robert

Meh, throw em back and go for something a little bigger Damn those are nice fish

ok, fair enough. I usually research waters a little before fishing them...

Maybe I should rephrase the question... Canoes and other hand launched, self propelled boats are allowed in... anyone know the reason for no float tubes? Or even pontoons I would assume.

Glenmore res is open today but curiousity gets the better of me about belly boats on the res. Reading this: http://www.calgary.ca/DocGallery/BU/cityclerks/9018.pdf 11.1 © Says they are not allowed? Shall not be inflatable?

wow, nice pics, great colors on the fish

how's the water clarity? was like chocolate milk when I was down a couple of days ago. Not sure how fast it'll clean up.

Yeah, was looking on google earth, easy to spot the holes - but just not too sure of where you're allowed to park.

Went down to fish creek today, had a couple of bites then I hooked into what I thought was a whitefish, seen a silver flash - didn't matter, didn't stay on the hook too long. Then came the 20" bow, managed to land it. What a wonderful feeling after the second attempt with the fly rod on the bow here in the city. The first time out was only for practice and to get the rust out - didn't expect to catch. Been a long time since i've felt a trout fight like that, there's not much around when living in Edmonton... Now where are some other river accesses here in the city? not looking for trade secrets, I can find the fish, just not sure where else to get into the river other than fish creek. Anything around 17 ave?

You're going to love float tube fishing on the lakes... I bought a Creek Company ODC 420 over 5 years ago, not a hitch with it. A PFD is a must, and fishing while sitting on your arse is easy to get used to. Lots of fun when you tie into a bigger pike or walleye, feels like they are going to pull you out of the bloody thing. No kidding, had a fatty walleye near pull me out of the tube on Devils Lake west of Edmonton - gets the adrenaline pumping. Do you have waders? That will determine the kind of fins you'll need. As for a pump, the 12V coleman at any crappy tire or walmart does a great job - after 5 years, still can't kill it. I've never needed a foot pump unless you're going to be a long ways away from your car.

Sorry guys, I have to shake my head whenever someone starts barking for more rules and regulations - we're already ruled and regulated to death. I don't mind paying more for a fishing license, but classified waters? Paying for trophies? C'mon, that's not management, that's setting up for an elitist fishery. Throw some ideas out there on how to fix stupid and i'm all in. We all know that no matter what rules and regs are brought in, they will get broken. Some people just don't read the regs, some don't care, some want to keep what they catch - and fishing shouldn't be for an elite group of individuals. Ok, so we pay more for licensing, I have no problem with that - but can you guarantee that the extra cash in the coffers are going to support the fishery and not end up in some politicians ass pocket for personal use? No, you can't. Someone said that stiffer penalties should be brought in - yep, i'm all for that. Do like they do back in Newfoundland to protect the atlantic salmon, start reposessing all gear and vehicles, heavy fines and all of THAT should go to prop up the fisheries. Adds up in a hurry and can pay some yearly salaries for fisheries personell. http://www.spawn1.ca/2010Convictions.html Be careful you're not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater...

Was down at fish creek today for a couple of hours, first time out this spring. Never expected to catch anything, nor did I but man it was nice to get the rust out of the arm. Beautiful day til the wind picked up. Great fish porn btw, keep it coming!

Good chunk is right, looks like it's been through a war. It's amazing what injuries fish can survive.

Keep us updated, hope it all goes well. I'll cross my toes for ya

Took your advice and went down to fishtales today, highly impressed. Picked up a new Amundson TXS 5/6 reel, they spooled it up with new backing and my floating line. Brought my rod in to check the reel fit, the damn seat fell off - no problem, he took a few minutes, mixed up some epoxy and fixed it up for me. Think the young fellow's name was Curtis. Will definitely be dropping my cash on their counter when I gear up for the spring. Small place but good environment, they had a fly tying show on the go. Went down to fish creek for a peek, not a chance i'm fishing there today. Not a soul there, wind is pretty strong and cold. C'mon spring!!!

All I know is that I have a garmin nuvi that gets me lost once in a while. punch in an address here in the city, take a left here, take a right there - then drive for 254 kilometers to your destination. Bwahahah, all I can do is laugh at it. Had to do a map update, took about 3 hours for it to happen - so yeah, preloaded map.

Well said is right Rick... I lost my father to cancer last weekend, and tho we weren't that close for the last 20 years, I realize now what I missed over the years. How I wish I could go back in time and get those fishing trips in. So many regrets on both sides, I know that now. I haven't been back to Newfoundland in 11 years, but tonight I sent out a couple of emails to say that come August, i'm there. My fathers death made me get back to basics, really made me think about what really is important in life. One email was to my Uncle Bob, the man that taught me to flyfish. He's the master, and he's been fly fishing for 60 years now - I used to get pissed off and impatient due to age but sitting on the banks of the river watching him work the flies is something i'll never forget. I told him late August to warm up the rods, be ready, cause i'm coming home and I can't wait. Been aching to get up to my ass in the cold mountain waters back in Newfoundland and this year i'm doing it.

Wow, panties in a bunch? It's not my job to ask when people aren't busy. It's called customer engagement. Heck, I'll engage other customers when i'm out hunting for gear FFS, not hard to tell when people are not sure what to look for. I don't mind offering some help or advise and it's always appreciated from the other party. When I first walked in the door, first thing I notice is that all the cashiers having a grand old chat. Totally brushed off in the fishing section? Now i'm morbidly curious... Relax fish4trout, if they want my money, they'll have to work for it a little. I don't mind paying the extra to get some better service at different shops - hence my post here.

I'll check those places out... i'm not getting worked up about it but there are still some stores that give great customer service. Seems to be one extreme to the other. The way I look at it, it's my money and i'll drop it where I want but not some place that's going to treat me like the piece of shoe gum. That's what it was tonite. Managers? stores need some better ones, they shouldn't have to rely on people complaining to realize their staff doesn't give a crap. A manager should know what's going on in their environment.

Not sure if I'm allowed to use retailers names but I finally managed to drop into Bass Pro north of Calgary for the first time. Wow, what a nice store, so much put into it. But another wow? Not one employee approached me to ask if I needed help. Went to the fishing section first, wanted a new fly reel - I didn't see the fly section so I stood next to the two employees talking about bait casters, one of them looked at me but carried on his conversation. I shook my head and walked on. Into the fly fishing section, i find the reels - the guy that was working there looked at me, just wandered around, nobody else in there and I stood there looking like an idiot by the counter. Ok, I need a new tent and sleeping bag, upstairs to the camping section. 5 employees standing there yapping as I waited next to them - too polite to butt in on the conversation. Again, totally ignored. I browsed all over that store for the better part of an hour, seen many employees (it wasn't very busy) and as I was on the way out a lady stopped me and explained nicely that I had to exit behind the registers. I said to her that after an hour of browsing that she was the first employee that has opened her mouth to me and to have a good evening as I left. I'm not one for calling stores to tell them of their issues but I couldn't let it go. I had a talk to the manager on duty and told her exactly what happened - first impressions are a lasting impression. Apparently I wasn't the first one to complain today, I really hope they get their act together. That said, what other fly fishing shops do people frequent? Some customer service and a good selection? I also need a new tent, one that doesn't have built in vents, near froze my arse off camping in the banff mountains cause the icy wind was blowing on through from under the fly.

Lynn, i'll definitely try that. Kipper, thanks for the reminder. My chiro gave me hell about it too, keep forgetting about the 1 1/2" wedge in my ass pocket. Long drives are killer when I forget to take it out, immediate relief when I do. Most of this is my own fault anyhow, need to get the body into better shape.

After people deal with immense pain for so long, their tolerance for pain goes up. I've broken toes over the years, tape it up and walk it off - no other pain i've suffered over the years compares to sciatica. Guess cured was the wrong word, I wound up with conditions called Spondylolisthesis, spondylolysis and lumbar stenosis - there is no cure but in my case it's manageable. Many with these conditions end up in wheelchairs, i'm still walking strong. Keep the back muscles strong, see a chiro once in a while and i'm as good as i get. Dragging my arse out of bed in the morning is sometimes a chore, few stretches and i'm ready for work. I am one of the lucky ones. I haven't taken any kinds of prescription meds in 20 years, refuse to. I don't do voodoo, nor herbal - but I do believe in a good chiro. There's alot of bad ones out there and they can do some damage - been there, done that. But there's others that will work magic - and again, I got lucky with meeting the chiro that I did. If he was a crap chiro, i'd be in the same pain as I was when I was 15 and probably swinging from a rafter by now. I started this thread looking for ideas that may help, not looking for a miracle here but just something that works for others when i'm out flyfishing. Some kind of a stretch or something. Sitting on my arse flicking a fly works but it's hardly a great way to fish

Sounds similar to my story -- skiing accident at 15, broke the pars holding together L4 and L5, undiagnosed for 10 years. Between the muscle spasms and sciatica (didn't know it was sciatica, just pain) I couldn't walk for the better part of a yaer. Docs back in newfie told me the pain was all in my head and my mother should take me to a shrink. Docs on the mainland over the years offered to replace my hip thinking the problem was there, others wanted to open me up for a look. A chiro in Toronto 10 years later sent me for x-rays and measured 11 millimeters of slippage (big pain and couldn't walk at the time) between the vertebrae. I sat down and bawled when he told me that in 2 weeks i'd be walking tall and pain free again - he was right. Dr. David Gryfe, i'll never forget that name and last year (14 years later) I called him just to say thanks again, the man saved my life. I've been very lucky since then, quick adjustments here and there when things get out of line and i'm good to go til the next time. For anyone that continues to suffer with back pain, I sympathize. I'm not 100% but i'm damn lucky.

Don't mind the hurt if it helps... can you share that stretch with me? either explain it or if you have a diag. hoping it's something i haven't tried cause i've been putting myself into pretzel shape trying to be rid of this. Just laying down in the wrong position causes it to flare up. The sciatic pain i'm feeling now is nothing compared to what it used to be when it was caused from my back, I never want to experience that pain ever again. Ass cheek sciatica? annoying is a good word for it, not debilitating but hindering.

I feel your pain and I wouldn't wish full blown sciatica on my worst enemy - used to feel like my whole leg was held in a fire - there is no med that'll help it, i've been to the point where i've gone to the hospital and asked to be put out with morphine or demerol just so I could get a night of sleep. That was when the source of my sciatica was in my lower back. This is different and nowhere near as bad as i've had. The pain is manageable but just a royal pain in the arse (pardon the pun) and pain shows up in weird spots down my leg. Maybe a big toe, knee, shin, no rhyme or reason. Hard to flyfish when i'm on my knees, drives me insane but it's the only way to alleviate sometimes. Thank god it's not constant anymore.

Broke my back in my teens, just a stupid kid took a dare when downhill skiing. Undiagnosed for 10 years if you can believe that and suffered for those 10 years. Anyhow, suffered big time with sciatica for years but when I started seeing a chiro, it became manageable. Suffer pain, go see the chiro. However, this last round doesn't stem from my back at all, it's an aggravated sciatic nerve deep in my left ass cheek under the hip bone and there's nothing that can really be done with it according to the chiro. Hits hard and heavy when i'm out flyfishing - spent most of my 2 weeks in banff last year flyfishing from my knees cause it was less painful... If there's anyone else dealing with this sort of sciatica, is there anything that helps? I was going to hit the bow today but my left glut was telling me no.