fishfreak

I think a post-runoff clean-up would be a good idea, as there will be lots of junk and debris left on the banks after the water levels come down. Cleaning up after that would allow us to enjoy some reasonably clean river banks for the summer and fall.

Redington's been good to me as well. I sent in a broken tip plus the case where the zipper was broken, and they shipped back a brand new rod with a new case.... all in a couple of weeks!

I carry both as a precaution. Bangers are good if you see the bear in the distance and want to keep them away. I've never had to use my bearspray, but it's always clipped on somewhere very accessible. I should test it though... on a calm day.

Nothing would make me happier than the Oilers playing spoiler to the Flamers. waitaminit, actually, if the Flames lock up first place, they'll have a better chance of making it further into the playoffs, which would mean more water to myself.

sigh... another hockey season and another spring of golf for the oil. at least now i can focus more on fishing. i hope the flamerz make it far and people will be watching the games so us dejected oilers fans can have the water to ourselves.

When I'm fishing, I tend to sleep in tents anyway, so it won't affect me much. Gas is much cheaper than it was a year ago, which is a huge bonus.

Yet another humblefisherman classic! I think I've watched all of them several times now.

Happy birthday to the guy that vastly improved my skillz on the Bow. Have a good one!

sweet!

My limit is 16km round trip, provided I start early in the morning. My goal is usually to start fishing somewhere between 9-10am, so add the drive and the hike, and that's when I leave. Fortunately, most of the lakes in Kananaskis seem to fit this.

Wow, that's an awesome article! I might try the pull up every few seconds method to see how many strikes I actually do miss. Some of their observations are quite surprising. I better remember those things the next time I'm out. I've always wanted to try diving in a huge pool to see how fish react to nymphs and streamers. Oh the things people do in the name of "research."

woweeee!!!

I frequently keep brook trout from Elbow Lake, mainly because there are so many of them and I love camping there. The lake is overpopulated with little brookies, and they're all competing for what limited food is up there. This is one of the lakes that has a catch limit of 5, but you rarely get anything over the 10" range. If I catch an edible size brookie, I put two fingers under the jaw, and my thumb behind the top of the skull and pull back until I hear a crack. All they have up there are large sharp rocks, so bonking would get a little messy. After cleaning out the guts and cutting off the head, I just throw them in a pan with some butter, garlic, and seasoning salt. Sometimes I add a splash of beer. Squirt some lemon juice and enjoy! I have a pic of my little setup, but my photobucket account got nuked recently.

I use my Marmot shell for skiing, camping, and fishing, and like Simpson, I use a chestpack, so I don't need to use the pockets. I think the main thing is the waterproofing so you can fish in the rain/snow/sleet and stay dry. MEC's jackets are the best bang for the buck, but Ski Cellar's annual end of season sale is coming up and you can find some sweet deals there.

Awesome vid! I'm just packing up some stuff to get on the river right now. This definitely got me going.

mmmm... grilled ribeye, medium rare...

I saw all of you guys fishing as I drove past that spot on the way to a friend's place... lucky buggers. Glad you had fun.

sweet!

My humble 11 month streak is also in jeapardy, with no hope in sight. Ah well, here's to another year!

Here's a link to the product: http://www.heatmax.com/HotHands/toasietoes.htm

At Costco, you can buy a box of Hot Hands/Toasty Toes. The toe warmers stick flat on to your feet and keep your toes warm for the day. I use them on the really cold ski days... like this Saturday. I believe it was around $20/box, and you get 20 sets of hand warmers and 20 sets of toe warmers. I've also seen them at WalMart and Canadian Tire before, but for a buck each. Or you can bend over and buy them for $3.50 at the ski hill.

Just a few things I picked up this year that has helped my fishing: - the SJW should ALWAYS be on the end of your line on the Bow - patience in your cast enables you to fish with 2 or even 3 hooks (finally can do it consistently without tangles!) - fish the water in front of you before you wade in - spring runoff is a good time to fish - a good pair of waders is worth its weight in gold - don't be lazy... break down that rod when you put it in your car to drive to another location - don't forget to eat and drink when you're fishing - don't underestimate the power of the SJW Thanks to guys like Max, SJW, Hawgstoppah, rickr, Toolman, and everyone else for sharing your wealth of knowledge to help us all be better flyfishers.

nice fish! that's definitely gotta make his day.

Awesome to see the Oil at 3-0 early in the season! Calgary's PK was awful, or else the Oiler's PP was great. They must be first in the league on the PP now, which is something I would have not expected at all. Let's hope this continues, but I'm sure the Flamers will be a little angrier for Saturday's game. Go Oilers go!

A size 18 Griffiths Gnat seems to work when not much else does. I've had friends cast to the same fish for 15 minutes and give up. I'd tie up a gnat and catch it in 5 casts, and not tell them what fly I used, hehe.