fishfreak

I'm mainly a catch and release guy, like most on this board. When I'm in the middle of the bush camping and fishing, and it's a stream that has a decent population of fish, I won't feel as bad keeping one. However, I won't do that very often as I like my rivers to have lots of fish in them. As for the brookies, that pic was taken at Elbow Lake, where the lake is overpopulated with little guys. I don't feel bad about catching my limit in a place like that, as I know it's more than a self-sustaining population. I'm thinking if there were less fish in that lake, the fish would get bigger than 9 inches. I don't know if they're the best eating, but they are quite tasty.

I only eat 1 non-brook trout a year, but when I do, I go all out. If you're camping, just cut off the head, take out the guts, add lemon, seasoning salt, butter, onion, and garlic on the inside, and then the same thing on the outside. Wrap it in foil and throw on some coals or the bbq. Filleting is not necessary. Also works great on trout you can buy from Safeway. This is similar to what Kfisher was describing: If you're gonna have some brookies, you can do this:

I would have to agree with Brent on the thingamabobbers. If you're going to use an indicator, these are the ones to get.

This is awesome! Fishin' Southwest Alberta: http://animoto.com/play/O6cZRJNV2GJBjtLOv40rvQ Fishin' the Bow: http://animoto.com/play/jGkvKNYGg06u0odDoh09Cg

Must have learned the crane technique from somewhere...

Nice flies! I tied up a bunch of rubber legged copper johns as well, very similar design, but I used pheasant tail for the tail because I got tired of fiddling around with the biot(ch). Is there a recommended length for the legs? Mine are a little longer than those right now. I should also get some smaller diameter legs like Brent mentioned. Once again, sweet flies!

Hey Hawgstoppah, After that one time I went fishing with you, I re-measured my net and sure enough, it was 2" shorter than I thought it was. I then engraved the 18", 20", and 22" markers so I would never forget again. I remember you commented that the fish looked 2-3" smaller. I guess you were right, haha. I also now have a tape measure in my pack just to be sure, so that my first 2 footer is a legit 2 footer. Now I just have to catch one...

MikeG, It's best that you try on different waders, as fit is a big factor. In my wader search, I looked at the Redington CPS, Dan Bailey Yellowstone, Simms Guide, and Simms G3. All have similar characteristics with differences in price, durability, warranty, and material. Because the Simms guides fit the best for me, I bought them over the other ones. The Redington CPS look like great bang for the buck, as they have a lot of the features as the G3's, but at around 40% of the cost. The Dan Bailey Yellowstones have had great reviews from local guides who use them, but I found a few too many bad reviews online that made me a little nervous. The Simms are always rock solid, and had more good reviews online than bad, but are at the higher end on price. Guys like Hawgstoppah use Wardells, and he seems quite happy with them. I bought my Simms Guide waders at West Winds at 30% off a month ago. Tough to beat at that price. I'll see how they do by the end of this season. That's the research I've done, so definitely look at price, fit, and features, as they will be the 3 main factors to look at. I would not recommend cheaping out though, as you will quickly learn your lesson there. Good luck on your search.

I'm amazed that people can land huge trout with size 20 or 22 dry fly hooks... those things are tiny!

I also have a pair of Rapalas, plus a pair of fake polarized Oakleys that I got from Vancouver, and a pair of real Oakley Monster Dogs that I bought from the States ($160 for a pair that costs $250 here). I've been using the Monster Dogs exclusively now, but the Rapalas are great bang for the buck. I find with the Oakleys, my eyes don't hurt after a day of fishing. The other benefit is the great warranty, provided I don't lose them. One thing about cheap polarized glasses is that sometimes the polarization on the lenses is the wrong way. My wife got a cheap pair and although they were polarized, she could not see into the water. After checking, I realized they were 90 degrees off. They work great if you tilt your head sideways, but that's hard to do all day. The way to check if the polarization is the wrong way is to put on a good pair of polarized sunglasses (ones you know work), and then look through the ones you're looking at (assuming they are polarized). You shouldn't be able to see through them if both glasses are lined up properly. Rotate the other glasses 90 degrees and if you can see through them, the polarization is the wrong way.

I use Tiemco or Mustad hooks for the nymphs I tie, and none of them have bent back. The nymphs that bent back were bought from one of the fishing shops in town. I might talk to them about it. I guess it was a batch of bad hooks, as it doesn't seem like there is anything too wrong with my technique. I'm also using 3X tippet, and that should fail before the hook does.

I've been hooking fish of significant size (at least 22") on small nymphs, but they keep getting away. After I look at the hook, I notice that it is bent back. This has happened a lot lately, and twice again this morning with some acrobatic browns. The only reasons why they could be bending are the following: - hook is too weak (these were bought) - I'm pulling in too hard to bring the fish in - incorrect technique (I've been using side pressure and trying to stay perpendicular to the fish from the river) - fish is too strong and I lost a 28" monster broonie!! Any thoughts or insights into this would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Conveyor belt of food... now I feel like having some sushi. Convenience at its best.

Gotta love Calgary, when the forecasted snow doesn't happen, and then we get a 6+ inch dump of snow out of nowhere that wasn't forecasted. Nice of the weathermen to give us the heavy snowfall warning AS the snow is falling. Only in Calgary...

Castle Mountain Resort got record snowfall this year, with over 10 meters of the white fluffy stuff. Hopefully that can help some, as it drains into West Castle from there.

Fishpro, glad you took the picture off. There were a few too many things in there that could have been misinterpreted. I did take offense to it, as you saw on my initial comment. Only you and your uncle got the inside joke behind it. That said, it must have been an awesome day to catch some nice browns and bulls, especially in the spring and in a creek of that size. Keep posting those reports. I love reading them.

Haha. Yeah, I saw a bit of that today. It was a gorgeous clear spring day, and then those armageddon-like clouds started surrounding me. I thought swinging a 9ft lightning stick in the middle of the river wasn't a good idea, so I went home after that. Only in Calgary...

... and that it was a bull trout?

Good riddance to McGeough. He cost the Oilers a few games in the past. I still remember the phantom "hand pass" by Shawn Horcoff last year when it appeared to have tied up the game with a few seconds left in the game....

How about: I fell into a burnin' ring of fire -- I went down, down, down And the flames went higher, And it burns, burn, burns, The ring of fire, the ring of fire. Now I know why the Bow below the cliffs are so brown...

Having gone a long time with a side bag and small backpack for so long, I finally bought the Fishpond Shooting Star vest/pack combo and tried it out for the first time yesterday on the Bow. I must say that it is quite the versatile unit. The chest pack is detatchable for those days when you want to go light, but I think I'll have both on most of the time. I like the chest pack over the vest pockets as everything is very accessible and close by. Plus, I only carry 2 smaller flyboxes. The backpack had plenty of room for some extra layers, thermos, platypus, lunch, and anything else you want to take with you. The straps were quite comfortable, and everything appears to be well made. This will be very handy when I spend lots of time on our southwestern streams in the summer. My other options were the Wildhorse, High Country, and Double Haul, but I liked the chest pack and larger pack. Check it out: http://www.fishpondusa.com/packs.cfm So far so good, and I'm liking my new purchase.

To a guy that absolutely loves to fish: happy birthday!

Fullscreen doesn't do it for me. I like the better definition in the regular size and just get up close to the screen.

Sweet pics! Isn't it an awesome feeling to catch fish with stuff you tie?

Dudes, I am in awe. Awesome pics!