badatt

This is not a new project, it is a new allotment of funding for a project that has been ongoing for several years. It has wiped out some very productive fisheries in the name of progress. I have a concern that some of these lakes have an inflow and outflow. How are these being protected from Rotenone?

Try wateroffice.ec.gc.ca

The rookery is directly across from police, far west of the house. The old Manix property by the buffalo jump is now owned by a developer, above and in the valley. Small portions of the valley parcel are protected because of their archaeological significance. It sounds like the developer is willing to work with other stakeholders in protecting it.

Any development across the river from policemens could be a problem. There is a Great Blue Heron rookery in the woods there, home to approx. 30 nests that they return to every year. It is an offence under the migratory bird act to disturb them in any way. This issue was brought forward a few years ago when the "Sanctuary on the Bow" development was proposed. The land in question was sold to a developer last year.

A very good question, why is it such a big issue? Likely because a few individuals are making it out to be. I think the damage being done to the riparian habitat by many kilometres of riprap is a far greater problem than people driving on the gravel at a couple of boat launches. This needs to be kept in perspective.

Empty the dams before runoff insufficient flow to maintain fish populations in a hot dry summer

Damage to the riparian habitat on the gravel bar is very minimal compared to the harm millions of dollars of rip rap being dumped into the river is causing. Mismanagement of the dams is also causing major harm to the fishery. Pick a worthy cause and keep it in perspective.

I don't understand why Transalta is allowed to do this during spawning season. That stretch of river is closed now for a reason. Once again they get away with doing whatever they want at the expense of the environment. Reminds me of the Spray River disaster a few years ago.

Should, could , would...,. Sounds like Justin Trudeau. The only way to enforce their use is to ban them outright everywhere except a smaller enforceable area. $0.2

Effective August 01, 2014 all commercial fishing in Ab has been suspended as the fishery is no longer viable. This is waaaay overdue. See the ESRD website for details

Junior Your last post reminds me of a story a friend of mine tells. Years ago his buddies kept hyping a "secret" spot, he kept bugging them and finally they agreed to take him only if he was blindfolded. They set off from the cty and stopped 45 minutes later and told him they had arrived and he could take the blindfold off. They were parked at the High River town pond!

In Trans Alta's press release last week they stated their focus is on public safety and managing the reservior, in other words making sure the breach of the spillway doesn't get any worse. Very considerate of them. The priority therefore, is not on environmental concerns. Their environmental policy is just that, a policy, and while they may judge themselves by their intentions the concerned public will be judging them by their actions.

I spoke With Bill Hunt at Parks Can. last week. It sounds like Parks will be doing what they can to ensure Trans Alta be held accountable for this. According to Hunt this event is the worst ecological disaster in the park since Minnewanka was built, including all the forest fires. The province on the other hand appears to be sitting on its hands as usual. Trans Alta may have a license to operate the dam but it doesn't give them the right to destroy the environment and negatively impact the fishery the way they have. Trans Alta's response appears to be arrogant and inadequate.

By the time a 2oz. container of Marine Tex is delivered from Clacka it costs over $40. after shipping costs and brokerage fees. There are much cheaper products available locally that work just as well. Marine Tex is not recomended if you plan on using a gel coat later.

Try NRS - (Northwest River Supplies) in Idaho. They carry Carlisle, Sawyer and Cataract and I've never had a problem with service.

Just a heads-up, I was fishing with a friend yesterday afternoon and his truck was parked at the Glenmore launch (Graves Landing). It was broken into and a rod and reel were stolen. There was nothing valuable visible from outside either. Keep an eye out if you're in the area.

I've found Force Fins work well on a lake but not as effective in a river. Because of the design I find they are impossible to "load" properly in current or in shallow water. I also agree with the previous post that they are not good for making the finer control manouvers while fishing. I use Caddis fins and find they work well, they also float.

The temperature may not be a factor... I was hiking and fishing on a fairly high altitude cut stream last week. In past years it has produced well and receives little pressure. This year was disappointing. There were very few cuts, no small ones and no whitefish. After hiking about 5 km. we were about to call it a day. In the last pool we landed a 35" bull with a fat belly and a smile on his face. He wouldn't have been able to go much further upstream as the water gets pretty skinny and I'm sure the food supply would as well. I was glad we found him, it explained what had happened to a usually good fishery.

I have a pair of 9' oars made from douglas fir with oak trimmed blades. They're available from Sawyer Products in Oregon. I'm not sure if theres a local distributor, check they're web site.

From Magog it's a short hike to Sunburst and Cerulean Lakes. Both can be great for dries, there are some really big cutts in Cerulean. End of June is early for these high alt. lakes, BC license is req'd.