adams

Speaking of measuring fish, I tape small markers onto my rods at key points (12", 16", 20") and that way I can quickly lay the rod alongside the fish for a quick measurement while the fish revives in the water. I just use scotch tape and yellow sticky note paper, and it doesn't seem to negatively affect the action of the rod. I realize it's not rocket science, but I think it helps me to get the fish back much quicker. Especially the big ones that always pique your curiosity for a measurement. Adams

That's a start, but sadly only because he actually got stuck. I've seen 15 ATVs lined up to wash themselves off on Prairie Creek right next to the road (after ripping up the surrounding land all day). Next time I'm stopping to take a closeup picture showing their plates.

Sorry to hear about your loss. Bear looks like a real character. They say you should get another one right away, but I lost my last dog 18 years ago and I still can't bring myself to get another one.

I have a Loomis rod and it does the job. I have also cast a Zaxis and really liked it. Something to keep in mind with Loomis is they were bought out by a large spin-cast company (can't remember the name now) and the service/warranty has really suffered. I had to replace mine and it took months plus I had to pay $150 in total and chase around after a complacent dept. Neil

Hi All, I've never been a lake fisherman, but with the high water everywhere I went out and bought a Fish Cat 4 and Outcast fins and tried it on a small pond yesterday. I have to say, it wasn't quite what I was expecting, and I'm thinking there are probably some guys on the forum who have experienced the same problems I had? (1) Can you put an anchor on one of these, or would that be totally dangerous/stupid? I found I had to kick constantly to try to counteract the wind/current and stay in place. (2) I had to kick like crazy and got very little movement for it. I have the outcast fins and was wearing my wading boots. I know there are other fins available.....do they really make that big a difference? I have bad knees so the constant kicking was killing me. (3) Do the bladders stretch or something the first time out? I filled both before going out, and when I came in an hour later both were noticeably down. Not enough to be dangerous or anything, but definitely softer. (4) I had about 3 - 4 inches of water in the compartment behind the seat.... is that normal? I only weigh about 190 so I don't think I was overloading it. I saw a guy out in a full-size pontoon boat, and he didn't seem to be having any of these problems. I think he had an anchor, he moved quickly and easily between spots, and seem to be sitting up a lot higher in the water (perhaps making his kicking more efficient?). Any advice appreciated. Thanks Neil

I have a St. Croix rod, but it would be no comparison to your state of the art one. It's my backup in case I break my Loomis.

I've got the GL3 and it's not a bad rod in the $300 - $400 range. Don't know about the GLX.

I use a piece of fly-box insert foam (with the ridges/ripples in it) and wrap several rigs as the others do. Unfortunately, even with the ridges, I end up with squashed "hoppers" (usually stimulators) when I pack it in my vest. Thinking of making a special fly box, but if one exists already I'd buy it.

Lots of teeth on those walleyes......do you need a steel leader? Adams

Looks like some type of cod?

You're a good man for sticking with your friend. Too bad you couldn't have stashed your heavy stuff, made a push for the lake and then picked it up on the way back, but I'm sure you thought that through. At least you had a nice hike and have some great photos..... Thanks!

Fantastic adventure as always and great report. Just curious, is that pack raft multi-chambered? When I saw the picture of the big lake I was thinking "hate to spring a leak in the middle of that". Adams

I'm not an expert, but I do fish a hopper-dropper a lot. I usually have a 14 - 16 inch dropper and my droppers are all bead-head (adds a little weight but not enough to sink the hopper). I also use kind of a dump-cast to drive that dropper down quickly ahead of the hopper to get it vertical as quickly as possibly. Also, I've noticed that big foam hoppers are not nearly as sensitive as a good old stimulator. Hope that helps. Adams

I spent the last week fishing the RAM system and then the Crowsnest area and was stopped in both areas by CO's who checked my license and barbs. I thought they were doing a terrific job and told them so. The officers on the RAM spent the day going round and checked every single fisherman I saw. By contrast, I can fish a lifetime in NB and not get stopped once. I've seen people gutting illegal fish across the river from the Ranger station while the Rangers pressure-wash their trucks and wave to their cousins across the river who are getting "dinner" for them of the last few remaining brook trout around. Alberta you seem to be doing a great job of enforcement. Keep it up. You deserve the wonderful fisheries you've created.

Guess it must be hit and miss with the Orvis waders. I'm on my 5th season with cheap Orvis Clearwater waders and only having to put the Aquaseal to them now. I only paid $125 for them and I definitely got my money's worth. Adams

I posted my experience with the Loomis warranty before, but I'll reiterate. Broke my main rod (GL3) in early June 2009 (my fault totally). Had a hard time even contacting anyone at Loomis to find out what the procedure was. They told me only one guy deals with the entire program and he didn't return any of my phone messages. Finally told me I had to ship the entire broken rod to him before he would even comment on a replacement (that cost me $25 and I did it right away as I wanted to get fishing again). Many phone calls later (I got the story about the inventory backup too) I received by new GL3 the day after fishing season closes here (Sept 15) and had to pay another $75. Terrible service IMHO and I won't be buying another Loomis rod if this one ever breaks again. Someone told me the service went downhill after Shimano bought Loomis, but that's just heresay. Adams

Apart from the other issues already mentioned above, I think you might be missing out on a valuable part of the fishing experience by using a GPS with pre-loaded waypoints anyway. I've enjoyed many a cold winter night pouring over maps with my compass planning adventures for the next season. When the magic day arrives, I've already played it out in my mind many times over, yet the adventure never ceases to surprise and please me again in reality. It adds another dimension to have to correlate land marks with your map, work out the magnetic declination and then sight out the next bearing of the trek. Even if the fishing isn't great when you get there it still feels like a rewarding experience. Compare that to mindlessly plodding along with your head down watching a computer screen that tells you what to do. Not knocking anyone who uses GPS or anything else, just trying to suggest an alternative that might bring you more enjoyment. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned (or just old). Adams

Definitely try tying your own. That way you get the quality you are looking for. After a while you'll notice common unravelling problems and develop some tricks to address them. For instance, I don't use head cement (particularly on small flies where I'll just end up plugging up the eye, but I do a double whip finish (5 wraps and tie it off, then repeat). As long as you've got fine thread it doesn't bulk up the head. Adams

Totally insane. You can buy a real mansion in major US cities right now for under $200k, and Van want 10 times that for a dump? Gotta wonder what the buyers are thinking. Unless they are all speculators figuring they won't be the last one left holding the bag.

What surprised me are the many blog entries sympathetic to/supporting the woman. From her superfluous financial claims and twisted rationale, you can tell she is someone who is clearly used to milking the/any system and blaming everything on someone else. Unfortunately, our society today breeds and encourages this twisted logic and her poor husband will probably still end up getting screwed in the settlement.

Trailer Park Boys would be proud.

And I thought this thread was going to be about a wedding announcement....... Worst part is the feeling of violation of your personal space. You catch yourself looking around and almost anticipating it again. Takes a long time for that to go away. I expect the "old west style re-education" will go a lot further than any $35 fine. We need more of that these days..... get them looking around expecting it instead of us. Adams

My experience was similar. I broke my GL3 and was told it would cost me $75 to have it replaced, plus I had to pay to ship the entire broken rod to them. I also got the runaround and story about a backlog in inventory. The guy I had to deal with at Loomis was less than customer friendly. This was in June and I received my new GL3 on the last day of fishing season (here it's Sept 15). I won't buy another Loomis product. Adams

Yes, and voting Liberal will bring you many, many more problems. The Conservatives may not be perfect, but they are far better than any other choice out there (IMHO). Adams

"1.Mud and debris should be rinsed and brushed from wading shoes prior to leaving the river. After returning from a trip, wading shoes and waders should be washed in hot water (greater than 104 degrees F), inspected for any debris (remove with a hard bristle brush), and dried until they are completely dry. Felt can take up to 3 days to dry; most rubber-soled wading shoes are completely dry in 24 hours." So, are you saying once they are completely dry, all the potentially dangerous substances are dead? Adams