Keith

I finally pulled off a trip I've been planning for a couple of years to scout some of the famous waters south of the border and to get my bearings in some of the areas down there. One of my best buddies came along with me. The trip ended up being as much of a driving trip as a fishing trip, but I enjoyed it none the less. My three goals for the trip were to catch a decent fish on the Blackfoot on a dry, to catch a Snake River Fine-spotted Cutt, and catch a Yellowstone Cutt. All three goals were met and many good sights were seen along the way. Most of the cutties I caught were on the smallish side, but they were beautiful fish. I would highly recommend that folks take a trip down there to see these waters from yourself. Definitely some pros and cons vs Alberta waters. I find their milder weather produces more bugs and generally more surface action, but the crowds can be tough to take. We started out on the Blackfoot and at the fly shop we were told that an intense Stonefly hatch was coming off. They said it was the second hatch of the year and that they never have one this late. Sometimes you get lucky. I've never seen more salmonflies in my life. It got to the point that I couldn't stand them crawling around in my collar and in my hair.

A friend recently sent me a notice that there were high temp warning for Southern Alberta. Is that the case? Have many of you been experiencing water temps above 20C very often? Thanks Keith

That's exactly it. Knowledge and application are two different things. I, like probably everyone esle, went through this. When I started fly fishing I had trouble catching fish. Then I could catch fish on dries and streamers but not nymphs. Then I could catch fish, except not very many on the Bow. Now I usually put at least one fish on the net when I spend time on the Bow. It's all about practice and getting the subtle bits right. Especially with nymphing I find there is a line you have to cross where all of a sudden you are into a lot of fish. You are probably putting parts of it in the right place, but until you get all the pieces nymphing is tough. If you keep at it you'll get there. Also remember that getting skunked a few times makes that next fish a whole lot sweeter.

I would have to say that was simply a statistical anomaly. I have been a serious fly fisherman in this province for about 8 years, including the crow area, and I have only had my license checked once. And that was several years ago now.

At risk of keeping the debate going... I have the Korker Guides and I have never had this problem. I find that as long as you take the time to put the soles in all the way (which takes a little elbow grease) then they aren't going anywhere. I do like the versatility of being able to change soles, but I will say that I am lazy and I rarely do it. For me, that is an over rated feature. But as far as I am concerned the boa laces are the only way to go. I'm sure it will not be long before Simms and others follow suit. Never breaking or stripping a wet lace or having them come undone is priceless.

Nice Pics. What kind of frog is that? I've never seen on before.

Thanks, much appreciated.

Where in Calgary can you get the Pentax? I would like to get a W80 but the wait is about a month and I have a big trip coming up. Does anyone know a store that carries the W60?

Can this be procured in Calgary?

The hawk and the heron are really great shots.

An old debate, but I couldn't agree more. No problem in talking about the famous waters like the Bow, Crow or Stuaffer, but if you find good fishing and there is no one there you aren't doing yourself any favors by advertising.

I'd also like to know what guys are doing on this. Are you using an 8wt rod or over lining?

Hawgstoppah, How much weight would you usually be using in a setup like this?

Really great pics. Especially, love the first one.

Those are some beauty cutts. Makes me jealous.

I've used a lot of liquid lace over the last couple of years. It's a great way to make a life like looking body. I find it has a really nice effect under a coat of soft tex as well.

Does anyone have the old Iron Blue Series? I'd really like to get a copy of that.

I'm too lazy to spend any fishing time doing labour, but if a landowner lets me on their land I usually show up the second time with a bottle of wine or whiskey and find that I'm more than welcome. And given the amount of money I spend on fly fishing I find it to be a small investment.

I would qualify myself as a 'young guy' and I've only ever been refused access once, and even in that case the rancher said he didn't want me out there alone for safety reasons but if I had a friends it would be ok. I don't know what you mean by respectable clothing, but I think if stick to some pretty basic guidelines then you should be ok. I generally show up in your basic outdoor gear, such as cargo pants and a fleece, and I've never had a problem.

Corb Lund all the way baby.

I have the 486 z-axis and I really like it, but I do find it a little fast for some situations. It's not a great stillwater rod in my mind.

The fishing is so good in the Bow because of all of the sewage that goes in there. It's treated of course, but that right there is enough to count myself out. If that doesn't bother you, take a look in your regulations and you will also note that there is a mercury warning for fish taken from the Bow. Mercury is a toxic heavy-metal and not something to mess around with. Keep in mind that the Bow flows through some industrial land. And that land probably wasn't always treated very well, especially in the middle of the 20th century when people didn't think environmentally. I've also heard some tales of people cooking Bow fish and coming up with a smelly end product. At the end of the day it's a choice. But for me it's not much of a choice.

Is this legal in Alberta? I have been hearing more and more about this kind of system. I think that currently it would not be considered legal, but you have to think it will get reviewed. http://www.moffittangling.com/control/main

I use this method as well. I always set downstream because the fish in moving water will be facing upstream. That way you should be pulling the hook into the corner of his mouth. Of course, this isn't as simple if the fish is downstream of you, so I try to pull it across the fish and into shore instead of pulling it upstream and out of its mouth.

Is there any update on this? Is Troutfitters close for good? Bummer if it is.