Pipestoneflyguy

I think you have the right idea - try to get out with one of the super-slayers on here and let them critique your technique - in principle, nymphing sounds pretty easy, in reality, it requires some skill and a small error in technique will prevent success in most cases. I learned by trial and error, and that can be frustrating, especially if you have no idea what your doing wrong. If you can feel rocks on your drift your def headed in the right direction.

I have simms studs in my felts - work fine - can't remember the cost (about 20-25 bucks???) but the kit only comes with enough for one pair - had em in for 3 years now (maybe 4) and still working great

Odd that it is described as a non commercial venture but there is no mention of what will be done with the signifigant revenue generated. I find it hard to believe that the questions they are seeking to answer can't be determined by studying existing effects on already approved forestry projects (wether logging or prescribed burns) all over AB/BC in previous, current and future logging activities, certainly in area's with less potential and real impact on a sensitive watershed. I read beyond paragraph four but all that did was generate more questions than answers IMHO.

Caddy suggestion ...

Bwah ha ha ha Seriously though - hope your feeling better soon Rick !

Not saying it's a good thing or a bad thing, but it sure seems the nature of FFC behaviour is to respond to the most recent post, not the original

I think this conversation is incredibly valuable to those willing to learn from it, the fella that started the thread is looking to do just that - frankly guys like myself, Hawgstoppah, Albertatrout etc etc don't have to take the time to share our knowledge and experiences here, but we do it for the benefit of the FFC community, because we care about the members safety and the quality of their experiences. Underlying that, when stupid people do stupid things, there is a trickle down effect which eventually impacts all of us, the environment, and the regulations that govern what we can, and can not do, so yeah, helping educate the inexperienced actually serves a little bit of selfish intent as well. Personally I enjoy sharing stories, it provokes others to share theirs, and from that I might just learn something I can use. I work with some of the continents best wildlife management experts, and what I learn from them is an amalgamation of their impressive education and experiences combined, add in my own extensive experiences with wildlife, and just maybe, a little tidbit of advice might make the difference between a member here walking away from an encounter, vs an unpleasant and sad alternative. Two years ago, I was out for a spring fish with a member on here, another friend and his teenage son. We are working up a wide open meandering section of the Kicking Horse river. We came upon some tracks that resulted in a healthy debate as to whether they belonged to a cougar or a wolf. the tracks were all over the place in mud and sandy riverside terrain, some looked more like cougar, and some looked more like wolf and the were all HUGE. We kept fishing downriver and eventually we discovered a half consumed undulate carcass that had been dragged all over the place, and eventually, to an island mid river. As we all stood there thinking, and talking, and thinking,... I noticed that all four of us ended up nervously scanning the terrain surrounding us as we all came to the realization that everything we were seeing lead to the conclusion that we had just stumbled across a battle between a rather large cougar and a wolf for possesion of that carcass, and we were now quite likely between two rather nasty predators and their dinner. I later learned that dragging the carcass onto an island is typical behaviour for a cougar to protect it's kill (or claimed kill) from wolves. Given the carcass was about half eaten, it quickly became obvious we had evolved from observer to those being observed, and a wildlife specialist later confirmed to me that most likely both the cougar and wolf would have been watching us at that point in time (and that large animals of both varieties had been spotted in the area before and after our day out fishing). Needless to say we made our departure as a group and stayed in partners at minimum, for the rest of the outing. I hazard to guess what the outcome might have been if had been one of us alone in that scenario. Is there something to be learned from that story ? sure there is, but only time will tell who here actually learns something from that tale - I'll bet you dollars to donuts that the guy who sits back and responds with a post calling that story bullshit is the one that misses the point entirely and someday might just pay a price for it ! BTW I am a hunter (I used to use a rifle but only use a crossbow now) and I can tell you something I have learned about many of the guys holding rifles over the years. They often don't pay attention to animal behaviour because of the sense of security one develops from holding a weapon essentially negates the feeling of need to understand the signs an animal sends during an interaction, I realize that is a somewhat stereotypical generalization, but my point is if your holding a fishing rod instead of a gun you may want to listen to the advice that comes from someone in the same situation who is depending on reading the signs of behaviour, and using their own behaviour as their only tool of escaping an encounter - just sayin.... This was my profile pic for quite a while but here it is again - a track from that particularly exciting day I described above

Seriously though, Plumeja et al - don't let scary beary stories (or moose or whatever) deter you from enjoying everything this area has to offer. Remember these things ! 1) The chances are astronomically higher, that you will be injured or killed in a motor vehicle accident, on your way to a day in the mountains, then in an interaction with wildlife. 2) Follow the official advice on how to react and behave if you find yourself in an encounter with wildlife (it is different, for different animals, and types of bears) 3) Wildlife encounters, if managed properly can be the most rewarding and gratifying experience that you will remember for the rest of your life and tell your grandchildren about. One of my many "perfect" moments was fishing alone for bullies at the confluence of the Yoho and Emerald and Kicking Horse rivers - I watched a cow and calf moose come out of the woods 20 feet down river from me, enter the Yoho River and procede to trot right up the middle of the Yoho, so close that I was splashed with the spray off their legs, I had to yank my line out of their path for fear of tangling them up. I took photos but to date, the only person who has ever seen them, is my wife, some things you just have to keep for yourself. On the other hand, a series of Lynx photos I took (which at the time were very rare, one of which is in this thread) have been published over 30 times in a variety of guide brochures, newspapers and periodicals, giving me a different sense of pride in sharing a special moment with the world around me. (since then, the snowshoe hare pop has flourished, and so has the lynx pop as a result) This world is here to be protected, but also explored and enjoyed, don't let your imagination, and those few rare bad experiences had by others stop you from getting out and living the life you are lucky to have here in the rockies, take precautions and make good decisions, but most of all, get out and experience the amazing world found in your own backyard. Flyfishing is often incidental to a larger experience waiting to be enjoyed !

I was kinda worried about bringing my son fishing. So I bought him a big stuffed bear so he is familiar with its shape and so on, I left the room for a few moments and when I came back found him like this - not worried anymore LOL

All that drying seems like alot of work - if I am trying something new, I am going with Beans and Scotch !

Wow, after reading this thread, I have to say, my jerky, mini babybel cheese, vegetable thins crackers, and gas station sammies never felt so inadequate ! Overnighters,... I will toss in the MSR stove and some Mr. Noodles - I guess that counts as dried food LOL

I could round up a box or 2 (100per) large orange or yellow garbage bags to donate again. I will do what I can to make the trip in too. (baby and momma permitting) Here are some pics from the one we did in 2007 - was awesome meeting you guys face-to-face !

A

Good point Lad Here's my pretty kitty - she was a stray I adopted - she is a real frisky kitty, you should her when I hug her, soooo scrappy ! Yep and that whole, "If there isn't black, put it back" confuses the hell out of me too !

I use climbing accessory chord - strong and lasts forever - use the element on your stove to melt the core and sheath together once you cut to length

Yep that's a pretty awesome story Gary ! - in 19 years up here I have only seen a wolverine once, watched it shred my pack (left at the base) from halfway up Louise Falls, stupid baggie of jerky cost me a nice pack. Bears on the other hand...been over 5 years since I even bothered taking my camera out LOL - I think I am starting to become bearanoid though, I know too much about the statistical chances of something bad happening after hundreds of uneventful encounters, Experienced only three agressive bears so far, been bluff charged once riverside, swatted at downhilling the highline trail, and was chased downhilling on the tramline last summer. Generally I remind folks that say they haven't seen a bear up in this area that they shouldn't assume that a bear hasn't seen them lol

Who own the Chiefs ? Owns, owns ! What did he say ? Ownsa Ownsa !

Where can a fella pick up one of those kevbine ?

Mine has only been broken once, and that was by a friend showing a beginner class we were teaching how NOT to pull a line through the rod - dur.... Orvis was great with getting it repaired and back to me. They only replaced the broken blank (tip). Never had any other problems though, and my bud paid the shipping LOL - I did ask about switching to a mid flex but since they had a tip blank available so that wasn't an option. It was amazing to see how thin the walls of it are, I found myself amazed it hadn't broken before.

Ha ha - I would be the guy with a lawn chair and a cooler set up on one No thanks ! I'll stick to my toon !

I've had the SA sharkskin on my helios for two seasons. (hetero-green). Haven't seen anything that I would call abnormal wear in the guides or anything like that. Casts and floats very well. Shoots amazingly well, even on the short cast. I don't particularly like the textured feel in my hand but I have gotten used to it over time. Is a ball of fun shooting a long cast, when you have a barren open shore, and tons of room for some long double hauling, and you get everything dialed in, it is impressive what you can do with it. Only complaints are that it is harder to clean, and the noise just doesn't jive well with a silent evening conditions. I would be inclined to try one of the toned down versions next time.

On that note, also remember that you need a separate National Parks License for fishing in the National Parks !

The fence and schoolyard lad mentioned is a great Idea, I use our local ball diamond myself - perfect time to check and re-tie knots, and allows you to carefully inspect and clean your line, not to mention work out any twists that might be on there. Its a great idea to learn and use your knots at home, instead of trying to figure it out in the middle of a fishing day in the middle of nowhere !

Thanks everyone - Rob is incredibly grateful for the care packages he has recieved, and all the other support ! Rob is one of those fellas who always hands you one of his secret (and usually very effective) flies without a moments hesitation - I have more than a few squirreled away awaiting replication It never fails to impress me how awesome the people on this site can be !!!!! BTW - been a victim myself more than a couple times - when I moved out west, my 1st night in Calgary my car, with everything I owned was stolen. When I got to Lake Louise the next day, word spread and within a couple hours guys I had never met had equiped me with replacement ski touring and climbing gear, a mountain bike, not to mention a new set of clothes, including everything I would need for backcountry skiing - I'll never forget that kindness and I always look forward to a chance to pay it forward.

Ha - I knew it Peter - we're all nothing but bait to you aren't we !!! Plumeja - Bear bangers, spray, knives are all only good in very limited specific situations - if you search the forum you'll find a couple discussions debating the topic exhaustively. They can be usefull but there use is predicated by your understanding that your behaviour is the most effective method and tool you have The single most effective method is avoidance, as in, warning the bear of your presence - bells are somewhat effective in open lighty brushed and sparse treed area's. In dense low undergrowth and brushy areas the sound doesn't carry very far - alongside running water of any signifiagnce, they will give virtually no warning at all - Bears have zero interest in interacting with you and will avoid you given the opportunity (be aware of terrain traps along rivers and such) - sometimes they will follow your trail out of curiousity so be very wary of carrying fish or smelly lunch, and make extra noise when backtracking out if you see tracks or scat on the same trail Single best thing you can do (and is a good practice for a number of other reasons) is to travel in a group or at minimum in a pair - make noise as in loud conversation or singing - or like alot of us, bellow alot of "HEY BEAR" yells as you go. If you are travelling alone - make lots of noise, and make sure you let someone who is dependable know exactly where you are going, what you are driving, where you are parking and what time you are expected back, and at what time, you want the alarm raised if your not back as expected.