Xplorer

Hey Guys, I have been fishing all around southern alberta in the last 2 weeks and have found that alot of the bull trout(some cutts too) seem to strike a little short missing the hook and in some cases ripping the rabbit strip off my streamers. So I thought that adding a stinger hook would help. I attached the stinger hook to the main hook using toothy critter steel leader material 15lb. My question is, should the stinger hook be tied to the rabbit strip or should it be left seperate to move on its own and not hamper the action of the rabbit strip? Here is a picture, it is not attached to the stinger in this pic.

Hey guys, I have been driving around this wonderfull province of ours looking for places to fish. I didn't get very far from home these first few days. I fished mostly stillwaters with a few headwater streams, with the best action so far in the lakes/ponds. I fished a few stocked lakes with decent results I went to kananaskis lakes for a couple of days, with good results from both lakes. I fished the lower lake today in the pouring rain. Once the rain started the action with the Cutts slowed right down, so I went and tossed streamers in the lower lake. I lost one bull on my second cast and then landed two more in the next hour. I had quite a few follows and some short strikes in between fish. The only decent photo is this one, the rest have rain on the lens and look like crap. This fish was missing part of its gill plate and the other one I landed was missing a frt fin and had line scars around its head,the line might even be still there(grown in?) This fish also had a tag, so I recorded the number and will report it to Fish and Wildlife. I drove over alot of streams/rivers with many being too high and dirty still, looks like I will be heading north to check out some lakes up there next week. I hear the forestry trunk road is washed out around peppers lake, so that should make things interesting. cya Lance

Thanks for all the advice guys. I am done at my current job June15, I have already been hired by another company and it starts Aug 2, so that's my 6 weeks off. They would have took me right away, but I needed a break. I plan to hit the forestry trunk road alot and just drive until I see somewhere to fish. I plan to have quite a few, just throw the gear in the truck and go days... Quote by ruff "Haven't been there since I was 10. What is special, other than great scenery, about those locations?" I have been past those lakes many times and never fished them, so I think I just have always wanted to fish there. Thanks again guys, if you have any more ideas...fire away Lance

Cool thanks, forgot about those two lakes.

Hey guys, I am going to be changing employment this summer and as a result the wife suggested I should take 6 weeks off, 2 weeks I will be camping with her but she said the remaining 4 weeks would be mine to do with as I please. What to do? Hmmmm fly fishing comes to mind. I am thinking of trips to the Oldman, Livingstone(and tribs of both), Crownest, Ram, Elk, St Mary's in BC plus various lakes and ponds. Also many trips to the Bow from Banff to Carsland. What do you guys suggest? What would you do? It is too much free time for me to think about right now. Thanks Lance

Hey Bigtoad, Here's a link to the Srd Website . This page contains some of the trails/areas for atv's in Alberta. Alot of the remaining areas are not designated as FLUZ's but are part of what used to be the Bow Crow Forestry Reserve, atv use is allowed and there is somewhat of a trail network, not as well set up as the FLUZ's though(not an excuse, atvs should stay on trails!) Thats all I can think of right now, I will post more if I can find it. cya

Hey Guys, I used to fish the Nw section alot as I live about 10mins away. I agree with everyone about the trout being smaller and less of them, but if you fish it enough and are not afraid to investigate some different parts of the river you will find bigger fish. I don't fish the Nw as much anymore because I started travelling down south in the last few years and got kind of addicted to the larger and more plentiful fish avaliable there. I have heard some fisherman talking in the fly shops about the removal of the wier may allow more trout to migrate upstream and improve the fishery. Not sure about that but it can't hurt. When I was a kid we used to fish the river with a fly that sounds like the one Triploid is describing. Here's a photo, the hackle is a bit too long but you get the idea. These flies used to work awesome for whitefish, I caught hundreds, maybe into the thousands of whitefish on these. We tried tying them in all different colors but always came back to orange being the best. The river hardly ever seem to fluctuate water level through out the day. I can only remember one time when the water level changed for no real reason(I am sure the people at the dam had a reason). It dropped while I was taking some pics and releasing a fish, so I took a photo of how far it dropped. Here's that pic... I have fished the river in the Nw in the winter with very little luck. I have found some midges hatching with an odd whitefish rising to them here and there. I just like to get out and wet a line in the winter to keep myself from going nuts cya Lance

Hey Guys, Is there some science to determining what the bow river conditions might be like regarding open water vs slush. I have tried to hit the river 3 times in the last few weeks with it being slush everytime. I have tried warmer and cooler days with no luck. Do you just have to keep trying until you get lucky? Thanks for all tips. Lance

Thanks for the advice Hawgstoppah. I did not call it in due to the stains looked to be over a day old, so I thought there would be nothing SRD could do. There were no campers or vehicles where I was on the river. I will still call it in at least they can check the area out in future, maybe they will get lucky and catch them another time. If they did it once, they will do it again. Still pisses me off. Lance

Thanks for the comments guys. My camera is a Pentax W90. It's my second waterproof camera and has lots of features my first one did not.

The last fish of the day...... It was a great day Hope you guys enjoy....

Hey Guys, I took a trip down south on Friday and fished almost until dark on one stream. The fishing was slow at first but once I got the feel for the area it went alot better. I have not been down south in a long time. The last time I can think of I was a kid and the road to Chain lakes was gravel. I saw quite a few trailers and fifthwheels doing the random camping thing, but the setups seemed clean and well kept. I saw few atv's crossing the road but no major problems or atv's in the stream, but I only hiked about 4kms up and down stream. Once I left my truck I did not see another soul on the water but did see indications that people had been there. The disturbing part was the blood and entrails from fish that were harvested on a catch and release only water. The fishing was good, with lots of mayfly nymphs on the rocks and in the air. I used a yellow stimmy with a black tung-stud dropper all day. I caught fairly even numbers of fish on each but the larger fish were always on the dropper. It was great day to be out of the city and wandering around the forestry. Here's a bunch of pics Here's some pics of the mayflies I was seeing, not sure about which type of mayfly they are yet. A few more fish.....

Hey Guys, It looks like I might have some free time on Friday. I was looking at the Appointments at my work and it appears I don't have much work coming in tomorrow, so I asked my boss if I could take the afternoon off and it looks good so far. I talked to my wife who is going out to some crafting show with her mom, so I have from noon till dark to go fish! I fish the bow alot in my free time but not much farther south than the deerfoot extension bridge. I have not been down to the Livingstone area in 10+ years. I have not fished Quirk in couple years either. Max travel time is about 2 hrs from Calgary, so if you have other suggestions, fire away. Thanks Lance

Hey Guys, I think that more regulations would be ok, but the best thing would be some enforcement of the current laws/regulations. Alot of people ignore the current laws/regulations so what will make these ones any different? As some/many of you know I am an Atv'er who uses their atv responsibly and have been waiting for the government to do something about the abusers for at least 15 years. I am not sure if this survey will do anything. It has gained alot of interest from many user groups. I know the atv clubs are actively responding as well as many hunters and outdoorsman. Most are not liking what they are hearing and responding negatively, just look at the Alberta Outdoorsman Forum thread. I filled out the survey and responded as an Atv'er, fisherman and forestry user. I am a little concerned about the way the government is going about this, but if it results in more enforcement and a better eastern slopes, I am all for it! Just my 2 cents Lance

Hey guys, I just spent the last 8 Days in B.C. camping and managed to get out and fish a few days when the wife was at the spa. I have various topo maps of the the area south of Invermere and figured it was time to do some exploring/bushwacking. I fished three different creeks with decent success in most for small cutts and the occasional brookie. I was looking for some possible bull trout too but came up empty. I did not see one but did catch a few fish with suspicious damage that may be bull trout related. I also met a very nice conservation officer who gave me alot of tips/insight into the area. So next year I have 2 more creeks and a lake to check out. He was also very helpfull regarding back country access to some of the creeks in the area as not all roads/trails are open to vehicle access anymore. I managed to rip my lower legs up pretty good trying to find the water but my wader's would have been torn to shreds had I wore them. The cold creeks were pretty good at stopping the bleeding. Here's some pics to enjoy, still working on the underwater stuff, having focus issues it seems, damn cold water too. Bull Trout damage maybe?????

Hi rianbowhunter, Since you quoted me, I guess I will respond to some of your questions. " i would just like to know, how many of you people who are with banning camping and quading have ever camped over night , to go fish?? or ever camped in general" I have camped/fished for the last 30+ years all over the eastern slopes, mostly in provincial campgrounds, some random camping about 20 years ago.I have been atving/camping for the last 15years. Nobody wants to ban camping, they just want something done about the squatters that leave there trailer in one random campsite for the entire summer. I think there needs to be rules about how long you can stay in one spot or at least enforce the rules that already exist. " and when we quad, because i fish the river and love them i do my best to not corss them" You stay out of the creeks as much as possible, that's great, but many people do not and even if there is a bridge, some go around just so they can drive in the creek. Alot of quadders are not fishermen and do not think about their impact. "The small amount of damage that the quads do to the trail is minimal compared to the hundreds of logging roads built, and i would like to know how random "camping" only, not quading or anything else just camping efects the fishing in the rivers??? The poeple who camp in the dutch creek area are very responsible rider and campers that keep thier composure and do not go rampid and ruine the enviorment!!" That may be for the Dutch creek area, I have not been there lately, but I have seen many other area's where that is not the case. I have seen area's where the creeks/rivers run like chocolate milk on weekends(especially long weekends) and clear after the weekend is over, due to stupid people running in the creeks/rivers.I do agree that on certain trails, atvs have a limited/manageable impact, but alot of people don't stay on trails or out of creeks or muskeg fields etc etc The random camping thing really doesn't affect the fishing it is more of the squatter problem mentioned above, provided they don't dump waste in or close to the water. " Maybe just a suggestion, if the "quad squad" built bridges or banned river crossings with quads all river damage , ( which is minimal) would be stopped!! " The Quad Squad has no authority to ban anything, as far as the building of bridges, they are doing as many projects as they can, time and funding permiting. " i have personal expieirience" So do many of the people on this board. We are trying to make it so that there will still be something to experience 20-30 years from now. The random camping and atv use may be ok in some areas, but I have seen so many areas from Rocky Mountain House to the Crowsnest pass that are just a mess and need something done now, not later. Lance Sorry Smitty, no letter or even a paragraph yet..... :$*%&:...do past letters count?

Hey Guys, To quote Harps "We need regulation and enforcement!! No random camping and regulated trail use!" This is exactly what this province needs. I own an Atv that I use responsibly and I used to belong to an atv club that promoted responsible atv use, bridge repairs and installation, family outing's etc, etc. I felt it was helping but given the large number of atv users that don't give a crap and never join a club, it was kind of pointless.It seemed that for each person in the club, there were 19 who weren't and didn't care. The club that I am refering to is the Crowsnest Quad Squad, here's a link if anyone is interested in what they are doing..Quad Squad, they also branched off into the Calgary Quad Squad which is doing similar projects just farther north around the Calgary area. I think Atv'ers are there own worst enemy at times, this previous winter, bridges that were installed by the Quad Squad and 4wd groups, were damaged for no apparent reason. One was chain sawed in half and the other was disassembled and thrown in the trees. Both of these acts took time, but what I don't get is why? I guess this goes back to the pointless part, why build the bridge, when alot of guys just go around it to go through the creek. I guess I am feeling a little tired of trying to educate the masses(atver's anyway) about the impact they are having, when nobody seems to listen. The Quad Squad is doing good work and will be putting in more bridges this year and hopefully educating more and more atver's. I guess my point in all of this is, that some guys who have/use atv's want more enforcement, more rules, consequences for abuse and designated trails just as much as everyone here does. I just don't know if it will happen from the Alberta Government. my 2cents Lance

Hey Guys, I always seem to have the worst photos of fish. I can never get them to sit still, they are usually pretty active in the net (in the water of course), if I take them out and put them in the river, they are way to strong to hang on to, they are ready to go. Underwater shots are really tough, especially when you fish alone with no one to take pictures. I see all these great shots of the fish lying in the shallows beside the rod, nobody holding the fish, no net and the fish just sits there. The closest i have come is the photo I am using as my Avatar, and I had to hold on to that fish. What am I doing wrong? I always try to get the fish in quickly, keep the net in the water, a quick photo or two, fish is only out of the water a second or two. The fish all are very energetic, I rarely have to revive a fish, I hold them in the current for a couple of seconds and they take off strongly, I don't think I could hold on if I wanted to. So is there some hidden trick? Am I not playing the fish enough so they are tired and don't thrash around so much(I don't really want to tire them out just for a photo), or I am I just unlucky when taking photos. Thanks Lance

Thanks guys for all the info I think I may swing by Fishtales and see what they have in stock. Thanks for the offer Brunsie, I unfortunately don't have time to do it this week. I will see what happens at Fishtales and if there are no Stillwater series around, maybe I could try one when you get back from your trip? Have fun in BC, going ? Lance

Hi everyone, I am interested in a new 6 weight rod to use in my pontoon boat and chucking nymphs on the Bow. I have used my 4 weight for awhile on the bow and I think I will use it mostly for dries from now on. I would like to look at some Amundson products, more specifically the Wind Warrior Stillwater series. Where is the best place to go for a good selection? I was at wholesale recently and did see one or two Amundson rods but not that many, maybe I looked in the wrong spot. Thanks Lance

Nice Fish and cool pics! Is your rod an Amundson Wind warrior? How do you like it, I have been thinking about getting a 6 weight for nymphing and streamers. Thanks Lance

Crap :$*%&: I am always late! lol Happy birthday Peter. I didn't think Denny's did the Free meal on birthday's anymore...Hmmm I have been missing out. cya

It's closed right now. It falls under the general regulations for streams. I found this at the fish creek provincial website: FISH CREEK Because of varying water levels, there are usually very few fish found in the creek, except for a short portion before the creek enters the Bow River. Season: OPEN: June 16 to October 31 CLOSED: November 1 to June 15 Trout Limit: - June 16 to August 31:: 2 - rainbow and cutthroat must be over 35 cm; September 1 to October 31: 0 - catch and release only Whitefish Limit: - June 16 to August 31:: 5 - must be over 30 cm September 1 to October 31: 0 - catch and release only Bait: no bait allowed at any time of year

Nice Shots. Sweet fish.. out in BC I assume?

Hey Guys, I have recently decided to put an electric motor on my pontoon boat for a few of the larger lakes I visit. I borrowed a buddies Canadian Boat Operator's Handbook a couple days ago, read it while watching tv. Spent $38 and wrote the test in 20 mins today and passed, scored 31/36. Is it tough...no, but I would rather not have to deal with the hassel if I don't have it. Plus, I still have a 11 ft cartopper and outboard in the yard I may use someday. cya