DonAndersen

Halcyonsanta, Now you went and did it - you are now -2 and you just got here. Now if you promised to help me across the stream, pack the beer and point out the risers, I just might be convinced to click your like button. But don't think that clicking your button is the beginning of any type of long term Rob Anders type of relationship. catch ya' Don

Thanx Terry, Just for that, I'll continue to let you out fish me. regards, Don

God but this is embarrassing. Somebody or other voted me down - something that I had to correct by voting on another computer for myself. I guess he found the merchdise lacking and didn't wish to become a ladies magnet, karate kid. Loser!! Siill sucking up, Don PS - I'm running outta computers to vote for myself.

Sanjaunworm, Do I love this - now you can call somebody out w/o tossing a punch. If you got an issue with someome - be a man about it and say so out loud c/w your real name. And I'm a tad grumpy - the end is near - it was snowing this morning. Don

Guys, Smart phones are designed to rid the population of peope. So you step in fornt of a bus or wrong way on a street or C train or... Let Darwin rule. Now if I could just get cedll phone users on Quads, I'd get a two fur. Don

Taco, You're a lucky guy. As far as I can recall there have been only 2 other nature raised tiger trout found in Alberta. Mel Kraft, the regional fisheries guy for Central Alberta now retired got one from Stauffer Creek in the late 60's and a bio who worked for the Alta Govt [ If I recall correctly it was Wayne Roberts with the Alberta Museum] got the other maybe in the early 70's. And the browns in the Crow didn't jump the falls. I heard they escaped from Allison Springs hatchery > Allison Creek that flows directly into the Crow. But browns flying up the falls makes a much better story. catch ya' Don

http://www.fishingmagic.com/features/opini...227-otters.html What is very interesting is that otters were native n England and not an invasive species as in many parts of Alberta. regards, Don

RDevonshire, For some idiot reason there are jerks that throw tires into streams. This one @ least provides some cover. And this is what Otters look like. This one was seen on a local stream.

soft... The rod was a 9'6" Orvis Powerhouse that was bought years ago for fishing both lead cores and High Speed - High Density lines. The line I used was a 30' head HD-SP in a 9 weight. Worked well in water <15' deep as the lakers were then. Apparently they go deeper in summer. I did see some lakers rising to caddis. Wished I'd brought a 6 weight. The leader was a 25 lb. butt followed by 12 lb. of Floro. <>6' long. Lakers are not leader shy. regards, Don

Folks, Got back from Whiteswan and had a couple of days to prepare the trailer for a cutthroat expedition to SE BC and SW AB. We left Thursday with some doubt that SE BC streams would be fishable. Things looked good on the way south Highwood nearly clear, Oldman clear, Crow clear and over the border to Alexander - whoo - high but clear and headed up Michel and it was high and clear as well. Went up as far as Corbin. Clear all the way. Off to Sparwood and the campground. Checked in, licenses bought, supper fixed and now for some peace and quiet. Well, that didn't happen. Traffic all night but we survived and headed up to Michel in the AM. Parked in one of the turn-outs and headed downstream intending to fish back. It was tough but we found some. They were good fish too. Even upstream it was OK with decent sized fish. But it was definitely slow fishing with <20 landed between the two of us. So after a couple of days of slipping and sliding on Michel's slippery rocks, we headed to the Crow for groceries, gas, lunch and beer before heading north to Dutch Creek Campground. If you get a chance, there is a fine small town restaurant in old downtown Coleman called Chris's Restaurant. Great food, lots of it and decent pricing. We kinda poked along letting the weekenders head home and hopefully we'd get a good spot. They did and so did we. Camp set up and we headed north to check things out. Started on the Livingstone a couple of miles north of the falls. Walked downstream and fished back. Got a kick outta the habitat additions to the stream. It was hotter than a cracker out there. Needed to cool things down. A side spring sure felt great. The afternoon wasn't up to much with only 3 landed. Did find a sack full of garbage though. Beer cans everywhere + fireworks leavings. The next morning fishing got better. We fished the Livingstone for the next few days. A dry/dropper seemed to work best early in the day. Either a CCF Or a BM Were used as the dry as both are nearly imposable to sink. The droppers were either bead head PT's or small caddis larva. I got some. And Kevin got some. And every now and then something neat walked by. Plus of course, FF types who obviously sucked up too many suds left this hanging in a tree. And every now and then we had this happen. And probably the best part, we discovered new places. This was a tributary to the Livingstone. After 4 days on the Livingstone we gave the Oldman a try. Worked up high for lots of little fish and down low for more larger ones. Wasn't real good anywhere. Still it was the last day. Saturday - home to shower & shave. And so ends July. From here to there & back again. catch ya' Don

Well, the trip to Great Slave Lake was over Saturday - got back home @ 9:00 pm. Sandy announced "the trailer is packed" - we're leaving in the morning and so by 11:00 we were off heading south. The problem was the weather. We are both blond and hate hot days. The temperature was forecast to be <>33C in southern Alberta where we had intended to go so @ Highway #1, we turned west and headed for Whiteswan Lake SE of Canalflats, BC. figuring that the heat might less in the mountains. Sandy likes to paddle here and there in her kayak and with that much heat it wouldn't be fun for either her or Morty the navigator. We got to Whiteswan in late afternoon and got set up. The following morning it was move to a different location and finally some fishing. It was hot @ the lake as well but with shade of the trees, we suffered less. The lake was nearly flat and with the sky bright, fishing was tough. But it was still possible to catch a few. The first part of the week, it was OK with 7>10 landed each day. By Wednesday though, the fishing stank!!! Some days not a strike. Then it rained!! And things got better quick. Some of these fish are tough. On the Saturday, a Glenn's Leech worked just fine. Cast with a floating line c/w 20' of leader in water <10' worked on a bunch of decent fish. Landed 3 over 23" with several coming unbuttoned. And so ended the week. We headed home Saturday - Sandy to various Town Council duties and me to prepare for round three in July to SE BS and SW AB.

Heh Junior, You have any idea how tough it is to get a Muskox tanned or a Narwhal harpooned? $3,000 may not cut it. As far as building a cane staff - seen them. Not sure that I'd want one. High maint. Mind you, if you want life time warranty, the price just jumped to $5,000 catch ya' Don

As asked, here is a rundown of the trip taken in early July. A friend had been @ Frontier Lodge last year and was impressed. He talked me into going. Was a great trip. Unlike any other trips I'm been on before, this one was completely mindless. You paid your money, got onto your flight to Yellowknife. We were meet @ the airport and shuttled to our hotel. The following morning we were picked up @ the hotel by the lodge shuttle, hauled to the airplane and flown to the gravel strip just across the Stave River from the lodge. What must be seen to be believed is the amount of lakes seen from Yellowknife>the lodge. They were everywhere. This picture was taken about 20 minutes east of Yellowknife on the north side of Great Slave Lake. We got checked in, a license bought and promptly lead to lunch of laker chowder c/w fresh bread and desert. Most of us had cabins. Ours slept 5 with 2 rooms + bath. Within a couple of hours of landing, we were fishing. My friend and I each had a guide by ourselves. We fished out of aluminum boats c/w 40 hp Mercs. Lots of room for casting. This is what the lake looked like. Within minutes, I caught some lakers. Not large - but <>8 lbs. from water that looked like The evening was a bust. Walked up the river to see if a grayling could be caught. Not a sign - did see some of the lodge guests up there though. They were upstream of us. The second day was tough with strong winds and a 2' chop. Still I caught some lakers + a couple of hammer handle pike. But, it was still a banner day. After the first evening on grayling, we moved further up the river and there they were - lots of them Big ones too!! And they liked flies. Dry Flies. Tied on a #14 Parachute H&L Variant and here was the first one. By my rough measure it was <>24" long and maybe 4>4.5 lbs. Got a bunch but they were slightly smaller with most <>20". It was a great way to finish the day. The third day on lakers was great with fish after fish for several hours. The best one was slightly better than 15 lbs. and of course the big ones got away. Hooked a couple that would have easily gone 20 lbs. All were caught on a white rabbit fur Clouser. The last day was spent about 35 miles NE of the lodge in a are rarely fished. We did OK with about 12>15 landed. Most of them were small however if 5>8 lbs. is small. The lake is so large and island filled that lots of days I wasn't really sure of the way home. Still there were some real interesting spots. The last day we had a shore lunch on some of the barren rock areas that dot the lake. I suspect that ice rubs the rocks bare. Things are left behind though. Here is a picture of what I'd think a Zen Rock should like like. We flew back to Yellowknife Saturday morning, laid over till 4:30 and headed for Edmonton. Back to Rocky by 9:00. Was the trip worth it. You bet. Neat things seen all over. Saskatoons, Gooseberries and Raspberries were nearly ripe, Adult Darner dragon flies everywhere. Seems like everything in the north is in hurry. Get it done or get frozen seems to work. Very few ducks though and very few loons. Lots of mosquitoes but I only put on DEET if I fished up river. Around the lodge, the bugs were few. The lodge can hold <>30 guests and the guest to staff ratio runs nearly 1:1. Some of the staff has been there for 35 years. Several of the retired guides are buried on the property. The lodge had a booth @ the FF Calgary Expo last year. See:http://www.frontierfishinglodge.com/canadian-fishing-lakes/great-slave-lake/ See- I'm spending my retirement wisely. Don

Rick, We were in the same storm but on the Livingstone. Some hail <>3/8". River off-color for about 1/2 hour. Fished well after the storm. Don

And with keeping to Ricks "made for the fly flinging set" I'm announcing @ this point that soon I will be providing a split bamboo wading staff of multiple pieces c/w with nickel silver ferrules. The pointy end will be constructed on Carboloy in keeping with bamboo tradition. Of course, the handle will be wrapped with baby seal fur hide tanned expressly for this purpose by natives living along the Atlantic Salmon Rivers of Eastern Canada. The holster will be of tanned Muskox treated with Narwhal Whale Oil. An insert into the handle with be of Narwhals tusk scrimshawed discreetly with a mayfly of choice. At this point, I'd suspect that the price point will exceed $3,000. Line starts to the right. Of course, the guy that build it will keep with the old aluminum ski pole that he dug outta the garage and has absolutely no bling. Mind you, the duct tape holding the cord into place is a nice touch. catch ya' Don

Jim, A couple of other things. Just read Lorne's lament for the Crowsnest Bulls. Any chance that bulls would be stripped and stocked into the Crow Lakes? Isn't there some concern about hybridization with the rainbows/cuts or do we rely on a thermo-barrier on Willow? regards, Don

Brad29, I've got a couple and all of them are either two short or flimsy. I finally settled on a old cross country ski pole that is just long enough that it will barely fit from the ground to under my arm pit. From the guys in BC, I learned that wading staffs should be readily available. The guys I fished with used a 1/4" nylon rope about 6' or so long with a loop in the end. One end was tied to the staff and the other was formed into a loop that you placed over your head. The rope is the right length if you can walk along, reach back with your hand and it grabs the ski pole handle. I've got some types with holsters et al. A pain in the butt. regards, Don

Glen Beck says its flat - enough said. Don

Aliens - you want aliens look to southern Alberta any time the water clears + the Elk River Valley is infested by them. Don

OK Guys!!! Listen up - you want it all. An absolutely gorgeous accommodations + a very fine restaurant located <>15 miles from Rocky on the west side of Prairie Creek. Take your wife/partner and enjoy a great get-away. Plus sucking up doesn't hurt. See: http://www.theprairiecreekinn.com/index.html Took Sandy there on Sunday dinner and she was impressed. regards, Don

Folks, So the greenies vs the oil companies on the Enbridge Pipeline is right boring. But - - - Now I've heard it on good authority that the pipeline to the west coast will increase crude prices paid by the refineries in western Canada thereby increasing the cost of gasoline @ the pumps. Now PM Harper said it and several oil company executives have said it. Are you really happy paying more @ the pump? Now I recall when Lougheed was jumping up and down whining and yipping about getting world price for oil. Well, we got it and I put $20 in a $10 tank then - now the same tank would be $70. Am I a happy camper - ya' just giggling all over the place. The Enbridge Pipeline will just add to the pleasure. Don

dube, I have an Scadden Escape and used it once. Works OK. Foot bar would work with boots but doesn't with fins. My boat has 8' tubes and I use it <>90 days/year. Longer tubes are only necessary if you go with standup. The shape of your tubes is critical. Severe rocker means that the boat sinks further into the water. Plus the piece sticking up which doesn't do a lot except act as a sail. Severe rocker is a pain in thin water. Hangs up regularly. My tubes are flat on the bottom. I don't draw a lot of water. The Oldman above the damn, the Clearwater near Rocky, the Waterton above the damn, the Belly + others here and there have many "thin" sections where severe rocker means you line the boat rather than rowing it. I've had aluminum frames - they break - and two friends broke - different manufactures. Mind you we use our boats - some don't - those boats last forever. I've got a boat with tubes by a guy from Red Deer, Seat by Bucks, two of the side bags by Bucks, Two other bags by Scadden, Oars by the Chinese, frame by Outcast. I wear things out. For the money, Outcast is about the best value. Scadden is great but more $'s. A friend has two Bucks - both work great although internal bags are very thin. Light boat though. Like anything. No boat will work for everybody or in every instance. regards, Don

Pipeline failures are quite commons. See: http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/minerals-metals/mat...logy/picon/3308 From which this is copied. As of the end of 1997, there were approximately 266000 km of energy-related pipelines under the jurisdiction of the Alberta Energy Utility Board. The inventory of pipelines in Alberta continues to grow, averaging an annual increase of about 4% during the 1990s. These pipelines carry many substances, including: sour natural gas highly volatile products (propane, ethane, butane, and combinations) crude oil (sweet and sour) oil effluent multiphase (sweet and sour) gas and oil light volatile products (liquid fuels) natural gas fuel gas salt water miscellaneous liquids gases fresh water From 1980-1997, a total of 12 137 operating pipeline failures were recorded, averaging 674 failures per year. Internal corrosion caused the majority (about 50%) of these failures.

fishinglivin, Bamboo rods that are >$2500 in price range were generally built by a small group of people of which most are dead. And that only applies to rods <8' long. Longer rods are discounted a lot. Watch Ebay and see what a rod similar to your is selling for. It's the best place to get some sense of the pricing. regards, Don

fishinglivin, Replacement of a guide is dead easy. Getting the right guide to match the existing ones may be somewhere different story. If you are content to get close, then it's a simple matter. Rods of that length are typically inexpensive. Don