dryfly

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....

RE: Framed prints Toolman, yodatrout and Tie1one24 ... the prints are back from the lab. Will frame today and mail tomorrow. The glass will be heavily taped with masking tape. Carefully pull it off and clean the glass with Windex. Will include hanger wire and eye screws. Screw holes will be pre-drilled. Thanks guys! Clive

"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

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.

Greg: Untill I get back, the framed print items are all gone. I had a PM regarding the 4th pix so assume it to be sold. Will advise for sure when I get back. Clive

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

rocknbugs .. here's the sharptail up closer... there will be one on sale at the local DU dinner ... folks like it ... a GREAT natural wonder and if you even have the chance to visit a lek during the season ... do it.

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