nick

I haven't read the officially written law, but as I was browsing an Alberta Outdoorsmen mag a couple months ago, one article stated that we now have a law that makes it illegal to drive "wheeled and tracked vehicles" in/on the bed or shore of a lake or stream in Alberta, with fines up to $10 000. Within reason, I'd take pictures, try to include some with license plates, then call RAP. Again, being sure its safe to do so. Leave the confrontation at home, and let the authorities deal with it. Unfortunate, but common, and I, over the last several years, have just stopped fishing in areas with high OHV numbers, because I know how my mood will be altered, and I don't go fishing to experience that. Just my two cents. Nick

I have a helios. If the hydros fishes anything like it (which it should), do it! Nick

talked to Vic about it a few weeks ago. said he's had friends get them to 15 or so inches above the falls, and in all diff age classes. A mix of browns and bows developing in the Crow over the next decade or so will be awesome! BTW, I've got two small browns in 7 days of crow fishing this year (both below the falls). Those falls are pretty big. I have doubts about anough browns making it over Lundbreck to begin a viable population, but I'm not saying it isn't possible. I'm just more likely to believe in hatchery escapies, or illegal stocking, theories. Cool to hear all the experiences of people catching them upstream, though! Nick

Rusty and max said it. I'd say get a 4 wt in the 8-8.5 foot range. I have a 7.5 foot 4wt, which I love, but more and more i just find my self using my 8.5' 5wt, or 9' 5wt, because those sorts of lengths are more preactical day in and day out. Casting, medning, etc are all aided by a couple more inches, without getting ridiculous. 8.5 feet is still very preactical on smaller streams. A 4 wt will be light enough, IMHO. Going too light will limit you, not necessarily in fish fighting or anything, but things like wind, large flies, etc. Nick

It isn't more fishermen. It's more fishermen with more money, and more time, and more quads, and more stupidly big pickup trucks, and more up to date information, and more RVs, and more Internet Fishing Reports to follow, and more articles in American magazines .... The list could go on and on. Point being, if we don't want our fishing areas to implode, we need to relieve the pressure valve, and do something. My idea has always been to regulate OHV/ATV and random camping. NOTE: not ban, only regulate, in a similar manner as fishing --places you can and can not do it, at certain times of year, and for a nominal licensing fee. That, my friends, will help things out because it makes a lot of things, like habitat destruction, poaching, etc, a lot less easy and all too, unfortunately, common. Nick

That guy writing in CNFF and NWFF about SW AB gets my hackles up. Write about your own homewaters.

The problem isn't that the streams become more well known in the long run, because in AB most of our good ones are known -people just don't always fish them-, but rather the majority of fishermen will wait until the word is "hot," then head out en masse. Hence the crowding. Often though, as others have mentioned, the fad is short lived, because someone else will blab about a different spot, and the race there will begin. The difference with Barry's book and an internet post is this: his book mentioned everything at once, while a report lets everyone read about ONE PLACE. Again, hence the instant crowd. People may think that Barry Mitchell blew the whistle on a spot or two, but I can honestly say only two spots in his book were places I had either never heard about, or seriously contemplated going to. The Internet my friends, is a totally different monster than a book. Nick

Thanks for the advice. The WW suggestions were a total read of my deepest thoughts.

I use my tan... or banana boat

Thanks for the advice!

Hi. I'm a total green horn to Spey fishing, don't even have a rod. I'm looking at either an 11 foot 6wt spey that I can use as a switch rod, or a 12.5 foot 8/9 weight. I will be using it mostly for trout (maybe some of the smaller salmon, but I wouldn't be planning on it), and mostly in AB, with a trip or two to BC trout streams each year. I'm a pretty traditional style fly fisher, so for the most part I wouldn't be using it to chuck huge heavy stuff a mile and a half, or to sink bulky nymph rigs very often. I would most likely use it for high-stick nymphing, wetfly and streamer swinging. What do you guys recommend? Pros and cons of each? Thanks a million. Nick

Hey Skyangler, nice pic on your profile/display. Have that old article at my Cabin. Gets the juices flowing everytime to look at those pics. What's his name... Del Canty? That article I have with that exact pic must be 40 years old. haha Nick

Bill C-19 is a brutal, obviously non-democratic law that the Provincial Conservatives are trying to implement. In a nutshell, it gives them (and in essence any of the business the government supports) the right and ultimate power to do whatever they want, wherever they want. Seriously. The bill will allow the Provincial government to send a notice to any landowner, with as little as one weeks notice, stating that their property has been selected as the location of a new development project (dam, pipeline, infrastructure, overpass, highway, water line, etc) and the owner needs to vacate. C-19 will allow the resident only SEVEN DAYS TO RESPOND AND MAKE A DEFENSE, FROM THE DATE THE NOTICE IS SENT. In other words, no ample time is given. The resident will have to comply with the government statement (with no chance to negotiate) or face two years in jail and heavy fines, all for believing in the right to hold some private property. "Bill 19 is called the “LAND ASSEMBLY PROJECT AREA ACT”. It makes null and void the Expropriations Act and the Surface Rights Act — whenever private property is seized under Bill 19. Bill 19 eliminates all your rights under the Expropriations Act and all your rights to FAIR COMPENSATION provided by the Surface Rights Act. Bill 19 will only corrupt our government with unbridled power to take private property away from law-abiding citizens." Visit http://killbill19.wordpress.com to read more on this issue. Call your MLA to show some severe resentment to this poor excuse of a democratic legislation. This is a step closer to a dictatorship, and no one, from any political affiliation, should support this proposal. It smacks of corruption and bribes Nick

3 1. dry flies (half stones/terrestrials, half match the hatch stuff) 2. nymphs and streamers 3. wet flies on lakes I swap boxes and lose the nymph one, and replace it with a specialty lake box. I also have a 4th with really, really small stuff (no bigger thna a #20) for those days when I think I'll need it. But it is a very small box.

Clive, exactly. you save a ton if you get camping gear, as opposed to fishing gear. I paid twenty bucks for a good fanny pack, that holds all I need and then a bit more. The similar "fishing brand" pack was three times the cost, and some were much more.

Are you looking for 'rain' waterproof, or 'swimming and dunking' waterproof? MEC sells water proof packs, if you're fishing in the rain and don't want your stuff to get wet. However, if you're looking for a 'dry bag', totally dunkable, for whitewater rafting, you'll need something by a fishing specific brand. For everyday purposes, I'd say get a MEC and save a couple hundred bucks. Nick

the point is, say goodbye to nice landowners, because now they'll hold out on access, and petition the government to pay THEM to allow access. Their argument will be, "well, you pay Joe down south, pay me too."

Harper has failed our country by getting 35% of the voter support, then crying for more time when the other 65% of the parliment has a better idea and are willing to work together. As far as I know, the coalition is only to pass predetermined bills. And the Bloc has no veto right, as is claimed by the Cons. Theeir support is just needed if the Coalition would succeed in getting a passing vote. No different than the Cons getting the NDP to agree on something, as an example. DID YOU KNOW: -in the Canadian parlimentary design the Prime Minister doesn't actually have to be elected, they are simply the person who controls the House of Commons -a voter doesn't vote for a party, leader, PM, whatever. They only vote for an MP. that MP can flip flop sides and opinions whenever. Which is what harper is hoping for by offering pillow jobs to Liberals This stuff makes for interesting reading anyway

The other three party's (NDP, Lib, Bloc) got over 60% of the votes, so why shouldn't they work together and form government if it's possible? It's written right in the constitution that if a minority gov't fails, another can try and control the House. I agree, this isn't the best way to do it, but with only one right wing party, and four centre/left parties it was an inevitable outcome eventually. And who's to say how it will work until we try it. Multiple party systems work in places like Sweden, and they have one of the most productive governments around. On just a Steve Harper note, he painted himself into this corner by trying to cut the party funding of all the other parties, and you could bet that if he was in their position he would be raising hell, too. And if people want to talk about "why did I vote," look at provincial politics. I didn't vote for Eddie, and neither did 47% of my fellow Albertans, yet he controls I think all the seats except six. THAT, my friends, is a travesty. Personally, I just want to see a government actually pass some bills. I'm getting sick of electing a minority Conservative government every two years, especially at over $30M a shot. Fundamentaly, as long as the Conservatives run as they are under Harper, they will never win the east, and such never form a majority.

yup. I'd say numbers wise that motor recreation is a bigger user group down there. At least they are more recognizable. So why does a smaller user group (ie hunting fishing) have a drastically larger set of regulations to follow? Which was the point about throwing the survey results in one direction. I don't want to see environmentally conscious people (fly fishers, hikers, hunters etc) being dubbed as a small bitching group to be ignored only because more people who filled out the survey use ATV's instead of binoculars and their feet.

hopefully the short sighted Legislature won't just sleep through this issue. Good survey. I just hope that too many gear heads don't botch the results.

Pick up Barry Mitchell's Alberta Fishing Guide for directions, but yes, access is good (Waiparous) and is even better if you do some walking.

access is fine -range roads access every few miles of it. It's a brown trout stream, so some days it may seem easy, others it might seem like there isn't a fish in the whole river. If your a beginner beginner, I'd recommend a cutty stream, maybe Waiparous (I'm guessing you're from Calgary). Brown trout streams can scar you for awhile . Nick S

Fanny pack for everyday things, then if I need to, i can always toss more boxes into a backpack (along with a sweater, jacket, etc), or into a jacket/wader pocket. But for day to day fishing, the fanny pack (or smaller chest pack) works well. I wore a vest off and on since I started ffing, but I think I finally found what works best for me. No more sore shoulders after a day, that's for sure. Nick

bump