassing. Boating would be okay. Expect to pay to use the river and access through township road leases if the gov't moved this way. *************************** Realistically, Traditional access routes should be protected by the gov't. I'm a landowner, I know many of the issues... we now allow walking only access through our property, but we, at least, still allow access. Hunting is a different matter... many landowners I know can't get enough hunters to help with nussiance deer/elk. The issue is letting somebody you don't know on the property (nobody wants to ask)... you don't know if they'll chase livestock, leave garbage, wreak gates/fences, rutt up the land. There needs to be better education about respecting the land (proper ATV use, garbage, ethics, etc)... paying landowners is a bandaid for a much bigger problem, and I don't think it will encourage young hunter and fisher. People need to start treating the land and landowners right... knowing landowners get paid is not going to encourage good use.

I think its a shame that this freak trout is considered a record... It's like raising deer then letting them go to be shot once they have gained max growth. The fish is obviously a farm escapee, bred to be big, fed pellets most of its life, then big enough to not worry about predators when the storms wreaked the nets and released the fish. Big fish, great catch, disgrace to call it a sportfishing record.

This is the second step... First we bend over for BC, Then we take it from our own gov't. Next Albertans will have to pay to walk along rivers... and they'll charge us more than "outsiders". I will be taking advantage of all township line right of ways and highwater marks... it is our public right. **Fishing, not hunting**

I hate facebook... But I'm really bad at staying in touch (I avoid it). Facebook lets me keep up with friends and family I'd otherwise not know, let alone talk to. Plus we put our Flyfishing club up on facebook http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=5926...gid=65374606211 Chinook Waters Fly Fishing Club

I found that going through the casting motion with both arms at the same time helped me learn to cast left handed... not much help to you, I'm afraid.

Nice pattern A couple of ideas: I'd go for a smaller hook and tie the body shorter (2/3rds the wing). Also add a dubbed thorax (seal fur, antron, etc) with picked out fibers to imitate legs. I've used the furled foam... love the look, but can get chewed pretty fast (good thing)!

My wife uses it on her little laptop (just since xmas)... seems fine, and closer to the 2003 word which I like better than the new one with tabs (comfort thing). I hadn't realized tracking didn't carry over... that would be a issue.

Wow Some f'd up injuries. Its okay to look back on them, but hate for it to happen to anyone. At 10 I got a deer antler shoved 2-3 inches into my knee (under my knee cap). Stuck in a blizzard so we couldn't go to anywhere for help, but ducktape held it closed for the next few days. Was playing Indiana jones and didn't quite make a jump later that spring... landed knee first on a cut log and sliced open the underside of my other kneecap. That summer I was climbing a tree under a friend... falling stick got me in the eye. luckily the scar isn't affecting vision and I got to pretend to be a pirate for a week. Training in the reserves, got a piece of grenade scrapnel down the back of my flak jacket in Wainright. Cool scar. Got smoked on the forhead with a hammer at full swing; laid me out, but I don't remember any pain, or much else. Carring a couch at a beach when a girl jumped onto it from a lifeguard stand. A nail from the bottom drove into my collar bone. That hurt, but I was pretty numb from the booze. Partial blew an eardrum... but the bleeding stopped and they couldn't do anything. Most painfull by far: I had menegitis last fall... 8 attempts at a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) before they got it. No drugs for the first 7. Plus the headache was like nothing I can imagine... pain causing blackouts, vomiting etc. Was a wonderfull month in the hospital. Still get bad headaches on occasion. Always had a damaged brain I guess?

What!!! Somebody not talking to DFO!!! wait... What!!! Somebody doing good on a trout stream!!! I'm a touch bias, but... a good rancher will have a healthy water supply and maintain it through proper grazing management. I grew up on a ranch that believed in co-existing with the environment, not competing or subduing it. This is one of our riparian quarters (this past spring) and lately I've been disapointed at the management on some parts, but we keep cow-calves on it throughout the fall and winter. It also used to be a well used elk valley and I treed my first cougar in it as well as ran away from countless bears. Don, Hopefully the idea catches on... Diamond Willow Beef has done well with organic meats (selling in Save-on now), and I hope the watershed health is coming along as good. I'm not sure how they view access though? Even if a stream is overgrazed, it can come back with TLC (or if it is ignored). Straightened channels, berms, logged hillsides, parking lots, and poor road crossings are alot harder to recover from. As for good intentions... look at the wooden cribwalls that are failing on Dogpound Creek... they will be hard to fix without heavy equipment. Good intentions, but maybe it was just a short term bandaid?

I wish our gov'ts took watershed health as seriously here in Canada/Alberta Glad you had a great time, Chris!!

Weedy, Great links there... There has been great "fun" with Alex Ivanovic on the sexyloops board http://www.sexyloops.co.uk/cgi-bin/theboar...l=alex+ivanovic and http://www.sexyloops.co.uk/cgi-bin/theboar...l=alex+ivanovic Fun reads if you are bored... all about whether this style of distance casting is considered fly fishing: 170 Cast http://www.sexyloops.com/movies/170/ Fun stuff when its cold outside, but it makes you wanna grab you rod and go practice casting in the snow (if there's no open water).

You could improve your casting knowledge and at the same time watch sensless amusement here: http://www.sexyloops.com/movies/

Smitty, there are good riparian restoration projects going on all over S. Alberta. I've worked with a few of the groups, and know of alot more, but they are moving forward and doing much better. There have been some real noticable benefits in the past decade. Even Callum Creek, while there are no trout in it yet, has started to grow shrubby riparian vegetation and the banks have been stabilized. It may be an excellent meadow trout stream if trout become established and there is enough constant temperature water (maybe a higher water table from upstream beaverdams). I won't name any Alberta creeks but check out what some ranchers have done in Montana with the Blackfoot legacy project. http://www.themontanalegacyproject.org/ There was a recent tour of Alberta landowners to the Blackfoot and many are thinking that it is a direction they want to take.

Spam is much better than canned tuna!!

I don't eat tuna. Period. Very unheathy fish. Most tuna fishing is horrible for the life in the ocean. (I found this that is good though)

http://www.hook.tv/

Glad you and Al had a good time!!