OneMoreLastCast

Sorry to the local retailers, but I order my tippets and most of my leaders online. I'm in a small town, so that's my excuse, unless I want big shiny lures for Pike, I'm SOL....Otherwise I do 98% of my shopping at Westwinds simply 'cause I like to give Gord my business. That being said, I buy from Cabela's and I usually order enough that I can save quite a bit. Check out Frog Hair's web page for info on their products. http://www.froghairfishing.com/ Rio also makes great tippets BTW and they are a lot easier to find usually. I usually use Flouro for Bigger Nymphs, Streamers and big Dries usually because it sinks faster and holds up better in the wind, or wind resistance from big bushy flies. I use Mono for Smaller Nymphs, Emergers and little dries where I am using lighter line because Mono absorbs shock better and allows me to get a better hook set with smaller flies. Mono is more visible than Flouro, but doesn't sink as fast, so it is much better than Flouro for dries. The one disadvantage I've found is that Mono tends to fray and break down faster, so check your tippet often for abrasions and change it if necessary. Mono is easier to get good knots though. I always recommend that newer Fly Anglers stick with Mono because when it comes down to it, it really doesn't make that much of a difference IMO. For the average, or majority of the Anglers on the Bow that dredge the bottom with a BAW, I'd say to stick with Mono. It's also a good idea to match your tippet brand to your leader brand to get better knots.

I'd suggest going thru this thread. http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?...post&p=8539

I'm a big fan of Frog Hair. Used it for a day on the Bow last week, ran out and was forced to use the Umpqua in my vest that I had bought as back up. I was using very small flies and had to use very light tippet. The Frog Hair outperformed the Umpqua ten fold, so I'll be sticking with it until I find something that beats it. With the Frog Hair, I was landing >20" fish on 3 lb test. The next day I was getting snapped off on the Umpqua on 3.75 lb by fish that were in the 16" range. There's nothing more frustrating than bad tippet IMO, so I have no problem spending the extra money.

Oh, as for flies Rick. I'm heading back up North on Monday, so I'll be tying to kill time. I should have some available for Christmas. You'll have to buy them from GlenBow though. I think I'll put together a "MTB Bow River Set" for him to peddle. As long as you don't take them into any of the fly shops in town again!

Tough hook sets indeed. Aside from the few I landed, (Little guys I tried to shake off but couldn't), the fish would either shake the little size 22 or snap the light tippet I had to use with the little hooks. Still a day on the Bow with a new fishin' buddy is better than a lot of other options out there. Looks like I'm going to have to spend the extra cash on better quality tippets. The "Frog Hair" I used and ran out of the day before held up much better than the tippet I used yesterday for sure. Now there's quite a few of my flies being advertised as what "Not to eat" swimming around the Fish Creek area.

Rick, you caught some that day with Max, your buddy and me way downstream.... Oh yeah, I added what you guys were saying that day with Max and the boys. I think this picture is way better than the one with You, Max and me pointing.

PM sent

Not sure...you going tomorrow?

Great report Clive. Noone tells a story with pictures better than you do. ....Did you say, "No wind"?

I received this in an email just now and it hits home, being that I am old enough to remember. For others here it will as well and for some, (if not most), it will sound like stuff that Grandpa BS's about! Those Born 1930-1979 TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURV IVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!! First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking. As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O .K. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms....... WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them! Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't, had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ide as. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL! If YOU are one of them?CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good. While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

No offense Glen, but I hope your BC trip falls thru. If it does, and your cat is okay with sharing a few bites......

We Albertans might get a rude wake up call in the near future, more so than the rest of the country. The rest of the country will feel it too, but not immediately. If the Canadian Dollar levels off, even at $1.10, everyone will adapt and business will eventually continue as always, but along with the potential outcome of the Royalty Review to go along with the high Dollar, it could spell trouble. It is basically just bad timing IMO. If they increase the Royalty intake to 20% as proposed to get $2 billion per year in Royalties, it will, and already has with the threat, cause investors to take their money elsewhere. To earn that $2 billion, it has been estimated that it will cause $26 Billion in developement money to not be spent in the Oil Sands. I'm no math Wizz, but I'd say that isn't very good business. People think that the Oil giants should be paying more money, and maybe they should be, but the money to build the plants comes from Investors that will just find another place to put their money to get a profitable return. With the high Dollar and less return on their investment due to increased Royalties, the Oil industry in Alberta won't look so appealing. Average Joe Albertan is only being told about the additional $2 Billion, combined with a strong Canadian Dollar, everything looks Hunky Dory to them. Anyone involved in the Industry might feel differently though. The old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" sums it all up IMO. We have it pretty good and I'd hate to see that change. One immediate positive for me is that they have put a hold on a lot of contract work in Fort McMurray until the Review results become finalized. Therefore, I get to fish the Bow for a couple days this week.

Take advantage of the Loonie being up where ever you can, and retail is definitely one of the positives of a higher Canadian Dollar. I say this because along with some positives, there are a lot of negatives that come along with it as well. If the Loonie hits $1.15 as forecasted, it could have a very negative affect on things like tourism, international trade, etc., along with the "Alberta Advantage" as we know it. Americans that would have in the past come up to be guided on the Alberta and BC waters, will think twice about it if the cost to them increases basically $0.30 on the dollar. This would make it difficult for the guides, or guiding outfits to continue as they have in the past. This is one example that applies to something that people on this board can relate it to. The positive from above would be that is could potentially take some of the pressure off the waters, but when the cost is someone's livelyhood, I don't know if I'm okay with that. One big positive to me, being a hockey fanatic, is that it will allow the Canadian teams to make more profit since 100% of the player's contracts are paid in American dollars for now. It should become more attractive for big name players to want to play in Canada in the future, (even Edmonton), because as we all know with Pro athletes, in the end it comes down to money. I'm curious as to how, or if it has affected anyone here yet? For me it definitely has, along with or brilliant Premiere's "Royalty Review". I work and depend on Alberta's Oil Sands and the rise in the Canadian Dollar has really put a kink into future expansion plans in the area. This and the uncertanty of the outcome of the Review could potentially force me to seek to make my living over sees, and that would break my heart. Then my nickname here would really apply.

I too would be interested to see his results. The above quote is the one that made me laugh though. A person can't be too confident in their statements if they go back and edit what they wrote. The funny thing to me is that just below his post, I quoted him, so what he wrote isn't just going away. http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?...ost&p=17526 Stating one's opinion is fine, but doing it the way he does is ridiculous and from here on, I will not be a part of any thread he decides to disrupt. I think I'll just turn all the lights off and walk around stubbing my toe on the coffee table over, and over, and over.....

I agree that Streamers catch Big fish, and I'll add that noone actually said that they didn't. The problem I had, (and I think most of the others), that replied to this thread negatively were responding to Steelhead's choice of stating his point. It's hard to know exactly where he stands now since he has edited his original posts, but I did quote him where he stated that he only fishes Streamers because otherwise a person could only catch small fish. That's what I disagreed with, but like I say, He's changed his posts, so who knows where he stands now. I'm pretty sure he is just trying to piss people off now, so once again, someone started a thread that ended up getting sidetracked by someone that decided what they had to say was more important than anyone else's opinion. I will add though that over the years, and thru education, I actually catch more big fish by Nymphing or fishing Emergers and Pupa fished in the film. That is why I thought I would advise the person asking the question to learn the fish's feeding habits and the insects they eat. If a person does this, they will not only catch more fish, and bigger fish as well, it will in my opinion make Fly fishing more interesting. To each his/her own though.

Love this old split bill board Ad too.

Rusty made some great suggestions in another post that would help as well. http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?...ost&p=18181

Sounds like fun, I'll give it a go too.

By limiting yourself to only one aspect of Fly Fishing, you are likely limiting the number of fish you will catch, as well as limiting yourself to moderately sized fish. Although I am a proponent of more technical methods when it comes to Fly Fishing such as different Nymphing Techniques Sub-Surface along with Surface techniques with Dry Flies, Crippled and/or Spent Insects and Emergers, there are definitely times when it is effective to use Streamers. Catching fish is not about what they are eating sometimes, but more so where they are located. Streamer fishing can be a great method for locating where the fish are holding because a person can cover so much water. When fishing Streamers, the fish you do catch are more likely to be bigger on average, but don’t be surprised to occasionally have a Trout not much bigger than the Streamer take it. In the span of a day of fishing, I am likely to use all of the techniques in my repertoire in order to better my chances of not only catching more fish, but in catching big fish. I will often switch either Rods with different rigs, or switch my rigging up quite often thru-out a day in order to improve my chances of success. I will skip any discussion on Nymphing and Dry fly fishing and move right into Streamer fishing, both Traditional and Alternative techniques. The Traditional thinking when it comes to fishing Streamers is to use them in the early and later parts of the fishing season when the water is cooler and the fish are stacked up in deep pools. The Streamer would be cast either straight out or slightly downstream, allowing the current to carry it down. The Angler would then strip it back up thru the pool or just on the seam of where the slow water meets the faster water. This was and still is a very effective method for fishing streamers and will usually get a person into some nice fish not only early and late in the year, but can also be good thru-out the summer too. When using this technique, you will often get “chasers” that bite the tail of the Streamer before actually taking the hook in its mouth. So be sure to have patience and let the fish take the hook before yanking your offering away and missing the fish. It has been discovered thru trial and error that Streamers have been greatly under used, as well as very limited in how they have been used. Not only the methods have evolved, but the patterns have as well. Instead of just casting a Leech Pattern or a Wooly Bugger downstream, letting it swing and stripping it up thru deep pools, Streamers can induce aggressive strikes in many different types of water that in the past would have been reserved for Dry Flies or Nymphs. One of my favorite techniques is to cast a heavy weighted “Clouser Minnow” upstream about 45º in faster riffled water letting it hit the water hard. I then strip it back to shore pretty much as fast as I can. This has proven to be effective from shore, but even more effective when casting from a boat to the shore and stripping it from shore. The strikes when using this technique are very explosive and exciting because you can often see the chase and take. This is a technique I used almost exclusively with Clients in my guiding days because not only was it effective, but it was very exciting for the people as well. Be warned though, because you can see the chase and take, people missed a lot of fish due to premature hook sets. Another excellent way to fish Streamers is to fish them opposite of traditional thought. Using either a basic pattern like a Wooly Bugger, Leech, etc. or a newer type of Streamer, cast directly upstream into pools, seams, riffles, etc. and retrieve it just slightly faster than the current adding sharp “Jerks” into the strips. Adding slight side to side action to the retrieve will help induce more strikes as well. The strikes when fishing like this are often very different from the ones mentioned above. The fish are more likely to just scoop the offering up as it passes by them, so I would advise setting the hook on every little bump you feel. We often walk upstream casting Dry Flies as we make our way where sometimes we are successful, but if the fish aren’t looking up or we have the wrong imitation on, we’ve limited our chances of catching fish. We also do the same with Nymphing where we walk up casting behind every boulder, by every log, thru every seam and riffle, etc. This also can produce positive results, but if the fish aren’t interested in our offering, or are simply not feeding, again, we may have limited our chances. By doing the same with a Streamer while walking upstream and casting to the same exact spots, now we don’t need to be so concerned with “matching the hatch” because we are inducing a strike out of aggression or opportunistic behavior. A fish that may have fed all day and is, or was, content on just relaxing for a bit will chase and bite a streamer where Dries or Nymphs might get ignored. The last technique I will talk about is to combine two practices into one. Tie a Wooly Bugger, Leech, Bee-Otch, etc. (Traditional Maribou type Streamer), on under an Indicator. Cast it thru water that you would cast a Nymph set up thru, but strip it back at the end of the drift. You will get a lot of strikes on the dead drift as well as on the strip retrieve. Don’t get me wrong, personally I prefer fishing the other two ways I mentioned, but I would never limit myself. There are also a lot more ways to fish Streamers than I mentioned and one big positive thing to Streamer fishing is that there are so many ways to fish them, so experiment and come up with your own “Secrets”. A few tips to close. 1. Weight your streamers appropriately. Simply making them really heavy can sometimes limit your success. There are times when casting light Streamers thru fast, shallow water where it rides just under the surface is what you want. 2. Tie a Swivel on your line to help with line twisting. 3. Use heavier line of course because of the aggressive strikes that can happen. Also check your line often for abrasions, knots, etc. because it would be a shame to hook into that fish of a lifetime only to lose it to a break off that could have been avoided. 4. Duck! Nothing can ruin a great day like a big heavy eyed Streamer in the teeth. Start off casting smaller lighter streamers and work your way up so you get used to casting them. 5. Have fun. Isn’t that why we fish in the first place.

Rick, Rick....Rick. I wish I wasn't stuck up here in Fort McMurray because it hasn't been that long and I already miss fishing with you. Awhile back, (around 20 years ago now), my oldest/longest fishing Buddy Jerry had the same thing happen, only the hook in His head was a bit smaller. He came over to ask me for assistance in getting the hook out. I simply reached over, grabbed the hook and yanked....It came out no problem at all. The only problem was that the hooks tip stayed in his scalp. No big deal we thought and figured it would just disolve or form a "bubble" and the problem would go away. Each year Jerry would get each of us to feel the back of his head to show that the Hook tip was still there. We would give him a bit of sympathy, let him tell anyone that hadn't heard the story his near death experience and go fishing. This Spring on our annual group fishing trip, Jerry once again told us to feel his head and low and behold, the tip is still there. It never caused any problems over the years and the way it looks, he'll be able to have his Grandchildren feel the back of his head and tell them about that fatefull day.

I'm done with this. Pretty hard to debate anything if you will just go back and edit your original posts. If you were confident in what you said, why did you go back and change anything? Have a good one.

I think you need to rethink your study habits. I'll answer that with some quotes from your own posts. So yes, you did say that. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Much appreciated. Streamers, Dries, Nymphs....Ummm, +30 years here. You don't think we sometimes use streamers? Why would any decent Angler not use the appropriate technique for the situation? Why not cast Streamers to find out exactly where to cast Streamers to catch big fish? Switch back and forth, I could care less as long as it is allowed by the Regulations, but please don't try to say you were casting Cranks as research to help you be a better Fly Fisherman. The old....Everyone else is wrong and I'm right theory in play. Nice.

Not in the mood for this debate Steelhead. All I will say is that I have no problem with multi-method anglers and have often defended them when the elitist attitudes show up here. I will also say that if you are any kind of serious Fly Angler, you would have no use for your "Cranks" on a River like the Bow. Regardless of what I, or anyone else says, you will be correct, so I'll just end it by saying, "You're right, I'm wrong"....Sorry. For anyone that wants to catch bigger fish, don't bother learning the Fish's feeding patterns, insect's life cycles, reading water, etc. Just go buy some 6" to 8" Streamers or better yet, just throw the Fly rod in the closet and start chuckin' Cranks. It turns out I haven't got a clue what I'm talking about, my apologies.

I hope you do get to take advantage of the resolution and as I was reading thru all of the responses to your initial post, I noticed that you handled it perfectly. Therefore, I too would like to offer to spend a day on the River with you and your buddy. This year is a possibility, but the Spring might be a better option. I have a good memory and if it takes until this time next year, I'm willing to help you out. PM me and we can see if we can set something up.

I have to step in and say something and I'm sure it will offend, but what Steelhead wrote is ridiculous. Big fish eat the same food as small fish, just more of it. They are also opportunistic and of course more aggressive, so yes, your options open up as far as being able to catch them on Streamers. Big fish get big because they are wiser and harder to catch, but getting to know a fish's feeding cycles, etc. will get you into big fish using the exact same patterns used to catch small fish. You can also catch big fish on Dries, especially at this time of year. You just need to know what to look for and target big fish to catch them. I've caught a number of +20" Trout on size 20 - 24 dries/emergers at this time of year, so I will not debate whether or not you can catch Big Trout on Dries. By blind casting dry flies on the Bow, you will be lucky to catch any fish at all, so you should feel lucky to catch even small fish. Learn how to read rise forms in order to know what the fish are feeding on and also to know whether it is a big fish or a small fish. Taking Fly fishing advice from someone that was "Casting a Crank" as recently as this Spring, might not get you the results you are looking for.