dryfly

That's a real life DIY story. Pretty funny .. now anyway. In my formative "homeowner" years (way back) I had a (do NOT laff) Readers Digest Home Handyman Book. I have to tell you it was absolutely fantastic ... covered EVERYTHING in a way I could understand. (You sound like me Sundance..) It covered concrete, framing, electrical, plumbing, flooring ... repairs and installations. Excellent book as it was deadly accurate and well written with lots of pictures showing damn near anything. Used it a LOT in the years I developed the basement, poured sidewalks and garage floor and built the garage. I did all of the framing, electrical (which I later had inspected) and plumbing. That book was my bible. I HATE all of that now...which explains why, after nine years here, we still do not have baseboards in the basement. True 45° miter joints are a myth. They do not exist in the universe. That's why they sell paintable silicone caulking.

Plano rocks. Kingfisher's is a biggie--and oh so organized. Nice KF. This is #2 for me ... great for camping. Can fit all trout tying tools and supplies in this Plano.

Ho man, I just don't see the problem....

Oh Timmy ... that garish line simply haaasssss to go. Perhaps something in a fuchsia with a hint of rose.

A class act Tim. Good on you! Nice outfit. And even this grumpy old geezer loves the colors. Perfect! Clive

Brownstone..nice. We saw a few on the way to Cape St. Mary's two years ago. Poor photos..far away. (HA HA...was going to sneak some across the tundra...ooops...you cannot walk on that stuff ... wet, soggy, sinky spongy...) Seeing huge herds of caribou is one of the great Canadian experiences...saw thousands in NWT two years in a row..many years back. They are awesome to watch migrating. Taste great as well. Thanks for the cool pictures.

"seen jumping at the end of Clive's line during one of the wind storms he brings from his house. " Amen to that. I sure have the wind jinx at Bullshead. I should start windsurfing .. THAT will make the wind go away. A sidenote....We also look forward to Police evolving into a decent fishery (which it has been on occasion in the past by all accounts) with stable pops of larger fish. There are a few there now, but they are not the norm according to recent test netting. Hopefully the spring test angle will shed some light on fish demographics at the start of the new regs.

Three Rules of Geezerism Always write things down Never pass a urinal Never trust a f*rt ...and if you get an erection do something about it whether with someone or alone.

WB.. I understood they grow faster AND bigger AND lived longer because they are not subjected to the physiological stresses of aborted breeding processes. Guess I need to read up on trips. Hijacking! Allan is WAY younger than me (a couple of years anyway), but he is to be admired for his advance level of geezerism. Man, you just once have to hear him break off a big fish. You want to have your young ones out of ear shot..usually the next county. As for stoopid pipple and stoopid rules...he is the master. The only reasons I stick around him are: To learn more bad words. To learn more about the art of geezerism. To see just exactly WTF he will do next. He makes great soup and sandwiches. He likes me to stand up wind when I smoke a cigar...which suits me cause his waders are as bad as mine. He memory is bad so I can tell him the same joke several times--if I can remember the jokes in the first place. Clive PS: SJW ..we maybe need a password-protected forum for old people. Password will be "drool."

Hey beed....sizzle. Recall all of those! Sweet stuff. Monger said, "Man Al, you and Clive are cranky old buggers." Al ... FINALLY the recognition we deserve. We HAVE arrived at a higher level of oldfartism. Cranky Old Farts R Us. I think Andersen qualifies too. Thanks for the compliment monger. Made my day. If I am gonna be a crank it is nice to be acknowledged.

Hi Steve: Finally making the move, eh? We will go fish the Crow again one day ... this time when it is not snowing. I still have the fly box you gave me and some of the caddisflies in it. Welcome back! Cheers! Clive

We all talk about going to the Crow and the Bow here and elsewhere. They are no more crowded because of that. I fish the Crow a lot and it is not busier now than ten years ago...you just pick your times to go and avoid other times. BUT .... most of us who brag about going to the Crow or elsewhere never speak of the other places we fish. I fish at least half of the time on other waters I'd never mention anywhere. So the publicity is selective. (You put a pail of manure on the porch ... it keeps the flies out of the kitchen.) "I noticed a thread that was trying to organize a group trip in southern Alberta." Geez..if a bunch of guys (who fish southern Alberta a few times a year anyway) decide to get together and fish together in the same time and space once a year that's just fine ... have some laffs and beers. Heck of a good plan. I fished below the dam today. Fishing was slow, but I hung a good rainbow, some rockies and unhooked a small bull. And anyone who cares, knows exactly where I am talking about. Been going there for 15 years. And just like all of the other times we saw no one where we were.

acknowledged rant Weedy1...re fees. Agreed that an increase is good. Yabutt!! Canadian Resident from outside Alberta: Age 16 and older $25.66 This is bullshit!! Youth (less than 16 years) No Licence Required This is bullshit! Non-Resident from outside Canada: Age 16 and older Annual $70.90 ... A good start but not near high enough! Limited (5-day) $47.63 Limited (1-day) $26.63 Why can't a poor, working stiff Albertan who gets to fish one day a year buy a one-day license for ten bucks?And don't give is the old "administrative fee" bullshit. This is blatant discrimination against poor Albertans. Youth (less than 16 years) No Licence Required This is bullshit! The minister wrote me and said they don't want to charge people under 16 so that the sport is encouraged. Fine. For young Albertans I totally agree. But what bloody business is it of ours that some younguns from Germany or Saskatchewan learn to fish?! Not our problem. Make 'em pay. We are NUTS to give away the resources to outsiders. Anyone that pays taxes in Alberta should be incensed that we have to subsidize the fishing recreation of non Albertans. And never forget. A guide from SK or BC can guide three anglers a day and make $500 per day on our resources and, provided the guide does not actually fish, HE DOES NOT PAY ONE BLOODY PENNY TO DO SO! BULLSHIT ... You SRD guys in Edmonton read these boards. Fix this nonsense!! The licensing fees we charge outsiders is bullshit. Ask me how I feel about subsidizing recreation of foreigners from BC and other countries. FIX IT IN 2009!! Maybe it is time again for Mitchell to write another 18-page letter. Ask me how I feel. And no, I don't feel better after this acknowledged rant. We should all be equally pissed at the license fees charged to outsiders. Tell Ted..... The Hon. Ted Morton Minister of Sustainable Resource Development 420 Legislature Building 10800 - 97 Avenue Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6

Thanks for the regs note. RE: buying licenses online. "Buy your WIN card and your sportfishing licences online 7 days a week, 24 hours a day — Coming May 2008." People will hate me for being ungrateful and a cynic. The start date will allow the system to ease in with the online service. However, May 2008 is of no use to a fishing junky who needs to fish on April 1. In 2009, we can all use it. And in April, 2012 I won't give a care. Unless seniors will then have to pay.

"I wish the size restriction was bumped up to 56cm before you could bonk a fish." Amen monger. Maybe zero kill for the first month as well. Maybe one over 56 cm only between (what??) May 15 and Sept 15. The problem with the April 1 opening (with a kill limit) is that all (most) of the other lakes on Southern Alberta are closed because of the spring closure. However, if we bitch at the spring closure too much the simplest thing for senior management to do is ban ALL fishing in ALL waters from March 15 to May 8....that would not be swell. It is just too bad a scientific reason for the spring closure was never given. It was purely North-South bullshit politics. And the pike/walleye lake spirng closure affects lakes like Bullshead big time. Side note: We have a spring closure apparently to protect pike and it is at a times when they don't even bite well. And the moment the lakes open is the same time the pike frenzy starts and THEN there is a three-per-day limit. (Spring closure followed by a 3-per-day limit. Huh?!) And to add insult to injury we have size limits on pike yet allow bait. It is bloody nuts. Sorry for the rant, but IMHO the entire set of fishing regs in AB should be re-written. Not based on "what is now" and amended. Simply re-written based on what is needed to protect the fishery. And a new size for Bullshead would be one thing along with a change in kill season. Most of this is out of the hands of the bios and field staff. We can talk with them, but often their hands are tied.

BobEMonsater wrote, "Can they be captured live and removed to a more suitable habitat where they will not interfere with the growth potential of this lake?" Did you mean the birds? Buggers got wings and if they know where the grub is they will return in a heartbeat. Won't work unless you break their wings or clip them which would not be kosher with the PETA group. Pelicans and cormorants are to be mildly tolerated of not respected. I love to watch pelicans fishing in the ponds across the road. I don't like to see them in real lakes and rivers. Couple of old ones....

Pelicans will eat quite large fish as noted. I saw one eat a 18-inch pike a few years ago in the ponds across the street. When F&W stocks 20-cm trout the gulls and cormorants have a heyday.

???????? "big Cuban in my yap" You mean José Garcia!?!?! Ooohhhhhhhhhh! A cigar! Yeah, no fear, I won't show Fran and you don't show Willie. What happened at Batey Don Pedro STAYS there.

rickr .. this was posted before your time (I think) ... close.

"How Much Is Marriage Worth?" I guess you get what you pay for. My marriage license cost seven bucks.

That's real cool Weedy1. Dah dah dumb dumb...doe doe doh.

Can't wait for this thread....

"Just as addictive and just as expensive?" You can get to Belize or Cuba for less than $1K. If you compromised the accommodations and asked around for a guide you could get in a coupla days tarpon fishing for $2K or $3K. I will be back -- may take 2 years.

"Nothing in the whole world like big fish slammin' topwaters!!" Agreed. Even small pike are a hoot when they are wired for surface flies. Lots of hollering an whooping. "Got to love fish that can break rods!" Now, normally we'd be right pissed at breaking a rod. You shoulda heard adc tell the story on the dock. Last Saturday, I was waiting for adc back at the put in place and was fairly pumped about my tarpon--small as it was. When he and his guide drifted up to the dock, I asked adc what was what, he just shook his head and started mumbling. It was too funny. He was like a kid in a candy store ... his eyes were wide and he was some pumped. That was one helluva day for both of us. I got the tarpon itch now. They are some magnificent critters.

Well it ain't THAT great after hearing it 73 times! Arrghh!!! The stewardesses heard it. The pilots heard it. He had it announced over the TO airport sound system. I heard it several times driving home the other night -- all different versions. Me on the other hand? Hardly a word from me. Did I tell you about the tarpon I caught? Lemme tell you once more.... GREAT work Allan! We should do that again. Clive