rusty

Yeah it's a shame - but I'll hold out, especially if it sounds like we can get some trips in there. I love the pond and its location, and I know that once we get the fish we know we can grow in there, it won't be a problem selling memberships. Pretty good deal with only 25 guys having keys to the gate.

Definitely one of the best games I've ever seen - unreal goaltending, some very nice plays, and that hit on Michalek was spectacular. A very gritty emotional game from two very good teams. I think Detroit will have their hands full.

Nice fish! All lakes, or streams too?

Both very nice ties - would be very interested to know how much time was invested by both tiers.

Cool idea Andy - count me in for one.

Totally depends on what you're after and how far you want to drive. There is camping on the Bow at Nature's Hideaway and Carseland, and there's a CG at Chain Lakes. A nice spot is Blood Indian reservoir - about 2 1/2 hours from Calgary and is loaded with smaller rainbows.

I will be there - just wondering who's all going Friday and at what time. I *may* have room for one or two leaving from the south end of town early Friday morning.

Would second Badger, but it's closer to 2 hours from most parts of Calgary. It's 168km from my place in the deep south to the causeway. Keho and McGregor are nearby and have good pike fishing too if Badger's not in the mood. Clive's warning is a sound one - the wind can come up in a real hurry in that part of the province and a calm reservoir can turn into a place that's not very fun (or safe) to be on in a float tube. Most of the good fishing is close to shore early in the season anyway.

Welcome Mark! First off, try using the search function in the upper right portion of the page. Some great info's been posted on here about starting fly tying. Check Fish Tales - they run great fly tying courses but they usually run in the winter. Go into the shop and talk to the folks there and you can't go wrong. The other shops in town like Troutfitters, Westwinds, and Country Pleasures are worth a visit too. As far as equipment goes, I would recommend buying a good vise (I like the Peak), an excellent pair of scissors (Dr. Slick or Thompson), and a good ceramic bobbin (Tiemco makes a great one) as the basis of your tying kit. I personally avoid the prepackaged kits as they contain a fair amount of stuff that you don't need.

Fair enough Wes - mine's broken twice, and once was due to simply poor workmanship.

I have one in a #9 and I think they're the best rod for the money. In fact, as far as I'm concerned if you're not getting a high-end Sage or T&T or Orvis or Winston or whatever, TFO is the only way to go. Their $200 rods are better than almost any $300 rod.

The Missouri's good that time of year - camp in the municipal CG in Craig, fish the caddis and baetis hatches on the river, and get hammered in the little bar right beside the campground. 6 hours from Cowtown.

Trout are pretty easy to do - if they're big enough to fillet, just come straight down behind the gill plate onto the spine and run your knife right down the spine, staying as close to the backbone as you can but being careful not to cut through it. Take out the ribcage, pull the pinbones with a pair of needlenose and you're done. I usually cook them whole as these folks are saying though - the backbone gives you great flavor. I love them stuffed with rosemary, a little onion, some fennel, and a few lemon slices. The other fish are done pretty much the same, except that for whites and perch or other small fish you can cut the pinbones out in a little strip. The skin comes off fairly easily and a fork can help you keep it pinned down while you cut. Pike, however, are a different animal. They have a full set of y-bones that make the filleting a lot more difficult until you the hang of it. Just search for pike filleting on youtube - you might have to watch a few times but should be able to do it. Once you get the hang of filleting pike, it becomes some of the best table fare you can imagine. I cut them into nuggets, bread them lightly, deep fry them, and serve them with plum sauce. They are unbelievable. Fishfreak - MSR stoves rule.

RATS!! What do you figure the odds are she'd be off for Friday? What about Sunday?

3 and 6 for sure - only a wuss would think twice about tackling the Bow with a 3 weight. Man up Dave.

In those situations I prefer the streamers - they're easier to fish and way more fun than nymphs. You'd be amazed how many big cutts won't move for a dry but will run down and crush a small clouser. This chubby bastard was hanging out under that bush and you couldn't get a dry to him to save your life. First pass with Klaus Von Clouser and he moved a good 6' for it. Wouldn't be the least bit surprised if quite a few people on here recognized that spot either.

Yeah, well whatever happens, they took it further than anyone expected. Had some great games, but when you limp in and draw second seed you're not going to have an easy time of it. Two more to go for some OT - GO FLAMES!

Always the possibility you're fishing up behind someone, or that you're still close to the truck. I know a few streams where I just walk by the first mile of stream as they get hammered. You get away from the footprints and the fishing picks up substantially.

I've been producing the same thing with my vise for a looooong time.

Maybe now you'll actually be able to find fly tying materials when you go in there. The place is just ravaged right now.

How close were the two spots you caught him?

Telus will give you unlimited eves and weekends for $30, and for $15 you get voicemail, caller ID, and unlimited text messaging. Last June I used 450 long distance minutes and 660 local minutes, and paid a total bill all in of just over $100. Tough to beat if you get the right plan.

Sweet Dave!

I carry a tape but only use it if the fish is particularly large (say 24"+). Funny though, how many times you pull it out thinking that a fish will go 25" to find it's 23 1/2". I liked that Ted guy's sig from the old board: "Many 25" trout are caught on the Bow - few are ever measured"

The best advantage to a DT is that it can be flipped around and reused. I used to find this tough because the memory from the small arbor was so bad, but now with LA reels commonplace I think it's more relevant.