rusty

12 weights in float tubes for giant tarpon...WOW. Laughed out loud at some of the photography tips too. Great mag for sure.

Catch a big salmon in Alaska in June Catch a 30" rainbow in stillwater Catch the elusive 28" brown on the Bow The last two are probably more like life goals than resolutions - but hey, you gotta aim high.

This is definitely the most unique catch I've ever seen on the Bow. We were fishing in March when the ice was breaking up and this guy must have gone for an unintentional swim. We pulled him out and put him in the wader pouch to dry off and warm up. He didn't want to leave afterwards.

Yeah the Wii is unreal - check out Super Mario Galaxy, Zelda, and Metroid Prime 3. RE 4 is also an awesome game and well worth the $30. Zelda's worth playing just for the fishing. They could make the most awesome flyfishing game on the Wii - I'm just not sure how many people would buy it.

I have the grandfather of the grandfather of that cam - the Optio 43WR. I got it 4 years ago and it's taken over 8,000 fabulous pics. Mine is only rated "water resistant" but I've taken several hundred underwater shots with great results. One tip about the underwater thing - you can't see the LCD very well, so line it up above the surface then put it in. I always try to take a lot of pics underwater because it seems like only 1 in 10 gets composed properly (totally not the camera's fault). The only other real underwater cam is that Olympus Stylus, but I haven't heard much about them yet.

If it's in the south end, I'd be in plus one former Junior B goalie avec full gear.

I've heard that from at least half a dozen folks in the know. Which model? Is it the Sig V?

Gord is pure gold, baby. Would take his version anyday. Far as I'm concerned, Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald may be the greatest tune of all time.

The DC rods are a bit fast but the price is right. I think if you try some different DC blanks you might find some that are very similar to the G&L rods...or so I've heard.

What kind of icefishing is he after? Is he against bait fishing for coarse fish? Or would he prefer trout? How far is he willing to drive?

How long are you fishing streamers for? Most people I've seen try them for a dozen casts then give it up. You have to stick with it. Fish them for a good two or even three hours - many times you fish streamers all day for a half dozen good grabs, and those might come over a half hour. The advantage to streamers is that you can cover more water, so I wouldn't spend too long fishing any one spot. No more than three good casts or swings through any good spot, then move out or step down. Change up the retrieves too - dead drift, slow strips, and sometimes (though rarely in the winter) quick short twitches. Fishing streamers in the winter can be a methodical game, but when it pays off it's often worth it. I agree with TM - the sinktips are great because they keep the fly down. I use a 200gr Streamer Express - it's a 30' tip with an intermediate running line. With a 4' leader and lightly weighted or unweighted fly you can dredge the slow deep pools where the big boys hang out.

oops...double post.

I've rowed both kinds and the wooden ones are way heavier. There is also more maintenance - but for some that's part of the attraction. Have seen some custom built boats on the Bow and many of them look absolutely incredible. I believe that Brunsie built a really nice boat a few years back - if he's lurking around he could no doubt give some good input.

I'd rather not post exact location (no doubt some here already know) - but it's less than two hours SE of Calgary. Most of the lakes down there are fishing well. Pike are phenomenal table fare in the winter once you figure out how to remove the Y-bones. There are some great youtube videos. My favorite pike recipe: plate 1: cornstarch+flour, 3 tbsp each plate 2: two eggs + 1/2c buttermilk plate 3: 1/2c cornmeal, salt and pepper, 1/4c parmesan cheese, 1/2c bread crumbs, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp chopped lemon zest Fillet chunks go in plate 1 and get dusted off thoroughly, then dredged in 2 and breaded in 3. Give 15 minutes for the breading to set up and fry 3 minutes per side in hot oil in a cast iron pan. Severn's a great spot but it gets meated out pretty good. Awesome to hear that there are some bigger fish in there now.

The pike fishing the last few weeks has been pretty darn good. Haven't nailed any monsters yet, but those 8-10s make for good eats.

Only three hours, eh Weedy? I usually go at least 4, even 8 sometimes. You know it's worked when it gels up when it cools. Best stock tip I've ever heard - leave the skins on the onions. Gives the stock a lovely golden color. I also love sage and sometimes even a lemon or two. I love what stock does to your house...the windows get all foggy and the whole place just smells amazing.

So that's what that smell is.

3-1 win tonight - outside of the first 10 minutes they looked great. Good to see Huselius get one too. Gotta admire the way the Oil have played lately though.

A little easier on the pocket would be a Lamson Velocity. Great reel and lots of folks on the board here have one.

TS - no, haven't heard much. That's a productive lake. I went there a few years back and a couple in a motorhome had two huge dead trout (they said 8 and 9, but tough to say) caught on bait. Like Severn and so many other potholes around, the meat fishermen are supressing what could be stellar fisheries. It may sound hypocritical complaining about the meating while icefishing them, but the way I see it, if those firm red-fleshed beauties are going to get whacked and eaten, a few of them should get stuffed with fennel, rosemary, and lemon and popped in my oven.

Wow...I was going to post a picture but would be embarassed to do so now. That's a really nice rig - definitely the way to go.

Driving on 7" is a bad idea. I wait until there's 24", which is usually late Jan or Feb as long as the weather stays cold. There can be air pockets under the ice and a truck can go through easy. Throw your stuff on a sled and you don't need to drive. Tackle will vary depending on what you want to do - light rods, tipups, hand lines, etc. There are no good lakes that close - none that people will want to share, anyway. For whites/pike/'eyes, you can check out Crawling Valley, McGregor, Badger, Travers, Keho, Pine, Sylvan, Gull. For pike I like smelts or herring; whites can be taken on small flashy jigs or maggots on wire worms; walleyes like jigs with worms, minnows, or leeches. Trout lakes are quite abundant - check out Chain, Severn, Upper/Lower K, Michichi, Fyten, Swalwell, and lots of others. The Alberta Fishing Guide is a great place to look for lakes. Trout can be taken on corn, cheese, mealworms, marshmallows, etc. Check out some dedicated icefishing forums to find better info. Be careful out there and check those regs.

The river will be very slushy and a little dirty by Mon aft if that holds up. Once that slush clears out though, watch out. Those chinooks make for the best numbers days you can have on the Bow. Nymphing in slurpee is no fun.

Sure that wasn't the open bar talking?

You including line for $300? If so you're limiting the rod price to ~$200, which is tough. My advice would be to spend as much as possible on the rod. If you say $300 for the rod instead of the combo, you get into the low end of the high end (Sage FLi, etc). If you start looking at Sage VPS or VPS-Ls, you get into what I would call "top-end" rods. This is where you'll start seeing the real difference between made-in-korea junk and a quality rod. You're getting into the $350-400+ range for just the rod though. Brent's recommendation on the Scott is good too - I don't have experience with that model but Scott makes top-shelf rods. It may sound silly that we're saying $300 is "not enough", but the difference between a $300 rod and a $500 rod is way more than the difference between a $50 rod and a $300 rod. If you already have a #6 and you like the small-water thing, step up to a really good 8' #3 or #4. I support local shops like crazy, but you can save at least $100 on that rod right now buying it on Ebay. Most stock in local stores was bought with an 80 cent dollar.