Smitty

So tacky I'll re-post dryfly's reply. And support Wes's too. Surely we can do better than this. Smitty

Ugghh. Yeah - some definite improvements, but I have a serious hate on for the black-white color scheme. Bland and lifeless. The old "blue" was much better. Smitty

What happens when you get an Irishman who knows nothing about a sport commentates on said sport? My God, I want this guy on Hockey Night in Canada: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=510_1344196881

And now for something completely different...a summary of my life the last 40 minutes. See the next few status updates...a series of observations we'll call "SWJO" (Snobby - WalMart -Judgemental - Observations)... SWJO#1: I'm wearing my $3 t-shirt and my 10 year old crocs...hey look!: I blend in. Where am I? you guessed it...Wal-Mart! FML. SWJO#2: How the f**K is Wal-Mart so busy at 10:15pm? Its F-R-I-D-A-Y! Don't you people have lives? Speaking of which...what the hell am I doing here? FML SWJO#3 (Summer Olympic and Marvel version): Hey...that's an awesome look ma'am. While you have the build of a water polo player, nay, weightlifter (minus the muscle), your tank top and bra look they were mugged from a beach volleyball player. Excellent fashion sense...pardon me while strike my Usain Bolt victory point pose and maybe you'll take the hint...to the ladies plus-size clothes section. If you were spilling out of your top anymore, I'd fully expect your skin to turn green and you'll start chucking army jeeps across the parking lot...FML SWJO#4: Awwww...that's precious: you're cute 5 year old has so much make-up I think I am watching a live episode of Toddlers and Tiaras. I just might stab someone...or myself. FML SWJO#5: Nice mom, nice. Your kid just polished off a happy meal, an extra 6 chicken nuggets, and now is shoveling ice cream into his mouth like it's his last meal. Is there a Zombie Apocalypse? You realize..its 10:30...right? Good luck getting him to sleep. Which brings me to Sure Bet #1: Said kid, a few hours later, awoken from his nightmare, will run screaming to mommy awoken claiming his toothbrush is trying burrow under his skin. FML Yeah...that was the last 40 minutes of my life. FML. Smitty

Holy! Can I take you up on your offer instead? Is your offer open to Edmontonians? Should I take Rickr's advice and net my own fish? Smitty P.S. I can offer grayling in return...lots and lots of grayling. Not that you'd need the help.

Operative phrase being "if it is covered by that contract". If its covered, and you're insured for loss under those circumstances, then you should follow Ginger's advice and make a claim without a second thought. But you were also right, Brian for exercising caution and adhering to ethics, because if you aren't covered, well that's a 5-letter f-word we won't get into. As for your wife, all I can say is, she bore your children right? I know, I know, probably hard to reconcile that right now... I feel your pain, man. Smitty

Copied and Pasted from an email I received from SRD: Message from Alberta Fish & Wildlife Division Fishery restriction on Red Deer River and tributaries This email is to inform anglers that starting August 7, 2012, fishing upstream of Dickson Dam on the Red Deer River and its tributaries will be restricted to catch-and-release only for the remainder of the season. A zero harvest restriction is in place as a precautionary measure, as government experts will be conducting a population sampling program to determine if there were any impacts to fish stocks in the waterways as a result of a pipeline spill in early June. Anglers will not be allowed to harvest fish upstream of the Dickson Dam, including Gleniffer Reservoir and Dickson Trout Pond. The area includes the main-stem of the Red Deer River from Gleniffer Lake to the Banff National Park boundary, and all flowing tributary waters. Angler harvest in the affected area is still permitted in Burnstick Lake and in the following stocked trout lakes and ponds: • Beaver Lake, • Dormer Lake, • Eagle Lake, • Birch Lake, and • Yellowhead Lake. Specific regulations still apply, which can be found in the Alberta 2012 Sportfishing Regulations. More information, including maps of the affected area, will be available after 12:00 p.m. on Friday, August 3 at www.mywildalberta.ca Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development 9915-108 Street Edmonton, AB T5K 2G8 Email srd.infocent@gov.ab.ca

Well....yeah. Duh! All humor and banter aside, I don't care if I get a staff from a garage sale or a gilded diamond one from Simms (not that I can afford the gilded diamond one on a teacher's salary:)). Price is a distant 3rd behind (1)safety and (2)practicality/ease-of-use. If it happens to be $20, great! Smitty

Yet one more reason to be grateful for this forum: such passionate debate...about a balance stick. Love it! Neat to see how everyone has adapted a system to make their own version/method work. We gave my dad a telescopic, so far, no problems. As for myself, I have mostly been swayed by the argument for a Snowbee model; Don's approach makes sense, but I can't see myself just letting a long one piece staff trail behind me. Smitty

Just wow.

Just to address one specific thing; if all GrnDrake says is true, then I guess that's a heavy burden for Dave to bear, eh PGK? I mean Dave must be responsible for ALL that, right, using your logic? R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S. Is there a way I can put the roll-eyes emoticon into size 100? Multiple re-captures is a variable that is relatively equal distributed across many watersheds. Clearly, again, assume for the moment GrnDrake's anecdotal evidence is quite accurate, clearly there is something more systemically wrong with the Red Deer far beyond a "multiple re-capture" issue. Talk about making a mountain out of a red-herring molehill! Why don't you stick to banning fishing in the National Parks, PGK? You almost had a valid argument there. Bottom line is that there are many thriving, viable brown trout fisheries across the continent doing well enough to overcome the single variable of "multiple re-captures". So what's wrong with the Red Deer then? Smitty

Hmmmmm...you sure about that? It doesn't have the distinct leading white edge on the fins that members of the Char family have. And look at the gill plate and cheek; sure resembles a brown trout (though the rest of the body doesn't). Gotta be a hybrid of some sort...brookie-brown, or brookie-bull, or laker-brown? Interesting! Smitty

Noticed that on the FFC ads that you can get Hodgman Wadelites for $69. Always wanted a waist high wader... Sounds like a deal...are they good waders? Good enough for summer fishing small creeks and medium rivers? Anyone have experience with these waders? Curious, Smitty

Jesus! Now that's a big fish. About 9 lbs? (Not that it matters, just trying to hone my stellar internet estimating skills...lol). Way to go! Cheers, Smitty

No, actually you don't get it. I have nothing personally against Bob, would love to meet him and find out his thinking on this issue. And we're back to that a**hat comments eh GreenDrake? Insinuating that my lack of signing this petition implies that the "rape and pillage" of Alberta is somehow my fault? And as far as giving back, go pound some sand. Is that why I'm giving up part of my personal summer holidays to take some kids fishing in August? Your comments speak more about you than they do me. Bottom line is I don't deserve your cheap shots, if you have nothing constructive to say, then why say it? All the best, Smitty

Well its good lesson in ordering from a solidly run business... Just tried ordering from Icky's...nice website + discount coupon code + good rep. Slight problem; they are out of many, many, many patterns and sizes!!! Just dropped $80 on a competitor. Too bad Icky lost my business...I really wanted to buy from them! Next time, I'll know not to leave it to the last minute (trip starts July 16th) and order my flies in May! Smitty

These are the guys you have to convince, or, forget convincing, just out-number, out-vocalize: http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=139744 Mods: I hope its ok I linked to the "Other" board. Just wanted to add that dimension to the conversation, and see what us "organized" bunch of "elitists" are up against, lol. If I've broken a rule, I won't be offended if I have to delete the link. Just thought this would show Bigtoad to see "what we're up against". Smitty

Well that would be good news for sure. I don't fish Spring, so I'll happily take your info over mine. I know Dolberg at one time had perch, and now even the regs say that Dolberg is perch-free. I was stunned when I read that. Always thought once perch are in, they're in. I stand corrected (very hopefully) on Spring lake. That is one lake that can produce trout past 8lbs (if you believe my dad's generation). I was very lucky to be young enough that I took a fly-tying course from Reg Denny; he had pictures of trout that surpassed 8lbs from places like Star and Hasse. But do those lakes produce 8lb trout now "regularly"? Don't think Hasse does anymore; not with the perch and pike. Anyways, I digress. I don't like when I become cynical; its doesn't befit someone who teaches. Just saying that I should recognize the truth of "just because something isn't difficult doesn't mean it should be attempted." So I'll support the petition for sure. Who doesn't want to catch bigger fish? I would suggest to Bigtoad that selecting so many lakes (maybe was just using them as an example) could be very problematic. Government simply won't make wholesale, blanket changes to a bunch of lakes. I think its better to talk to the biologists and select 1 to 2 -at most - additional lakes per region (ES1, ES2, PP1, etc). I think more action will result from targeted, specifically selected lakes, as opposed to trying enact systemic change. Smitty

Its all in the tone, my friend. And, to cite an exaggerated example, all one has to do is look at Fox News to see how "facts" can be spun to have a certain slant. For example, one might "fairly" say, that, when walleye stocking was suspended years ago, this province became "trout obsessed" instead of walleye obsessed. Yes? Anyways, round and round we go, to the petition, I still say no! (look, it rhymes!) Smitty

Good sentiment, but some good points (see analysis by Dave Jensen and Dryfly) can be found here: http://flyfishcalgary.com/board/index.php?...c=17596&hl= I'm tempted to vote yes, but I'm not sure it wouldn't be a wasted effort. Justfloatin makes good points. The majority of anglers like their 5/day, put-and-take meat fisheries. Very difficult to change mentalities and get those existing fisheries changed. Look at all the controversy with Bullshead and Police Outpost. Much better to create new ones, but Alberta does have a water vs angler problem to work through. We really have to think this through - take Spring lake for example, near Edmonton. Totally overrun with perch. Absolutely a useless gesture to make it into a trophy lake, in my opinion. I'd stay focused on "newly-created" fisheries and leave the existing ones as they are. Smitty

Thank-you for a more thoughtful response without the insults. In fact, I agree with you. Mr. Eden's stance on walleye has very little to do with the actual wording of the petition. That is exactly my point; I'm all for fisheries enhancement and increased enforcement. So why did he even bother in the first place with the divisive tone? He could have made all his points without including the rant against walleye. So, again, because he does identify walleye stocking as a "key problem" on his website, and because of that tone, I, for now, am holding back. Lets not pretend that the information on his website has absolutley nothing to do with his entire message summarized in the petition, because he is the one making those very tenuous connections, not me. Regards, Smitty

Wow GrnDrake. Totally a**hat reply. Uncalled for. Clearly you missed my point...perhaps you "suffer" the same issue as me, in terms of reading comprehension? Or you just can't stand someone who has a differing viewpoint? Smitty

One thing I did not appreciate that much was the divisiveness of the tone in regards to the walleye criticism. Mr. Edens has conveniently forgot to mention that walleye stocking was suspended for several years. Also, walleye, being a different species, are generally stocked as tiny fry; the predation / mortality is high, hence the higher stocking numbers. Bottom line is that (1) his efforts are laudable for the most part, but (2) pitting species against species, and by association, anglers versus anglers is not helpful. I'll keep an open mind, and as I said, several principles are obvious and worth supporting (more enforcement, duh), but I am not signing it, for now. Mr. Edens needs to convince me that his anti-walleye rant/stance is justifiable. Because it really is not, imho. Cheers, Smitty

Well, I'm on a little dicey ground because I've posted pics of students on an internet (public) forum. So, in the effort to comply and be slightly paranoid or anal about it, I'll refrain from mentioning the school. But I will say I work for Edmonton Public Schools. And thanks BBT. Smitty

You know, the funny thing is, is that it was hooked in my forearm. There must not be a lot of nerves there, because it truly didn't hurt that much. The worst part is that I was doing the hopper-dropper combo, and, though i am pretty diligent, I forgot to mash the barb on the dropper. So there I am, try to "back" the hook out, and let me tell you, it is impossible. There is no tough cartilage like a fish's mouth to leverage against. So there I am, trying to push, pull the stupid thing and my skin just stretches along with it, to the point I could lift that first layer of skin 3 inches away from my forearm. No dice. So the pic you're seeing is when I finally got clever, I pushed the point through to the other side to expose the point and the barb. Then it was a simple matter of just cutting the point and the barb off with the sidecutter portion of my needle nose, and presto! Hook pretty much just fell out. Anyways, good lesson for all, especially me. It is so much fun taking kids fishing. I hope that August trip gets approved. Smitty