fishnbugdude

Exactly - tired the sequined glove and it didn't work as well.

Had a really regular cut that was refusing natural BWO and a larger may fly - likely green drakes. He was only feeding on winged ants. There were lots of them on the water and he would not even look at anything but. Landed him on a 20 ant pattern. He measured out at a little over 19 inches - hard to tell exactly as we didn't want him out of the water longer than needed. Either way nice fish. Long and short - match the hatch.

One more pic and than the release. Thanks again and God Bless.

And here is my last cutthroat. Measure out at about 19 inches - we think a little more - but really I don't care. My last cast and I called it a day. Saw her rising and put a few casts over. Some BWO coming down as were some larger may flies - sorry don't know the local hatches. No taker. I went below cause she was really regular. That is when I notice lots of winged ants floating down the seem - lots. First two patterns were met with refusals. Changed colours and wings - third fly we had a winner. Worked this fish for about a half hour. I don't believe there is a more rewarding feeling than that - I mean when it comes to fishing.

So here I am, my last night in my hotel getting ready to head back home and wanted to thank all who gave me advice on guides, places to try, tackle to take ... I really appreciate it and had a blast. In summary caught some nice bows on the Bow as well as a few browns. Caught my first cutthroat and my first rocky mountain whitefish. Also met up with some great guys. I am amazed at the mountains, steams and diversity of terrain. You can fish deep canyon rivers like the Highriver, cold mountain streams and meandering meadows. Throw tiny midges for brookies, hoppers for browns, nymph for whitefish, bushy dries for cutthroat and chuck and duck streamers for bulls - all in the same day if you wanted. I am jealous and really hope no one takes for granted how much you guys have been blessed to have this fishery and this opportunity. I am truly thankful for the opportunity to share it with you for this short time. I am really hoping to come back soon. Just a few pictures of my trip. Here is a nice Bow River bow and my fist cutthroat.

My first time to the Racehorse and I was shocked by the permanent sites. Back home that would not be tolerated. The ministry would have them ticketed then removed. I could not help but think of the erosion problems around the sites - the mud and the tracking. not to mention the grey water and human waste that is being released right beside the river. I am surprised there is not more of a mandatory buffer. This day was my first time ever fishing for cutthroats. I hooked and landed about 20 fish - the best being almost 18 inches and most between 12 and 16. The scenery was breath taking, the river was unbelievable and something I will never forget. On the downside the sound of four wheelers and the line of campers really detracted from this beauty. With how large Calgary and the surrounding areas are getting, areas like these must be protected. If not they will become destroyed. That is human nature. If something is not done it will end up like parts of Ontario where they are struggling to return things to their natural state. They are spending lots of money on stream rehabilitation and stocking. I would hate to see the same thing happen here. Its a gorgeous natural fishery - they are rare and should be protected. A maximum stay as well as a maximum number of sites would be a great starting point. Sites numbered and return a larger buffer to the river. Don't allow cutting of wood in that buffer zone. Sell the tickets for a nominal amount - enough to cover enforcement - that is all that would be needed IMAO

Hey Birchy - do other people see these ladies too?

In pest control for the last 18 years and like to fish - with fly fishing mainly about the insects - well it just went together I thought.

Very good article - took me a second to find - very thorough and seems fairly unbiased I agree.

I picked up my 389 LL used about 15 years ago. Came with a Lamson 1, two spare spools and three lines. To this day it is my favorite rod to cast. Does everything well except big weighted flies. Anything from a 10 down is just pure joy. Biggest fish landed is a 24" brown after dark on a spinner. Rod has never been a problem turning fish or laying down delicate casts. Honestly if someone offered me $800 for the outfit (a lot more than I paid) there is no way I would let it go. If anyone gets the chance to try one - or better yet - buy one - I am very sure you won't regret it. MC

Golf Bag: Ping putter Cleveland Wedge, 60 and 56 Cleveland Driver, 3 Wood and 3 recovery Ping G10 Irons Fly Stuff 389 LL Sage 370 Thomas and Thomas LPS 590 RPL+ Sage 710 Scott G series 990 RPLX Sage Islander Reels (2) Lamson Reels (2) SA Mastery Reel (1) Like the clubs as they are better than I. They fix my mistakes - very forgiving - and therefore make my outings more enjoyable. Did I overpay - yes I believe I did. My fly rods - only the RPL+ I bought new. the Scott I bought used for $125. The 389 LL is (in my opinion) the best 3 wt fly rod ever made - or at least that I ever had the pleasure to cast. My 5 wt Islander reel is a pure indulgence. Looks great, love the machining but is in no way "worth" the money I spent or will help me catch more fish. I love the look and feel and am happy I have it (it was on sale as it is the discontinued model). Sure I "over pay" for many toys. I choose to in most cases - but normally look for them on sale or used. I have bought poor quality and regretted the purchase. I have never bought a quality item I liked and later thought "wish I never bought that" - other than maybe the odd useless impulse purchase. I say buy the best you can - with the best components - that fits your style and you will likely never regret it. Buy lower quality and when you get the chance to play with a better rod you might. As for the overpriced part - I believe they are - but economics is way over my head. I see things go on in my industry and others - doesn't make sense. Guess that's why they get paid the big bucks. I'm content to try to live in my means - love life - enjoy the gifts and opportunities given to me - and try not to worry about the little things. Life is way too short.

Was asking permission to hunt a property for turkey and had the land owner threaten me - saying he had a gun and if he saw me on his property again he would shoot me. I was fairly convinced that he would though he never showed me the gun. I am sure I left as wide eyed and surprised as his wife looked. Took the notes - time, date, description and handed it to the police. They gave him a visit and did a formal report - asked if I wanted to press charges - I said no. This rattled me enough to not knock on doors for a couple of weeks. Must say the police treated me better than your RCMP. I really do not like conflict - things like that ruin not only my day but normally take me a while to shake. Could not imagine having a gun actually there - crazy.

I think you were going in the right direction - just on the wrong road. What makes the most sense with this logic would be to raise the Albertan license fees - almost like a user system. They use it the most therefore should pay the most. As they would hold a larger number of licenses this would also generate the most revenue. This would allow more money for enforcement and management. The better enforcement and management would result in making the fishery better. This would than attract more tourism generating more money. As you pointed out the money generated from the hotel, bed and breakfast, guides, food ... is a much larger expense than the licenses. I agree with your statement that "...these people making the trip to fish in Alberta from elsewhere would be the least of our worries for enforcement as they may be the most educated and respectful with regards to our pastime". The increased fee would likely keep some weekend type party fisherman off the rivers - leaving the rivers a little less traveled and cleaner. This could only improve the fishery. Just think - with this little change you could have an improved fishery and increased revenue - this would have the largest benefit to the locals. So in short raise the local license fee and lower the out of province license fee. I think that is the direction you were going.

I would have gone Mac if they made a comparable program to ACT! for mac or if you could run ACT! on a Mac (I mean without doing the virtual PC thing).

Only reason I recommended Staples is they really looked after my dad good. He knows nothing about computers other than his was acting up and he could no longer save music. He took it in for a virus scan and clean up and to add more memory. They took the computer did as he asked but told him his computer was not worth updating - already had more than recommended. Charged him under $40. I originally thought it was a sales thing to get him to buy a new computer - but after looking at it myself it has less memory than my Ipod, couldn't update the RAM and it was as they said. They didn't pressure him at all - looked after him fairly. I normally take my stuff to a local guy - they have the tools and know how I don't - are fair and quick. I look at it like a car - I can change the oil, filters, break pads - but if it is more serious I take it to a mechanic for a professional opinion. But as with a mechanic there are good, bad, crooks and honest ones. PS - occasionally the Staples stores have discounted - and once even seen a free computer clean ups.