dryfly

Don. The gov't folks are idiots because they are scared to be seen as being "anti green" and they are horribly influenced by radical eco groups such as Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, WWF and Suzukians. So we can blame the green weenies for biofuels and subsidized alternate energy sources, which have limited practical future in supplying energy to the masses. Don said, "The N. American farmer is the least energy efficient farmer in the world " Don we've discuss this before. Western Europe and North American producers use a lot of fuel BUT They produce more then anywhere else on earth so the input:output ratio is high... the best in the world. Briefly.... 2,000 acre Canadian farm - four people, three cars and trucks, a bunch of big machinery, ONE house...use a lot of fuel but relatively not much per unit of output. Fertilizer inputs are high as well..but so is production. LOTS of surplus production to feed several hundred others. Four people feeding (say), 1000 others (in food energy equivalents). A ratio of about 1:250 or more. 2,000 acres in Northern China - farmed by 2,000 people living in 500 houses that have to be built and heated .. spewing foul emissions from inefficient fire boxes burning coal and dung. (Photos available on request.) They use dozens of small diesel or gas tractors, fertilizers and pesticides, not necessarily applied according to the label. They produce just enough food for themselves and about 2,000 more people. A ratio of about 1:1. Just consider the "fuel" cost of just feeding and housing those 2,000 farm people! North American farmers do use more fuel, but the "use efficiency" and output is very high. justfloatin ... I mean no harm. You have a naive view of food production. Whereas Don has some errors of thought (I'll' cut him some slack because he's even older than me ), Don is correct. Here is some recent info on palm oil biofuel. Quote: A new study on greenhouse gas emissions from oil palm plantations has calculated a more than 50% increase in levels of CO2 emissions than previously thought – and warned that the demand for ‘green’ biofuels could be costing the earth. Same arguments against wind farms that have defiled our local environment, duplicate existing capacity, cost you and me when we pay our bills because we are forced to pay for new transmission lines AND we subside the kWs produced by wind power. And I've not even mentioned that they kill bats and birds. Wind probably kills more birds than have ever died in the "patch." AESO reports there is interest in TEN TIMES as many wind farms than already exist in Alberta. They are bad for the environment but for some demented reason they are seen as green. And so far wind turbines have not reduced carbon emissions one molecule .. despite the organic effluent (read, bullshit) you are fed from wind investment corporations...feeding on subsidies. When the wind is blowing the gas and coal plants are still running. The world is green mad run by biofools. And the madness costs us all while doing virtually nothing for environmental protection and detracts (time and money) for REAL issues on this planet such as clean water, health care and REAL environmental protection. EVERY ONE ON THIS BOARD COULD FIND 'real environmental protection" WAYS TO SPEND THE $2 BILLION WE ARE WASTING ON CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE IN ALBERTA. Yes, eco madness takes money away from real environmental protection. Environmental protection as seen by green weenies could ONLY happen If there were 500,000,000 people on this planet versus 7,000,000,000. We need responsible use of resources extracted reasonably well and used efficiently. I won't even mention energy costs of ridiculously wasteful conspicuous consumption in western society...that is now the goal of folks in developing countries. The answer is not driving a Prius to Starbucks for a $7 organic, fair-trade coffee ... to discuss those bastards in the oil and gas industry and agriculture .. while planning the next flight to stay at a spa in Cancun. End of my Sunday morning rant. Stay warm. Regards, Clive

A tad strange ... most odd patterns with strange thread. Perhaps a very young person or someone who is physically or mentally challenged .. in which case, it is what it is, and good on 'em.

Thanks again. Hope our flies work ½ as well as yer $15 flies. Now we are all nice nice and dutchie has waxed poetic....below is from my book...was writing about swinging flies: Over fifty years ago Roderick Haig Brown wrote about this technique for steelhead in his treasure of a book, A River Never Sleeps. I started down the pool happily, rolling the fly out into the tumbled water, mending the line upstream to give it a chance to sink well down . . . The fly came over the loaded place, and I held it there in quiet water at full stretch of the line...knowing how it hung, how it looked, how the water plucked at it and gave it life. I moved my left hand up to recover line, and the pull came . . . Cool stuff. RHB could write well. BTW ... Read the last paragraph in that book some day ... Clive

dutchie This will go down in FFC history as one of the best posts ever. Thank you! First, you have a great way of expressing feeling and passion. Nice. This was not just any old yada yada yada post. Good stuff. And secondly, as you know three of us OFs [Al, Gord and I] are leaving this Saturday for the Bulkley. (BC steel virgins.) So I learned a few things from your great post...practical stuff beyond the passion. Been trying to absorb as much as possible...and mental osmosis and old age are ... well, it gets harder to learn stuff when yer an old dog ... Here is part of my steelhead fly collection ... (adc has the Intruders.) And yeah ... we tied a few eggs. FIRST I gotta hang a steelhead. THEN I'll become pure. Hope to see you up there. Thanks again...great post! Regards Clive

Sorry to hear about your arm. You can nymph fish lakes very well with spinning rods and small bobbers and nymphs or leeches. My grandkids have all caught fish like this in Police and Lees Lakes. You can use a clear or colored torpedo float in either rivers or lakes. I prefer setting the kids up with the round red and white bobbers in lakes. Yeah those bobbers. They work just fine with flies below. Good luck! Clive

Smitty .. PM sent. Clive

Thanks. Was about 6 feet from the heads in the hole. They were hunkered down wondering WTF was going on and who was disturbing their afternoon rest. The top photo is not cropped much. Here is the uncropped original...just resized.

bcube ...Using a Sony 70-400 G (ED) lens on an A700. SJW .. they really are shy and want to be left alone and pose no overt threat. Naturally, you move carefully and slowly and carry a stick.

Part II These shots were taken in the hole in the ground...not actual wintering den as it was too shallow. When taking photos, it is normal practice to use scissors to clip away grass and other plant stems from around the primary subject. This did not seem like a swell idea in this case, so just shot as best as possible through the clutter. Was fun! May go back next week. Thanks for looking. Clive

Last Monday, I returned to the same rattlesnake wintering area as last year....somewhere in southern Alberta. (Think last year's photos were posted here.) My wife and I arrived at 1 PM and stayed until about 3:30 PM. (She stayed in the truck. ☺) Saw most snakes after about 2 PM. Was about 26°C by then. Seemed to be a lot of rattlesnakes around. I saw five (or six?) above ground and 3 or 4 (hard to say) in a shallow "den" that was about 80 cm across and maybe 40 cm deep. They scared the crap out of me when I walked by the first time. I walk with a broom handle and sweep the grass as I go...and I'd never step over a hole. I have learned a few things about rattlesnakes. They really are shy and not aggressive...they just want to be left alone. Good with me. This first set are all different snakes. The next set are those in the "hole." A few more shots are posted here as well. Regards Clive This was the best "pose" of the day and I forgot to set the focus point to low middle. DOH! Yeah yeah! Shoulda used manual. Believe me. I was a bit shaken by this snake as it had rattled and spooked me a bit.

THAT river does not even exist ... pure fantasy! GREAT piggies Brian.

Anti-static bags. Neat concept. Most bags I know give me all sorts of static.

Walton's best tip is "get yourself up North." However, you said you were going to Athabasca. As Walton suggested, just make sure you have both dries (add EHC to Walton's list) and wets are Walton suggested. Hopefully they will be looking up, but in case they are not you'll want to swing some beadhead flies through the fishy parts. If they are eating dries, they will break your heart how they take flies so innocently. They just may be my favorite fish... maybe because of where they live as much as anything. Nice grayling on an X-caddis. NWT, June 2011.

OINK! First rate man! Well done. Might as well sell all of your fishing stuff now. You've hung the fish of a lifetime. There is nothing else to do for you to do except sell out and join a convent. Clive

I am just the messenger... Q. How do you keep the Vancouver Canucks out of your yard? A. Put up a goal net. Q. How many Vancouver Canucks does it take to win a Stanley Cup? A. Nobody knows and we may never find out. Q. What do the Vancouver Canucks and possums have in common? A. Both play dead at home and are killed on the road. Q: What do the Canucks and Whales have in common? A: They both get confused when surrounded by ice Q: Why are the Canucks like a training bra? A: Minimal support and no cups. Q: Why won't they give Kelowna a professional Hockey team? A: Because then Vancouver will want one too. Q: What do the Vancouver Canucks and the Titanic have in common? A: They both look good until they hit the ice! Q: Why don't the Canucks drink tea? A: Because the Canadiens and Red Wings have all the cups. Q: What do you call 5 Vancouver Canucks players standing ear to ear? A: A wind tunnel. Q: Why are the Canucks like grizzly bears? A: Every fall they go into hibernation. Q: What does a recent high school dropout and the Vancouver Canucks have in common? A: They’re both young, have no goals and no good prospects. Q: What’s the difference between a fat chick and the Canucks? A: Even a fat chick scores every once in a while! Q: What is it called when a Vancouver Canuck player blows in another Canuck player’s ear? A: Data transfer. Q: What's blue and white and goes down the toilet faster than Liquid Plumber? A: The Vancouver Canucks Q: What do a fine wine and the Vancouver Canucks have in common? A: They spend a lot of time in the cellar, cost too much and are only enjoyed on select occasions. Q: Why did the Post Office recall their latest stamps? A: They had pictures of Canucks players on them and people couldn't figure out which side to spit on. Q: Why do people like driving a car with a Canucks fan? A: Because you can park in the handicap zone! Q: What do you get when you combine all 23 Vancouver Canucks with 23 lesbians? A: Forty-Six people that don’t do dick! Q: What is the difference between a Canucks fan and a pot hole? A: I would swerve to avoid the pot hole! Q: What song do Vancouver Canuck fans sing before the end of the third period? A: Nobody knows. There are never any of them left. Q: What’s the difference between the Vancouver Canucks and a mosquito? A: A mosquito stops sucking. Q: What is the difference between a Canucks fan and a baby? A: The baby will stop whining after awhile. Q: How many Vancouver Canucks does it take to change a tire? A: One, unless it's a blowout, in which case they all show up Q: What do the Vancouver Canucks and Billy Graham have in common? A: They both can make 15,000 people stand up and yell "Jesus Christ". Q: What is the difference between a bucket of *hit and a Canucks fan? A: The bucket. Q: How do you castrate a Vancouver Canucks fan? A: Kick his sister in the mouth Q: What should you do if you find three Vancouver Canucks hockey fans buried up to their neck in cement? A: Get more cement. Q: What does a Vancouver Canuck fan do when his team has won the Stanley Cup? A: He turns off the PlayStation 3. Q: What do a Vancouver Canuck fan and a bottle of beer have in common? A: They’re both empty from the neck up. Q: Why do Vancouver Canuck fans keep their season tickets on their dashboards? A: So they can park in handicap spaces. Q: Did you hear that Vancouver's hockey team doesn't have a website? A: They can't string three "Ws" together. Q: Why did BP hire the Vancouver Canucks to clean up the Gulf oil spill? A: Because they'll go out there and throw in the towel! Q: What's the difference between a dead dog in the road and a dead Vancouver Canucks fan in the road? A: There are skid marks in front of the dog Q: Why are the Vancouver Canucks like Canada Post? A: They both wear uniforms and don't deliver!

Why is that Lynn? Ohhhh....you got mixed up.

I first write that fake story a few years ago and the older members will have seen it. I merely made a few changes to suit the "spawning fish" theme here. All in fun.

"In southern Alberta be aware of insecticides/ag chemicals and industrial fallout. Nasty stuff." I seriously doubt that Don. You were kidding, right? Not much industry here...southern Alberta probably has some of the cleanest rainwater in the world. In any case, whatever is in rain water goes directly onto the gardens anyway, right? There might be nasty stuff washing into the barrel from the roof tars, resins, glues etc etc. We have used rainwater for years. Plants seem to like it. Knew a lady who bragged about her "organic" raised-bed veggie garden ... the raised beds were made from railroad ties. Pretty funny. lethfisher .. there is (or was) a 1,000-L, food-grade water tank in the Herald "under $100" classified ads recently.

Apparently, that model comes with one of these.

Could be in interesting spring. See snow pack here. Click on a green button and select "figure." The five high sites for the SW drainage are about 180% of average. This cold weather is aiding a slow snow melt ... at least so far. The next few weeks will tell if it goes slow or fast.

Some one told me that at one time (now?) Hardy put engraved serial numbers on the first 1000 of a new model. (I have a modern ultra light that is numbered.) If true, that would influence price, but it is not apparent on the face of this reel. Very nice reel. My Marquis has the most annoying drag "click" ... you want to fish alone if yours has the same. Bugs the heck out of your partners.

Quebec - Brook Trout Well THAT explains a lot. (Kidding, so please don't dump on me. ) Good luck sundance Clive

Good luck with whatever it is everyone plans to do. One day, in 20 or 30 years, when whatever is left of SRD and "the department" has no "hunters and anglers bios" on staff, but just radical eco warrior bios, things could get a bit ugly. Just think about what will happen when they impose no end of radical anti fishing and anti invasives legislation. Might happen. Might not. (Just musing.) See below. When the folks at National Geographic (in 2005) refer to rainbow trout and brown trout is "the worst invasives" it makes us think that maybe this is where we might be headed. Wait a few more years. So let's say some sort of concerted action is taken regarding cleaning up genetics in the ES streams. Well then, should the same apply to all streams where cutts and bull trout once were king? (I am just asking, not saying.) Where would the rules stop? A universal cleanup would put a bit of a damper on the Bow River fishery if some fanatical eco bureaucrat decided the Bow needed to be purged of "the worst" invasives like rainbows and browns. Now THAT would be a bit of a dust up. Pretty unlikely, eh? Maybe. Maybe not. Don't get me wrong, it is too bad we can't do more to preserve some pockets of pure cutts. And we all know that in hindsight, adding brookies (for sure) and rainbows in some places was probably not a swell idea. A strong argument could be made that rainbows and browns have a place in some waters in Alberta. We can think about what might have been of the Europeans had not brought browns and they had not brought Oncorhynchus across the rocks. But they are here. One might wonder if cleaning the genetics in streams is like taking the cream out of coffee. One might wonder where limited resources should best be used for the benefit of our streams, our fisheries and the people of Alberta. (People are part of the equation. We are not alien invasives as some radicals charge.) The efforts to maintain cutt purity are admirable. Regards, Clive You can go to the library and get a copy of the page below. It is what some folks think about your beloved Bow River rainbow and brown trout fishery.

Smitty That's funny. It has as many adjectives as your average $8 Starbucks coffee. Clive