seanbritt

Interesting discussion. According to the Herald article, only a few of the 55 applicants who responded to the application were local. The panel was made up of five citizens. In my opinion, if folks are tired of seeing the money go to folks from out of town, they should encourage their fellow Calgarians to participate in the process rather than complain about it.

The above article pertains to surface fossil finds only. It does not apply to archaeological finds. While it may seem there is an obvious difference, to the untrained amateur eye they may look the same. Best practice is to keep things where they are. Also, as noted in the link above, in the event of finding a surface fossil you are still required to hand it over to the RTM. Archaeological finds are under the jurisdiction of the RAM.

Actually know quite a few City Planners quite personally and know how a good portion of them think. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how proactive and forward thinking they are. You want to find out where the issues are? Go right to the source: land developers. $$ is valued more than the greater good and good planning. $$=politicial sway. $$=development on the floodplain. But then again, when you look for the source of any issue it more often than not tends to be $$....

I know some people are aware, but just thought I'd send a quick reminder, about the Historical Resources Act of Alberta. With the flood, numerous archaeological and paleontological sites have either been exposed or further exposed. According to the Act, it is illegal to remove any artifacts with fines up to $50K. If you happen to come across a find, please report it to Alberta Culture at (780) 431-2300. The best thing to do is take photos and a GPS waypoint to send to them. If you have any questions you can contact them. Please pass along the word as the minute we take these objects away, we loose all information associated with them and, according to the act, are destroying the site. While I know these objects are pretty amazing, please let professionals record the contextual information and contribute to helping preserve our past. I compare it to poaching. We don't like to see fish poached from our rivers, and my fellow colleagues don't appreciate seeing these items poached from their context. There is a great article from the Herald that highlights this and it reminds us that both fossils AND archaeological artifacts are protected: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/alberta/Hunting+bones+Chances+finding+exposed+fossils+rises+after/8658179/story.html

Very well said Paul/Rick. Its funny, a few of my favorite experiences on the Bow have been non-fishing experiences. One was a simple float with my wife and dog and another with the Mrs. and our good friends from out of town. A third was a certain fly-fisherman's bachelor party in which we floated from Banff to Canmore....absolute hilarity!

x2 It comes down to the individual driving the boat/pontoon, heck or even fishing for that matter. I've been on the side of the river fishing and think the proportion of impolite operators are likely equal among drift/jet/pontoons. Jets likely get a worse rap due to the attention that is drawn to them based on their motorized action. The one thing that could potentially be discussed is a size limit. I've seen some sea-worthy motorized crafts down really low that should be running in the ocean, not the Bow. Also, x2 on Tungsten teaching a course. I've only been out with him once but he was very polite on the river when we came upon other anglers, etc.

x2 with JBear. I had the same issue with getting my father in-law interested. I found it best to give some lessons on dry land then start off on easier waters where it was easier for him to hook into fish. Starting off on the Bow, even for an experienced angler, can be challenging and frustrating. Also, having one half of a couple teach the other half can sometimes end badly. A private lesson or class for her would probably be the best way to go....

Gorgeous photos Peter! Looks like you had an epic time!

I agree with 420 and would only add that when looking at a reel for your 7wt, look at saltwater ready options as you never know what the future holds:)

Way to go! I've seen that dude on the bike rip out fish and toss em in the bushes. First time I called the CO on him I confronted him first, which was my bad as it gave him time to high tail it out of there. Good to see some justice! Lets keep it up!

DONE. They took my name and number and said they would call back with an update as lots of people were calling in and they weren't quite sure as to the status/what to do yet. Thanks for spearheading Jay!

Great job everyone! Great example of how concerned anglers can make a difference!

A childhood friend of my wife has a husband who loves to fly-fish, but isn't able to make it out as much as he'd like due to being a new parent (which I'm sure most of you can relate to!). All he's wanted to do for the past few years was to catch a brown, a species on his bucket list. I invite him down fishing a few years back and take him to one of my go-to spots. Day one, skunk. I felt bad as myself and another angler on the river managed to get a few to hand. Next AM (and his last chance) we wake up super early to hit another one of my favorite locales. Third cast, a taped 25" brown. Skinny (as they sometimes are early in the spring), but a beauty nonetheless. He proceeded to bring in another 6. I've never seen a guy so happy fishing in my life. Good to be out there with him and share that experience.

"All this comes down to the purpose of these boards. To me, the purpose is to share information and help people learn how to fish with a fly rod. If we are successful in sharing the information then more people who try the sport will stick to it, and in some cases it may mean more people on "your" river. Good, I say. I can't think of a better thing that could be said of someone than he introduced xx people to fishing. I hope I have a lot of xxx's in my life. Some will be people I took out personally, and I can only hope some will be because of something I said on this board." x 1 more anglers=more people on river. however, more anglers=more representatives of our fisheries=larger voice in conservation efforts=(hopefully) better protection of our watersheds

Welcome to Calgary and the board! You'll find a ton of great information here, and as SilverDoctor noted, all you have to do is use the search option. There is a newly udpated waterproof fishing mapbook of the Bow River that came out last year and includes such things as launch locations, fishing spots, walking paths, major roads, hatch chart, recommended flies, flow rates, float times, etc. It is available at many local shops, a number of whom support this forum. They include: Fish Tales, Bow River Troutfitters, the Fishin' Hole, Canadian Tire (Southland/Macleod), West Winds Fly Shop, Wholesale Sports, and Southbow. Sean p.s. Don't forget new 2012 licenses available mid-march!

Its hard not to recommend the Drake. Great articles and good sense of humor. Also, Flyfish Journal is nice if you like photography.

Interesting article in Outdoor Canada about why anglers should be involved in protecting the environment. While I'm not a fan of the word "activist", and would rather use the term "engaged steward", he has a few good points. I know I'm preaching to the choir, as most of the folks here are quite involved in helping protect our watersheds, but thought I'd pass it along anyhow. Tightlines! http://outdoorcanada.ca/18605/fishing/arti...ld-be-activists

wicked net idea and nice fish Peter! I've fished with Peter numerous times, and if anything, he underestimates size.

neither....the road came first:)

IMHO, I value the service that shuttle companies provide and am willing to pay the current rates that are out there, especially when you consider these fees are often divided by three people. My question to folks who feel its too expensive: how much would you consider paying for two hours of great fishing? I've done both the self-shuttle and paid for shuttle and believe my share of shuttle costs are well worth the time spent fishing and not dealing with traffic.

Very interesting thread guys and lots of really great points being made. It seems like there is a lot of energy behind this idea, if we could only gather together a group of folks and harness the energy to make something happen! I agree with most points and feel licensed guiding is a no-brainer. Heck, if Cuba requires guides to be licensed (they have to take a safety and a guiding course), why not AB? It would be interesting to approach the same outcome from a different angle. Rather than look at it as a way to manage fisheries, pitch it (maybe to a different department?) as a way of helping ensure the safety of the public and stimulate a non-mainstream portion of the economy. Require, as has been said, things such as guiding courses, first aid courses, insurance, specially licensed (and plated) boats, etc. As for "grandfathering" and the weekend warrior guides, I believe (or hope to believe) that those amazing full-time guides that are out there (Max, etc.) won't mind going through these processes because (1) its an ace in the hole and (2) they respect and want to protect the resource and the industry. As for the weekend warriors, I have a feeling they would weed themselves out as they wouldn't want to invest the time or $$ to become and official guide.

PGK, thanks for helping get some action on this! While many points made on the thread are valid, I find that any action is better than no action. Similar to voting. People who don't vote have absolutely no right to complain about government or politicians. Same deal here.

Just got a heads up from some old colleagues that logging is intended to start as early as next week in the Castle. I know a lot of us love this area. I also know a lot of us complain about pressure, poaching, etc., but as many of you know one of the biggest threats to fisheries is logging (I've attached a link to some academic papers below), with erosion/silt deposit being a big issue, which then has an impact on stream flow/levels and hence mortality (focus of second article below). Since there is a new leader in our government, there may be a chance to have an impact. Below is a link to the CPAWS website (they have a campaign going). Or alternatively, call your elected official and speak to them directly. CPAWS: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2463/...action_KEY=8461 ARTICLES: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1577...LA%3E2.3.CO%3B2 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111...3126.x/abstract Cheers, Sean

As for non-felt options, I'm quite keen to try these new Korker soles "svelte" http://www.korkers.com/soles-accessories/s...ing/svelte.html Kind of like wearing a brillo pad on your foot. If they work as they look like they should, they will likely provide the most traction for non-felt options.

While waterways have always been mutli-use, you can certainly see the number of folks expanding their use of it. In fact, we have friends coming in from out of town this weekend and will be renting a larger raft to do a recreational float of the bow, mainly to escape the drunkenness of the Elbow. In the city its more non-motorized users and outside the city is more motorized users (saw a jetski between mac and carseland on Sunday). It would be interesting to see if fish, like other animals, become de-sensitized to stuff and will adapt to rafts, etc.