Avalanche

I wonder if that's because it's bloody difficult to fish illegally with a fly rod other than to not squeeze the barb? If you checked every fly fisherman out there to see if his/her barb was squeezed down, would your tune change? I suspect it might...

I don't think anyone is asking anyone to turn a blind eye and act like this stuff never happens. It likely happens more often than any of us cares to believe. Did you read my post in "fishing finds" about the Ford Fender setup and chain stringer on the Livingstone? You think I was happy to see that? Absolutely not. Would I have done something had I caught the perpetrators red-handed? You bet. Was there anything I could do at that point? Nope. Shake my head and carry on with the hope that the jack-asses that thought that was cool would eventually be stupid enough to get caught. Unfortunately there are far too many miles of rivers and far too few conservation officers to keep it under control. I might add if there suddenly were enough conservation officers to patrol these rivers we'd all be bitching about having to pull our waders off to get our wallets out to show our fishing licenses...

There is a big difference between a "worm dunker" and some guy tossing a Panther Martin, Mepps or a Len Thompson 5 of Diamonds with a single barbless hook... You can't paint all fishermen with a single brush. There are many spinner fishermen that are law-abiding citizens and have a concern for the environment, the ecology and the health of the fish. A fellow "worm dunker" and I spent many hours on Quirk Creek a few years back participating in that project. We weren't the only spinner fishermen to participate either. Sounds like you are saying once a loser, always a loser. Sorry...it's statements like this that give fly fishermen the elitist stereotype some of us are trying to dispel. Apparently some are happy to add credence to that stereotype. This is unfortunate. Does the fact that I have spinning equipment and use it once in a while make me a lesser being than you? Well...I also have a split-cane fly rod. Guess were even then huh?

Guilty conscience about what? I use spinning gear. I'm not ashamed of it. In fact, just the other night I caught a huge Rainbow on the Bow with my untra-light spinning setup. While most of my fishing is done with a fly rod, I'm certainly not afraid to pull out my spinning rod. If that makes me inferior, in your not-so-humble opinion, so be it. We will never be fishing partners and at this point I'm not sorry about that. I don't condone the use of illegal equipment; never have and never will. Your initial attack seemed to be weighted much more heavily towards the style of fishing, not the equipment being used in that particular situation. I was merely defending the style of fishing, not the illegal equipment. Fly fishing only waters? As Rickr posted, is there really a difference in the trauma to the fish? I might point out a fish caught with spinning gear is generally landed much more quickly than a fish caught with fly gear so will toss out that a fish has a greater chance of recovery when caught with (legal) spinning gear. I can tell you I landed and released that Rainbow in half the time than had I caught it with my fly rod. I have two sons. They have been exposed to all kinds of fishing, from jigging for perch over the side of a canoe in northern Saskatchewan to flyfishing for Cutthroats on the Livingstone. As Rickr pointed out, it is the experience, not the method, that is the valuable component of those outings. I could care less what style of fishing my son(s) choose. If they want to come fishing with me, it's a good day. I see it as unfortunate that you have chosen to pass on your elitist attitude to your son.

Well said. [/thread]

Who gave you the right to decide what is the right or wrong way to catch fish? While I agree there is something illegal about that particular setup, I don't see anywhere in the regulations that says we have "fly fishing only" waters. I can't see any evidence that rig has been used from the pictures you provided either so who is to say someone didn't have the intention of clipping off a hook or two and squeezing down a barb? I can tell you one thing...if the surroundings dictate a fly rod can't be used, I'll pull out my spinning gear in a heartbeat.

Funny....I was having this exact conversation with a fellow fisherman last night while we watched the big Browns taking something none of us were able to imitate. I've fished the river on and off for close to 15 years and until this year I've always found myself heading out of town to those clear mountain streams where the Cutthroats, Rainbows and Brookies are plentiful and so much easier to catch. This year I decided I was going to get out to the Bow (it takes me less than 10 minutes to walk to the river's edge) as often as possible and figure it out. I have done that and am finally starting to catch fish with some consistency (in that particular section anyway). The biggest hurdle to me was convincing myself that there were actually fish there and they could be caught. I've done a few float trips over the years and have enjoyed every one of them. The problem I have with them is the style and/or techniques are not necessarily what will work on my "home" stretch of the river. I see one of the members here offers one-on-one experiences and that might be far more helpful, particularly if you could spend some time in a stretch of water you see yourself returning to regularly. When I live 10 minutes from the water I don't necessarily want to drive somewhere else just because my guide showed me how to catch fish there. I do understand some techniques and flies are pretty universal for the river as a whole. I also know I've read reports of people having killer days on the water when I've been skunked using the exact patterns they were using. Guess that's why it's called fishing and not catching. It's almost like you have to pay your dues before the river allows you to catch fish...

How about a stringer chain (with a dead Cutthroat) and "Ford Fender" setup on a rock on the Livingstone? This was about 3 weeks ago... Not a find so much as an encounter. Sitting on a rock on Red Earth Creek tying on a new fly when a movement at the water's edge caught my eye. Looked down and was somewhat surprised to see a mink hopping up the rock towards me. This was all fine and dandy until I realized it didn't actually realize I was there. When he got between my feet and was still coming I decided I had seen a mink about as close as I wanted. One quick flick of the foot and he was back in the water from whence he came. On to the next hole...

Only if I had a Kevlar glove on...

And a set of needle-nose pliers with really long handles. Used to play with those things in an earlier life and have the scars to prove they don't take lightly to anyone messing around in their mouth...

The national parks have always been open July 1 to Labour Day (in general terms). You need a national parks license and there are some pretty specific regulations in effect (no lead...even in your vest, being one). Read up on the rest here... http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/visit/visit14a_e.asp#act Never fished Lake Louise specifically but have spent time elsewhere on various beaver ponds, creeks and lakes in both Banff and Yoho Parks, Loads of Brookies so I never felt guilty about keeping a couple. Haven't been out that way for a few years now but can't imagine things have changed a lot. Take lots of flies though. Those little Brookies are voracious feeders and will chew up flies like there is no tomorrow. Again, not speaking specifically of Lake Louise but the area in general... Dale