Xplorer

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 guys, I losing flies lately, but not to snags or breaking fish off. I usually fish with 2 nymphs, sometimes 3, but mostly 2. When I catch a fish, if I catch it on the top fly the bottom fly is gone sometimes.Also, sometimes there is the tippet material remaining but not always. I was out on the bow today and caught two rainbows, the first fish stayed deep and when I landed it, the bottom fly was gone, no tippet remaining. The second fish I caught, did it's best to jump all over the river, with some amazing air and when I landed it, the bottom fly was gone again, but there was some tippet left. I checked both fish for damage or my flies to be stuck in them somewhere, no damage or flies found. Is it possible they dig along the bottom and snag/break off the bottom fly? Of the last 10 fish I have caught, 5 have done this. Thanks Lance

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

Thanks for info pacreseltoro I thought the fly was kinda large too, I have only been fishing down south since last fall and seemed to do better with larger SJW's. This is the first really small trout I have caught down south, so I guess I will try some smaller sizes and see how that goes. I like the idea of giving them some slack and letting them unhook themselves, hopefully undamaged. I guess I have to go tie some more flies...hahaha Thanks again

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?

Hi Guys, I was out on the bow today and did ok this afternoon. I caught a smaller rainbow on a #8 scud hook SJW and he was hooked in the roof of the mouth and it took out one of his eyes. Is this common with smaller fish or should I not be using scud hooks. I don't want to damage a fish in this way if I can do something to avoid it. Should I not be tying some patterns on scud hooks? I used to fish mostly in the Nw section of the bow, where lots of small fish was common, but there I was usually using small dryflies, so this was not a problem. Thanks for any tips/advice Lance

Hey Guys, Thanks for all the advice. I put 12 screws(ones on the right) in each boot dividing them between the toe and heel. Made quite a difference, hardly slid/danced around at all now. The boots themselves are not quite a year old, but I walk far too much in them so they are pretty worn already. I should have mentioned that they were for summer use, not ice/snow. Maybe I am just not used to the bow down south, but it's damn slippery I find. Anyway, all is good now. Thanks again Lance

Hi guys, Thanks for all the advice. My wading boots are getting pretty worn out so I think I am going to put some screws in the soles for now and buy some korkers later in the year. I have a couple of different screws to choose from, one being a normal hex head screw and the other an agressive ice screw. Which one do you think would work better in this situation? Here's some pics thanks

Hi Everyone, I have some felt wading boots that work ok up in the nw on the bow but down south I slip and slide all over the place. It must look fairly comical to watch. It is not even summer yet and I slide around like a drunk guy. Do rubber soles make it better(besides reducing the spread of rock snot and other invasive species)? Should I put cleats/studs in my exisiting felts? These boots are only worn on the bow so modifing them for a specific area is not a concern. Thanks

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

...........hahahaha

Thanks guys, It turns out I underestimated my boats carrying capacity, it is 350lbs, so that helps a little. I am probably going to use a small spiral cell/sealed batttery(can get them through work for cheaper) and should be under 300lbs total. I think that will work out ok.

Hi guys, I have an electric motor for my pontoon boat, I also have the motor mount and everything else set up. What have people been using for a battery. Most deep cycle batteries weigh between 40 and 65 pounds. My pontoon has a weight limit of 300lbs, so with me weighing 215lbs that only leaves 85 pounds for motor, gear, battery, oars etc. I was thinking about smaller atv batteries but don't think they will have enough amp/hr rating to last very long plus they are a starting battery, not really designed to be cycled dead alot. Anybody have any recommendations or setups they have used in the past? Thanks Lance

Thanks for the info guys. I was thinking that there was a specific pattern named "winter stonefly". I don't have any black copper johns, will have to tie/buy some. I have a few a.p. nymphs. Will sizes 16-18 be about right? Lance

Hi guys, I keep hearing about a winter stonefly pattern for the bow but haven't really nailed down what it should look like. Is it the same as a small brown stonefly pattern? Any pattern info or pictures would be great. Thanks everyone Lance