troutfriend

Really.... Seriously…? I have to post this???? http://www.albertaregulations.ca/fishingregs/general-regs.html Alberta fishing regulations state: Additional Restrictions: The edible flesh of legally kept game fish must not be wasted, destroyed, spoiled or abandoned.

420 and others: I think it is critical to understand that these liberal harvest limits are ONLY allocated to participants who have: 1: Taken and passed the fish identification test; 2: Participated on at least one supervised outing; 3: And most importantly ONLY for Specific streams in the project area! "Ditching" of brookies from any systems is illegal and should get you poaching charges. This project does not include systems like Cataract Creek as there are NO remnant populations of native fish upstream from the first waterfall. Therefore, it would be pointless to remove Brook Trout from Cataract Creek. This project would also never be used in systems like the Bow River as dams and river temperatures and other water quality conditions would never facilitate a meaningful recovery of native Cutthroat Trout / Bull Trout populations in this system – this would be pointless- it is a great fishery now. In the case of the few specified creeks included in the Stewardship License Project, there is still an opportunity to facilitate the recovery of the native Cutthroat Trout / Bull Trout populations. Anyone who has participated on the Quirk Project over the years can tell you how great it is now to catch a nice 16 inch Cutthroat from that system today.

VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EDIT: Has anyone taken photos of any juvenile / non-spawning Browns with Saprolegnia? Say any fish less than 16" or 17"? How about Rainbows?

I think I have a solution to bring attention to the enforcement issue...opening weekend grab a camera, a pad of paper and a nice lawn chair. Sit up at the pay phone at the upper lake beside the boat launch and start calling the RAP line every time you see an infraction (it is free if you dial 310-0000). Flooding the RAP line with calls from up there should increase enforcement, but we will see if the Parks Enforcement (not AESRD Enforcement, ooops I mean Solicitor General Enforcement) do their job. Or walk around with a clip board, that appears to do the trick.

This boat launch should be open, but it appears to be the victim of poor planning relating to the Harvie Passage project.

This was one of the major missteps with the Harive Passage design, there was never a "formal" launch site developed in association with the project. Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the boat launch opened by the intake to the treatment plant below Bearspaw? Not suggesting this is all that is needed to solve the larger access issue, but I thought it was now open….?

I was present at the consultation hearings for the TMX pipeline (the 36inch line that now runs through Jasper). I was told clearly and repeatedly at those meetings by one of the engineers that these pipelines never leak so there is no need to worry! ......

Good question, Here is one published local paper to support this: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1577...AO%3E2.0.CO%3B2 full document - http://www.bio.ucalgary.ca/contact/faculty...003%20NAJFM.pdf Here is another related paper on the issue: http://classes.uleth.ca/200901/biol4500a/R...gs/Stelfox2.pdf

Floods are good for fish. 1. Removes silt, excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphates and deposits this in the active flood plains (unless they are dyked or developed with houses. 2. Scours plant/weed growth from river beds exposing new spawning habitat (more important for broadcast spawning species like the Mountain Whitefish). Anyone who visited Southland Dog Park following the flood of 2005 has seen the 2-3 inches of silt that were deposited on the park and has seen the great regeneration of grasses since the event. 3. Populations rise following flood events- increased recruitment is often observed in subsequent years (Call ASRD on this for the numbers). 4. Brook trout have an advantage as fall spawners over Cutthroat and Rainbow Trout, but Bull Trout and Mountain Whitefish are also fall spawners, the difference is: a. Brook Trout can spawn in a wider range of temperatures and habitats. b. Brook Trout can spawn when they are 2 or 3 years old, while bull mature at 6 or 7. c. Brook Trout are harder to catch than Bull or Cutthroat Trout. d. Weed/Algae growth reduces Mountain Whitefish spawning success. 5. Cottonwood Trees require floods to regenerate, during floods the small fish move in the floodplain and seek cover behind these trees. The river may be dark brown, but find a spring seep, backwater or little creek flowing fresh water into the Bow River this week and you will find lots of little fish just waiting this little flow event out. Rivers need floods as they are living ecosystems,

Encourage her to join the new Calgary Women Fly Fishers: http://www.calgarywomenflyfishers.com/

Or put up a gate and you never have to worry again. You may not be concerned about the parking, but apparently someone is, someone with a gate. Now there is no need to call a tow truck to move a vehicle when they have to get a boat into the river to save a life.

Ok then. But, once Harvie Passage area is open this summer, there will be far more people flocking to this area to play. Individuals who decide to park in Pierce Estate Park will be removed (the community has stated clearly that they are not welcome) and they are not permitted to park at the fish hatchery, they will not be able to park at the zoo either. Therefore the next legal closest parking area would be 17th St. for rafters, kayakers, paddlers, river surfers and many others who only want to play at Harvie Passage and not float the river.

It is a Fire Department Gate for sure. Says it right on the gate. I suspect the fire department is not interested in maneuvering their expensive equipment around piles of rafter’s vehicles to access the river once Harvie Passage opens and they are forced to be out there every day picking up drunken rafters who have fallen off their toys.

Technically, as I understand, that access site is not “public” but actually a “controlled” launch by the fire department. Contact them.

Maybe some of these items could be donated to the next Streamwatch auction.... Just a thought

. Alberta Sustainable Resource Development -public lands should have a list of those Islands which are public and those that are private

Partly yes, partly no. Removing the fallen trees would be easily completed by a few strong backs and a couple chain saws, but I think that the silt that needs to be removed would require a backhoe to re-open access to the river. The chapter did some work recently on this and there is more silt there now- sorry I did not take photos. Here are images from Bow River Shuttles Blog from like a month ago, http://bowrivershuttles.blogspot.com/searc...;max-results=10 the area is filled in again. For this to happen the flows would have to recede in the side channel enough to get equipment through, there was about a meter of flow in the side channel last week.

The road down the hill is slumping a bit, but the launches appeared to be in decent shape with some silt. Low visibility limited being able to see what was happening under water (FYI-The gate was locked last week) Legacy Island is not useable logs across the access road and a tree across the boat launch.

in fact polimans flats is privately owned- it is technaiclly an island. the prive islands are unfortunalty not well mapped, but i understand there are couple others along the way - typically they are posted.

The city had to start fixing fences in Southland about two weeks after they finished installing them because poor little Fido could not run up and down the eroding bank to fetch is favourite tennis ball. And now his tennis ball in sitting in some side channel 47 km downstream and Fido is sad, poor Fido. What we need is more concrete steps like in Southland to make it easier for Fido to play.

Actually many of the islands are actually privately owned (ie legacy) and no camping is permitted. Many of the islands were once part of the left or right bank and when high waters carved a side channel making it an island, those landowners did not lose the rights to their land.

Point for clarity: Enforcement is not just writing tickets, ASRD would likely tell you they are equally about engagement and education- with ticketing being a tool towards their goal. From the ASRD website: • patrol geographic areas to monitor the activities of hunters, anglers, trappers, commercial fishers and industry • enforce federal and provincial laws, regulations, rules and orders relating to fish and wildlife resources • provide information and answer questions from hunters, anglers, trappers, commercial fishers, landowners, students, industry and the media • investigate complaints, apprehend violators, prepare administrative and court documents, issue summonses and warnings, and prepare and present evidence in court • take accurate notes and testify as a witness for the prosecution at trial • investigate complaints about nuisance and problem wildlife, take appropriate control measures and advise landowners and industry about effective wildlife control measures they can implement on their own • deliver public service programs such as presentations in schools and at sport club meetings • co-operate with wildlife researchers and collect related data (for example, conduct wildlife inventories or collect samples to assist with natural resource research) • maintain government issue equipment • recommend changes or amendments to legislation and regulations, and hunting/fishing seasons and methods of harvest • issue licenses and permits, or provide information to licensing agents • inspect commercial operations (for example, taxidermy shops, furriers, tanners, game bird farms, outfitters or guides). So if you want more "fines and tickets" drawn on infractions- likely this is going to need a much larger presence and more staffing in the field (ie not only trucks, but gas for them, Ever call report a poacher for an infraction in the Nanton and get a call back from and officer in Red Deer?...), also remember that asrd does not actively patrol all areas like most provincial recreation areas (Alberta Parks has their own officers- and they deal a lot with bears, hiker issues, bears, rowdy campers, bears, traffic violations, bears. etc.)

hey Harps- that looks like a HADD to me...

Millennium Creek flows into Big Hill Creek about 15-20 meters before BHC empties into the Bow River. Millennium Creek runs about 400 meters to a culvert running under Griffin Road; it goes about 150 more meters before there is an impoundment. Springs feed the impoundment and some of these springs were used to create the spawning channel.