bjbailey

Nice stones, Doc. I like the subtle flash and mixed colours

I used the Simms Rivertek Boots with Boa laces for 2 seasons, with 70 days on them the first year and 80 days the second. I also do a lot of kms on most days. They first started breaking down around day 75 (early into second season) and by the end, they were in rough, rough shape. I replaced a set of laces in each, but I had to buy them from a local shop as I didn't realize Simms would replace them for free as some of you are saying. In the end, that many days on a pair of boots isn't bad. I didn't buy them again, but I enjoyed them on my feet and think that would last some guys several seasons.

All nice ties. I particarly like that extended mayfly!

I can't take credit for several of the photos, but thanks anyways! It was fun to explore a lot of new water. We caught some fish from unexpected places, which always increases the experience with any given fish.

It's hard to believe that the 2015 season is effectively over in Alberta. It felt short, mostly due to taking 4-5 weeks off in the heat of summer to let those stressed fish rest in our foothills. In preparing for my next adventure, South Island of New Zealand in 16 days, I started cruising through old photos and thought I'd share some with everyone. As much as I would have enjoyed bumping into many of you on the water, I'm happy to say that tonnes of walking and exploring paid off with a lot of solitude this season. All of these are from the AB foothills, with the exception of the carp which were in Saskatchewan. Here's a link to photobucket...hope it works. http://s1377.photobucket.com/user/BrandonBC/library/Alberta%20Summer%202015

Nicely done. Looks like some kms on the boots have done you well this summer!

Nice fish and nice pics too. Great colours on those browns!

Try slowing your hook set down. Saying "God save the queen" (or something similar) under your breath helps give the fish time to fully eat the fly. Big male browns especially need the extra time because they often have gaps in their mouths due to the size of their kypes. Also try paying attention to whether or not the fish took facing downstream (quite possible, especially using larger dry flies such as golden stones), you need to give an extra pause on a downstream take for the fish to turn its head. Hope that helps you stay connected

I have the Smith Low Light Ingnitors as well as their Amber polarchromic lenses (which have been my go-to lenses for years) and I have to say that I now fish the low light lenses probably 50-75% of the time. It seems that I rarely prefer the darker lenses anymore (even though they're great) because even on a bright day, the low light lenses help you see into shadows, undercuts, etc. Plus, the low light lenses are indispensable on cloudy or rainy days. I've heard similar feedback on the Maui Jims but I love my smiths so much I wouldn't stray...

Thanks for the heads up Don. This is great to know. I'll be checking my pontoon before taking it out!

Some nice fish indeed!

There are a few different rivers in those pictures. Nothing around Queenstown, all on the north half of the South Island

Hey - river access is the same as Canada, perhaps easier in some cases. It's all under one license and a similar mix of public lands and private lands owned by farmers. With a smile and courteous stop at the landowners place, I've never run into an access issue. Mind you, I'm sure if you snuck around some of them would give you a piece of their mind!

No, it was Serge Bonnafoux. I'd highly recommend him to anyone. I've fished with him two years in a row now.

This was a really fun fish... it refused the dropper on the drift past but then changed its mind after the fly was already passed him. He turned and chased the fly 15' downstream with my leader almost to my rod tip before finally taking. Last pic for now!