Grizz

You're joking right?

For a big picture kind of examination of an area, don't neglect Google Earth. Ensure you select the 3D option and set you vertical exaggeration to it's maximum. You can email all of your placemarks all to me!!!

Just how backcountry are we talking? I know of a fair bit of productive rarely fished waters - but it's not "day hike" kind of stuff. PM me and I might have some tid bits for thought.

Yes, you can rent aluminum boats, canoes, or freighter canoes (much more stable, longer and more stable but needs an electric motor-can't paddle them). You can rent from Currie's Guiding (in town), or Maligne Tours (at the lake). It can be good all summer, like everywhere it has its dog days. June is usually fabulous. Cheers!

Geez I can't believe no one mentioned Maligne Lake yet... Average brookie runs about 1 1/2 lbs. Third largest brookie in the world came from the lake (on display in Hinton). And a veritable plethora of fishies! Some of the brookies will run several pounds. I've seen them caught up to 7 in the past (visually seen them caught or caught them myself). Not to mention a beautiful setting! Or... just fly into Fortress and knock em dead!

Guiding naked DOESN'T COUNT!!!!!

Ron Jeremy...Greatest porn star that ever lived....AND HE LIVES!!!! http://www.ronjeremy-themovie.com/

Some good generalizations there. As much as you learn, you forget too. Alot of what you learn is specific to a particular body of water vs. fishing in general. One of the reasons IMHO that guides fish the same so often is that you find out what's working, therefore you utilize it to maximize your "fish in boat" which of course translates into happy clients. I've spent many a day wondering "Why TF this isn't working today?" then turning to my clients and saying "We can do this all day and hopefully get some fish - or...if you're interested we can try something different. It might work, it might be a waste of time. But I'm being straight with you because I'm getting frustrated with the "same old thing" not working here and you're paying me to catch you fish and think about how to do that...right?". Most times their into it and you wind up suddenly turning a sleeper day into something that is special. The fellow I learned to guide from is definitely an "away from the pack" guy and encouraged guides who worked for him to try new stuff. It stuck with me. What makes me glad I don't guide anymore (although I miss it too), is because when you find yourself casting to a 8lb rainbow cruising the shallows catching it, landing it and letting it go, then realizing your heartbeat barely changed...you've lost what it is which made fishing exiting in the first place. I'm thankful now (and a bit worried too!) that my heartbeat actually increases in situations like that again! It took a while but it came back. I always wonder if I'd kept guiding, would it ever come back? Remember though, ANYTHING can turn from passion into just a job. Heck if you had to have sex 8 hours a day 5 days a week day in day out - it would be just a job after a while wouldn't it (well, maybe a looong while - but eventually)? I wonder if Ron Jeremy feels that way?

I used to fish the area around Todd Creek alot. Last time I was there it was silted to *hit too and fishing suckeded! I noticed all the silt on what was previously nice gravel and boulders... I just adjusted by moving upstream to fish. Although the reservoir makes sense as the velocity of the water decreases, it will drop it's entrained load sooner... I thought of the same thing. I never did find out if it was the actual cause of the change in that area though.

Here's a tip that could help you, or just plain get you into trouble. It's by no means foolproof, but it has worked and saved my bacon on a few occasions. Situation: Big Fish, little control, fish headed downstream and you can't follow it...eventual bust off for sure. Keeping as much tension as you can start to feed line out and into the water/current. What you are after is a big bow/bend in the line where the current is pulling in the bend of the line (line is in the water). The arc of your downstream bend needs to get downstream of the fish's location. What results is pressure on the fish from behind rather than upstream or perpendicular to the fish. Just like a rabbit in a snare it pulls away from the pressure trying to flee. Ideal result is the fish starts to run upstream rather than downstream (away from your pressure) while you manage the bend in the line and eventually pick up the slack. I was on the little re-bar on the Stamp years ago and lost a HUGE spring cause he ran downstream and I couldn't follow. Next season I was in the same boat with a huge pig on and he started downstream. I threw the bend in the line and he slowly moved upstream and then took off upstream where I could follow and eventually land him. Mind you I've also screwed myself with this tool too and been left my own vulgar vocabulary to listen to! Nothing you'd pull out of the toolbox very often, but it can be a last ditch effort to save a shitty situation.

I've always considered a "professional angler" as someone who actually makes their living ($$$) off the sport (like a professional athlete - just with a bigger gut!). Clearly that does not make you a good fisherman. It does however imply that you have considerable experience and exposure to the sport, the market, techniques, etc. anything that would be of interest to making your living. Also, if you were a guide it would expose you to the entire range of skill levels, attitudes, and misconceptions as well (also a pretty good repertoire of bullshit fishing stories from across the globe!). With that definition - it would rule out most of the old farts on the board who don't make a living off the sport, yet do have considerable experience over many others. However, when it comes to gadgets and such the old farts might not be the best crowd if they are still marveling at the new technology of colour television... I used to be a professional, however now I'm just an old fart who shoots his mouth off now. Much like Abe Simpson...I can complain really well!

Could you hear the bear laughing? Nor any other wildlife either...

Check out Silver Springs if you get a chance. The fish in there are mind blowing!

Depends on what kind of fishing you're doing as to why someone would cast that far. Essentially a shooting head is just a WF section that drags out a ton of backing line. Specialized fly fishing. I've used very long casts in plenty of places in AB and BC with good success when it fits. In situations such as Tarpon or bone fishing a long cast (accurate) can come in awful handy! You just might have to start your hook set in the bow and finish it by running to the stern...hehe Your standard backing shouldn't affect your guides shooting line or bringing it in. Other backing materials such as kevlar should be avoided as they will cut grooves in guides. The standard woven stuff you buy shouldn't harm your rod one bit. As Cheeler mentioned, if you backing gets dirty...well he hit it on the head.

Yes the wider elastic bands! I was tying deer hair mice a number of years back and when I cut the elastics and tied them in with the inside of the natural curl of the rubber facing forward, every time I stripped it the curl would unfold as if the legs were swimming and then coming forward for another stroke. I think it got as much attention from entertaining myself as it did from the pike!

I don't know if it made a difference but I always washed my hands in the water after I so much as touched a bottle of the stuff. Never used it much myself - skeeters don't seem to like me. I'd wash my hands after lunch, rolling a smoke, bug spray, a piss or a crap, anything really. What have you got to lose?

Carpet fibers latex condom (latex caddis & such) Wife's "curly hair" matchbox toy axle tube guitar string wire about 4 bazillion different types of foam cat's whiskers dental floss damn near anything that works really!

I've landed countless very large pike with a 6 weight rod. Regardless of the context - the old adage still applies - it's not the size/weight of your rod, it's how you use it. The down side to the lighter rod is that you can tend to overly wear out a fish since you don't have enough backbone to land him quickly. A buddy of mine used to use a 3 wt rod for trout fishing large rainbows and browns on a particular river. After a day of that I berated him after watching him struggle for waaaay to long to land fish. I'm thinking a few of them died due to the long fight. That being said, if you are in a maneuverable boat it's not so bad as you can shorten the fight and still enjoy using the lighter tackle. Bitch lake used to have some nice pike in it many moons ago - I don't know how it is now though.. **I'd go with much heavier mono for your leader, especially with a light rig. I used to use 40lb test maxima for my main leader with an 18" nylon coated steel leader for the teeth. Since you lack a heavier rod weight, 8 lbs is going likely be a big "snappo!" if you get something bigger than hammer handles.