Pipestoneflyguy

Would love to get in on the next one if you guys would be willing to mail out to Lake Louise - I'd be happy to put a $5 bill in the envelope on the way back to cover the cost of stamp and extra effort.

I try to use a tupperwear container but I find static electricity is really frustrating (especially maribou) - is there a way to eliminate that ? - I think I'll buy a can of static guard and give that a try before I get materials all over the desk dust buster seems like a good idea - next time I see one at a thrift store or garage sale I'll pick one up

I can't begin to imagine how painfull the last 24 hours must be for the families and friends of soldiers awaiting the release of those 4 soldiers names this morning. Given the reporter's circumstances, alot of Canadians will be pondering the impact of Canadian involvement in a way that perhaps they couldn't fully grasp before her loss. Ironically I believe her sacrifice will tell a story that will have a scope and magnitude that likely could never be achieved without her death - Canadians who have become somewhat insulated emotionally to the military losses, won't be able to escape the sadness, the story is just too moving and I suspect the media will ensure that her story will reach all Canadians in a very personal way As I watch this story unfold I ponder, as does much of the country I suspect, exactly what will be the long term impact of yesterday's tragedy on public opinion and support our actions in this effort. No matter your political view this one hits home and will affect anyone with half a heart and soul

Couldn't wait for spring so after leaving work yesterday I took a 10 second video of a small mechanical shark swimming around in our hot tub - from the full width of the tub inside, about 7 feet, you could see enough detail for a decent image despite it being overcast and snowing with low late afternoon flat light. Jayhad - I kinda have the same idea - I usually fish alone, I have a program called VLT which has a great "snapshot out of video" feature - I am hoping this allows me to share and document some of the fish I catch without having to take em out of the water - seems like it has a real potential as a way of creating a momento while minimzing impact of the fish themselves - not to mention some of the underwater video posted here is just plain amazing. - thanks for the tip on the batteries, I'll pick a couple up (no AA or AAA is the only feature I would change)

Santa brought me a Pentax W80 rugged - can't wait to try it out Anyone else use one of these, R U happy with it ?

Ha, I was hoping someone would ask - Economic feasibility, it is as simple as that - same reason McDonalds failed in Jasper, and the Wendy's and Harvey's failed in Banff. Of course if I just wanted to create a buzz on the internet, I would post that the residents of Jasper caught word of our "worst experience at McDonalds" thread, passed it around the community, and out of fear and loathing generated by that post, boycotted the restaurant, thus causing it to go out of business Hmm story sounds logical, must be true, can't wait to post on other forums that FFC shut down McDonalds in Jasper - woohoo another "internet" truth is born !

I think the most offensive aspect of this entire story was the full screen shot of his dirty underwear I had to look at when I turned on my TV at 6:30 this morning....

Aye - self proclaimed high-tech-red-neck I am (ghetto fab, car port and basement mechanic LOL...) 1) 07 Tacoma 4 door, 4x4 - carries the pontoon perfect in the back - best truck I have ever owned, hands down - basically unmodified as it hauls the next two beasties around!without a grunt of complaint 2) 93 YJ 5" lift, super 35, 33x13.5 LTB's, 488's, locked frt and Rr, bed linered interior, warn 10.5, on board air, flexolite, 5 point Nex seats, Cold air cab switchable to snorkle, Slip yoke converted with HD output, Tom Woods CV driveshaft, steel braids, oooooohhhhh skull shifter knobs, HD winch bumpers frt 'n rear, 2" freeflow exhaust, TB spacer, chipped, 3 core rad - anyway you get the point this list goes on and on (Jeep = Just Empty Every Pocket) 3) 79 firebird formula - 383 chev 4 bolt stroker, welded, balanced, printed, roller this and that, edelbrock RPM intake, 650 CFM edelbrock performer carb, MSD HEI Ignition, 2.5" stainless exhaust (aaahhhh yeah,... test pipe, sorry environment....) just installed a cam that should bring er up to 550-575 hp - dyno will tell all in the spring - NOT the ideal fishing vehicle unless you like fishing with a camel toe ho with coloured feathers clipped in her hair and skin tight jordache jeans and a whitesnake tee-shrt (you know the kind with 3/4 white sleeves) yeeeeaahhhhh What can I say that period called "adulthood" in-between teenager and midlife crisis just never panned out for me.... Oh yeah, we also have a 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer - it is what it is....

Last night while tying flies with a couple friends (combined experience of 81 years of living, working and angling in Banff National Park between the 4 of us BTW) I was asked why I haven't responded to this post, much to the amusement of my friends, who have long since learned the follie of debating such issues on an internet forum like this, I sometimes let my emotions determine my actions, well my response was quite simple, as my father would say, "it would be like trying to piss up a rope". This site can be very frustrating,... as I understand it, the function of this type of forum is to exchange information and ideas with the overall goal of furthering knowledge truth and understanding amongst the user group, reality is that even with the substantial combined knowledge and experience present here, this site can't even get a simple fact right, such as why, or why not, a Tim Hortons does, or does not, exist in a National Park - What are the chances a discussion on an issue as astoundingly complex as the long term management and planning of a National Parks System is going to produce a quantitiy of factual information, Slim to none, and slim just left town LOL Of course, that concept is a blatant over-simplification, just like many of the concepts presented within this thread. Of course, volumes of factual information are contained within, problem is how do you separate fact from fiction, seems to me that almost all logical scientific exchange here eventually devolves in philosophical debate. For the intended purpose of learning, the forum participants must have discipline, the discipline to present only what is known as factual and omit supposition and conclusion, especially that which is biased by personal opinion and belief. Of course that is somewhat impossible as I am proving by writing this post, but like many others, what I find frustrating is not that this fails to happen, but that there seems to be so little effort put towards establishing what is factual before posting. If I was so inclined, I could type up a big list of factual inaccuracies within this thread but I'm not going to and here's why; PGK, you haven't earned it - you started this process under the guise that you were out to learn something, yet you are so far on one side of the fence you can't see if the grass is greener on the other side or not. You are an infant in terms of your understanding of these complex issues and you make that obvious in both your content and tone, whether it is apparent to you or not you are lobbying. You are, for all intents and purposes a researcher. You stopped learning the second you hopped off the fence and chose a side. You present your opinions as fact when in reality you're just standing on the shoulders of others offering personal conclusions on what you have read. Credibility comes from doing work, not just reading about it, a concept you seem to be having trouble grasping. I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but a couple years of post-secondary education combined with a little time in the library and on google does not qualify you as an expert on the topic, and presenting yourself as such just comes off as niave and childish - I know people that have been deeply involved in the issues for over 40 years and have made the understanding of these issues their life work, yet wouldn't dare present themselves as confident and all knowing as you have, as a matter of fact, in my experience, the more knowledgable a person is, the less likely they are to proclaim themselves experts. Your passion is admirable, but all it does in this context is make others wary of your intentions. You insult parks managers and planners and paint them all with your prejudical brush as equally incompetent, what makes this humorous, is that if you showed those folks this post, most of them would laugh say, "yeah, that guy is me 25 years ago" - futher to that, if you are as passionate about these issues as you appear to be, then someday you'll recognize that the best place to effect change is within the function of direct governance, not outside of it, as a spectator on the sidelines. Thus if you truly want to see change you must become that which you hate - welcome to the irony of life. I've seen you before, you were at the G8 protest wearing a tee shirt that says "DOWN WITH THE WTO" - you took a couple university economics courses, attended a rally, and read some stuff on the internet, so of course, you know better than anyone how to solve world poverty and fix the worlds economy - OK OK so that wasn't actually you - albeit,... the only difference I see between you and that guy - is your tee-shirt says "DOWN WITH BROOK TROUT" As the man said - "free you mind and you ass will follow"

Still seeing bears almost every day up here. Few letharigic fatties wandering around on the tracks munching grain and corn, now that we have snow that's the last easily found buffet, the weather has been pretty warm and that is a likely factor in late nap time. As per usual, when I hear mention of bear bangers, be carefull you (your friend) doesn't send the bear towards you,...happens alot, those things pop further away than most people think. Personally I would prefer folks give the bear right-of-way as an alternative to forcing a negative interaction out of a non-agressive situation - everytime a tourist fires one of those things the bear becomes less afraid and as such, the tool becomes less effective and may not work when someone may actually need it to survive an agressive encounter. Tell your bud to try "cocking" his rod tube like a shotgun (I love showing friends this trick first hand) bears that have been hazed alot will recognize the motion and take off running thinking a screamer or banger is on the way without reducing the effectiveness for when it is really needed. Seems silly to claim right-of-way from a bear in the park anyway, I'll assume there is more to the story or situation that required your friend to go to that level of deterence other than just crossing paths.......I hope anyway

Love skiing and snowshoeing ya know typical Lake Louise resident type stuff, hangin with the dog and drinking pops in the hot tub enjoying the scenery... Also a gear head of sorts, have a very highly modified YJ been continually improving for the last 11 years, also have a 1969 89cc street legal yamaha enduro I am restoring as a putt-around for the missus this winter. Latest project is a 79 firebird formula (cowl induction) just finished and dropped in a balanced and blue printed 4 bolt main 383 stroker, triple hump high compression RV heads, 2nd stage roller cam, edelbrock high flow RPM series intake, with a spaced 650 cfm edelbrock performer series carb anyway the list goes on and on - converting to tubular front suspension with 2" drop spindles and a one peice 73 glass clip on the front for this spring when the body will be finished, of course it adorns era classics including traction bars, centerlines etc etc already has a spot reserved in out local Canada day parade next summer - environmentally this one is my guilty pleasures, no conservation here, this baby is designed to burn fuel as fast as science and mechanics physically allow (and still be streetable) LOL, call it my personal economic stimulus package for the patch - I figure we are the last generation that will be able to reasonably afford such things so I am going to make the most of it and enjoy some classic gasoline driven power while I still can. Can't wait to dyno it - (I have done a formula estimate of HP but thats kinda like guessing fish length, best kept to myself for now) My gearhead problem actually helps my fishing, all I have to do is squint at my wife's mitsubishi lancer and mumble "hmmm I've never built a tuner before" and the misses immediatly suggests I spend a the day on the river LOL I guess the other hobby is for really cold days - I built a home theatre / games room where a few buds and I host weekly "man cave" sessions with the new modern warefare 2 call of duty and EA sports NHL are the favs right now

What an awesome afternoon ! You know that little pond by the ball diamond that you can see from Hwy 1 as you drive by Field BC It is never open or legal to fish except for today - The Parks biologist and the warden service opened it today for the Field School kindergarden class, and few of us lucky locals got to spend the afternoon partnered with a youngster teaching the basics of flyfishing. I was lucky to get my little guy "Forrest" onto the first fish which was about a 6-7 inch brookie which he landed while I was "net-boy". The learning part included examining almost every species in the park (live from electro), watching a disection and the most fun releasing the big bucket brookies back into the pond when we were all done. (and the other species were all delivered back to their origins) My envy of those of you who get to do this stuff for a living runs deep...

In another post I gave Kudos to the wrong flyfishing shop - I think it is only fair to correct the mistake. I recently purchased some Simms Guide 3 boots (I was given a great deal because they had been used once) - I am very happy with the boots and have already put over 50k on them. The sales person was Chris and he was very helpfull and also suggested trying the Simms tungsten screw in cleats which I have found indespensable in muddy slick shores and on grassy slopes. So thanks Chris for the great advice. I found parking easy despite the downtown location and despite not really having a shopping agenda - I was so pleased with the welcome and service I recieved I was more than happy to give my business to the shop - especially after the negative experiences I had at larger shops this past year. The shop is BOW RIVER TROUTFITTERS and despite my foolishly forgetting the name of the store I do remember the service, the selection (very cooool flies) and the location and have every intention and returning and giving more of my buisness to these nice folks. I reccomend taking the time to visit and check out what they have to offer. Again, my apologies to the shop, and thanks to those who took the time to point out my error so I could correct the record here and give credit where it was due.

+ 2 For the last two years I have been on an acting assignment as an Operations Supervisor responsible for a portion of the TCH through the National Parks - I have been required to attend and investigate every fatality or potential fatality) in my jurisdiction during my duty cycle, before that I was a firefighter for 5 years. I can say that after 7 years of constant exposure to horrific accident scenes I know exactly where your dark sense of humour comes from flyfishfairwx, likely from accepting a reality that many can't or are unwilling to grasp- I attended an accident last winter in which a man tried to pass on icy roads with heavy opposing traffic, lost control resulting in a head on in which his wife and one of his two young children were killed. Try looking into the eyes of someone who has just gone through something like that, anger is the last thing you feel, The internet provides an insulation from reality that makes it easy to level judgements without the influence of reality and the emotions generated from actual exposure to tragedy and its costs. I challenge anyone to state that they have never taken a risk - be honest have you ever knowingly run a yellow instead of stopping when you could have easily stopped - have you ever passed on an icy road, have you ever turned left on a road and just made it - how many times have your eaten, or answered your phone or been distracted one of a million possible ways - reality is that as a society, when it comes to motor transportation we have chosen to accept a mortality rate and level of risk that in any other activity or occupation would simply not ever be acceptable under any normal standard - personally I find getting angry at any individual mistake is pointless because if I were to examine myself honestly under the same measure, I can't help but acknowledge that I have taken the same risks repeatedly throughout my life despite the fact I know the cost very well, in my first year as a firefighter I skipped a call because I just didn't feel like going (oddly... very much NOT in my nature), I am not religous but I can't help but wonder if some greater force was at work, because that page was for a fatal head-on accident and the victim killed was a girlfriend to whom I had just said goodnight as she got into her car 20 minutes previous to her violent death and produced the resultant tone on my pager. (I've long since given up trying to understand that chain of events and simply revel in thankfullness that fate left me at home for that call) Over time anger has evolved into a lingering sadness and regret in both the acceptance and cost of human nature. I'll tell you this, on Nov 30 my assignment ends, I don't know what my next assignment or position will be, but I can assure you of one thing, flyfishing will once again be my hobby, and not an intrinsic part of my personal mental health therapy, and I look forward to closing this chapter of my life. On one hand getting angry at this stuff seems ridiculous, but on the other, if Dave's post makes even just one person a little more cautious, and that reaction saves a life, I say good job ! none-the-less If it seems I am dismissive and somewhat snide in some of my responses to some of the seemingly ridiculous and pointless arguments that take place here, know it is with good reason and my occasionaly misplaced humour is sometimes just a comparitive reaction to some of the crap I deal with on a daily basis

Mr headscan - For the last 11 years, every spring, I have organized and coordinated a volunteer litterpick in my community, last year I had over 170 volunteers - On top of that I am constantly cleaning up other peoples dog crap, both in and out of bags DAILY along the Bow river. So please don't assume bitching about it is the only action I take BTW - OK,... its great you pick up your dog poop, and other peoples too, but consider how others on the trail may view the situation - maybe some less considerate person will decide, oh screw it everyone else is just leaving it on the path so I am too - maybe the concept is just too mind boggling, but you may be a role model whether you intended it or not. Besides I don't wanna see bags of crap along the trails I hike, whether someone is coming back for them or not - littering is littering - just like stealing is stealing, even if you plan to give back what you took.

Ya know what's fun - go to an Alberta ATV site and search forum discussions on land use planning and regulation, then do the same for a 4x4 site, then go to a hiking site, toss in a hunters site and why not throw in Horseback riding site too -You'll find that basically the arguments are much the same as the debate here, equally ranging in both views and proposed solutions (as a matter of fact, with some creative use of a search and replace function utilized on a few key nouns and verbs you would find the discussions almost identical) - all of these groups recognize both the fragile nature, and importance of environmental issues and the potential impact that failing to manage these issues may have on their particular activity. These groups all recognize that all groups, including their own have "bad apples" and that some external enforcement is likely required, even within their own ranks. so why all the stick poken and poop chucking...I think it is simple as a childish fear that we have all have something to lose and the best defence is a strong offence.... Idealistically, I think developing a basic respect for differing views and a willingness to compromise in so far as accomodating "other" user groups would go miles towards some kind of productive solution. Sad to say though, but typically this presents a conflict that can only be resolved by a "willing" governing authority and given that most governments are, by nature lazy and most likely to move toward the easiest and most popular solution I would think the idea of a happy smurf village in which flyfisher-smurf and ATV-smurf get along while enjoying their respective hobbies is pretty well a utopian fantasy. Reality is that Papa-smurf is gonna call a big meeting to sort it all out - he's gonna walk into a room full of smurfs chuckin blue poop at each other, get frustrated, storm out, and in the end Hogstoppah-smurf will be the only one who gets what he wanted and every one else will just be covered in blue poop. I guess my point is - Yes IMHO sending letters is a positive step towards solution - but ask yourself should you send a letter that points out that everyone (but you) is abusing the resource into oblivion, or should your letter be worded so that you are demanding the government work towards a solution that meets everyones needs, and sees all users preserving their access to these special areas - just my 2 cents

Yeah WTF eh ! I've noticed the same trend on the trails here ! - What a wonderfully creative way to combine ingnorance and laziness to reach an all new level of stupidity - man, is it just me or does it seem like maybe the jar is just about full of fruit flies ?

ooops - thats a little embarrasing - the shop is downtown - I'll have to look at the sign next time I'm in I guess.

I went in for the first time about a month ago - came out with a smile and new pair of sims guide 2 boots - very happy with the service I recieved

What do you figure they used to bonk that - an aluminum bat or a railway tie - maybe they had to drive over it with a truck - ....sorry in advance- waiting for a meeting at 1 then going to a lovely little alpine with the belly - going nuts waiting..... expect more pointless posts today I guess ....

Thats awesome - I'm goona check it out BTW remember the Austin Powers movie with sharks with lasers on their head - we should equip a few cutties in each river with lasers and train them to take out ATVs

Hmmm leaves me wondering if the fish changing behaviour is the cause, or it the fisherman's inability to adapt causes the problem - kinda chicken vs the egg type deal eh. I think Rick makes a great point re: pressure

I love these posts - a whole whack of guys who all probably own between 10 to 20 rods each all reccomending the one rod you should own LOL - reality is that your gonna catch a big trout, your gonna love it and before you know it your going to discover what many on this site already know...That the true strategy of flyfishing is contriving ever increasingly creative methods of sneaking yet one more $500 rod into the house without the old lady (or old man) finding out, keep them everywhere, always move them around different locations including vehicles, leave them in and out of tubes confusion is the best strategy, if your wife can't accurately count your rods she can't freak out and start calculating how many extra mortgage payments you "could have" made instead of feeding your new obsession. I vote you treat it like a band aid !!! why draw out the pain over a 5 year period ? I say go out and drop about 6 grand on a top of the line rods and reels in every possible weight available - its gonna happen, there is alway going to be that little itch deep in your brain that softly wispers "yes, that was a perfect day but if I had a 3 wt on the one hole at the one bushy cut back bank I could have had a 29 instead of 28 fish day" - last weekend my wife asked me why I need 2 canoes, 2 belly boats and a pontoon boat, my answer ? "Because I don't have drift boat, if I get one of those I can unload a belly boat" she responded "oh OK" trick is to get one in the driveway before she figures out the 5-7k difference in price LOL Seriously though, I agree with learning on the 6wt you have, its more forgiving and chucking streamer on a 4wt can be challenging to say the least - I learned on a 6 wt, its a great all round wt but that said like many above I pretty well fish moving water with a 4wt exclusively. Al you didn't mention your skill level or experience, if you have your basic casting figured out go 4 wt

Up here in the park I have definately made some general non-scientific observations - I only have 10-12 days in the foothills (Rams etc etc) so I can't speak to that area but in the mountains, lee of the divide, this is what I have observed this season. Moving Water - typical patterns in weather in my past 15 years here have generally moved in a loose cycle of a couple sunny days followed by a couple rainy days - I noticed the lack of any repetitive cycle this year (much like 2003, just not so sustained on the hot and sunny side) - I notice two effects as a result which have affected my surface action with cutties, 1) I am having a harder time predicting hatches and being at the right place at the right time, and 2) much more run-off days this year due to longer sunny cycles, especially in August. Evening fishing on the Bow between Lake Louise and the headwaters, which has traditionally been my staple afterwork excursion, has been downright poopy - (due to the river being the colour of poop) When the Bow, Pipestone and for that matter most of the east and west slope moving waters I fish in the area have been clear, the fishing has been average to better relative to the quantitiy of good clearwater surface days available. No observed change in cuttie behaviour that I noticed - morning fishing, when the water has been clear, has been normal. less days fishing the surface means less fish taken on the surface, haven't noticed anything more signifigant than that On Alpine lakes - same problems with predicting hatches. In terms of behavior, on a number of small lakes I have seen a big drop in the late season cuttie strategy of rolling of flies - this has made the hook-ups easier so I'm not complaining but I couldn't guess why this is - certainly not a lack of pressure as I see growing evidence of more fishing at many of my usual alpine haunts.

PS - another good thing with Calgary as I rarely have trouble parking my truck - in Southern Ontario last summer I had to constantly let people in and out of the truck before parking cause the spots were consistently too small almost everywhere we went