murray

I finally got around to goin' fishin' this morning but after a while I ran out of worms. Then I saw a cottonmouth with a frog in his mouth, and frogs are good bass bait. Knowing the snake couldn't bite me with the frog in his mouth, I grabbed him right behind the head, took the frog and put it in my bait bucket. Now the dilemma was how to release the snake without gettin' bit. I grabbed my bottle of Jack Daniels and poured a little whiskey in its mouth. His eyes rolled back, he went limp, I released him into the lake without incident, and carried on my fishin' with the frog. A little later I felt a nudge on my foot. There was that same snake with two frogs in his mouth. Murray

Peter, I dont buy the freezing a nd thawing thing. If that was the case it seems to me everything made out of concrete would be crumbling. I know some of the city sidewalks crack over time but there are more concrete sidewalks not cracked than there are cracked. Just because it warms up to + 12 doesn't mean the frozen ground that is covered with your cement warms up the same amount. My guess is that either the prep work was not sufficient, gravel base compacted enough, or maybe not enough rebar or wire mesh, or possibly the concrete might not be thick enough. Either way, you have a crack now and I dont know anything about repairs. I do know a guy in the mud jacking business. If that looks like an option, send me a note. Murray

I hope you managed to wet a line today Rick. Happy Birthday to one of the good guys. Murray

One more thing, I saw a few good deals at the show and even managed to spend some cash when I took a break. I was wondering what kind of deals everyone took home. Any screaming good deals you want to tell us about?

I have to say, I absolutely enjoyed the show. One thing I like about it is I get to put some faces to the names of our FFC members. I did tie up a few flies for the donation but I have to say the Lions share of the work was done by Ron and Lornce. I plan on tieing up another batch for donation to such a worthy cause. I'd be happy to forward them on if anyone else would like to donate some of their work. Murray

Ron, I know we've already talked but I'll be there most of the afternoon. In signed up for a workshop from 2:15 till 4:15. after that, I'll be there. Saturday from 2:30 till 7:00 I'm in workshops again but available before and after those times. Sunday I'm wide open. Murray

I just read a disturbing item on CTV Calgary home page. A fisherman was pulled from the Bow river earlier this afternoon. The report said he was rescued by the fire department and taken to the hospital in serious condition. I hope its not anyone from FFC. Be extremely carefull out there. That ice shelf can break off at any time. Murray

I decided that rather than talk about how much I enjoy fishing I would actually get out there and give it a go. I decided to use the Spey rod for a couple of hours this afternoon, not so much for the long casts but more for the extra reach, I didn't want to get right up to the edge of the ice shelves. I walked for about 1 KM and found some likely looking water, tied on a 2 fly rig and after a dozen casts or so managed my first rainbow of the year. I didn't measure it with anything but the naked eye and guessed it to be in that 18 to 20 inch range. A beautifull, healthy fish. As far as the water goes, there are lots of little ice burgs and slush ice floating down the river but you can time your casts to avoid them. I caught this guy in about 4 ft of water, 10 feet off the shore on a #16 black copper john. The top fly was some obscure red wire wrapped thing that I have forgotten the name of. All in all, it was a great kick off to the new year. Murray Sorry MODS, this should probably be moved to the Bow River reports section. If you would be so kind, I will be forever in your debt.

I agree with the above statements regarding the deep cycle batteries. I'm not sure the type of charger really matters. You might want to check out the Interstate Batteries on Barlow Trail and 61 ave SE. I have bought deep cycle batteries that are called refurbished, basically they are over 1 year old and have been taken back from the various dealers. I think I paid somewhere around 40.00 for them. Well worth the money in my opinion. Murray

Wolfie, that is a great looking tie. I would sure be interested in seeing your recipie for it. Murray

Hopefully this petition gathers support from all who fish these two lakes. I believe the proposed changes will lead to one more quality fishery in the province. I firmly believe that there are too few bodies of water where you stand a reasonable chance to catch a 20" trout. Murray

Have you heard about the Saskatchewan Roughriders Bra? Lots of support but no cups. Murray

I also use the same one. Mine is navy blue on the outside but they all have a bright yellow bladder when inflated. I generally use mine when I float down the river but useing it while wading is a good idea. Murray

Happy Birthday Darren, it looks like it might warm up enough to wet a line tomorrow. Murray

Here's another one Two Irishmen flew to Canada on a hunting trip. They chartered a small plane to take them into the Rockies for a week hunting moose. They managed to bag six. As they were loading the plane to return, the pilot said the plane could take only four moose. The two lads objected strongly. "Last year we shot six. The pilot let us take them all and he had the same plane as yours." Reluctantly, the pilot gave in and all six were loaded. The plane took off. However, while attempting to cross some mountains even on full power the little plane couldn't handle the load and went down. Somehow, surrounded by the moose bodies, only Paddy and Mick survived the crash. After climbing out of the wreckage, Paddy asked Mick, "Any idea where we are?" Mick looked around him : "I think we're pretty close to where we crashed last year." Murray

THREE HOLY MEN AND A BEAR A Catholic Priest, a Baptist Preacher, and a Rabbi all served as chaplains to the students of Northern Michigan University in Marquette . They would get together two or three times a week for coffee and to talk shop. One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't really all that hard - a real challenge would be to preach to a bear. One thing led to another, and they decided to do an experiment. They would all go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it. Seven days later, they all came together to discuss their experience. Father Flannery, who had his arm in a sling, was on crutches, and had various bandages on his body and limbs,went first. 'Well,' he said, 'I went into the woods to find me a bear. And when I found him, I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me around So I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary Mother of God, he became as gentle as a lamb. The Bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and confirmation.' Reverend Billy Bob spoke next.. He was in a wheelchair, had one arm and both legs in casts, and had an IV drip. In his best fire-and-brimstone oratory, he claimed, 'WELL, brothers, you KNOW that we don't sprinkle! I went out and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to my bear from God's HOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me So I took HOLD of him and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, UP another and DOWN another until we came to a creek. So I quickly DUNKED him and BAPTIZED his hairy soul. And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb.. We spent the rest of the day praising Jesus..Hallelujah! The priest and the reverend both looked down at the Rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IVs and monitors running in and out of him. He was in really bad shape. The Rabbi looked up and said: "Looking back on it, .......circumcision may not have been the best way to start" ________________________________________

For nymphs, try some of the stonefly patterns, black brown and yellow. Prince nymph is good also as well as Evil Weevil. For drys give a stimulator a try and maybe Adams and any parachute pattern. Murray

Probably a little late in the day for this but all the best Greg. Murray

Boy this report was simply a pleasure to read. You do get to some beautifull and remote fishing spots. I cannot imagine how tough the hike in was, the pictures show me why you do it. I love those shots of the Caribou, not many people get to see them like that. Keep on hiking into those kinds of locations and dont ever forget your camera. I really enjoy your posts. Murray

I have a pair of William Joseph waders that I won in a magazine renewal draw a couple of years ago. I didn't need them at the time so they just lived in the box they came in for 2 years. I took them out to use on the river this year and after a couple of times on the river, I'm finding that they leak from almost every seam. They have not been abused and on the surface they look pretty much brand new. I sent a note to William Joseph asking how to go about getting them repaired. That was about 6 week ago and I have not heard back from them. In my opinion, I would choose another brand. Murray

Mark, I'd suggest Policemans Flats to Mckinnons Flats. That should be close to a 6 hour float if you dont take too much time stopping and wading. Let me know if you need directions to either spot. Murray

For those of you who like the Norvise, I saw this one listed this morning, no bids on it yet. http://cgi.ebay.ca/Nor-vise-Rotary-vise-KI...=item1c12cab77e

I haven't specifically gone after the Glenmore pike but a couple of weeks ago a group from the Hook and Hackle club went after pike at a small resivoir east of town. You cant compare it to trout fishing but did I ever have a blast. Pike are a riot on the fly rod. I highly reccomend it for a fun day. I found that if you cast out with a floating line, and simply use 6 inch strip retrieve, the pike would follow it to within 10 ft of you and then the water would just explode. Use big assed hooks with a bit of colour and or flash in them. Have fun. The pike all seemed to be in the shallow water so you didn't have to cast a mile. Murray

I thought this would be an easy choice. When my magazine arrived in the mail I was very impressed with the cover shot. When I checked out the link with both cover shots side by each, I had to really think about which one I liked. I finally settled on the first one but I do understand how difficult it was to make a decision. Murray

Lynn, I bought one a few years ago from Sears. It's the type that has a vent hose you stick out the window. If you were interested, you could try it out. end me a note. Murray