rusty

Oh man...I like that idea.

Nearly any pontoon can float the Bow, but an 8' boat is a good idea. Cheap boats go for $500 but you can spend over $1500. Personally, I'd go with Outcast PACs. They're bombproof and comfortable. However, there are a lot of other companies out there now and if you want to save a few bucks they aren't bad. The following features are worth watching out for: -aluminum frames don't rust and are much, much lighter -polyurethane bladders are a lot stronger than PVC -thermally welded bladders and pontoons hold together better but cost more -a proper built in anchor system is really nice to have -a good comfy seat is important -leifield valves are more reliable and easier to use than summits Most of the included stuff is garbage (rod holders, pumps, etc), but it will get you by if you aren't using the boat a ton. My PAC 900 is 8 years old, and the boat and all of the accessories it came with still work like the day I bought them. I've seen a lot of other newer junk in rough shape by comparison. In my opinion, you should either pick up one of the low-end steel clunkers and save some money or get a nice shiny PAC. Outcast's warranty service is awesome and the PAC series boats are made in the US.

I would take lots of pictures and contact the Sun or Herald. They may have a slightly different take on things.

I'm with MTB 100% - it's twenty freaking dollars. My absolute favorite part is all the fellow Calgarians who talked about how boycotting the place would turn it into a ghost town. When I drove by the twin shops the other day there were over 20 vehicles parked out front. I used to make all the same arguments - and then I realized that BC was well ahead of the game and Alberta has a lot of catching up to do. The difference is that BC is trying to make sure that everyone can enjoy the fishing experience, while Alberta is foolishly trying to encourage more people to fish to pile more people onto our strained fisheries. Look at the immense effort that some of the good folks here put in to get the few quality lakes we have, then grab the BC regs and count the number of 1 fish over 20" and artificial fly only lakes in there. Number of days in BC last two years: 8 Number of times checked in BC: 2 Number of days in AB last two years: well over 150 Number of times checked in AB: ZERO. If you don't want to go, then don't.

I work with the guy on the far right in that pic. Pretty awesome story!

Going through Fish Tales is the easiest way - giving Sage a call and shipping it yourself is fastest.

Beautiful fish. Terry's a really knowledgeable guy and a class act to boot. Glad you had a good trip.

Sweet pics Max.

Honestly - don't choose, just get the 18-200VR and be done with it. A little extra coin and you're covered for everything. I also have a 50mm f1.8 which is a fantastic portrait lens. I picked up one without autofocus for $129 and it's fantastic for pics of the family and such. You throw a macro lens in there and you would have 95% of your shooting situations covered.

The only slight pain in the butt from the spool-frame float that I've seen is that the line very occasionally gets caught in the gap. This happens with the 2560 and the FWs, as well as nearly every other reel out there. Most folks I talked to that fished fast saltwater fish like false albacore were really happy with the Nautilus CCFs - that's why I picked up a #10. Like headscan pointed out, the best thing about the Nautilus is that the spool interchange system locks in well and doesn't give you loose parts like the Islander or other reels. You're comparing Ferraris and Lamborghinis at this point.

The Loop Opti reels are the nicest looking reels I've ever seen - I was sooooooooo close to buying one but changed my mind because of how light the frame is on them. You probably take much better care of your gear than I do though Greg.

Tim, I own a 2560. It's a nice reel with a decent drag, but overall I think you can get better reels. My personal preference would be the Nautilus FW5. I have an FW5 and an FW7 and I think that they're the best reel for the money these days. I'll bring the 2560 and the FW5 this weekend and you can decide for yourself.

Honestly, if you're going to spend the money go with a Sage. People go on and on about them being "be all and end all" rods because they are. Don't take my word for it - go cast one and see for yourself. Plus, there is absolutely no need whatsoever to spend $700 on one. You want to replace that #6? My absolute favorite Sage is a 690 RPL+, which you can pick up on Ebay for $400ish. It's available in a 690-4 model as well. If you like a noodly #3, the VPSL is a great little rod. You could also find an old LL or treat yourself to an SP. If you like a faster, get an XP. Sage discontinues rods so often that it's easy to find very well priced old models on the used market - many times with a warranty card.

I'll be up there last week of October for my first trip to the area. Would love to hook up and learn a bit!

You get those whites swinging flies, or with an indy?

Was out for a walk with the family today right around where you're fishing. I didn't even have polarized glasses with me, but I spotted two really decent browns right off the bank, then counted 5 nice rainbows sipping trikes within 100 yards of river. Two of the rainbows were in such shallow water that their back was creating a surface disturbance. They were just tipping up their nose to gulp the tiny dries. Sure made me wish that I'd had a rod with me. Spend a little more time watching, and creep up to the bank nice and slow in the likely looking spots. You'll be amazed where fish will lie.

Conor, For that price range get the D60, which is packaged with a nice little 18-55 VR lens. To be honest I'd kick your price range up a bit and buy a body and the 18-200 VR - it's an awesome lens that gets great reviews from everyone. It's a little heavier, but it covers so much range and kicks so much ass. Do a quick search on here for SLR. When I was faced with this same issue earlier this year I got some awesome advice from quite a few folks here and I'm really happy that I followed it. I went with the D40x which is essentially the same as the D60. One note of interest - you might want to look at getting a camera that can do autobracketing to allow easy HDR photos (google HDR photography and you'll see what I mean). The D40x doesn't have it automatically onboard and I sorta wish I'd stepped it up a notch. Also, don't forget that you're going to need a bag, UV filter, lenspen, and a good memory card. It will add up on you in a hurry, but it's totally worth it. The quality of SLR photos right out of the box will impress you. Now if I could only justify picking up that 60mm f2.8 macro lens for $600...

Max has got it. The X rating is dictated by the diameter, which is 11 minus the X rating in thousands of an inch. 3X = 11-3 = .008" 0X = 11-0 = .011" 6X = 11-6 = .005" The strength is affected by the diameter, but it's also heavily affected by the quality of the material - hence the difference in breaking strength at the same X rating.

I love Fishtales - but I think Westwinds has the best flies in town.

Not the right sport or the right province, but I know there must be a few on here who are from Sask or at least hunt there. I'm looking for a good waterfowl outfitter in Saskatchewan for myself and my dad. I'd like to shoot geese but I'm not picky about whether they're specks or greys. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Great pics. What are you shooting?

Hmm...could be that you have a USB drive plugged in and the computer's trying to boot from it. That's the same message I get when that happens. Remove any USB drives and try again.

Sweet pics!! Brings back some memories. The Chaba was waaay higher than that when we crossed going in from a day and a half's worth of rain but the way out was nice. Pretty incredible place...I will definitely go back.

There are plenty of pike in the Bow - though that fish in the pic is the only real pig I've ever seen above Carseland. I sightfished that hog off the bank a few miles below Police. Korban and I helped a guy land this one right below the launch at 22X.

I think with half decent equipment anyone should be able to cast 60' and have the line turn over nicely. If you're trying to go beyond that then you need to focus on the fundamentals. Remember always that when double hauling, line speed is controlled with the line hand - NOT the rod hand. The key to good casting is smooth acceleration and a crisp stop. Lefty Kreh has an awesome video illustrating this and I think they have it at Fish Tales.