OneMoreLastCast

Just wanted to give one last Thank You to the people from this community that contributed to the AAFS. My apologies for any duplicate PM's or for my Inbox being full at times. In the end, everything has worked out fine I think. Thanks to the people here that donated over $1000. The kids involved will benefit greatly from your generosity. Once again, FFC shows how big their hearts are. I will pass on their personal Thank You after turning over the money and prizes on Saturday.

I hope you didn't pay the price listed in your picture....Cabelas has the same boat for $899. I'm sure you'll love your new boat. I was out on mine again today and can't say enough about it.

Personally, I have never had any more trouble with my Sunrise 10'6" than I had with either of my 9 footers in the wind. It's light enough to load in and out of my truck alone and the carrying capacity is unbelievable. With the tops and bottoms being 1500 compared to a lot of other makes that only beef up the under side of the pontoons, it can take a beating. My only complaint with mine is that it usually adds at least a half hour delay getting on the water due to other anglers admiring it and asking questions....Who am I kidding? I love showing it off. Every other boat I've owned, I had to make adjustments or modifications to it to bring it up to standard. The Scadden is great stock. I added the 7" risor, but that is just personal preference.

I just spent a solid 6 days on my Skykomish Sunrise and can't say enough good things about it. It's actually 10'6", not 10", which is only 6 inches shorter than the one you ordered. I use a 55 lbs/thrust electric on mine and with a full battery, I can go more than fast enough. I personally wouldn't get a 4 or 6 HP gas simply because most of the lakes I fish have an electric motor restriction, or at the very least a speed restriction in place. I can't see why it wouldn't handle a 4 or 6 though. Don't know how much Pontoon experience you have, but make sure to leave your oars in the water when using your motor. Otherwise you will be hard pressed to stay straight. Just my opinion though. Here's my rig. I put a 7 inch rise on the seat. I highly recommend it for visibility and comfort. It puts your legs at a nice 90 degree angle on your standing platform and eliminates that dreaded dead leg feeling from your feet hanging all day. Wish I was on my 'toon right now....Happy to say I'll be standing on my platform in about 8 hours, so all's good. Ignore the lake in the background....it's completely void of fish.

Sorry to anyone that got turned away due to my inbox being full. The people's generosity here at Fly Fish Calgary caught me by surprise. I've deleted some of my messages to make room now. Thanks again to everyone for your contributions.

I did hear a few years back at a meeting, whispers that "Catch Limits" would be just that...."Catch Limits", and that was here in Alberta. Meaning that once you catch your limit, you must leave the water. They would be applied to C & R Fisheries and the limits would've been in the range of 10 fish/rod. Obviously it didn't go very far, but I wouldn't be surprised to see legislation similar to this come in one day.

Just want to say thanks to a few of the great people here for their contributions. I'd also like to let the people here that might be interested in playing in the tournament to help raise money that there are now a few great Fly Fishing Type Prizes to be won. There are Fly Boxes, a couple Walk & Wade Guided trips, Etc. thanks to a few charitable people. If interested in participating in the tournament, the details can be found at the AAFS homepage linked above.

Strange new legislation in Switzerland is going to ban Catch and Release. The story can be found at http://friedbrains.com/?p=2108 "The new legislation states that fish caught should be killed immediately following their capture, with a sharp blow to the head from a blunt instrument." Anglers must immediately kill their catch, but.... "anglers in the country will have to demonstrate their expertise by taking a course on humane methods of catching fish, under new legislation outlined by the Bundesrat - the Swiss Federal Parliament." I personally have no idea what brainiac came up with the idea, but I sure hope we don't follow this lead. I actually thought it was a joke when I first heard of it, but.....

That's awesome Greg. I hate asking, but I knew the people here in this community would come thru. I'll PM you the details in the next day or two. Thanks again.

My Brother is the Executive Director for the "Autism Aspergers Friendship Society" and to raise money for his Charity, they are holding their Second annual Poker Tournament on May 24th, 2008. I am posting this hoping to find a few people that might be able to donate either good ol' Cash money, or items/services to give away as prizes in the tournament, (ie-Flies, Walk & Wades, New Cars, etc.) Seriously, any contribution or donation would be greatly appreciated. Donations of $20 or more, or the estimated cost for the item or service donated will receive a tax receipt of course. If you are willing to, or interested in helping out, please PM me and I can give you more details. The Charity's webpage can be found at http://www.aafscalgary.com I apologize for the dead link in the original post. The Link to the webpage above works. Also, if you are interested in playing in the Poker Tournament, there is information on the webpage above, or you can PM me and I can give you details. Thanks in advance for any contributions. Charitable Registration # : 962472230RR0001 Brett

It might also be the fact you are walking on a slope for an extended period. On long walks upstream, (or down), where you are walking on the same side of the river, you are walking on a slope obviously that will eventually make one of your hips or legs sore. Being that one leg will be taking the brunt of the weight from being the downhill leg, it is inevitible that one side will get more sore than the other.

Sunday is Mother's Day.

Get Well Jim and during your recovery, it might be good therapy to go back and read some of your own works. I know your writing has always helped me, so why not use it for self therapy.

Happy Birthday Buddy. I don't have to ask if you had a good one, 'cause I know you did. Glad to have shared your day with you.

Happy Birthday Gregg, Hope you had a great one. Glad we didn't know your's and Glen's was the same day.....Would've had to sit back and let Two Birthday Boys catch all the fish.

Please stop sending me PMs on this topic. I did not say that I thought it would be good for the river, or that it wouldn't hurt the river. I said that the river, and many just like it, have survived much worse and will survive this. I also said that it would be in the owners best interest to preserve the river in its present state, if not improve on it as the river will be the main focal point of the resort. If what I wrote is too confusing for some of you, I apologize. In the future I will do my best not to use any big words. Actually, I think I will just read the odd report, make a smart ass comment occassionally and check my PMs to stay in touch with friends. This is aimed at the people that sent me nasty PMs because "I don't have a clue about the Crowsnest River..." and "They've been fishing it for almost 10 years....". I guess the almost 40 years of my life spent in the area and the over 100 years that my family has been, and still lives in the area don't matter. Of course we have to do our best to look after our waters, but we also have to be realistic. The two proposed sites will have no impact on the fishermen and the regulations/laws will protect the fishery. I won't be participating any further in this thread and will be deleting anymore PMs I receive.

...Oh, and don't dare question my concern for our water systems. My record, contributions and time spent speak for itself.

You're stronger than I am Rick.....Held off for the entire day, but the Flames just lost, so...... Close to 40 years now watching one thing after another that will "Destroy" the beautiful Mountain Stream named the Crowsnest River.....and guess what, it keeps on doing just fine. The areas in question have never been user friendly, so it is unlikely to impact any anglers as far as removing fishing accessible water. The lake is a wind tunnel and the river across from the Golf Course in Blairmore is pure marsh area that only the mosquitos seem to get any use out of. If they can develope these areas, create jobs for the area and bring some money into the local economy, I see no problem with the developements. With the strict regulations in place as far as pesticides, etc., it is highly unlikely that the river will suffer from that either. Also, with the strict regulations in place for water usage, it is also highly unlikely to impact the system. The Crowsnest River, (along with many others), have been through and survived far worse scenarios than the building of resorts that will depend on the continuation of the river staying as is. If they destroy the river that will be the "Center Piece" of their entire project, it wouldn't be good business. They used to dump pure raw sewage into the river as well as many other things that were far worse than these proposals. You mention Canmore and Banff.....Is there many more beautiful and Clean rivers anywhere in the world than the Upper Bow River? In my opinion there are far more important battles to take on than this one. Is this concern for the River, or is it an excuse to go on a rant about Big Oil Industry Money? I almost deleted this post a few times, but decided to hit the "Add Reply" in the end.....Just my opinion.

I have a good friend that has done it on the Bow for years now. He is an accomplished Fly fisherman as well, but center pins 90% of the time because he catches more fish than with his fly rod. It is a solitary way to fish though....It sucks to fish with him because he takes up pretty much the entire section of river for about 100 Meters from bank to bank. I've seen a few others doing it as well, so I imagine that because it catches fish and the fact we have people from all over the world migrating to Calgary for work, we are likely going to see a number of different methods show up in the future.

I go on an annual fishing trip every year on May 1st to various lakes in BC and thanks to an excellent article by Mr. McLennon in this years AFG, I'm going to head out a few days early by myself. I plan on exploring a few lakes and writing about the adventure as I go. I can't wait and want to thank Jim for the inspiration. I hope to add the writing to some work in progress, but at the very least, I'll probably just bore you all here on the board. I hope everyone reads the article and enjoys it as much as I did. It seems like a long time since I got to do a few days on some water alone. I'm really looking forward to it. (Cue a few people now trying to invite themselves along on my solitary trip..... )

I can vouch for the Kid....He did indeed have his head to the books all the way to and from. Better part of 6 hours on the drive is most likely more than he would have studied if he'd stayed at home. I will however add that I kept my fly boxes out of his reach to help keep him from the temptation of cheating.....Just the one weak moment Brent, but you pulled thru.

Thanks all. Nice of the weather to keep me from wetting a line, but thanks to Bloom with a link some good news, I will be able to celebrate by wetting a line in some of my favorite BC lakes next week....

Yup....G'Nite. Wind Burnt Eyes need to close for at least 8 hours.

Just say when Rick and as long as Greg can go and Tim is ready for us, I'm good to go. Might just head out there in the next couple days anyways.... I'm lovin' this Semi-Retired thing

You make some great points Cruiser and as long as we continue to view it as "Us" against "Them" in regards to our licensing, legislation, etc. instead of focusing on what is best for "Our" fisheries right here in Alberta, we will continue to spin our wheels. Does anyone really think the people in B.C. that make the decisions on what is best for their fisheries, even give two hoots what we are doing here in Alberta, or anywhere else for that matter. They do their studies and do what they feel is best for the fish and for the people that catch them. Sure I'd like to see the fees raised for out of Province Anglers because it is just the way it should be done, not because they charge us more. Registering Guides sounds great in theory, but to implement a system would take time and money. In the end, we would all most likely end up paying more and the cost to be a Professional Guide would chase some of the "Good" Guides away, leaving the river to the people that can afford to be a Guide. Don't under estimate the impact and influence local guides have on a water system. It is their livelyhood and to continue making a living off it, they must ensure it remains a good place for clients to spend their money. Not to mention that obviously the extra expense for running their operation would be added to the cost for a day of guiding..... That being said, I will contradict myself and say that I do support some kind of Registration of Guides, as long as it wouldn't chase the "Right" people away from the profession.