kritofr

This past fall I had a friend go practice his Spey casting without a hook in his possession the day after the Bow river had closed. He went there as he lives just above centre street bridge and was convenient for him to get and to practise on both sides of the river. He received a fine for fishing closed waters and just lost his battle in court. Some of the logic was if others had seen Bill "fishing" in closed waters it would infer that water is open for fishing ( if they were not familiar with the regs). How could the bystanders tell the difference between fishing and practicing? The judge also stated if the CO had let Bill keep practicing what would have stopped Bill from obtaining some hooks and start fishing after the CO had checked him. If the CO saw Bill again throughout the day he would have assumed Bill would still be practicing. Hopefully a open section of water is not too far away as it isn't worth the risk; Bill' fine was over $200.00.

Kudos to you for doing this for your friend. You may also want to check out freecycle.com You have to fast to commit to some of the items put on there, but we have used it before for both getting rid of unwanted items and to find some items. I believe you can add yourself to a mailing list that will send you all of the updated goods. I will also let you know if we can find something for your friends needs

As it was mentioned other manufacturers already do the direct to consumers business and even supply "stores" that are only online and have minimal overhead as opposed to the brick and mortar stores. The risk in this is when Simms decides to discontinue a product and the shops are the last to know and are slow to match the price. However out of the U.S. consumers will have to realize there may be a shipping and handling fee, potential duties for their products that are manufactured overseas, etc. Not sure why there was a shot at the margins that fly shops need to make; they have to order and maintain the inventory, pay for the brick and mortar and the staff to sell that inventory. Just remember who people go to for fishing reports, how to tie a certain knot, new places to go fishing, general advice and whatnot. A lot of the shops around here offer that advice and time at no charge. With this instance, Simms will be making larger margins, it isn't like they are going to sell their waders at the shop costs, but at the suggested MSRP; so who is really making the money there? Simms would do themselves a world of damage if they were to undercut not just the small fly shops that carry their product; they won't go out of their way to anger the big box stores like Bass Pro or Cabella's, Sportsman's Warehouse.

The last time I heard, there are three shuttle companies that operate on the Bow River. Mel Franklin, Louise Shotton and Michelle Magtioux (sorry if I mispelled your last name Michelle "Pepper") I too have noticed the price difference between the cost of shuttles of Alberta and Montana, however there is a big difference in time consumption for the companies and distance. We once booked a trip on the Missourri river where the shuttle cost us about $35 because of the extended distance than what the shop thought was a typical float for their river. I do agree with Brent in some cases, as when I first got into guiding the shuttle costs were around $20. Since then the gas prices have doubled maybe even tripled too lazy to do the math but we also gained the Deerfoot Trail extension bridge which allowed the shuttle companies to shorten their distance when shuttling out of Police. No longer did they have to drive back down Dunbow Road to McCrowded trail to 22X to head East. But as long as individuals are willing to pay the price, then the shuttle companies will sell their service for that price. For as little as I float the Bow River now, I will continue to use the shuttle service. For me the convenience outweighs the cost.

I would second Don's advice for Bob Cochrane.

I think most of us would be surprised that there are probably more St. Croix rods out there than Sage Rods. St. Croix's has a broader range of fishing sticks with their conventional spinning and baitcasting rods being their best selling rods. That could be the reason to why there is a price difference for the "shipping and handling" fees is due to the greater volume of rods. Typically I have found Sage to be one of the quickest for turnaround times for warranty work and they do great work. I have run into some issues on warranty work with some other rod manufacturers mentioned before, but every system may have their hiccups, while sometimes inconvenient, I am still thankful that the rod manufacturers offer the warranty and I don't have to buy a new rod.

Most of us got too fat to still wear those jersey's. I had one that I always wore, but I grew a couple of feet up and out since then.........

Lynn, You don't require a key for Policeman Flats, the key was back after the flood and there was a "private launch" for the outfitters/guides Happy Floating

sent you a pm

Thank you, I was wondering what was going on. Oh well, she still did us proud with her achievement.

After watching the Gold medal match last night I was hoping that someone on here understands the rules of the game and could explain why Canada couldn't or didn't just run every Swedish rock out (peel I think the term is) and leave themselves to try to draw to the button to count one when they had the hammer on the extra end?

Yeah I agree, it is a nice looking reel isn't it?

I am sorry for your loss. I have lost both of my Grandfathers who were both instrumental in getting me interested in many outdoor activities. Thanks for the pics, they are great. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-pKY0g9NXk...=PL&index=4

It is available at the Willow Park Liquor stores and Liquor Depot

Give Hanson's a call and be prepared to forward some pics to them so they can see the condition of both the reel and rod. Wayne and Trevor have a good grasp on the collectable and sought after fishing equipment. 403.269.9371

I am sorry to hear of your loss. All my best to you and your family during this tough time.

I heard its true, there were two witnesses on the boat with him back on October 2nd when he was chucking the Rap's a swilling Pilsner

If you are unsure about it, I would take it into a mechanic for a inspection.... if you know if and what is wrong with it, it will help you with your decision

Dave, it was a great day, who knew that chuckin the gear would be so much fun?

TRIBUTE TO A DOG No words can truly thank the dog. No money match it’s worth. As, quite content, it lives to love Some master here on earth. A dog will never ask for much. Some water, warmth and play. And in exchange, no questions asked. It gives it’s life away. A dog is happy on request. No matter when or where. If ever you may need support. Just call and he’ll be there. Prepared in his own special way. To help with all his might. Those sympathetic eyes confirm. That right or wrong, you’re right. Though in this life we know not much. Beginning unto end. Still, with a dog, at least we know We’ll always have a friend. -Frank Pavlick This is a poem that was given to us when we had to put our Black Lab down after her battle with Cancer. I dread the day when it comes to say goodbye to my two labs now, my thoughts are with you and your loss. Chris

I do know that the UFA in Red Deer is opening up a large space dedicated to Hunting and Fishing in the month of May; their Grand opening will be the May long weekend. So anything is possible.........

I like Riverside B&B; Mike Lamb is the owner. He has everything from a Airstream trailer, rustic cabins to a nice log lodge. crowacom@telusplanet.net

Hey, With upcoming arrival of spring and with a larger influx of speycasters on the water, I have a question to what people would perceive as good etiquette on the Bow river when speycasters and drift boats cross paths. Obviously, the double handed rods will allow the walk and waders to cover greater distances with their casts and some stretches on the river may not be suitable to accomodate both speycaster and drift boat. So what would constitute good etiquette in the minds of a speycaster when a drift boat floats through? Personally, as I do both on the river, as a speycaster I would stop fishing to let the boat carry on through and resume fishing when it has gone out of my range. However, if the boat stops in the area that I can cover, then I will resume fishing right away and share the hole. As a drift boater, I will try my best to get to the other side of the river and try to stay out of the range of the speycaster. However, this isn't alway feasible in some areas or if there are other fishermen on the other side of the river. Or say at the stretch of islands above the Deerfoot trail extension where the speycaster could cast across over halfway to the islands making it difficult for any sort of passage of watercraft. What are some other opinions out there?

I just wanted to extend a congratulations to a member of our flyfishing community, Aaron (Thor, I believe he used to be on the old ffc board), and his water polo team-mates for qualifying to represent Canada at the 2008 Summer Olympics. http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/326405 http://www.waterpolo.ca/Content/Home.asp?langid=1

Fortunately, my account didn't suffer as I had moved most of my holdings to cash a while ago. Spent a lot of yesterday buying some stocks that I have been watching for a while