OneMoreLastCast

I'm not getting into this one this time, I promise. I just wanted to once again point out a great point made by Don. I love the way you think Don. Things might be different, but look what they did to the former mountains near Exshaw for rocks. I can't imagine what they'd do for Oil....

You would have to check into it, but I know other types of Clubs and/or Teams get deals on Travel, Accommodations, etc., so it might be something to look into.

As many find out the first time they go for Steelhead, it's a very humbling experience. If the fish aren't cooperating, at least you can go mini-golfing in Parksville. I miss the Island. My family used to own Eaglecrest and Morning Star golf courses in Qualicum, so I used to have family to stay with, but not anymore. It wasn't so bad then because if the fish weren't on, I could go golfing for free. It's tough though. As said above, the Skeena system is more productive, so it's tough to go so much further.

Sure. I agree that if he breaks the law, he should be charged. As for knowing the Regulations better than the "AB guys...." I would hope so in some cases. I have been fishing these waters for so long that I take for granted that the way I fish is okay because I've been fishing barbless hooks for over 20 years. When I go to new waters, I check the specific regs to ensure I don't break any rules I'm not sure of. As for the "General" Rules. I admit that I haven't read them for years because they are so basic that nothing ever affects me. My mistake was shooting my mouth off when I was a little ignorant. No big deal. My point was that once again, these guys got to us, via a stupid video that shows one fish that they grossly exaggerated in size. Even though they might have posted evidence that they broke the law, my point was that there are 100 other people like them that don't put their illegal fishing on tape....and those are the people that I would spend more energy on.

Don't ever change Rick. Unfortunately due to my screw up, my point will be missed.

Well, I apologize BCBoy. I can't call you Tako, sorry. There's only one Taco to me. Barbs have never been an issue for me, so I missed that one. I guess I'll have to read them again from cover to cover. It's been awhile. My bad.

Ah, that explains it. All I can say is....Stop complaining. Come up to Fort McMurray and see the ridiculous Tim Horton's drive thru messes they have here. All day, every day there is a brutal line up and I have no idea how anyone could be bothered.

Edited because I made a mistake. Sorry.

Not sure what you are getting at BCBoy.....

I wasn't going to get into this one, but I'm bored.... Personally, I can't be bothered with them. There are too many people just like them out there, these guys just like to video tape the odd fish they catch. If they had video of them catching more than just one or two fish in each video, I would worry a little more, but that's not the case. It doesn't look to me like they are really much of a threat to the fishery since it doesn't look like they catch too many fish. As for getting them charged with anything...I can only say that some people are over-reacting. Using Tri-Hooks is not illegal unfortunately and until it is, they are free to do so on the occasional fish they might hook into. (Edited due to ignorance on my part...Sorry). As for the way they handle the odd fish they catch....Although it turns my stomach to see it, the regulations do not state them as "rules", they are written as "Tips", and you can't charge someone for not taking a "Tip". But, as I said, I don't believe that the small number of fish they might luck into is going to affect our great fishery. They video tape their fishing, to show the world that they don't know how to handle, and obviously don't respect the fish they catch. They don't seem to be hiding anything to me. I'd be more worried about the people out there that are actually Poaching and knowingly doing no-good before I'd spend any energy on these guys. If someone has a problem with them personally, that's their prerogative. The comment in the vid shows that they will most likely be reading this and the fact that this thread got to this means they got us...(me included, for replying). I did think the Metallica playing in the 1972 El Camino was more than perfect though. I personally think we should all get together and throw Rick in the river... ....Oh wait. Forget that. If we wait long enough, he'll just fall in himself.

Just stick with it as you figured out. Your rig sounds okay, but as the season goes on, pay attention to this board to see what the fish are on. I was lucky enough to hit the river on Saturday and maybe I am just lucky because I found the fish to be very co-operative. I believe that knowing where the fish are is 33%, Fly selection is 33 % and presentation is 33% with luck being the other 1% at this time of year. What I'm saying is that you could have the perfect flies on, but if you are casting to places that the fish aren't or possibly not presenting the flies correctly, you are setting yourself up for disappointment/frustration. I often pass by anglers casting into water that I know doesn't hold fish. I used to offer advice, but there are just too many people out there now, plus, ego often gets in the way of their learning how to fish. I was on the water early Saturday and personally found the fish seemed to take just about anything offered to them. They were in deeper, slow water right on the bottom. I did get a couple along the "seam" in faster water, but found most of the fish were deep for the most part. As it got warmer, (and I had to leave...), the fish started looking up and I saw a few sipping midges off the surface, so that would open up your options as well. The most productive flies I found were midges/chironomids size 16/18 and black and brown size 10 Buggers dead drifted below an indy, swung at the end of the drift and stripped back up. I'm old school like Hawgstoppah as far as setting my depth. If I use an indicator, I like to set it so I am "Tapping" the bottom, not "Dredging" it. I constantly change my depth to suit the section I am fishing. Simplify how you fish the Bow. A lot of people are intimidated by the Bow because it is so "Big", but if you just sit back and break it down into small sections, you'll find it can fish very similar to a lot of smaller streams you are more comfortable on. Good luck.

I'm not sure, I'll let you know....

Sounds great Greg. Are we at $10000 yet?

As far as I'm concerned, no extras needed for me. Just thought I'd help make a home stretch push for more cash for the cause. Plus I get to fish with two people I enjoy fishing with, and another that I've wanted to fish with but haven't been able to. It's all good in my eyes. I'm only speaking for me. Rick might need those extras though

I'm probably free that weekend too Why don't we see it Bloom could handle 3 anglers. I'd throw in a couple hundred bucks on top of course for the cause. Say...make it $500 for 3 of us? If that's not cool, let me know. I think we deserve another crack at the Bullshead together Rick don't you?

Yes I had it delivered to my Home in Stettler. I did find that some of the Brands won't deliver outside the States though, but North Fork did. Total cost was $1177. I'm in no way trying to take business away from local businesses, but after comparing what I could get locally and seeing the boat I bought up close, I decided it was the best for me. If I could have found it locally, I would have bought it instead of mail order.

It is the Minn Kota Max and I can't remember the Battery and charger I got. I picked the Battery and charger up at Canadian Tire and was surprised at how much they cost. Almost as much as the motor. I got the Sage 2540 reel in silver and a 490 Z-Axis Rod. I've never had very good luck with Sage reels, but it's been awhile since I tried one so I figured I'd give them a second chance. I also got a good deal on it as a combo. If it doesn't perform well, at least it will still look cool.

Wow, you read my mind. I did indeed pick up a 55 lb thrust motor to use on it....I just thought I might start to look a little insane if people started to see how easily I am separated from my money when it comes to fishing. ....Oh, and the "I suck" comment was deserved and actually felt good to hear. Thanx

First off I'll give my excuses/reasons so I don't get Flamed, then I'll say where I bought it. Reason 1 is I am usually working away from home and very remote. Reason 2 is I've looked everywhere available around Calgary and haven't found anything comparible, quality wise or price wise. Reason 3 is that when I am working remotely, when I get bored, I like to buy stuff.... I bought it thru Cabela's for $999 and it was at my house in 2 weeks. I will suggest to anyone that might want to do the same to do it fast because by about the end of March, they end up with most of their popular Items getting put on back order and it can take months to receive. I've been victim of that a few times. I ordered a different pontoon in July and ended up cancelling the order in September because the season was pretty much done and it was still on back order. Other wise my business goes to Gord at Westwinds for at least 90% of my Fly Fishing supplies.

I got a new toy too. I don't know why I did this to myself being that I won't be able to use it for awhile, but I couldn't resist. My therapy for being stuck up in the deep freeze way up North is buying stuff. http://www.northforkoutdoors.com/2008webca...g/2008pg17.html I did however have a beer while sitting in it pretending I was out on the water....It went together in about 15 minutes right out of the box including pumping up the 'Toons first time, so I'm happy that way anyways. After building it and testing it out on the concrete, it seems pretty decent. As you can see, mine is Blue and Grey, not the yellow or red shown in the pictures on the North Fork Webpage. Now I have all the bases covered as far as pontoonin' goes....small, medium and large. Can't wait to cast the new Sage I bought at the same time while floating down the Bow in the new Pontoon.

Not really. I was just buggin' ya. I'm just jealous "cause your rod is bigger than my rod...

Soon enough we'll be trying to enjoy a nice day on the water and all the "Long Rodders" will be heckling us from the bank for being out of style and uncool....(Yup, another Snowboarder vs Skier Crack). In all honesty Rick, I haven't tried any long rods yet because I'm afraid of myself. I'm too compulsive and know for sure that I'd end up going "All the way" and once again be wondering why my bank account keeps dwindling. Plus, I just bought another pontoon boat and another new Sage last week. See, I just can't help myself!

Bring what ever you're comfortable with. I'll point, you cast....set the hook and I'll net the fish, take the picture. Lather, rinse...repeat. Depending on what time of year we get to do our thing, you might want to bring the little stick for dries tho.

"A single point hook that is dressed only with fur, feathers, hair, textiles, tinsel and/or wire, and to which no external weight or attracting device is attached...." 'Nuff Said.

A few more patterns I've done well with are the "Showgirl" tied with Purple and Pink Marabou with Crystal flash. Simple tie, but very effective. The "Fat Pinky" is another one to try that is easy to tie. Purple tail, (Marabou will do for the tail if you don't have Purple Saddle), Body is 2/3 Pink Chenelle and 1/3 Black chenelle. Tie in a Collar with either Purple Saddle, (if you have it) or Black Saddle Hackle. Another good pattern is the "Optic". They take a bit more time but are very good to have with you. If you take the time to tie them, tie a few different color combos. They represent fry and should be deadly for the time of year you are going. Bunny leeches tied in Lime/Black, Pink/Purple and White/Red color combos are very effective as well and easy to tie a bunch up quickly. If you google the patterns I listed, I'm sure you'll find the actual recipes. I'm too lazy to do it myself right now, sorry. One last thing I will bring up is to use the correct hooks when tying. It would suck to tie a bunch of nice patterns, get all the way out to your destination and then find out that the regular hooks you use on the Bow just straighten out when in a Steelies' Jaws.