Conor

Frog Hair is my confidence tippet material. I've never had a bad experience with it. If I recall, diameter to strength is significantly better than comparable brands. I find it more supple and better knotting. Wildly qualitative and just my opinion, but it is all I use when tippet matters (ie. Most of the time).

Not Canadian, but Hook and Hackle would work for your needs. They have decent "house" blank kits for reasonable prices. They also do kits in a few of the major blank providers. I've found they are one of the few that still have lower modulus blanks which would be more durable for a youngster or newbie.

We recently got a 3 yo boxer. She is a great family dog. Not nearly as much trouble as you describe, Barnes. She is happy to excessive all day or lay around all day. We have only had her a month, but no damage to the house, to date. We do tend to crate her though, as she likes it. We started on Acana. Good reputation and AB company. It is awesome to here a 10 yr reference as well. I do have more confidence in a raw diet, but baulked at the effort and cost. This thread had me dive in a bit more and it looks like costs are similar. Kibble these day is not the same as it used to be, for sure. We have a friend with a Dalmatian. It was diagnosed with liver failure, given a few months to live and they were sent home with instructions to bring her back when she got too uncomfortable. They put her on a raw diet and she made a complete recovery and is still kicking 5 years later.

I see this as a win. What Jordan did brought significant media attention to a case that would have not been reported on outside of Lethbrige. A $1000 is a lot of money for a lot of people. I think it has some bite in this case. I do feel they should have lost license privledges for longer. It is important to understand that other cultures would have a difficult time understanding catch and release regulations. Even in Europe, catch and keep only is more common than catch and release. If you had emigrated there and were busted for releasing fish, wouldn't you argue for some consideration?

That is atrocious. There is no way he had approval for that scope of work. The Water Act approval process was abbreviated post flood in AB so that stake holders could perform in stream work to correct damage and mitigate future damage, but I would be horrified if he had approval for a realignment of the Oldman. This river would also have federal jurisdiction. Even though DFO has lost a lot of bite in recent years, I would suspect they will get involved (or he/her; I wouldn't be surprised if DFO is one person in a basement office in Ottowa). If the Water Act or Fisheries Act can't land this Yahoo in jail, there is something very wrong with our legislation.

Seems some snow fence and signage would cover the liability? Some cost involved but a bit of funding and volunteers would cover it.

Lornce, tell us more about that variant. Ants and Tricos? Looks deadly. All the good stuff from a usual, h&l and renagade.

I tries tunnels this year. Gives a good head start if you so t have the green house. I'll probably try to extend tomatoes in them this fall. Greens are done and too late to start more, but tunnels would be good for a late summer crop (shade, then later plastic). Any tips for getting tomatoes off earlier? The poundage of green fruit I have composted far exceeds the ripe. I always have big healthy plants, but fruiting is too late. Also, anyone doing haskups/honey berries? I'd like to try some before I plant. The amount of fruit my household goes through is absurd. Some berries would help (strawberries on pallet beds next year).

I'd guess it is creep. Your hand is creeping forward after the back cast, so when you forward cast you don't have enough room and compensate by overpowering, creating a tailing loop. It is a common problem, and one of my casting pitfalls. If you can swing the cost, get some professional instruction. They can ID problems and help you set up a practice routine. It is a good idea for everyone to get some instruction at least every couple of years. You'll be surprised how inexpensive it is as well. About the fuel bill for a big day trip fishing.

My oldest has a brain condition. Hydrocephalus. She is well, thankfully, but I know there is something about brain conditions that puts fear in you like nothing else. It will always be there, and is life changing. Hang in there, but know it is doable. You'll get there. And, as I think Colin said, make sure you and the wife attend to yourselves as well. Burning out will not do your child any favours. Just a bit of time on the river will get you weeks ahead, mentally, and help you do what you need to do to get your family through this.

I hope the new release is better than the old one. It seems all the best fishing falls on the edges of each map, or worse the corners. I spent last weekend constantly flipping pages back and forth. Sometimes roads or creeks disappear between pages!

Awesome work. I am interested, but struggling with the basic machining principals, so haven't taken that leap. I have made passable cap and ring reel seats, but the idea of multiple, large fitting parts is daunting.

Black head? Then Franklin's gull.

Keep it flexible at first. I.e. Easy to bail and get back. One catch with these carriers is how close they put their mouth to your ear.

Almost surely, it is drag that is your issue. Look up and practice some slack casts. You don't need to see a wake on the fly to have problems with drag. The fish will refuse it long before that. After you sort that out, then look at messing around with patterns, tippet, etc. I you change everything all at once, when you are successful you won't know why.

How do we bid, Rick? I went to the link, but didn't see anything.

Long enough bit to worry about it? I suspect that is why no one knows here. It is synthetic but might be susceptible to UV degradation. Other than that, I can't see why it wouldn't last your lifespan at least.

Faster, higher modulus rods will give higher line speed. If your casting is good and you can manage trajectory well, high line speed won't negatively impact your dry fly presentations. If your casting is not perfect, slower rods and line speed will result in fewer errors that lead to spooked risers. I'm with Toolman that tippet protection is not really a factor until you get smaller than 5x. Any differences between rod blanks can be easily managed with technique. Don't fish 5x with an eight weight, but any four or five wieght should be fine. Try some rods and pick something that you'll be excited to take out of the tube, every time. A few spooked fish either way won't impact the value of having a rod you love to use.

Let's see some pics of your net build!

Does this mean it needs more voting members, or more elected board members?

All month, maybe!

A correction on my recommendation: I meant Dewitt's as Murray mentioned above. Not DeWinton. Winchell is another similar spot further to the north west. I combined the two names, I think!

Good to hear your back at it. As far as getting the kids into the sport: it starts early. Get them outside, exploring and discovering. Focus on the natural things that get them excited (eg. bugs, birds, etc.). Plet them guise the way for the most part. That lays the foundation for a lot of good things, fishing included.

No. You can keep some. Check the 2015 regulations for details.

DeWinton pond to the northwest would be a good option. Not sure on directions, but it is probably within an hour of town. Chain lakes to the south would be another good option. Just off highway 22. It is a bit further than you are looking for but it is a scenic drive. Both are stocked trout lakes and you'll stand a good chance at a bunch of pan sized fish.