mkm

How big of a registry are we talking about? I would be guessing but don't think you would require a full office of staff to manage the number of Alberta guides. I see no problem with $450 for a yearly guide license..then again I'm not a guide. But for the number of days a guide is on the river I would assume their profits are pretty big. Correct me if I am wrong as I don't personally know any guides and the costs that confront them. mkm

I love this discussion!!! In my humble opinion I think guides should need to be licensed. I know this will not sit well with some however as it is now anyone can call themselves a guide, make $450+ off clients, and use the public resource for free. I believe that if your making your business off a great resource like our fisheries then you shouldn't have a problem paying a nominal fee which would be reinvested into our resourse (e.g. more CO's, research into maintaining quality, etc.) And on a side note I wouldn't mind paying a little extra for my basic fishing license if it meant better management. I don't want to see a classified system like in BC however more money could mean better service...seeing as we all talk about poachers and not having enough Co's. Just my thoughts though. mkm

I have been recently considering picking up a GPS for fishing in the back country. I don't know much about the different GPS units available and was wondering what to look for. I have heard some units can lose their signal in the mountains and this would really concern me. One unit which looks good is the Garmin 60cx but it also carries a price tag over $300. Also, with GPS is it possible to download routes and points onto a computer or enter in extra info (e.g. weather conditions or date and time)? THanks for your input. mkm

Hey RussC, 2 Years ago I did the bass fishing at Disney world and had a blast. Although I'm sure the other guys are right about going off shore but if you don't have time take the $250 bass fishing trip on the Disney lake...it was worth it. What the other guys elude to is the $250 allows you to have up to 4 people on the trip, so find a few others to go along. My brother and I had lots of quality bass and we were able to enjoy the family trip to the theme parks in the afternoon. Just my 2 cents! Mike

hey all, My buddy and I are looking to purchase new pontoon boats over the winter for next season. I was wondering what length of boat is best for the bow...what brand is in your opinion the best...and what boat is the best bang for our hard earned buck? I would love to get lots of feedback. Thanks, Mike

Bernie...did you tell your wife about this one!!! Maybe fishin with you is a bad idea after all. good to hear it was a friendly encounter. Mike

I was in Troutfitters yesterday and they are having a good sale as they are relocating to downtown. I have never seen them sell cloudveil before but do recall seeing some cloudveil boots on sale at the front door. You might want to call to double check. Mike

Thanks missing the bow....I just got home from fishing the wiggy and had no idea about the severity of the bear issue. That was until we were about 4km from where we parked and a huge black bear was standing on the road. Funny thing was, as we were fishing both myself and tgo kept thinking we heard stuff in the bushes. mkm

Last month I picked up a sony A200. The camera is a 10.1 mega pixel, comes with a 18-70mm lens and cost me $499 at London drug. So far the camera seems awesome and for me being technically challenged I have had no issues taking some good pics. The only problem is I am afraid to take it anywhere near the water so no fishing pics yet! Mike

Just a quick update on this. I called the BC fishing agent (government) to clarify before I head to Fernie. They informed me that although there is talk of changing the rules about buying online licenses and then being able to purchase a CW license from a fly-shop however it has not occurred. Therefore, if you buy a BC license online you can only purchase the CW license online. If anyone has more questions about this the phone number is (250) 423-6845. This is obviously a huge flaw in their current system and I hope it gets resolved soon. Mike

Hey Terry, When did this happen. I was in Fernie two weeks ago and the fly fishing shops told me I was unable to. However one of the shops was nice enough to go online and print my CW license of for me. I am heading to BC on sunday...do you think the shops will know they can write me the license now or do I need to set them straight. Thanks for the info. Mike

Amazing shots...what kind of camera are you using? do you need a polarized filter to get the clarity or do you adjust the saturation of pic on your computer. Mike

You can also buy them online if you purchased your license online...the only down side to buying online is once you have done it you can only obtain future classified waters licenses online. I found this out the hard way! The online system doesn't really cater to anglers who do not have access to a computer/printer while on an outing. Mike

Toolman, You must be single or a really brave man...my girlfriend gives me crap over new waders. "What...new waders...(insert sigh)...keep it up and we won't be able to afford food next month". What I would give to have your collection of gear. Good on ya. You could make a decent living writing reviews and promoting for fishing companies!

Thanks guys for the replies...Maybe I will just buy a nice 3-4wt rod instead of hiring a guide. Mike

Hey All, Just wondering if any of you could give me some insight into good guides for rivers around fernie...looking for good bang for my buck. Also, what rivers would you recommend...late august. Thanks, Mike

Thanks Max. It seemed that the tag was fairly recent (last 6 months) bc the flesh still looked pretty raw. Mike

Hey all, Today I caught a 21.5" rainbow that had been tagged. Just wondering if anyone has heard of rainbows being tagged in the bow and if so when, why, etc. Also, I only remember the last 4 nmbers from the tag...is this info useful? Thanks Mike

Thanks again for the feedback. However, I called the shop this morning to order the cloudveil's and my size (large) sold out yesterday however if any of you are looking for other sizes and are interested check out http://shop.westbank.com/ . They also have some others on sale such as last years Simms G3 and guide waders for 25% off. You need to call the shop to order as their online store doesn't allow shipping to canada but the shop will for around $14-20. In the end I elected to go with Courtney from Nile Creek Fly shop and get the Snowbee xs-pro waders. Courtney's a great guy to chat with and is shipping them out today. I will keep you all posted on the Snowbee's. Mike

Thanks for the feedback. I hate buying waders bc they cost a bunch...but hey on the other hand what part of this hobby doesn't!!! Cheers, mike

Hey all, I've got a line on some Cloudveil 8x waders for $297.50 (from $450) out of the states. Before I jump in and buy them what are your thoughts? Anyone know much about there warranty? I like the Simms but price is an issue. Thanks for your input. Mike

You make me want to have kids so I can have another fishing buddy. Don't teach her to quick...I don't need to be schooled on the water by a nine-year old girl!!! Good on ya. Mike

Five years back I also was up at Harrison and spent a day fishing the Fraser...my favorite trip yet! Lots of Coho and one spring that nearly pulled me out of the boat. Can't wait to make it back there some time. mkm

Quick question. I have a pair of their waders...which I might add have been awesome. However, the heels on the foot have developed small holes from walking. Would this be covered under warranty? Thanks, Mike

Hey All, I have been using the fishpond vest all last season. I bought a 2L bladder from mec and it works awesome. Rarely do I fill it up entirely as a full bladder becomes bulky especially when you need to throw other stuff in the back of the vest. Before I used the bladder i found I always didn't drink enough water and by the end of the day i was dehydrated and had a head ache. Now that I have the hydration stuff down I need to find a solution to forgetting to put sun screen on! Mike