DonAndersen

Folks, We have no idea why AvidAngler removed the pictures. Any number of reasons could apply. BUT As he did, several thoughts occurred to me: 1] If he used his employees system to upload the pictures - he may be forced to remove them. But they still lurk out their & his employer is not happy! 2] Maybe he had the wrong creek and realized his error. Happens. 3] He may work for either the Govt or Spray which would caused problems. SO What should happen is independent verification that this issue is real with pictures taken of the slumping bank + upstream and downstream views of the effected area. If the bank issue is not of man's making, guess we thank those in charge of this green ball for screwing up another fish species. regards, Don

Guys, Avid removed the pictures for reasons unknown. So, the world needs some pictures of Hidden and the Oldman confluence if anything is going to be done about the issue. So how about one of you take some pictures and post them here - please. Regards, Don

Avid.. Why did you remove the pictures? Don

Folks, Troutfriend's description can be understood readily by reading what an Alluvial Flood Plain is and how it operates. Both Calgary and Highriver are located in such areas. See Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alluvial_plain for a definition. In each case, a quick glance @ Google Earth will show, at least in Highriver's case, the Alluvial Plain at work. Several miles above Highriver, the river becomes quite braided always seeking new channels as the river bed moves downstream. Old oxbows are readily seen. Only white man's arrogance caused him to build here. The natives were a pile smarter. Doesn't take long to move a tent. Regards, Don

There has been a catastrophic release of mud and silt into Hidden Creek. It is dark chocolate brown, during low-flow season when silt is most devastating. All other creeks in the area are running clear. The Oldman is discoloured from the Hidden Creek confluence all the way to the reservoir. This disaster was predicted by many of us when Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development set aside protection guidelines to allow new logging and roads on steep slopes adjacent the creek. Hidden Creek was habitat to threatened westslope cutthroat and critical spawning habitat for an estimated 75% of the surviving bull trout upstream from the reservoir. I and others warned them of impending disaster this spring when the reclaimed slopes began to bulge with groundwater. The response we got was condescension and some new monitoring (monitoring is always so good at fixing stuff after all). It appears no that, thanks to wilful negligence by the responsible management agency and irresponsible logging practises by Spray Lakes Sawmills, we can now kiss one of the last great streams in the upper Oldman country goodbye. Ask me how I really feel about this.... Kevin Van Tighem

Folks, It pays to take a second or 2 and look over how ACA deals out the money. Of the $ 469,000 paid out in the Large Grant Fund just $80,800 went to fisheries stuff and most of that to habitat examination. That is just 17% OF THE TOTAL. And then we have: ACA’s Grants in Biodiversity Program is run in collaboration with the Alberta Co-operative Conservation Unit, which represents a consortium of Alberta universities including: University of Alberta, University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge. ACA’s annual financial contribution to the fund is $225,000. And it goes on and on. About time that outfit figures out who pays the bills. Hunters and fishermen are getting screwed. Don

Tungsten, Below are two bamboo rod builders that make blanks. Both of them are highly respected within the bamboo community. http://www.stonerodco.com/about-2/ http://www.carlinbamboo.com/pricelist.htm There are however other companies that provide blanks into the market that are cheaper than the two mentioned above. Be aware the the cost of these blanks clearly reflects their quality. What is clear however that a blank price of <>$400 doesn't mean that a rod you finish will be worth what the blank builder charges for a rod. The builder may spend 30 hours getting a rod finish completed to his satisfaction. Most first time bamboo rod builders rarely have either the equipment or skills to complete a rod to the level of perfection demonstrated by the blank builder. Regards, Don

Dave, Obviously, both levels of Govt have demonstrated thier competency to protect our fishery. So the question becomes: How does one acquire a Govt agency that is compentent? Don

Dave, Isn't the real question is why ESRD and Dept. of Environment from Alberta and Fisheries & Oceans Canada did nothing? Are the above agencies responsible? Clearly something needs to be done to kick the Govt agencies into action. Don

RileyS, There was a reference to the kill if I recall correctly in the April 2013 Fisheries Roundable Minutes. The reference mentioned talking to John Tchir of ESRD in Rocky. For some reason the documents have been removed from the Govt website. Regards, Don

Taco, The pictures showed only whitefish although commentator mentioned a very large fish which could have been either a bull or a laker. The program is apparently being funded by Transalta who opened the flood gates in Minnikanka for the first time in many years. The generator located @ highway #1 was being flooded and it looks like they needed to dump the water somewhere. The generator is being repaired which means the flood gates will close stranding the fish and ultimately killing them. Transalta is being "really good" with dams after a rumoured brown trout kill below the Brazeau dam. The kill info is being kept really quiet. No idea why. Little info is available. Don

Roast, The nearest formal gathering of bamboo builders occurs in the Kamloops area every two years. The gathering is open to builders and very few users as it is normally over-subscribed. I usually get my invitation near Xmas. If you are still interested, let me know and I'll get your contact info to the convenors. I have 4 Para 15's that are used regularly for lake fishing. If you are interested in casting them, give me shout. Parabolic tapes are liked by many, cussed by few. A friend calls them "butt swingers" which perfectly describes the action. Regards, Don

Lepages regular contact cement. Most hardware stores carry it. Do not get other types of contact cement - the glue is miscible in water.http://www.lepageproducts.com/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=90 Don

Roast says " I personally have been gravitating towards slower rods and recently purchased a bamboo blank that I just finished wrapping out. Just casting it on the lawn, I'm amazed at the feel and how effortless casting is. I started fishing with graphite, I hadn't tried anything else until now." I'm pleased that you have discovered how easy cane is to use. Glass rods are great as well. Enjoy your journey in the non-graphite world. Be warned though. Unlike the couple of graphite rod companies, there were/are thousands of cane builders all making rods of various tapers. Lot more choices. Don

Random camping is the only way for a lot of folks to camp. The trailers etc of today will not fit into the campgrounds built 40 years ago. The campgrounds spots are just plain too small. Further, the govt is shutting down campgrounds all over the place. Why? It appears like few use them. Why should I pay >$20/day for a spot where there are rules regarding behaviour when I can camp wherever I want with no rules or payment. Good God people - this is Alberta - we don't want to pay for anything and we certainly are enforced to death...... Or so I have been told by most everyone! Don

BlkAnt, Chironomids work well on whites - use them under a bobber. Microleechs and very small jigs both presented under a bobber are just the medicine for perch. Whitefish in the summer are tough to release. Takes quite a while for them to recover. Catch 'ya, Don

Folks, This arrived today. Note: 1] the areas 2] voluntary.

Guys, My thanks for all the pointers to beers here and there. I do know that Bigrock does provide brewing efforts to a whole whack of companies.. But a confession is in order. I'm not a beer drinker! For many years I was forced to drink Sicks [ well named ] Pilsner Beer brewed in Lethbridge. Well it did the job but left the drinker full of suds and C02. So after i discovered whiskey, beer became a thing of a former life. Well a family thing opened my eyes. One member liked dark beers and Uncle Ben brewed Dark Wolf. Damn it was good but Uncle Ben disappeared and the search was on. Bigrock Traditional was as close as I could find. I have few criteria on beer. 1] It must be brewed in Alberta - that helps pay my taxes unlike BUD. 2] it must be a dark full flavoured beer 3] it must be unpasturized thereby preserving the Vitamin B and allowing me to drink to good health. Now cost is not important. The Doc says 1 beer/day so I'm thinking it better be a good 'un. Now @ a 1/day limit, I don't have enought time left to get to all the good ones. Frankly, keep the Trads coming and I'm content. And with that and all the high water, I'm going pike fishing. regards, Don

Now all you Calgreeians! I just spent an overnighter in Calgree and went for lunch Sunday @ Earls on 16th and supper @ Joeys on Barlow. And dammit it all - neither of them carried Bigrock Trad. Now they had swill from the west coast > east coast but not a drop an Alberta Beer. Even the lodge where my wife and I stay @ near Lake Louise didn't stock Alberta beer. What's wrong with this? Isn't there anyone in Calgree proud of the best beer brewed - anywhere! Catch ya' Don

Guys/Gals, For some unknown reason the top 2 flies work quite well whereas the bottom and obviously more realistic fly gets lots of misses. The flies are used. The Mickey Fin type landed <>20 or so whereas the synthetic perch was a tad fewer @ maybe 6 or so. The rabbit fur perch landed <>10 or so. Still trying to get this pike thing figured out. Least it's something to do! regards, Don

And it gets stranger. The first 8 strikes came unbuttoned while using a perch imitation on a #2 hook. Switched to a red clouser on a #2 and never missed another. Strange doings! Don

Things got better! Off to Cow Lake this AM for some coarse fishing. Had tied up some smaller perch imitations on both # 2 & 2/0 to compare. Landed 6 - lost six. Missed one in the 3 hours I stayed. Hooking average about back to "normal". No idea what caused the lousy effort the first day. Tired slip striking them and it seemed to work better. All but one lightly hooked. A seething rain finally drove me home to coffee & left overs. Don

Peter, Am trout striking them. Some were on for 10>20 seconds and then popped off. Exasperating. Mind you, I picked up enough beer and pop cans to pay for my gas today. All is not lost. Don

Guys/Gals, Was playing @ Cow Lake for pike this AM and having more than a passel of trouble. After having 12 strikes and "0" to hand. I just have to wonder what I'm doing wrong? last summer I used flies primarily tied on #2 hooks. This summer I tied a bunch on 4/0 hooks. The fish liked 'em but they wouldn't stay stuck. Now previously I landed 50% or so of fish hooked on a poor day and maybe 80% on a good day. If the hook size an issue? Help!! Don

Jerry N, I've got a Scadden Escape as a backup boat. I travel a lot and carry spares for nearly everything including boats. The Escape, like most frameless styles, uses an oar lock system that might not last long under heavy use. For the occasional user, it might last well but I tend to wear things out through use. My present pontoon is composed of many parts as each of them wore out. The seat and rear storage bags are Bucks, the oars and frame are from Outcast 9 IR, the main storage bags are Scadden, the tubes were built for me by a fellow in Red Deer. The boat just ordered is a Outcast 900. I will continue to use all the existing parts except for the tubes which will be switched to the new Outcast tubes. I frankly don't like aluminum frames after I and the guys I fish with broke three aluminum frames. As i use a pontoon <> 90 days a year, things break. The Escape boat has a pitiful foot rest and is impossible to use with fins. The oars are very thin and will probably break under heavy use. I've only used Bucks, Outcast parts and Scadden Escapes and therefore have no experience with other manufacturers. Regards, Don