Harps

I'm there any night.. It'll be good to have a few beers and start getting flies done for next season.

You may need a flycasting golf course set up... like the golf disc courses in some parks. Your goal... cast to the target at the end with the least number of casts. Around obstacles, through bush, just distance, etc. For the last shot you have to hit a ring on the ground. If you land the fly closer than a rod length to the target you get to move back one rod length (9') from the target. If you miss from 9' you just keep casting from that position until you hit the target. So I guess you have to move your fly every time unless you land within a rod length. Everyone carries a marker so when you "tee off" you walk out to the fly and drop your marker and then move over for the next caster. Its a fun way to have a few beverages and practice all types of casting, plus it can be competative practice without the pissing contest. Don't forget the blue argyle checkered sweater...

I hadn't noticed anything wrong... don't they catch fish like that now, out of Wabamun... Could use that in the TU float for the Whoop-up parade next year... actually not a bad idea, I'm gonna go talk to my manager.

You know I'm there... Fri if necessary Sat for sure!

I saw that driving around Lethbridge... I was going to wave him over when I was in my work truck, but I thought he probably gets enough crap as it is.

I'll be there with Farrah... may be a bit late. See ya,

Two tails.... All right Dr. Andy, bike racks after the TU meet... I'll take ya No worries on the time, Jeff, my tying stuff is Still packed up anyways. Thanks!!

Hey Jeff, I could use a chunk of tail (I've only got green left) and hide if you're coming this way... TU meeting on Wed night, or any time you want to stop by my office. Thanks, Paul

Thats a great site... hadn't seen it before. How's Slave Lake Treatin' ya??

The beginner tying thread is here

You can also give me the: Madam X Partridge and Pheasant BH Soft Hackle Pupa Crowsnest Stone I may need receipies from the book... I've been using the patterns from Vic and Tim's old Fly Fishing Alberta's Chinook Country site at: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/cnangler/html/flyfile.htm I'll look for the book, but I think I'm quite limited in Lethbridge. Cheers, (I'll still tie more if needed)

That fly is a killer in the spring and fall. My first GL steelhead was on that fly... dropped from a heavy stonefly to gt it down. Its an amazing thing! Nice work Flyangler

Are we going to try for every fly in the book?? I think we could do it by the expo... there are enough excellent tyers on board to get it done.

I like the yarn indicators, but Clives foam worked good last winter. I do have a bunch of putty I used for steelhead nymphing, it worked alright as a visibility thing. These yarn indicators sound like the rowely type. They release under pressure. http://globalflyfisher.com/fishbetter/strike-indicators/ Cheers,

Thanks for clarifying Highlander. I know some of the folks that work for CPR (contact for Hook and Hackle Calgary). They seem to do good and care (they have a biologist addressing stream issues in BC... none that I know of in Alberta) and have decent standard practices for working around water. Like all companies/orginizations things do get overlooked and budgets are an issue. It is good this issue was brought to their attention in a respectful and reasonable manner and excellent that they responded quick in a manner that shows consideration for the public and the environment. Cheers,

Hey Don, correct me if I'm wrong... I think with barbless hooks, you can still bow to the fish... I would think the surface tension of the water on the line would keep steady pressure, after the fish was in the water again. I thought the bow was to allow the hook to change angles with the fish; rather than the fish changing the angle and the hook remaining the same, resulting in the hook coming out when you keep hauling on him. To be completely honest, I've let many fish have slack line and still had them on the hook after (I even try to lose dinks before they are in to hand with slack line, often unsuccessfully).

That's very cool. I thought browns wouldn't start before October... and closer to the middle of the month. We also have seen some pretty big redds... Amazing what a couple of dedicated fish can do with the right sized rock and a little hydraulic assistance.

I don't know enough about the Bow River Brown timings to answer that, Taco. I do know that the Browns are establishing on the Oldman... just not to quickly and not in the commonly fly-fished areas. It is very unfortunate that the Bull population was written off below the dam. It is good to see that they are still trying to hang on after a +10 year obstruction to their migration, though. Not sure about ACA, but Environment didn't do them this year (on the OMR for browns). They have been done recently though, and are still going on in different places. Cheers,

I really like hare's foot, but you have to use the right part (heel). The hair traps air, is naturally hydrophobic, and dries in a quick false cast. I use it instead of CDC with great results and its hard to beat the usual as a mayfly dry/emerger!! I have used caribou for big salmonfly patterns, but I don't think its better than deer hair. Moose hair is the same (check out some of the moose hair hopper patterns that Jack Dennis has put together in his western tying books... good stuff). Pacreseltoro is bang on with the best hair floatation (especially for bigger flies). Tying with Snowshoe Hare: http://www.flyangler.ca/index.php?option=c...1&Itemid=32 http://www.hafft.ca/sheldonsflies2004.html#Anchor-13378 http://www.hafft.ca/SnowshoePatterns.htm http://www.flyflickers.com/ff/flybox/reple.../snowshoe.shtml http://www.flyfishingmagazines.com/ft_feature_038.shtml#b These are great sites about SS Hare properties and patterns. Take the time to look them over... you won't find a more versitile material with a great halo/buggy look to it.

With some exceptions, the trout in flowing water in Alberta are "wild" meaning that they may have been stocked some time ago, but are naturally reproducing now. A unique and excellent aspect of Alberta's fisheries. The hatcheries provide trout for conservation reasons (helping native stocks) and stocking the numerours put and take lakes among other things. "Lower bows" will spawn up tributaries and in the Bow river. Sometimes when nobody is home, trout are just not taking your fly... they still may be there. Also depending on type of fish, time of year/day, weather... a fish will stay in the same area. browns seem to be territorial, bows move around a bit more. Its very fish specific. Also expect soon that the weir will be alot more fish friendly in the near future.

Pretty sure of the top one. You can see the pit at the bottom(ish) right and the tail running from right to left. Hard to see because of the angle of light and lack of polarizer on my camera... also sed in the water you can see coming from upstream. But like all things it is subject to "user" interpretation. This brings up other stuff... there are old redds out there. After a couple of weeks they are hard to pick out. There are also fish starting redds that are scared off by anglers. If you stay there the fish may or may not come back. If you want to watch, do it quietly from the bank... a good place is off the bridge in Canmore... lots of Grade A peep show action. Also you NEED polarized lenses to properly see through the water. If you don't use them... get them. Greg, we found redds in very shallow water (possibly at risk of freezing), they are often dug along the shore and in smaller side channels. Cheers

You've got to listen to Greg Keeler ( http://www.troutball.com/ ). Great song on whitefish and one on neoprenes!! he played for us down in W Yellowstone a few weeks ago. Hillarious. (found also on this page http://www.flyfisherman.com/downloads/ ) There are also some cool bands playing fishy blues and such (Chasin Steel and Steelhead). Also a good set of tunes at www.thisisfly.com Just type music into the search at the bottom and it'll bring up the pages.

A little late, but here are some redd photo's I said I'd find... not bulls as talked about earlier on the board, but similar. A couple of shots of Brown Trout Redds. Just passing the peak brown trout spawning times. Be on the lookout and avoid stepping on them, particularily downstream of them (remember the tails are often the eggs covered by gravel, the hole at the upstream end is where the gravel is from, not nessecarily where the eggs are). If you see spawning activity in an area or think you see redds, avoid the area, because there very well may be a bunch of redds that are tough to see. Cheers

Hey Playdoh, Typically a trout will rest and eat. Then they migrate (or not) to spawn. Then back to eating and resting. It is all about energy. The key is to understand what they eat, what time of year, and where they rest. A big trout will be in a good resting spot where they can hide and where food is very close by. Seams where 2 currents come together (less energy used to stay in that spot) bring food in and also break up the water hiding trout from a view above. Log jams, same thing. Dirty water and dark allow trout to go shallow and eat under the cover of low visability. All this is about energy, understand where food is, what food is common, and where that food will go near a place of easy resting. There are a couple of really great books and lots of information on the internet. First off, check out the Alberta SRD website on fishing. It has great info on Alberta fish. For books, Robert Behnke's Trout and Salmon of North America is an excellent book with tons of good info and great pictures. Dr. Behnke is one of the worlds top trout experts. There are also a book called Fishes of Alberta that you can pick up at a university or college book store. Jim McLennan (on this board) has 3 excellent books that cover all aspects of western waters. I highly recommend you pick them up (at least Trout Streams of Alberta) There are also authors such as Dave Hughes, Ed Angle, and Vincent Marino that write about trout "getting" tactics. Ask on the board about the bugs, and you'll get some great answers. Check Westfly.com for the entomology section. It relates bugs to flies that work, and folks here at FCC can let you know if those bugs are in the Bow. Hope this helps a bit. Cheers,

My fiancee has this hair straightener thingy...