wtforward

Quote :I believe I've attended all the Fisheries Management Roundtables and rod days have never come up. In fact the fish-o-crats at the April meeting recommended no action on guide licensing claiming the guiding community showed little interest. End Quote: Neil I am probably taking this out of context but why does there need to be an interest from the guiding community to be licensed? I thought the guiding issue was coming from concerns expressed by the non-guide community. As a side note if you want to see the other side of guides take a look at the recommendations coming out of Skeena AMP. The self serving greed is over the top in my view.

Man oh man. I will have to check into what it takes to be a guide and if I can front the initial cost ( with no intention of ever guiding which in my case is true ) I can minimize the possibility of getting kicked to the curb. De facto pecking order for consideration ..DIY walk and wade ..front of the line, followed by walk and wade guided, floating non guided, followed by floating guided and alas jet boaters last. Non resident guides walk and wade, float or otherwise no such thing. From a cost to implement position does licensing still flow to general revenue and if so how come ? Unchecked guiding eventually morphs into the ugly side of capitalism when it attaches itself to things we can freely enjoy as a recreation never mind the impact on the fishery.

Sundancefisher...then there is Bill 50 ! Personally I wish we would hurry up and get all the oil and gas out of the ground so we could get onto more important things.

And people wonder why unemployment is hitting 10 % in the US and coming to a neighbourhood near you. Of course all this free trade cheap foreign wage stuff goes into the tank when oil gets back up there in 175.00 to 200.00 a barrel; it's not a matter of if but when. The increase freight cost foregone may just be redirected into wages for jobs back in North America. Support your local economy..price be damned!

Tight lines Greg..have a good one.

PeteZahut..Not to hijack this thread but why would you need a guide on the North ?Ram ??

Jeffro I help you along a bit but then leave the rest of the education for you to do on your own. The govt owns the land on behalf of all Albertans. Just how does the govt come into being anyway?

Jeffro...Entitlement ??

Neil... You can't possibly list all the organizations and keep a straight face. That is exactly the point. It is a gross ecological failure of leadership at the government level full stop. What do you think it is going to take to get something done and which generation might benefit ? There is no perfect solution and some specific user groups are going to have to take a hit. It would be innteresting to know how many people would continue to camp if they could not bike/quad. Unfortunately until the powers to be figure which group(s) are politically insignificant the snail pace progress will continue. So do people really think given the economic climate we are currently in that the government is going to add to the deficit and suit up an enforcement department c/w guns/trucks/overtime when the price of gas/oil is in the tank. A little late in the economic cycle for my money. Where is all that royalty money when you need it ? People in this province continue to vote the Cons in then bitch when they don't do what the electorate asks..go figure. Until you get a true accountable democracy functioning in the legislature things are not likely to change; why should they ? Keep it in mind at the next election.

Just got finished talking to a Special Policy Adviser out of Morton's office ( nice guy). He says there is new enforcement regulation coming out and will hopefully be in effect before the May long week end 2010. The devil is in the details. He indicated that they have received many complaints and are trying to address some of the concerns in the new regs. Enforcement is only part of it I think. Random camping/ATVs need to be restricted to certain areas. A particular area has only so much camping activity carrying capacity and until that is addressed no amount of enforcement is going to fix the 'Tragedy of the Commons'. It would be interesting if there was a tread restriction on motorized ATVs/Bikes for a given area. Treading up a bike just elevates the confidence to get into situations that really rip up the environment that perhaps you might not otherwise consider. Riding when it is raining as an example just exacerbates erosion and is usually only possible if you got the lugged rubber under you. Enjoying the West country is not a right or entitlement as many seem to think. BB's can serve a purpose to let off some steam and bring attention to a problem but if you are really serious then consider forming (another) group and see if you can get someone in Ted's office to listen to your concerns and suggestions. If you hate groups then pick up the phone and voice your concern and don't forget to vote!

Headscan It goes without saying you can add a 15' mono to a Scandi and go fishing...you can try the same show on a Skagit belly and it won't be pretty. But you are right it is all in the eye of the beholder. Myself I would put a sinking something on the Skagit floating belly (as in a sink tip not poly) for a more pleasant experience. Maybe the cross over comes from the fact that you can get a floating tip for a Skagit but for my money they were designed for different application initially (tapers/presentation/top/bottom??).

Dino I don't know if you would classify a Skagit as a shooting head. Perhaps better described as a floating belly. The only reason it might matter is that if the Scandi window you are interested in is 320 - 380 grn then the Skagit window range could be 80 to 150 grn higher based on your casting style and rod weight. Just trying to clarify for those just starting out in spey. If any of the experts disagree please post their thoughts.

Since the subject of bias came up then have a look at the link below. It may help to change or discount some of our perceptions based on how bias you think the report is. http://alberta.pembina.org/pub/1839

Thks headscan. Missed the orginal post. Did not mean to start a new thread but it sure does bear repeating.

Just when you think we can't do much more damage in the way we interact with Mother Naure 10.6 million (estm'd) do a no show. That has to be considered a collapse. The fish farms are probably already seeking spin doctor control and it will be interesting what form it takes. Interesting that Alexandra Morton warned back in March that what had happend to pinks in Broughton could happen to Fraser Sockeye. But hey what would she know ? Thank god for denial or you would not get out of bed.

No offense Kyle but why not just try it and report back if so inclined ?

Jay Could we just hold off on the boat retrictions until we get as many people water skiing as there are guiding.. just to be fair minded and all.

To my way of thinking posting 'Where to' just fuels 'Tragedy of the Commons' /Hardin at warp speed. I will never understand people thinking they are doing someone (perhaps themselves) a great public service by posting locations. Isn't part of this great sport include getting out there and putting your time in ? It is quite sad that the era of 'discovery on your own' has been replaced with instant gratification and sense of entitlement so often now displayed in the sport. Oh but don't forget to keep posting those trip reports. That way I don't have to get off my ass and spend dollars for gas to find out.

And just what does everyone think that major change should be ? Sure there is two sides to the story but you have seen in the press what happens when a MLA tries to represent his constituents...you get the boot. Until there is a political change in the province or at least a viable opposition in the Legislature nothing, I repeat nothing is going to change. Keep that in mine the next time you put your X in the polling booth....for those of you that still vote. We can set aside a billion or two for a subsidy to assist the oil and gas industry in CO2 sequestering but we can't put some more enforcement into the field to protect the environment and keep the 'rape and pillage' down to a dull roar. Why ? Because it is not a priority and not important enough as in 'vote getter'.

Al Don't know how far along you are on a decision but if going outboard consider a 4 stroker....I know more money and weight etc, etc but I think they are a lot easier on the environment and a lot quieter when passing other fisherman. It's a consideration thing and it looks like the Bow (anyway) is going to see a lot more jets and anything to lighten the impact as seen from other fisherman (non jetters) and the environment needs to be taken into consideration. For the river 17'-18' 60/40 is a good fit and would probably fit the bill for most jet water here and most any moving water you might want to fish in BC. Lake is different and don't know if there is a config that can serve two masters. Hell don't be so cheap and just buy 2 boats! Have fun.

Guys It's the same old same old. If you want change you will have to consider raising hell with your MLA...that is part of what they get paid for and the pension for life they get if they make the cut. If your not going to really press the issue then find another place to fish. Snap some pictures, of the abuser's sites over a period of time, date and time stamp them so they can be verified and send them off to Morton and the local MLA and DEMAND they enforce the rules full stop. Give them some reasonable time to respond. If your are a local to the area in question get a group together and contact the MLA for the area and suggest you go for a drive; any hesitation on his/her part should be dealt with at the next election opportunity. I know it sounds like the same old story but " In a democracy people deserve the government they elect". MLA's do get listenend to at higher levels. I am sure Lund got somebody's attention over the heli pad shutdown in Sundre.

A few of the float, sun, bath and party crowd are starting leave some pretty bad signs of what they think is OK when they pull in shore for a break. Had the occassion to seen a group (20+ people) pull a shore in the Fish Creek area one day a week or 2 ago for a break ( pee or otherwise ). Went over to that side the next day to fish and could not believe the garbage left behind. Does Calgary really need to put up 'Pick up your Garbage' signs along the banks of some of the more popular stretches of the floating highway? Enforcement is probably not practical let alone affordable. Watched some kids jumping off the foot bridge...boy that is a lawsuit waiting to happen for the City. I did not see a sign 'No Jumping from Bridge'. I am sure that the ones leaving the garbage are making their mothers proud.

Heres a thought for all the guys who like to share fishing spots on the net and post pics of me and the days catch. Next time try and stage the fish picture taking event without you being in the picture because it is all about the fish right ? Or is it ? An added bonus is that you might not have to take the fish out of the water.

Mr B You don't mind if another 500 of us join yuh ? Good way to try and sway the masses though, I will keep it in mind. Maybe bump into you on the Elk.

Does anybody remember how camping spots were administered before they went private...limited paid stay? Keep in mind that Alberta taxpayers paid for and maintained all or most of the now privatized camp ground infrastructure before Klein decided to rent it to the private sector. Oil is around $55.00 a barrel as of late and we are in a recession. When we come out of this and oil hits 150.00 or 200.00 a barrel I think you might find quite a few places to camp if you can afford to drive to them.