BBBrownie

I think you hit it Headscan. There is an abundance of evidence to attribute the sea lice infestation to salmon farms - this has been long established. There is just so much spin doctoring and infiltration of public opinion that surrounds the salmon farming industry. It is nuts because I was looking at a fishing forum for BC that had a salmon farming discussion. There was suddenly a swamp of intense salmon farming proponents that the moderator discovered were coming from 2 IP addresses -2 people with multiple accounts trying to spread salmon farming rhetoric. Ridiculous. Even the BC government is way in on it. This is how the farms get around the idea of closed containment- it is much more expensive, the companies say it isn't cost effective, threaten to pull out, the governemnt caves in order to keep the industry and the money, even though the farms are mostly Norweigan, along with many of the workers. Kind of reminds me of the tar sands in Alberta..

I've been dropping into Southbow lately, I think they'd be on my side and besides, they're better at BS'n fish talk than the boxes are.

Beauty shots! This makes me want to ditch the office and catch me some cutts!

No, it is unfortunately a bit of blood.

and a nice little broonie for good measure...

and another, although slightly smaller.

Another nice 'bow...

I just figured i'd post pics of a couple of 'bows from the past few days. Everyones fish porn posted on here helps me through the dull office days, so I figure that occasionally I should try and give back...Now I just need to start taking my camera out with me more often.

Those look like great ties, should be some effective steel patterns. Only thing is I don't know that they resemble butt skunks, blue charm, or thunder and lightning other than in color. These patterns are general not weighted, although they may have lead around the shank. These are all more intruder style flies, but again, they look great, regardless of what they are called they will catch fish! I've been tying a bunch of my own intruders lately, they're fun and you can get creative with em. I don't recall what you called it, but the blue and black with silver mylar looks like it would be a hot pattern this fall (Blue Bug?).

I don't know if there is any real answer yet- the odd thing is that sockeye have well developed scales by the time they enter the ocean because they spend up to two years in fresh water, so it is thought that they are less susceptible than something like pinkies that go straight to the ocean. Very sad, but Alexandra Morton captured like 350 of the smolts from this run in the discovery passage in 2007 and she found up to 22 lice on individual smolts, then predicted that the run may collapse judging by the load of lice. She also predicted the pink collapse in the broughton archipelago, so listen to Alex, she knows.

On the SKeena right now there is a great steelhead run (40% increase over the 2000's) likely at least in part attributable to the sockeye gill net fishery being closed for the season so far. There are still a certain number of casualties that occur with the pink siening, but it is minor as the daily returns haven't decreased significantly.

Terrible. This is being repeated up the coast and the frequency seems to be increasing. Skeena sockeye were projected at 2 million this year, and now the numbers are looking more like 800 000. Although the Skeena has no fish farms, there are farms immediately north and south that they still pass. Steelhead runs over BC are in the same predicament. Everyone is raving about the huge returns to the Skeena this year, yet it is still looking like about half of what the 80s and earlier saw. Cumulative effects are hammering away at the anadromous runs in BC. Logging and mining head waters is decreasing available spawning habitat, introducing toxins and heavy metals. The juveniles that are recruited head to the ocean where they run a gauntlet through fish farms teeming with sea lice and pathogens such as furunculosis. Then, when returning many runs hit nets. Nothing short of sweeping reforms in industrial practices (larger riparian buffers for logging, no mining headwaters on salmon streams and tribs, closed containment fish farms placed away from migratory routes, seining instead of gill netting) happen NOW then I believe fully that many salmon/steelhead runs will seize to exist very soon. Although I do realize that some runs, such as chinook, seem to be doing well on the frasier for example, I believe this is still a fraction of historical returns. Here is a good read: http://www.wildsteelheadcoalition.org/Repo...layout_1pp_.pdf Alexandra Morton is leading a charge for reforms to helo salmon, and she has been calling the collapses with surprising accuracy. I believe her group is called raincoast research, she is doing mnay good things so look into it if you are interested. Riley

Part of the beauty of fishing is the individual variations between fish and not knowing exactly what you will get. Even ignoring Alberta's cluster fak of hatchery transplants of various origins, the variety of expressions found within isolated pure strains can be amazing.

There were Yellowstone cutts stocked in many Alberta streams in the past. I've caught yellowstone or yellowstone/westslope hybrids in a few systems including Castle, North/South Ram...

It was a few years ago, but I believe I paid around $450 for the XP. That isn't my point though, If I had paid $800 for it, I would still be every bit as happy, warranty is a past of it all, but the performance is outstanding. I also have a couple of steel/salmon sticks. One is an Echo that cost around $300, it is alright for chucking heavy weighted flies and has reeled in some pig Chinooks and a few nice steelies, but I picked up a new GLX 8 weight 10' last year that has turned the echo into a backup. There is no comparison in the action, the accuracy. I realize these are both higher priced rods I am fishing, but their performance has spoken to me and believe me, I've fished lower priced rods. My more moderate price rods do certainly catch fish still, my enjoyment just increases with fast action and a nice cast. Think cadillacs and tempos.

I believe someone said in this topic that a good rod won't make your day better because fishing is about catching fish, not about standing in the water playing with your rod? I suppose we all look for different experiences, all have different reasons and connections, but I sure would have to say that my idea of fishing is MUCH different from yours! Of course I enjoy playing, landing, and admiring beautiful fish, big or small, but I equally enjoy the surrounding landscape and interaction with it, the solitude(depending where I am although I can ignore a lot when Im on the water) and the rhythm of the casts. My go-to rod for most trout fishing these days on rivers is a Sage XP. It casts like a dream. If I had a cheaper rod that felt that way to me, it would be my go to, but I haven't found that. I have a cheaper sage, I have a TFO and another rod I can't even recall the name of becuase it is that underwhelming. The XP puts my fly within inches everytime and throws buggers like you wouldn't believe. I know what the rod will do, just as im sure many of your favorite rods do as well, regardless of brand, they work for you. I CERTAINLY get less enjoyment out of fishing with a rod that i'm not feeling, as one part of my equation is lacking. Nice casts=happy place. Sure, short casts on small streams with stimmies for cutts doesn't warrant throwing with the XP, but man does it hum on the Bow, even the 'wood. So, to make a very long story short, we all look for a different experience, for a day to reach epic for me - the days I dream of all winter, and even pursue in BC in the winter- I need fish, tight casts, solitude, scenery. Was that ever convoluted!

I'd love to fish Russia. Kamchatka is a dream-6 species of salmon and large steelhead returns. Very few anglers.

definately a coyote, many of them in Elk Island. Tail=definately not lynx. Cougars are mostly nocturnal, so unlikely, tail isn't long enough for cougar. I don't think there has ever even been a lynx recorded in Elk Island.

Cortland 444 in peach all the way. Been proven for many years! Great all around line, never felt the need to run anything else on my 5 or 6 weights, floats high, throws long, no issues with memory.

Interesting. The Highwood was amazing today and yesterday, great vis, water level was great and no one told the fish that it was raining. It was very odd-the sheep is blown, fished Liv and it was a bit dirty but the highwood was prime!

No, with a nice bottle of scotch you'll be just fine...I usually have my dog sit with me when i'm having a scotch so I can pretend i'm not drinking alone. I haven't had a chance to try the 10yr Macallan (sp?) but I have had a 14 yr I believe. It was a great drink going down for the first glass, fairly sweet, almost a port finish, we figured it was as close as you can get to a dessert scotch. After the first glass, I was ready for something with a bit more bite, being a die hard islay fan. On another note, as a way of saving up for an epic steelhead trip this fall, i've had to find a way to cut costs wherever possible, this has led to Jameson's in my flask for fishing drinks. While not a scotch, the Irish Whiskey has been going down quite well lately, especially after landing my largest (6-7 lb) bow of the year in the dark the other night on the backside of treasure island. Cheers!

awesome pics. You had a good month by the looks of it. I am so stoked to get off of my field work this weekend and get a few good days in, your pics are making me itch.

Great pics, i've never fished police outpost.

I believe it is just a darker looking Wood Frog.

Eat it, afterwards you will emit pheremones that will attract large trout to your fly. If you eat it in August you have the added bonus of berry flavor.