monger

Apparently there are times when Bow river genes make beautiful creatures. Still hunting those elusive bull trout

Fishing deep with leeches and bloodworms is the only way to go once the water gets cold

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Sounds like Splake in our future

Buddy had his high end Orvis Mirage end up with the same line grooves. Orvis' response was just to grind the area smooth again. Soft aluminum On another Orvis Mirage (4wt), the line would slip out off the spool from the groove to the cage. Apparently the tolerances were not that fine. Not too impressed after spending all that money

Today's trout populations are under increasing pressure due to low flows, increased angler numbers and the significantly large losses which happen yearly with the unscreened removal of irrigation water from a variety of southern Alberta rivers. Amongst the trout losses, we are seeing both SARA listed species of Bull trout and Cutthroat trout being siphoned out of southern rivers. This loss of these threatened species should be ringing Federal alarm bells and have a response from the DFO. The Alberta government has identified this ENTRAINMENT of fish in irrigation systems as a major factor in the decline of trout in the Bow river. It would make sense that this concern should be applied to all the southern rivers where irrigation water is drawn off. The problem is that the irrigation districts are not adequately screening (if at all) the water they are removing from the rivers. When water licences are issued, there would be a requirement to limit fish loss through some type of sceening/deflection system. I believe it is up to the AER to monitor and inspect these screening systems to ensure they are performing adequately to decrease fish losses from the river. At present, there seems to be little, if any, enforcement in this regard. As we continue to see river trout populations struggle, it will be up to the voice of concerned citizens to get the government's attention. The irrigation districts have a very strong voice with the AB government which allows them to receive many favors, especially lots of funding, for the ongoing expansion and modernization the growing irrigation network. Many believe it is time for citizens who are concerned about fish populations being detrimentally impacted by irrigation entrainment to speak up. Anglers of all types are impacted by the loss of fish being siphoned out of the river. A strong, organized voice is required to get the government's attention to take some action. This issue was identified more than 100 years ago when the first irrigation systems were put in place. It is far past time the government start to act to decrease the losses of fish populations down a ditch. A collection of folks has started a group to raise a concentrated voice to the government. If you are concerned or interested about trout populations, seek out The Trout Trust https://www.thetrouttrust.com/ It will take a number of voices to make some noise to get the government to act.

I am curious what kind of changes are causing this big delay in the regs. Perhaps it has to do with all the discussions surrounding the Bow river the last few years. Hopefully folks are willing to speak up if these changes are going to have a huge impact on the average recreational angler.

A bit of overhead cover is often a welcome addition to picking a good spot (tree branches, bridges). The fish know they are pretty exposed to predators on the redds

Like Don said the fish are searching for places where the water is moving UP through the appropriately sized cobbles to provide the oxygen and favorable temps for the eggs to hatch. There can be a lot of competition for these high quality spots, especially in smaller streams. Hopefully folks can respect what is happening and NOT fish for them.

Thanks for all your input SD. Enjoy chasing the fish out west

Thanks for the note Wrighter

The handle on my reel fell off in the water the other day. I have the screw, but need a new handle. Any ideas where I can get one? Reel is an old Redington AS, but I imagine the handles are all pretty standard

Our government can't/won't afford another temperature monitoring device other than the one at Carsland. That would take some investment into the environmental sphere which is certainly frowned upon. Next thing you guys would demand some biologists and technicians actually out in the field collecting real data on populations and such.