dryfly

We had no issues with lines on reels. Actually it was a tad strange. We had all sorts of heavy tackle in our carry-on and all they pulled the small pliers. I think they NEED to find small picky stuff now and then just so the systems feels it is accomplishing something while in reality doing nothing to improve security. I was flying out of Leth last month and a little ol' lady had her knitting stuff in her small suitcase (she wanted to carry on) and she had a pair of 4-inch scissors...they made her check the bag. It is all nutso...as if this isn't a weapon....but no 4-inch pliers.

The Optio takes decent pix, but has no eye viewer--just the rear LCD screen. It is a bugger to see the scene in bright sun. Will never get a camera without a eye viewer again.

If you are taking a NEW expensive vise such as a Nor Vise you may want to get a slip of paper exiting the country so they don't accuse you of buying it in the USA and charge you GST on it coming back. I've never had issues with camera gear tho. The security pricks took a small, 5-inch pair of needle nose pliers out of my carry-on when we went to Cuba. I was also carrying a lighter and flammable hand cleaner and they let them through -- as they did two heavy reels and rods. I told Super Dick that I was going to write a letter of complaint the and he said, "Your carry-on bag is over sized, I'd just keep moving along if I were you." They got you by the short ones.

Don: Not read all of the posts here. First off you wrote, "The pesticides I'm looking at are: Sevin, 24D, MCPA, & PICLORAM. Can the pesticides be combined into one test called Phenoxy Acid Herbicides?" .. Sevin is an insecticide, 24D is a phenoxy compound as is MCPA. Picloram is not a phenoxy acid herbicide. The Oldman Watershed Council and AB Env do intensive monitoring of the entire OM drainage. Clearly they are conducting objective and uniform tests. I could make an inquiry if you wish. There are test labs that can do a single test for a wide range of chemicals. There are greenhouse producers in Central AB that produce without pesticides and claim to "pesticide free" ... they do these tests to verify their claims. (I just completed a major study about organic and pesticide free greenhouse production.) Given the location of the creek in pastureland and some cropland it is indeed possible that there are minor amounts of chemicals getting into the creek. As to any possible effects on aquatic species compared to the complex of other variables is extremely difficult. (It is doubtful that a few parts per billion of any of these has any effect at all.) Other variables in the stream include: pH, temperatures, flows, angling pressures, and nutrient loading--or lack of. (It is possible given the low grain prices of past decades and general economic difficulties in the past decade that local farmers are using less nitrogen and phosphorus on the surrounding pasturelands. This could be affecting the aquatic productivity--highly speculative, but shows how complex this is. The effects of anything are impossible to assess without baseline figures--which you want.) Chemicals would have to be monitored for years to assess changes in relative levels. However, inferring anything could be spurious since the effects of other variables could also play a role. A change in one variable does not necessarily mean it has any resulting effect compared to other variables. Cheers! Clive

Thanks. I was most pleased. We fished the Rio Hatiguanico: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/6373441 I was using a 10-wt Dan Craft and it was a chore to move this fish which took 32 minutes from hookup to landing. It made one long run and then came in and dogged and sounded for minutes on end. It would come close and run out 30 feet and then dive down and dog it. At times I could not budge the beast and am having trouble imagining moving a 80-pound tarpon with the 10-wt. Just amazing. I need to try this again.

adc and I fished with four others in Cuba for a few days. I had a bugger of a time with the bonefish--caught a few--but adc cleaned up one the bones. I fished for tarpon three times....first day in the river and managed one small one...on day #2 I fished in the chuck and managed a ~10 pounder in some mangroves...jumped five times. They are spectacular leapers. On Saturday adc and I attended the river once more. He ended up fishing for rollers in a small side chanel...he caught 'em on dries--poppers. (He can tell you about it.) I missed four in a row and hooked a 4-foot pig that I managed to break off! Grrr...operator error. Ain't hard. Finally hooked this "baby" tarpon that taped at 43 inches and was between 25 and 30 pounds--small by tarpon standards. But by my standards it was just fine. I wanted to catch a decent tarpon on this trip and I could not have asked for more. Sweet. Makes me happy ... except that I could deplete my life's savings chasing tarpon and die in poverty.

rickr .. you will HATE it so save yerself some grief and just forward it to me when it arrives.

That's a bugger. Kingfisher, is that your street rod? (Oops...I see the link is a coddington link...) Clive

You guys wanna know what is REALLY funny? Is Cheeler "preening" and "stroking" that wet pike fly (with his fingers) to make it look nice nice again ... and forgetting it has a stinger hook! OUCH! Speaking from experience of course. Hurts like hell. There is blood. (No smart a$$ comments about the stroking, okay?) Cool pike fly BTW ...

Excellent. The marabou for the tail was the ticket. Looks good. Tried it in diff colors now. Cheers! Clive

"Someone in Ontario made a "Rim Roller" to roll the rim up for you." One more thing for Dave to hang on his fly vest.

Despite the picky flaws you noted--it was hardly pedestrian (or banal) as you said--the movie had great depth and showed how humanity can go against humanity and all suffer. And it brilliantly displayed how families hurt each other, but can also overcome deep rifts to live on in peace. In all, it was superbly done and I give 4½ of five stars.

Ohh. That would get folks attention, eh? "Dryfly sentenced to five years for killing a bull trout!" Ouch. Hum Saath Saath Hain. Now there was a great film!

Just add 12 inches of tippet ahead of your fly. Pinch them above a surgeon's knot. Or use weighted flies.

Tako, Your posts are simply wrong. "WONG isn't a Canadian name." Lots of Wongs have been here a hell of a lot longer than most of our families here. And anyway. who does have a Canadian name? What IS a Canadian name? ... since we ALL migrated or immigrated from somewhere -- even natives. "newcomers to the country" This is a a very bad inference and without more information that is not a fair statement. Maybe Mr. Wong is an immigrant. We simply do not know. My name is Schaupmeyer. My grandparents came to Alberta in 1908...one hundred years ago. A lot of Wongs came before that. But guess what? I am a "newcomers to the country" .. I was not born in Canada. So what's that make me? I will agree that all new anglers including those from other countries MUST adapt to the regulations and mores (the fixed morally binding customs of a particular group) of the sportfishing community. It is not alright for anyone to whack any and all fish. Please be careful with sweeping statements. They will sneak up on you one day. Cheers! Clive

Harry...DSLRs simply rock! Said this before here. Owned cameras for 48 years and got my first SLR 40 years ago. First DSLR 2½ years ago and new DSLR last October. DSLRs have provided the MOST fun I've ever had with cameras. I take a LOT of pictures and I am taking the best pictures of my life right now. Partly because I shoot a lot, but also because of the feedback. Rusty, the lens is a 100-300 APO. I have a great Manfrottto tripod, but it weights (what??) ten pounds. I made a monopod a few years ago and it is perfect for walking. Has a "quick connect" and I can attach the camera in 3 seconds. I am using the Sony A700 12 MP DSLR now. They purchased Minolta's factories and DSLR technology so my good lenses were still usable. Sony is making most/some Nikon sensors now. Sony will release a full-frame, 24 MP body this fall. Will be tempting, but beyond my needs (I will get one one day I guess) and will probably cost $6K+ just for the body. Too much camera and too much money ... for now. Here's what I've learned since getting a 12MP DSLR last fall. I have decent glass: One APO, one LD, and one high-end macro--and a mirror lens to die for. BUT ... I can see that even my good glass is limiting the quality of images at 12 MP. (I can make 18 by 24-inch prints if need be.) So I plan to get one or two ED lenses this year. I'd like a G series f2.8, ED, 300-mm, but it is $7,000 -- just for one lens, so will probably opt for a new 70-300 G series ED zoom. It is a tad slower, but I shoot mostly outdoors and almost exclusively in sunshine anyway. I also need a good wide angle (20-mm or less) prime for a project I've in mind. Sorry for the long reply. I get pumped about the technology. We are so lucky.

Harry ... "I've never thought of you of being so morbid" ... Nah, just reality. It IS a tad warped tho. adc will attested to my general weirdness. I walk a few km almost every day and usually carry my camera. Get a few good shots now and then. Could not resist the first dead gopher of "spring." Dead gophers are sort of the western equivalent of "groundhog day" ... even thinking of spring in Feb could be bad karma...can't wait for the big snows of March and may. Not. Welcome home Lynn. From another walk this week ...

adc's real name is: adczkczski KIDDING for anyone of western Euro descent. I r one too.

Nothing announces spring like the first road-kill gopher! Sssshh! I'm gonna post this picture on the Sasquatch thread and tell Birchy et al that is a Sasquatch! I'll sell them a poster of it for (what??) twenty Gs ?

Taco ... Post one for the Stream Watch auction!!

You might find this interesting. One assumes the unnamed lake is Bullshead. February 20, 2008 TORONTO MAN NETS BIG FINE FOR TOO MANY ALBERTA FISH MARATHON — A Toronto man has been fined $4,500 after pleading guilty to having more fish than allowed. Charles Wong, 51, also had his fishing licence suspended for one year and forfeited the fish and two coolers to the Crown after being found with 53 rainbow trout over the legal limit. During a police stop for a Highway Traffic Act offense in April 2007, an Ontario Provincial Police officer discovered the fish in Wong’s vehicle. The officer contacted a conservation officer from the Ministry of Natural Resources in Manitouwadge. After an investigation, the conservation officer laid charges against Wong. Wong had been fishing near Medicine Hat, Alberta. The possession limit for rainbow trout is five in both Alberta and Ontario. ... AND NONE < 50 cm IN BULLSHEAD. (It is possible he was fishing elsewhere, but where else could you catch uniform largish trout like that? Other than a stocked pond.)

Heathen!!

Gag! Barf !!! She makes that pussy look good.

Reminds me of the $8,000 parrot joke. ("It tasted real good.") Hell of a steel tho. Free shipping to Canada. So what's the deal here anyway? No one (well maybe one of rickr's relatives ... JOKE!! ) would buy a pretzel for $21K. Mind you, people give tens of thousands to more frivolous things. Take Benny Hinn. PLEASE! (And I never even mentioned Suzuki! )