danhunt

Safe travels and happy trails!

My first pair of breathable waders about 18 years ago was a basic set of Simms Freestones, and they have also been my longest lasting pair (I still have them as a backup). The salesman who helped me at the time suggested I buy a pair that was loose fitting and exceptionally long in the legs because he said most breathables failed due to the seams being pulled on. I also have a set of G3s that only lasted a couple of seasons before leaking and when I bought them they “fit” based on the sizing chart. It doesn’t make much of a fashion statement, and YMMV, but the next time any of you are in the market try going a bit oversized and see if it helps.

I took a look a look at the link provided by Toolman and it was interesting see that there is some empirical evidence for catch and release mortality to be somewhat offset by reduced angler success. That said, there are a couple of things that the numbers didn’t touch on that still give me pause - the first is that it seems that there is an assumption that angling (for trout) is always going to be less successful when the water is warmer. Thats probably fair in general, but exceptions are possible. The second is that it doesn’t touch on which fish are most adversely affected - if it’s anything like winter and/or summer kill events, it will be the larger fish that suffer the most. At the end of the day, it’s hard for a one size fits all rule like this to be meaningful and/or effective over such a large and diverse area as the one it’s being applied to. That said, I read a quote once (and I may be paraphrasing) that said “a true sportsman does more than is required and takes less than they are entitled to”.

The only good thing (if you can call it that) was the lack rainfall at the time the warm weather hit meant that the moisture either soaked into the ground or evaporated. Had the ground been saturated already, we likely would have lost an entire age class of fish in yet another major flooding event.

I checked some river levels and snowpack levels from Red Deer south and as others have said, the snowpack was gone 3-6 weeks earlier than average so what you see is what you get. The levels of the rivers and streams I checked in are at late summer levels already. The good news is that they should be ready to go as soon as they open, and we could see some great early dryfly fishing. That said, it could be a very short window before the waters get too warm to fish safely.

Great post by Ken, there are only a couple of things I would add - when looking at electric motors keep in mind that the higher thrust models won’t propel you any faster, they all max out at about 5mph. Where they do come in to play is maintaining that speed with heavier vessels and in more challenging conditions (wind). That said, if you decide to go to a bigger boat at some point, you might want to go for a higher thrust model now so you don’t have to buy another motor when the time comes (buy once, cry once). If you plan to use your motor to move from one spot to another then a basic motor is fine, but if you plan to troll then it might be worth looking at one with the digital maximizer technology. Basically, a standard motor uses the same amount of power at the lowest speed setting as they do at the highest, and they use resistors to control the speed. The maximizer sends the power to the motor in pulses, so at lower speeds the pulses are shorter, meaning less power is used. But again, it’s a moot point if you’re just going from point A to point B. Lastly, if you go with a conventional battery I’d recommend getting a charger intended for trolling motor batteries. I don’t know the how/why behind it, but I do know I killed a few batteries with an automotive charger before I got my minnkota charger. Lastly, if you do get lithium battery keep in mind that you will likely have to get a charger for it separately. I’ve been looking at Alberta lithium and who knows, if I get a decent tax return I just might splurge this year… lol.

I would go with a good 6wt and a reel with a smooth drag. A 7wt or even an 8wt might be better for the larger fish, but if the fish are spooky it can be harder (at least for me) to fish the heavier weights with finesse, and then too you have to ask can you fish a heavier tippet to really take advantage of the extra power?

Hi Don, I’m not sure who was the first to manufacture lines that were a half size (or more) heavy, but the first time I became aware of it was when I came across a Rio Grand line, and they have been around since about 1997. They were largely in response to the very fast action graphite rods that started to become more mainstream around then, but around the same time the modern two handed rods started to become popular. This further confused things because a two handed 8wt can throw a line that would be suitable for a 15 wt single handed rod. Since then, I think most manufacturers use rod weights as an indication of an appropriate application vs actual line weights. I recently assembled a streamer rod that is designated as a 7wt, but when it comes to matching a line to it I used the blank builders grain weight window and compared it to various line manufacturers specs to get an idea of what would work. It’s a pain, but the trade off is that if you want a specialized tool to do a specific job…

Perfect, thanks, troutfriend!

I was just wondering if anyone knows if there are still golden trout in Rainy Ridge lake? I had read somewhere that they were naturally reproducing in that lake, but I was reading a more recent account from someone who had hiked in and they had caught cutties (also confirmed from the photos)? As there are three lakes I’m kind hoping one out three still might?

It has never recovered from the floods, and whirling disease is/was likely part of the problem.

Another option might be to reach out to a local rod builder and see if they can make a repair for you. I don't know what the "going rate" might be, but if its less than the cost to sending it back to Sage...

Thanks for the heads up, Ray! I was just contemplating putting in an order with them.

My understanding is the same as yours provided that it is a navigable waterway (not flowing only seasonally or prone to drying up completely in certain years), not federally controlled land (eg military bases and/or native land reserves) or lands that were originally deeded by the Hudson's Bay Company (there is one of these on the Crowsnest where the bed and breakfast is). I'm curious, was this just upstream of the campground? If not, the land owner who owns the home on the north bank of that section upstream of the bridge seems to have a creative interpretation of river access laws as well. I think all you can do is stay polite, state your case and encourage them to call the RCMP if they disagree. If they threaten you, offer to call the RCMP on their behalf. If they threaten you with a weapon, apologize, leave, and as soon as you're safe definitely call the RCMP.

Hello All, I'm wondering if anyone out there would be able/willing to turn a wooden reel seat insert for me, or if you could recommend someone? Long story short, I got a bad spacer from a manufacturer and they don't seem to want to do anything about it, so I thought this might be an option to use the skeleton rather than throwing in the parts bin and ordering a whole new unit. I'd be happy to pay for the time and materials, just let me know. Thanks!