Smitty

See what all us fly anglers are missing out on? I don't care of it's fake or not, I still had a good laugh: Go Nunavut ice fishing! Mike "Smitty"

Sundance: No doubt that some days you've got just say c'est la vie. Or, as Dr. Bull Trout says, "fisherman's luck". I'm quite sure we weren't following any anglers either. Nor was the water low - I have fished skinnier water with better luck. Maybe they were gorged on a previous hatch, but like I said, I didn't bring this up to lament the lack of fish, (I actually caught two, but that's not many for 12 km of stream walking) but rather that very curious/weird/cool phenomena of seeing 2 waterbodies (Cripple and that side channel on the North Ram) flow right through the forest, and wondering if that had any potential/possible impact. Anyhoo, appreciate the feedback and thoughts. Funny how Lynx was far more productive - a creek just a few km's away at most. Smitty P.S. Attached are some pics

Well: I thought I would bump this old topic back up to the list, since I stumbled back to it - that's a cool feature about having the ability to track your old posts - and plus, we're into winter, and maybe we can put our brains to uses other than GW rants. When I first posted this topic, I forgot to mention one thing that may or may not have an impact. As we neared the confluence of Cripple and the North Ram, say about 1 km from the confluence on the Cripple side of things, decisions became a little dicey because we were faced with a dilemma; follow the water or follow the creek bed? You see, the creek made a sharp bend, and the spring scouring made it obvious that the water flow was going to go its own way. The water just didn't follow the creek bed anymore and literally just went through the trees and the forest. What obviously was the gravelly creek bed was completely bone-dry. We decided to follow the creek bed, it was much easier walking, and there was no question by the geography we were getting close to the North Ram. So we get to the North Ram, cross it (so we're on the north bank now) and we're going to get back to the road (North Fork Road is it called? The road that leads back to Rocky and parallels the North Ram for a bit before sharply turning north to parallel Nice/Easy creek) and find where my friends parked the truck. And wouldn't you know it? so we're done crossing the main channel of the North Ram, and bam! Right below the road is one last side channel of the North Ram flowing right through the trees again! Let me tell you, that was by FAR the trickiest wading we had to do all day. So what gives when a creek/river starts cutting it's way through dense forest with no discernable gravel beds? Do these tend to be temporary, or does the new waterway cut and erode a new channel? How long does this take? And do fish like this? Is this suitable habitat? I mean there's plenty of cover in some respects, but it sure as heck doesn't seem to be predictable in terms of gauging flow to bring food to me, if I were a trout? Could this also be why Cripple seem deserted? If the creek essentially is cutoff from the North Ram (only way is through the forest river part) is it a valid theory that fish could be scarce upstream of this phenomenon? Would really like to hear from so of you who have a couple of decades of experience regarding this. Just massively curious. Anyone else seen or experienced this? If Don or Barry are around and can shed some light, that would cool. Smitty

Well Don: Not sure what you mean by "ugly". Albertans have one of the greatest opportunities in their lives right now to secure a bit of wealth and financial freedom. I happen to be doing it through property acquisition. I noticed that the writer of the article failed to mention some important differences compared to the 80's; one major factor being interest rates. No one's going to lose a mortgage due to climbing 16%-20% interest rates. But yes, as far the oil/gas sector goes, it's like the article says; companies consolidate, drilling is cyclical, and there is going to be pain for smaller companies who don't have there cash flow figured out right. But overall, Alberta is the place to be; I read that china is poised to build 30 cities - each the size of Toronto - in the coming decades. What does that take? Natural resources. Canada has got lots of those - lots. Freshwater too. Freshwater, oil, lumber, minerals, and small population makes Canada attractive. Add political and economic stability, and we're REALLY attractive. Add to that, RELATIVELY speaking - compared to the rest of the world, our regulations are fair. Companies love Canada and those CEO's earning there millions don't generally spend the big corporate bucks without some foresight. Over 40 billion dollars is about to invested in upgrader alley; if that staggering sum was about to be invested in Toronto for the next 5 years, we'd hear nothing else in the Eastern media. While conventional production is indeed dropping, oilsands production is posied to triple in the next 15 years. Conventional production is falling generally throughout the world. Canada will go from 11th to 4th in the world for oil production within 25 years. Where again is the majority of the oil? Construction boom in Alberta is poised to peak 2010-2011. The real "boom" isn't even here yet. Read between the lines in those articles - you'll see nothing long term that will bust this boom coming on. In other words, the factors in favor of a heated economic cycle outweigh those - in the long run for the next 5 to 20 years than those factors that cause it to pull back. Think there's a housing and labor shortage now? Just wait a couple of years. So I disagree with the writer - I don't think he's looking at the big picture. India and China are in the midst of switching from agrian societies to 21st century industrial and technological societies. They have 1/3rd the world's population. They will consume. We have the resources. Alberta specifically has one resource that hybrid cars aren't even going to make a dent in demand. It's that simple. No wonder Benjamin Tal, chief economic officer for CIBC, i.e. in other words, a fairly conservative 3-piece suit wearing banker, has predicted that average sfd housing prices in Calgary could reach $900,000 by 2020. Wow. Believe it or not, depite falling affordability in Alberta, according to RBC Alberta is still mostly affordable. As long as that continues, and 35,000 to 50,000 people continue to move here each year, the boom will continue, despite layoffs, despite some companies going under. This sort of pain was easily predictable as the boom was in early 2001. Now folks, those are just some observations. I'm trying to stick to the point and so I purposely tried to keep the observations (some fact, a lot of opinions) morally neutral. Whether this boom is healthy to our environment, to our fish, these are subjects for another topic. So don't jump all over me as some sort of capitalist pig. I am in favor of regulations, protecting the environment, and making sure Alberta (and Albertans) get their fair share of royalties. The Heritage Fund is a disgrace compared to what you could have got by adopting an Alaskan approach. All I'm saying Don is that yeah, doom and gloom articles will always be written at the first sign of pain. It's the way the media operates, as I'm sure you know. But I believe we have a consderable amount of more steam left in this boom before it truly slows down. Of course it won't last forever, but I think we will enjoy "good" times for another decade overall. Good topic. Smitty

Dutch: I case I missed it from earlier, where ya from? Anyways, I think your boss should pay for a wireless card for your laptop so you can hook up anywhere there's telephone coverage. Dryfly I think knows some spots - but they may have already been mentioned, but hopefully he'll weigh in on the topic. Smitty

Norman: No - there are no campgrounds on the river, only side pullouts for day use areas for people to have picnics. There is a hostel at Maligne Canyon, but I'm pretty sure no overnight camping (could be wrong). I think you are stuck in the Athabasca valley in terms of camping - Snaring, Wabasso, Wapiti, etc. I'm confident the later you wait, the better shape Medicine will be in. Ideally that lake needs to lose another 15' so you just see the river channel meandering through the lake bottom. Some other dude (different board) posted a report about fishing the south end of Medicine where the Maligne enters, but it was a no go for me. And thanks to all about the reminder on perspective; you're absolutely right; if you're gonna be somewhere the fishing is tough, the entire Maligne valley is hard to beat, just for scenery and experience. Smitty

Well, as I posted on Doc's board, my much anticipated fishing trip on my drive home from Vernon was a little disappointing. I tried experimenting in BC, and as can often happen, experiments can go bust. No fish caught in the Blue River, no fish caught on the Fraser. Should have heeded someone else's advice, but oh well. It was amusing floating dry flies over 10lb salmon in the Blue river in a foot of water. Course, once I remembered salmon develop lockjaw in freshwater, I quickly moved on. Jasper fishing was disappointing, most notably Medicine Lake. Lake seemed very high for late August. Tried the south end for an evening with no bites, no rises. Saturday was spent fighting the rain on the Maligne river. Holy cow that river is swift. Found one really decent pool that Neil W was fishing; he seemed to have the trout figured out. Caught a few fish, but found the lack of holding water disappointing. Do you guys actually fish those deep, swift runs on the Maligne? Nymphs I assume? With what, half a dozen AA tin split shot? Also gave up rather quickly on the mouth of the Maligne (confl. w Athabasca) as it didn't seem I could find the whitefish (no bulls either). Don't think that cold front moving into Jasper helped at all. Sporadic hatches at best and no BWO's that I could see, so I cut the trip short by a day (my friends didn't show up and I don't like camping by myself and otherwise accomodations are expensive), so there's not much more I can say. Ever had a summer where the fishing was mostly disappointing? I'm having one of those summers (course, it would help if I could get out more). Wonder what anyone else is experiencing... Looking forward to fall backswimmer fishing. Smitty

Thanks for the input Meeks, I would have thought that since we had one of the warmest July's on record, I didn't think it would be too cold. Too warm perhaps? I don't get it, but that's fishing for ya! What I should do is start carrying a thermometer with me. Anyone else have some thoughts? Smitty

Went fishing this past weekend at the Ram Falls. On Saturday, we decided to split up since we had 4 people and multiple vehicles. I thought a good game plan would be to have 2 of my buddies take my vehicle at park it near the North Ram along the North Fork Road. They fished the North Ram too. Meanwhile, my other friend and I were dropped off at where the FTR crosses Cripple Creek. The plan was to walk from that point all the way down to it's confluence with the North Ram. Good plan and we executed it brilliantly; though I reluctantly admit it was far easier following an old atv trail that paralled the creek roughly. I think we walked about 12km. Anyways, my query to all of you out there who know the area well is "WHERE were the FISH???". My Lord it was disappointing! I mean it was a beautiful afternoon, the walk was nice, but man, there were hardly any fish! (We caught 2 only). In fact, I only found one big pool by a deserted trappers cabin that had fish in it. Everywhere else, nada. My first thought was a lack of skills in selecting and presenting the fly. But then I started wading throwing rocks into the corner pools and NOTHING! No startled trout or anything! Most of the creek seemed devoid of fish! I was utterly perplexed. I mean, at one point, we were probably 6km away from the nearest access, so I can't believe it has been fished out. And I certainly thought there would be some resident fish, after all, isn't Cripple a major spawning trib of the North Ram? Was the water low? I didn't think so...there certainly seemed to be plenty of water in the corner pools. More confusing, 10 km to the south, Lnyx creek fished very well, right near the road (and away from it too). This is a shorter trib to the South Ram with less water in it than Cripple, so I found it utterly confusing why 2 streams so close together would have far different fishing experiences, especially being the smaller stream fishing better than the bigger one. Any thoughts? Confused, Smitty

Hey y'all: Anyone fished the upper Clearwater around and upstream of Corkscrew Mountain? Just wondering if that stretch is too dangerous for a float. Thanks kindly for your advice. Smitty

Gravelman: Got to put in my 2 cents here in supporting Clive's point. Unquestionably it affects us, for all the reasons previously mentioned. And, as pointed out, would this have provoked the same lukewarm reaction if had advocated killing a bunch of trout? A rather astute observation there IMO. How about "Take home your limit everyday from the Oldman river, using my ninja secret deadly nymphing technique?" My point is that we love to congregate here to share our passion/addiction to flyfishing; and that's mostly flyfishing for trout (but pike too). But if we're indifferent to issues related to other sportfish that generally aren't targeted by us (ie walleye) how can we expect support for our "pet" causes? Sometimes there is too much divisiveness even amongst us fishermen, fly or spin. Smitty

Dr. Bulltrout: Completely sympathize with your frustration. Just glad you weren't hurt or your dad or the girlfriend. Hope that guy isn't hurting too badly either. Tough situation to be in, you want to kick some arse, but is it worth the potential assault charge? Or if the glass breaks, and, yeah, you know what's coming, the guy loses an eye or something (you said you dinged him in the head). Some people are so damn ignorant, lazy, and stupid it boggles the mind. Can't even bother to use a resource properly and read the regs. Your just dying to say "they got what's coming, or they got what they deserve," but wow, blood pouring out the guys head, I bet that was a sobering sight. Like I said, hopefully there's no "permanent" damage to that guy and hoping jacka%^$s like him stay thge heck off our streams. Understand if you don't want to say, but what major drainage were you fishing? Smitty

Loved Fishing the West. First flyfishing show I ever watched. Iron Blue was great. I like the New Fly Fisher, especially episodes with Brian Chan. And Sportfishing on the Fly. That about does it for me. I do watch Fishing Alberta, but I find Alex Kreis a bit much sometimes, and other times it's a little preachy. But they they are earnest in supporting various smaller communities, so I can't fault them for that. Can you actually get Iron Blue on dvd? Where? Smitty

Steelhead: I get what you're saying; it's a lot of expense and effort if Mother Nature is going to get her way anyways. But; 1) If you're not orginally from around here, you might not get that Stauffer is a spring creek. Spring fed creeks that support trout fisheries are very few and far between in this province. Over 95% of the water leaving the mountains via streams are of the Freestone variety. I think that % could be higher. Certainly not I, nor is anyone else, gonna begrudge Don for being passionate about a "few" places. 2) You're being totally unrealistic by painting someone like Don as being selfish - cause that's exactly what you're implying, make no mistake - for having focus. Focus is good. You can't bite off more than you can chew. We had another fellow guide focus on helping out the South Ram. You're grasping here Steelhead, and your weakening your argument with these unnecessary potshots. Its not up to Don to save the walleye in Lac La Biche, it's up to the community of walleye anglers who use that fishery to protect it. It's not up to us to save Oregon steelhead, but we can help and sign a petition. The point is, we can all support each other in our pet causes, but part of leadership is directing your energy towards a few of them. You're a member of TU, what they heck have you done? And being a member of TU, what have you done to save sturgeon, walleye, pike, whitefish, and perch? The fact that Don and a few other sportsmen have even managed to get a little bit of pull speak volumes to the amount of effort they have put in. Is it up to Don to put on cape and try and save this whole province? What about me? You? The rest of this board? The entire legion - thousands - of Alberta anglers? Who will take Don and Barry's place when they're gone? Someone ought to step up... You think this province is a disaster? Again, what are you doing about it other than "whining" about it on a message board? Just as an FYI, I have never met Don, and he likely hasn't much of a clue who I am, but I'd like to think I am both humble enough and smart enough to appreciate his work. I sense your passion Steelhead, and your frustration, but I think it's completely misdirected. Better for you to sound off against the apathetic majority of this province who don't even bother to show up and vote, and don't even take the time to write letters. Smitty

Steelhead; Whoa. Back up for a second. No one has a problem with you disagreeing here. Totally ok. You make a valid point. But you've crossed the line here calling Don a whiner and insinuating that he just complains without action. Do you know who the heck yer talking too? Do you know what Don A has done for Alberta fisheries? Don's been making noise, spending time, spending his own money, volunteering a colossal amount of effort since I was a kid. He may make noise, but that's because he's trying to create awareness, and hell, you know what, after all these years of breakin his back to create and enhance trout fisheries for all the REST of us, he's earned some right to "whine" (as you put it.) Like I said, I support your right to disagree. but I consider your tone somewhat disrespectful and unbecoming. If your apologies were truly "humble" I think you would of found a different way of stating your otherwise valid opinion. Smitty

Glenbow: I swear to God you don't ever want to see me topless...unless you want to see the evolutionary evidence for the missing link for Wookies. Smitty

Hey all: So I went fishing this past Monday to the Highwood and Upper Cataract. Though the water was mostly clear, it was also high. Fishing was very tough; we didn't catch a thing. I am wondering if we were fishing the right sections. What's peoples' experience fishing opening weekend? Are most of the fish out of the typical deep overwintering pools, or are they still all pooled up. I thought the upper sections would be good because at the very least cutts and rainbows are spring spawners. Are they usually done by the middle of June? Should I have been fishing smaller tribs near where they spawn? Or in the lower reaches. I guess what I am asking is assume by the time I get around to stream fishing in July and August, fish are pretty evenly distributed in a given watershed, not accounting for the poaching that occurs near access points (I use Barry M's rule almost religiously past the middle of July in regards to this). But rarely have I had a chance to stream fish before the July long weekend, and I got to admit, I was lost. Cutts and bows are spawing still (?) which means more upstream/smaller water, yet brookies and bulls are fall spawners which means what? They wait till after runoff to leave the wintering pools? They'll be found more in deep, downstream water? Cause I fished the meadow section at Cataract, and saw just one fish in a beaver pond. Fished Highwood above the canyon just outside of K-country and again, saw just one fish. Also, I am assuming fish aren't looking up right now at dry flies, even if the water is clear. Too cold for the most part for any decent hatches, yes? Despite that, we still didn't catch anything on streamers or nymphs. I don't know - maybe I should be chironomiding the lakes or something. High country trout streams don't seem to be a good choice right on opening day, even if the water does look good. Any comments? Smitty