alan2

I bought a Toshiba laptop from BestBuy a while back. The screen died after 3 days but they gave me a straight exchange. Any warranty on electronics beyond 1 yr is a moneymaker for the seller, that is about all. Electronic failures usually happen in the first few months.

I don't find this site slow, but youtube sure sucks these days.

There is a very handy map available for about $8 called "Cowichan River from Lake Cowichan to the estuary". It shows all access points and practically every run, bend and pool is named and numbered on it. The sports store in Duncan probably has it. I have been there a few times and always go to Spring pool off the Old Cowichan rd and walk downstream to 70km trestle---it's flyfish only. That river can be pretty tough fishing compared to the Bow, I found. Good luck. Don's right about deceptively clear water. Thigh deep looks knee deep... Hope I don't get in sh*t for this, I'm not a guide!

Jonah?? You in there???

Apparently there were enough protestors down there to stop the logging that day. Good for them, I say. The logging will not be restricted to just Beaver mines creek according to the map I saw several months ago. It will be alongside S Castle R and Castle bridge campground too.

The Castle logging is imminent now! This from a hiking outdoor forum today---not just fishermen against logging it. Anyone can join the upcoming onsite protest. > Spray Lake Sawmills has just now cleared the area for road building and logging equipment in the Castle Special Place protected area, getting set to clear-cut. > > As Gord Petersen, Beaver Mines resident writes, “It's time to get the troops mobilized. A couple of dozen or, better, a couple of hundred people protesting at the site may get some attention. If you're able to help out in some way, or if you might be able to get some of your members out, please send your phone number(s) to Peter Sherrington psherrin@telusplanet.net and myself gordon@diomedea.com so we can get you on the phone list." > > Timely notices will also be posted on Facebook at Stop Castle Logging and the blog www.stopcastlelogging.org Or for current updates once the equipment moves in and people start picketing along the roadside(e.g. where to meet & times), you can phone Peter Sherrington 403 627-3522 or Carolyn Aspeslet at Castle Crown Wilderness Coalition office 9:30 am to 2:30 pm 403 627-5059 or evenings 403 628-3528 > > Sustainable Resource Development and Spray Lake Sawmills are proceeding despite the thousands of messages, and hundreds of letters, and phone calls, and after numerous meetings, opinion polls, etc, etc. > > Thanks! > Stop Castle Logging > (An ad hoc network of local residents, businesses, recreationists and conservation groups) > > and > > Dianne Pachal, Alberta WILD Director > Sierra Club Canada > #210, 223 - 12 Ave., SE > Calgary, Alberta T2R 0G9 > Phone: 403 234-7368 Email: dpachal@telus.net

I signed it. And BTW, I brought this topic up and posted it about yr ago when word was first out about it being logged. And sent 2 letters (none of which helped apparently but still...)

I think I would have taken that one to court. Their is a huge difference between barbed and bumped. "Bumped" has a bump---- like when you flatten the barb so the sharp pointy barb no longer angles upwards and eliminates the hook being held in the fish, but there is still a smooth bump and not completely flat. Pictures would confirm the difference between barbed and no barb but has a bump. That guy was overzealous was all. I probably have several like that too.

Yay, I win. Good effort on your part going there. Those might be caribou tracks. I recently saw a Parks brochure encouraging people to watch for them, and it showed the difference between caribou, moose and elk. Moose are easy, but I think that between elk and caribou the main difference seemed to be the narrowness of the part in between the two halves of the hoof. Kinda like in your pictures, so maybe...

One particular photo on the way in seems to be showing the east side of Mt Alexandra, a Rockies 11,000 ft peak, so that must be Alexandra river. You must have started from Icefields Parkway and biked Alexandra River fire road. Further up on foot, would be Castleguard river, leading to either Watchman Lake or Cinema lake (which is a very small lake) so I'd say you fished at Watchman Lake and The Watchman peak is towering above it in one picture. Just a wild guess of course. That's a heck of a long ways if I am right!

My fav tie. Stimulators, size 8, 10 12 Yellow ones are foam.

I'd have to squint one eye and hold my breath at the same time. Harder for me than even walking and chewing gum at same time! LOL

I have the Olympus 8010 and if I had my druthers, I'd druther NOT have a camera that lacks a viewfinder. These stupid little LCD screens might be easy to see in a building, but in bright sun outside you can't see the damn screens half the time. Apparently they are designed by clueless engineers who design for the masses who are not photographers at all, but are just to point and shoot pics of people indoors (and then post em on facebook or whatever). And try taking a pic when you're skiing, or out in the snow somewhere---you can't make out the screen at all. Like being blindfolded. Pathetic. This passes for progress in the world of cameras. I got my Olympus 8010 with some aeroplan points, otherwise I'd try to return it and look for one with a viewfinder. Unfortunately, all the ones in Future shop that are compact also lack the viewfinder, you have to buy a larger camera to get that little feature. Being waterprrof doesn't compensate for being useles in bright light outside.

Tip for preventing them getting stuck in the first place----put some chapstick or similar on the male part of the rod before assembling. SPF 30 works for me, as does raspberry flavour.

My mistake--it's the Streamtread sole by Vibram. Not Aquastealth. Aquastealth, made by Fiveten makes resole kits available with the sole and Barge cement. Simms should too. The same glue is sold at MEC. I think I'll try and contact Vibram directly to buy the soles next time.

FWIW, Barry White said to me that loop knots were overrated!

Getting vibram replacement soles is not very easy either. The only place in Western Canada who has the soles is Quick Cobbler in Vancouver and I spoke with them today, they won't sell just the soles, even though the Simms website claims they do. And there is no replacement vibram "kit" available from any flyfishing stores. These aqua soles are a real nuisance, I'll tell ya. Maybe if Simms gets enough complaints (eventually) they will make it simpler for Canadian consumers to buy the Vibram soles from the same shops that sell the boots in the first place. At this point, they certainly are not making it easy for Canadian customers. Anybody considering buying a pair of Simms aqua stealth rubber sole boots, be sure to thoroughly question the store staff about replacement soles, and don't let them try to tell you that they shouldn't wear out (like I was told!) or that you can just get them done locally (unless you have the vibram!). Knowing these details above, I suspect you will know more about the topic than the store staff might. And remember $162 to have them done in Vancouver---our only option right now. (Or order soles from the USA, not convenient).

AH yes, these cursed vibram soles they use. They don't last worth a SH*T! Read on. Two summers ago, the toe area on my new ones wore out in just 21 days of walk n wading. Simms replaced the boots because of how poorly they lasted, and gave me spare Vibram soles. Last summer I wore the vibram soles off again and had Alpine Shoe put on the free soles Simms had supplied, and they too were worn out by mid summer. Simms then suggested I send them to "Quick Cobbler" in Vanc BC as they carry the proper Vibram soles. Well 3 weeks and $162.34 later I got them back. Can you believe that repair cost? You can buy entire wading boots for less. And just today, though the soles themselves are still in good shape, that expensive resole job is separating and will need repair. I am some ticked. :$*%&: I can't emphasize enough to avoid these types of boot soles if you do any amount of walk and wading. The things just don't last. Felt lasts longer, I have both. And avoid Quick Cobbler in Vancouver, too.

Dang, I wish this thread had started 3 wks ago. That would have been just before I bought a new Trend reel here at WSS in Calgary. So far (3 outings) mine is okay, but I would have steered clear had I known they gave you the run around. To think it takes something like this to get a decent warranty out of them, that is p*ss poor service and I will not buy another product of theirs, regardless of how this reel performs. That is the kind of corporate attitude you might expect when the consumer has no options and there is no competition. I hope they smarten up after this or word will get out. Nothing travels as fast as bad news.

Statistically, the vast majority of grizzly bear charges are bluff charges. No actual contact. (Dr Stephen Herrero, author and grizzly expert) It was noted by the late Andy Russell, guide/hunter-turned-photographer, that grizzlies were much more aggressive towards him and his party when they were carrying guns and hunting than when they were simply filming grizzlies, as he did later in his career. Was it his body language? Difference in scent? He didn't know the reason, but was distinctly aware of the difference in bear behaviour regarding armed vs unarmed humans. The vast majority of bear attacks in North America since records have been kept have been directed at 1 or 2 persons, extremely rarely on a group of 3 or more (apparently bears can count!). And those very rare attacks involving more than 2 persons are only recent, as in the last 15-20 years. So, had it been three hikers, as many bear encounters often are, odds are the encounter would have been nothing more than a terrifying story of a near miss bluff charge, the grizzly would still be alive and no photo in a newspaper. (and no debate here!) The presence of ravens circling is often an indication of a possible animal kill near by. I wonder if those guys knew that, or would have been observant enough to put 2 and 2 together if they saw them. Maybe when carrying a gun, little details like that go unnoticed. Over the years I travelled hundreds of kms on foot in the mtns, never armed either, and that is one of many things you keep in mind to avoid surprising a bear. Making noise so the bear is aware of your presence is another one. I bet they weren't doing that, since they were hunting. Also, my experiences showed me that a group in the backwoods collectively isn't as alert as much as an individual would be. The social aspect distracts from that; it's a different state of mind being with a group. My point is this--for the reasons above, if they had not been hunting it would likely be a non-event. Instead, the bear is dead and someone, rightly or wrongly, is made out to be a hero by having shot it in the nick of time. In truth, only if we knew for a fact that the griz would actually have attacked them would there heroism be involved. Me, I like grizzlies. Thins out the ranks whether I'm hiking or fishing. I've even thought of setting up my own sign "Aggressive bear in area" like they do in Kananaskis Country, except that in Banff Park they found it often attracted European tourists. (fact) My two cents. Yes, I know that's about what it is worth!

You must have some weird shaped body dude. MEC has a wider selection of "house brand" items than most comparable stores have even when you include every single product line they sell. And MEC has a guarantee that nobody else can hold a candle to. Been shopping there for about 35+ years now, can't beat it for quality and affordability. I don't think they'll miss your business though.

Clear cut logging is slated by the Knucklehead Gov't this summer for areas adjacent to major campgrounds, the highway and alongside the South Castle and Castle rivers themselves. Mountain pine beetle is the convenient scapegoat. Do you prefer to fish in a forest, or in a clear-cut??? CPAWS has an online petition you can sign and send to the people responsible for this idiotic plan. http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2463/...action_KEY=3670

I drove 95 kms from calgary one sunday to fish LRD, caught a few, drove home and when unloading, realized I was missing my Orvis T3 I won a few years ago and had been fishing with all day. So, at 9pm, off for another 95 km drive, some searching by headlamp right where I parked and there it was. Now I try NOT to lean my rod against the van upon returning from fishing, and instead I put it inside immediately! In fact, for a while I just left it at home as I was convinced I was too stupid to risk using (and losing!) expensive gear...

I have Simms with "Aquastealth" soles or whatever you want to call it---it is made by Vibram---and the rubber doesn't last if you do any amount of walking on anything but grass. It hasn't changed in the last 2 yrs and I'm on my 3rd set of soles already in two summers. (Discussed on another thread) As Uberfly said, any vibram hiking boots use a much harder rubber that will last longer but won't grip wet rocks, especially in cool temps. Studding those Aquastealth soles isn't like studding felts either, because the sole is all lumpy with small lugs. When they wear out you'd be better off getting them resoled in Calgary with felt and then stud them up. But hiking boots are no substitute for wading boots. What about this---buy a pair of cheap runners, grind the soles smooth yourself with a belt sander and glue on felt soles ? You can find more detail online about resoling wading boots, buy the soles at Wholesale Sports or wherever. Same resole process should work for runners. Rent a belt sander from Home depot--- I've thought of trying it myself.

What's the difference between a Hoover and a Harley? The location of the dirtbag.