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Smitty

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Posts posted by Smitty

  1. On 7/23/2023 at 10:34 AM, mrspratley said:

    Just a heads up for people looking at buying Redington Waders and expecting product support some time in the future. Redington Brand has been taken over by a sporting conglomerate called Far Bank and they no longer offer repair services on waders. Pin hole leaks I can handle but crotch seam leaks can be more difficult to isolate and fix. Far Bank does not offer any repair services if the waders are off warranty. Customer service is not a priority for the corporation. If you buy these waders do so knowing that you wont have any customer support.

    Same reply as I did on the other redneck forum

    My experience with Redington has been fantastic. Had a pair of out of warranty waders, and they were under no obligation to fix them. And they offered me a new pair for $50. Honestly, I was gobsmacked.

    Big corporations taking over previously independent, stand alone companies is nothing new. Been happening for 20 years now...

    Didn't like my recent experience with Simms, though I have softened my opinion, once they explained why they were not going to fix my waist waders. Very important (duh) not to let issues linger; if you have an issue in the first year or under the warranty coverage, best to take care of it pronto. 

  2. So I was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I've since learned that foot care is of the UTMOST importance (lots of other things too)

    But. About foot care.

    Can anyone recommend a decent pair of socks for wading? I am talking quality, compression socks that are typically recommended for diabetics. I am fine with more expensive socks; I think my days of buying Costco / Wal-Mart socks are done. I am happy to spend $$$ taking care of my feet.

    Also, any other tips and tricks for foot care for the wading fly fisherman?

    Cheers,
    Smitty 
    (cross-posted from other forums)
  3. On 4/10/2022 at 10:16 AM, BrianR said:

    I have used,with great success,they are found in the gear fishing area.They are called bobber stops.They come in pks of 10-20 for about 2.00.Phil Rowley intro.them to me.He might have a demo,on installing on your line.Very easy..   https://thefishinhole.com/index.cfm?action=product&kw=%2FFALCON-TACKLE%2FFALCON-RUBBER-BOBBER-STOPS%2F&se=20459

    Not sure you are talking about the same thing Brian. I fished with Phil for a week in Manitoba. He did indeed show us the trick with the bobber stops. But that was a hack to quickly reset a quick release bobber when fishing with his indicators. Set the bobber stop at the indictator depth, and voila, you know exactly where to put your indicator after landing a fish.

    Whereas hang markers are actual colored markers on the actual fly line itself. There's no way those rubber bobber stops would fit over a fly line. Haggis57 method is the way to go. There really isn't a need for moveable ones, if you mark up an entire fly line. Or...you actually could try the dacron bobber stops i.e. a tube knot. It will slide, but they do fall apart. 

  4. Also, "every" platform has it's day. Forums are becoming passe. Oh sure, the old farts still use them, but with Facebook and Instagram et al, forums aren't what they used to be. The olden days of this forum plus Dave Jensen's was the "golden age", imo. 
    But it's good to see this forum kicking around. 

    • Like 1
  5. 1 hour ago, Scottmisfits said:

    I went to one Micheals and they had no macrame yarn. Sold out. I did pick up some regular yarn, a 50/50 acrylic wool blend. It doesn't float by itself, but with some floatant it seems to be working, at least in a glass on my counter. That may change in moving water, I'm sure. I'll still be looking for the macrame yarn when I head out though.

     

    Has anyone tried to dye the macrame? I'm not so sure that off white will be high vis in all situations, but I do think I would still prefer it.

    Hey Scott:

    I answered your question, on the other forum, fyi. :)

    Good luck!

  6. Not looking for anyone's spots, more asking the general question:

    How's the Upper Bow been the last few seasons (and obviously this year)?

    I ask, cause I had heard years ago now, that a mudslide and flooding did quite a number on the bug life. And then Canmore, Exshaw, Seebe started cleaning up the water treatment, and so the river is less fertilized now? True? 

    Might be down there later this month with friends (mostly camping and/or golfing). I am the only fly-fisher. Is it worth my time to re-visit some of the spots I used to fish years ago, poking around Canmore and Seebe and just outside the Banff boundary? Has the fishery "come back"?

    Just wondering.

    Smitty

    • Like 1
  7. On 8/2/2020 at 7:06 PM, monger said:

    Me and another guy built a lot of fence along the Dogpound while working for Fish and Wildlife in the mid-80's. We also built a lot of log walls to stabilize the eroding banks. The fences were to keep the cows off  the banks and direct them to certain watering areas. The landowner still owns the land from the fence to the water's edge, unless there has been some legal agreement established by the government. Government funds just paid for the fence for habitat protection, the fence does not necessarily mean you can walk streamside without permission. It would be wise to speak to the landowner before stepping out of the water....which you know you will be doing

    Thanks for clarifying that; appreciate it. I have walked along these trails - outside the fence, but clearly, clearly above the high water mark, and I knew for sure this land still belonged to the farmer / landowner. I did make the assumption it was ok to walk along those trails, but you are absolutely correct, I should make the effort to ask and contact the landowner more often (I'm usually pretty good). Naturally, assumptions are dangerous... :)

  8. Dave Park told me that fishing license sales are up 30% this year, outdoor gear retail and RV sales are up significantly. 

    Dad and I headed down to the Crownest Pass this Thursday; hopefully we can find some relative peace and quiet and some water to ourselves. Not hopeful for the "regular" stretches of water; I'm hearing its an absolute gong show in the Oldman watershed. 

  9. Well, here's a side issue I am wondering about.

    it seems like some landowners are ok with "mild" trespassing. I am talking about where the fence is clearly set back from the bank to allow a walking trail that parallels the creek (and I assume to keep cattle out as well).

    So what's the deal with this? How do you guys treat this situation? Because there is no doubt - like this is 100% - that using this trail is indeed trespassing. I could never argue that these trails are below the high water mark; I'd look like an idiot.

    So...are we allowed to use these trails? As stated, wading a brown trout creek is not always possible. Is it a safe assumption - and for me, it is an assumption - that if there is a clear access from a bridge, and then a trail starts along the creek above the high water mark - I am good to go?

     

  10. On 4/13/2020 at 5:54 PM, scel said:

    I suggest that you think about it this way...

    If you were to seriously get hurt and require emergency care, would you go to the same hospital if you suffered a similar injury at your home?

    If the answer is 'no', then do not go. This disease can very quickly over-run a medical system.

    If we stick to this path, I am cautiously optimistic that we could see a relaxation in the mitigation strategies in the next few weeks especially if local health care networks are not unnecessarily stressed.

    Life is about probabilities though. In any given fishing trip, what are the chances you'd get into serious trouble requiring front line medical services of a smaller community?

    I live in Edmonton. I don't have the luxury of going to the Bow, 10 to 30 minutes by foot, or 5 to 20 minutes by car. Fishing in April (given that 90% of water is closed) is a 3.5 to 12 hour round trip for flowing waters containing trout.

    I've been doing this thought experiment myself for weeks. I go, got my food, extra jerry cans of gas, my porta-potty. I don't need to stop anywhere. Not once, not ever. I don't need to be around another person. I've been walking through crown land forest for 35+ years; I know my spots, I know my boundaries, I know my limits and I know how to stay away from people. Chances of even seeing another angler is less than 20%. Chance of me violating social distance at 25 feet, let alone 6, is zero percent.

    GoA limiting PP or PRA access isn't an issue where I fish either.

    The only thing left is...what if?

    As Scel says...what if I were to get into trouble and require medical attention? The chances are even less now, because (a) highways are less crowded, less traffic, and (b) I can specifically choose a spot with an easy, level hike and within 800m of a major highway. No bushwacking, grunting and sweating required. 

    I have mitigated all the risk I possibly can...and I can't go?

    And the answer is...I haven't made up my mind yet! lol 

  11. Since it seems we are veering away from a Bow River analysis, I'll say that my season left something to be desired. Huge rainfall made river fishing near Edmonton an impossibility. Mcleod R, for example, was pretty much blown out the entire summer. Should have been way more focused on the lakes this year, as the water levels did rebound. 

    When dad and I finally made it down south in August, we found extremely crowded rivers with incredibly picky fish. Wasn't the most fun trip I have had in southern Alberta. Oh we found some solitude on smaller waters,...guess what? Fish were still incredibly moody. Like I was taken aback. Talked to other anglers wasn't just us; that week in August lots of zero's being posted, including a couple of guided trips out of shops that didn't fare well either. Timing, I guess. Trip was salvaged by cutting it short a day and heading to central AB for more cooperative fish.

    Overall, just didn't get out enough. I'll fix that next year. 

    Oh, wait, yes, we did have a pretty awesome beginning of the year in May at some QSF coal pits. Very impressive average sizes of fish. Guess it wasn't all a downer...lol. 

    -Smitty

    • Thanks 1
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