Hawgstoppah

If you can go stateside take the interstate down to nevada and hit up Lake Mead and Lake Powell. Wife's family did that when they were young and they still talk about how awesome it was.

Also explains a lot of the behavoiur of the anglers on the river too, eh? LOL

Springer Spaniel might fit the profile you are looking for too. Very affectionate dogs, love the outdoors, highly trainable, good for hunting as well as companionship. I grew up with one and miss him dearly, and if ever afforded the opportunity to get another dog that would be it

Eddie the Eagle!!!

We are truly humbled by your pictures. Thanks for sharing yet again. I visit this thread often to see if you have put any more up, you are truly capturing the essence of the sport. You need to be working for a magazine, for sure.

I'll give you an honest answer on that one. A 5 trout species day is entirely possible on a few different AB waters, which is a pretty darned unique experience in and of itself. In fact, I had a 6 species day once in my life on the crow believe it or not (laker and a bull below the falls, a brown somewhere it shouldn't have been up by hillcrest, rainbows, then later on towards evening a cutty and a brookie in the upper reaches). I don't know anywhere else that unique day would be possible, yet there I stood. I also believe it to be a very unique experience stalking brown trout in the middle of the night in a city of over one million people. Again, it's all in how you want to paint the picture of what you are looking at, I choose to appreciate and love what we have now and find special things about every fishery.

They are ALL unique, and good. My only point is let's not get hasty and blow them up for a "hope" of restoring what once was. Blame our forefathers for posting giant stringers of bull and cutthroat trout, decimating our waters, and making it so we almost needing to stock something in them to have anything to fish for. But now let's focus heavily on waters that can be saved = great. Thinking every brookie (or any non native for that matter) people catch anywhere should be tossed into the weeds = not great. Some of Alberta's best trout fisheries (dare I say MOST of them, lake, river, or otherwise) are fishing for those evil non natives. They should be protected too for what they are now.

Taco. Most fisheries I treasure, have nothing to do with fish that are natives. Not everyone thinks cuttys and bulls are the ultimate sport fish. In fact, brookies blow a cutt away for the beauty of them. Browns and rainbows in the bow are amazing fish to be treasured in one of the planet's best fisheries. Goldens are brilliant, yet none of those existed naturally in Alberta either. Are we to NOT treasure the few scenic lakes they are located at? It is all a matter of one's opinion, indeed. I also "treasure" those few places left relatively untouched by these species too. There are a few good native cutt rivers left, and I do think we should do all we can to protect those too. cheers,

wishing I could be fishing but loving the reports!!

Amen McLeod. You nailed it. I kind of jumped the gun in this thread too thinking that one of those areas that should be treasured instead of plundered was in jeopardy. It was mainly due to the way folks were talking in the thread. I think the fine folks that are participating need to make it clear that they are doing this only in streams earmarked for the program, and they are doing it for the right reasons and in the right places.

awesome

Oh well sh*t don't I feel dumb. Carry on folks,! LOL

What I guess I'd like to see if you can direct me to it, is a detailed management plan specifically for Willow. Because right now my thoughts are this: If we just start remmoving one species out of the 6 trout species I have caught in it, what real good will it do? I have landed a laker, brown, bull, brook, rainbow, cutthroat, all within 2km of eachother and all healthy fish too. It's already unique in it's own right. I just think there are a lot better options for restoration of native fish stocks than Willow. I'm not trying to stir the pot or say NOT to, but I'd like to know what good it will do in the end. To manage Willow for cutts and bulls you'd have to remove Browns, Lakers, Rainbows, and Brookies. And Pike, though they are native, as they would compete with the bulls. And you'd basicaly have to remove ainbows from the lower oldman below the damn and erase the browns from there too. It's just a lot of GOOD fishing that would have to be bombed to achieve the goal of slightly better fishing for small cutthroats? It doesn't make sense to me. Please educate me.

I may fish lower down than most who fish on Willow, in my defense. Willow is a pretty long and diversified stream. I just do not know how we can erase years of human footprint on it (are we going to stop stocking Chain lakes with rainbows? Seems that should be step #1, no? They get out through the spillway often)... or are we talking Upper Willow for the management plan? Are we going to start removing the browns too?

I guess I just don't understand how on one hand we're trying to create "quality fisheries" in lakes with non native fish, and on the very other hand we are trying to kill what I believe to be a quailty brook trout fishery in Willow. I haven't said much on this forum about Willow before now, but there are 16-18" class brookies in there. The project states that brook trout are "harder to catch" than cutts and bulls, I also do not believe that to be true and while I am no scientist I have spent thousands upon thousands of hours researching and observing So let's let quads run ragged over the entire FTR streams and poaching is running rampant out there, and lets focus on removing fun to catch quality brookies?? I just think our focus is in the wrong place. I suppose what's next, Cataract Creek? Forget the logging, those darned brookies must go!! Die evil brook trout die!

The only way to get brookies out of there is to use chemicals and kill everything. I don't really understand what bonking a ton of brookies will do to this fishery so I'll leave my personal opinion out of it, but I'd like to know how this would improve the current fishery at Willow?

If I could only have 12 in my box. #1 ) Clouser Minnow #2 ) San Juan Worm wire wrap #3 ) Hare's Ear #4 ) Prince Nymph #5 ) Hoppers/Stones (foam) #6 ) Leeches #7 ) Traditional Adams #8 ) Elk Hair Caddis #9 ) Boatman #10 ) Pale Morning Dun #11 ) Chironomids / Midges #12 ) Stonefly Nymphs Now having said that I'd likely tailor my box to suit the time of year and fishing destination, but those 12 I'd always have in the box, they have proven time and time again over the years.

Makes me proud I bought a Dodge. A company still willing to stick up for what's good and right in the world without fear.

I really need to get myself up to one of these. It's just a horrible time of year for me. I spend too much on Christmas on family and end up really crimping and going no where till about April every year. I should start saving up to go to next years show, now

Love those last set of pics and text, man I need to get out fishing, and soon!

Oh great the next thing you know the bow will be FULL of these things!!

now I am also missing the summer

Your photography and eye for the beautiful things on your visits to the river are second to none, thanks for sharing your talents with us again and again.

aww that is certainly unfortunate. Fish of a lifetime though! 4 in the morning!! awesome jedi fishing!

his leg.... Geez nice fish! Suprised no one's complained about the pic on the grass or anything, the old boys club here must be going soft on yah. Maybe it's in the water though, hard to tell in the shot.