Pipestoneflyguy

I may be going April 27th weekend - but you would have to get it up to me in Lake Louise. (or meet me in Canmore the weekend before) let me know - I would have to check and make sure my insurance covers your boat/trailer - also would need your ball size and how many pins

House cat Fisher's and Pine Marten's also have similar colouring and shape as you described

A Friend from Banff is moving and he asked if I wanted to buy some old fishing gear off of him - anyway I find this stuff interesting, and although I rarely spin cast I couldn't resist grabbing a bunch of Len Thompson lure display cards for my den wall. My Friend John's Father was Jack MacAulay who was one of the "notorious" MacAulay twins From Banff. He owned a shop called Mac's Sport Shop which was in business from 1960 to 1985. Since the store closed, John has had a closet stuffed full of various items that for various reasons he decided to hang onto. Last year I bought a collection of very cool vintage hand made snowshoes from John and now that he is moving many other goodies were offered up to his friends. I managed to pick up a collection of Len Thompson display cards. I Immediately thought them collectable as these are the ones that have fishing tips hidden behind each lure on the card of 12. I'm not sure exactly what year these came from but I can guess late 70's or early 80's. The cards have typical discolouring for the age but I was quite surprised to find the lures in immaculate condition. John mentioned that he remembered Len Thompson delivering his wares right out of the trunk of his car when he was a kid. Anyway I thought it would be nice to share a couple photos with the FFC and as I mentioned in the Streamwatch section I will be donating a card to the streamwatch auction this year, so if you are a lure collector you'll have a chance to grab one of these.

Bwah ha ha CF8 We saw that in the theatre - what a ridculous movie - I had heard Liam punched a wolf so we had to go see it for ourselves. If wolves kill anthing within 30 clicks of their den I guess my whole town is in trouble !

I obviously regret the loss of SW but I am glad to see a suggestion which is realistic and within the capacity of FFC such as supporting HW being suggested. It is quite coincidental, I had an opportunity to buy some vintage stock items this week from a friend who's father owned a sports shop that closed in Banff 30 years ago - this fella had a closet full of new-old-stock that was never sold and had been squirreled away since Mac's Sporting Goods shut down - I bought a bunch Len Thonpson Lures still on the display cards (twelve per card) if you remember each of the twelve lures on those cards came with a different fishing tip hidden behind the lure. As I looked them over my first thought was these could make an interesting collectors item for the streamwatch auction this year. (Johnny remembers Len Thompson delivering them himself out of the trunk of his car when he was a kid growing up in Banff - before he passed in 79) Anyway the lures are in pristine condition and maybe owning a bit of local western history might raise a few bucks from a member here. Rick, just to keep the ball rolling on your and Greg's commendable efforts I will committ to donate at least I card of lures whether you decide to support HW or start a new project like a family fishing pond. I'll leave it to your good judgment to resolve where the money raised is best spent

I'm a big fan of veggie logs with a little pre-cooked italian sausage - just make sure to use a heavy duty tinfoil and flip in the fire often - I usually add the sauce and a bit of water just before cooking - you can feed a decent sized group and only have a ball of tinfoil the size of a cueball as the only pot to haul out. I find Cattleboys BBQ sauce is stellar with the veggies for that bit of zing -- to make it perfect, sneak a few beers into the newbies backpack before you head out.

I heard the Chateau Lake Louise (Fairmont) has lake side rooms for 148 per night - and ditto on the post if you have the $ - even if they stay at the Chateau they can go to the post for Eggs Benny and then the spa

I work with a fella named Lorne, over the years we became friends and would often discuss flyfishing over coffee. Finally we had an opportunity to plan an outing. I was quite nervous, Lorne has 30 years experience flyfishing and to be frank, all that BS'ing (read, chestpounding and horn tooting) over coffee had generated some expectations that would now have to be met, It was sinking in that the next couple years of coffee breaks could become quite awkward and humiliating. When that sunny Saturday morning arrived, I woke to realize I had forgotten to set my alarm, as I scurried out the door I realized Lorne was likely already on the water and my aspiration of keeping up fish for fish was lost - Ohh the shame... I obliterated the speed limit driving to the trailhead, and then I practically ran the entire hike in to the alpine lake. I was exactly two hours late, not to mention sweaty and covered in breakfast crumbs. Sitting on the bank, reading, was Lorne's wife Rosalina, I introduced myself, we exchanged pleasantries, and she went on to explain that I hadn't missed anything. after donning my waders and belly boat, I kicked out to Lorne and he gave me a lengthy explaination about what he had employed and how all efforts bore no fruit per se "they are just not taking today, Rob". After making appoligies for my tardiness, I tied on an EHC, cast, and dragged out a nice V. Slam !!! My fly was immediatly taken by what proved to be a 14 inch Cutty. As I held the cutty up for Lorne to inspect, I will never forget the shrill-high fillapino voice of Lorne's wife, echoing across the still morning air, "HA HA HA LORNE....YOU SUCK !!!" I don't think I stopped smiling that entire day. I had arrived just in time, and from that moment on we both preceeded to have a stellar day of surface cutthroat action. Good times, ...and I love taking coffee breaks at work with Lorne !

I love when an old friend stops by work and says "Dude, you gotta check out the hilarious discussion about bear safety on FFC" - Tacobreath, Tacofarts, Hawghumpa, hawgbreath...Hilarious - I wanna play too ! kay Grinr - your a buttwad dickbrain ! NOW DO ME, DO ME !!!!

Hey Grndrake I remember that fiasco - not that it makes it any less ridiculous, but it was called the "Voice of fire" and cost 1.8 million (and you have the colours inverted) I only remember it so well because I lived there at the time and a farmer painted and replica on the side of his barn for 40 bucks - hilarious

A couple reasons for the small group are obvious - The biologist has to collect data on every Brookie removed and given that there will be eight of us working from the falls to the lake she is going to be very busy I suspect (I'm an optimist LOL), The creek is rarely fished and as I understand it, the fish are eager to take flies. I suspect all the participants are as eager as I am to demonstrate we can be an effective tool in this capacity, thus, justify future projects using recreational anglers. I was hoping to see more folks from FFC invited but I can also understand Parks wanting to limit the group size and thus the risks, from a large group in the back country. I did ask to invite more BTW. I am really hoping for a successful and safe day, and I hope that possibility leads to more organized events that would be large enough to do an open invitation post here in the future - I felt Uberfly was an ideal choice from FFC to demonstrate both the level of skill and backcountry competency I feel is quite typical for much of the FFC membership (No pressure Peter ) and I would like Parks to see first-hand the potential resources that can be found here on FFC. Including Mountainriverwalker there will be 3 of us from FFC.

Hey Mr. B good luck with the surgery I've a total Hip and knee and both work abolutely amazing - the best advice I could give is be diligent with the pre and post surgery physio excercises - the range of motion you gain in recovery is what you end up having to live with so the pain during that stage pays off huge in the long run. The first couple days after surgery are pretty rough but it gets better quite fast - had mine at P Lougheed and the staff were all excellent. Enjoy the free massages you get at airport security whenever you fly LOL

Were going to Wolf Lake for a week again this year, good times !!!

I used one of those, same wt and length for 2 years and liked it - any intermediate rod will cast with accuracy and resonable distance if you put some time in though - I'd call it a great beginner rod but once you regularly cast a high-end rod it will feel inferior though. I often hand that one to first-timers if I want to focus on getting them into a fish rather perfecting a technique - I find it mates well with the Okuma 5-6 SLV fully agreeing with f-pro's input on getting the balance right, thos skinny little martins and such are too light

It's amazing how many folks buy those green bottles, use them once and then toss em or leave them beside the bins in campgrounds (backcountry folks too, they won't risk running out so they often buy new each outing) - generally the campgrounds here will produce 5 to 10 barrels of these each season, - they do get recycled but all the gas gets wasted of course, so once a year I go to the pile and pull out about 10 half full or better examples that fulfill my needs for the whole season. (that said I still prefer my old MSR whisperlight I have had for 20 years) - on a side note its crazy how many wierd ones show from europe, which leaves me glad I wasn't on that plane LOL ! When your at a campground, ask if they have a pile of them. often they do in a shed hidden away, get some free gas instead of whatever it is they charge for one of those.

No legal retailer should fill an expired tank (10 years plus) - That said, not every attendant will take the time to actually check the certification date, especially when a tank "looks" new. given the potential ddamage that could be done by a tank with a malfuctioning or seized/frozen pressure relief valve I wouldn't bother trying to beat the system - google BLEVE if you have doubts. Old tanks can be inspected and recertified by an LPGAC inspector - when I used to do this, I always replaced the valves so the cost savings are generally minimal, really more practical if you have a huge quantitiy of tanks (the ski hill I worked at had about 40-50 so it was worth while) - generally folks qualified and certified to train filling attendants can also do this. Pokerfish - keep in mind that devices like that will work (same with the adapter/hose you could buy to put propane in a vehicle from a 20lb bottle) but there is a reason why those tanks have to be stored and transported upright. turning the tank upside down can freeze the pressure relief valve. If you are doing this against good advice, then at least make sure you are not using a full tank - with those older style they are easily overfilled (maxed out) and in that state a relatively small increase in ambient temp can raise pressure enough to pop the valve - if the valve is froze obviously that could be an ugly scenario, using a half full tank will at least reduce the risk as the vapour portion does accomodate some expansion.

Just so its said, it's not appropriate to pick up historic artifacts in the national parks Pursuing a matter of personal interest a few years back I attempted to compile a list of abandoned off highway vehicles in the area (you would be shocked to know how many are actually hidden out there, (there is even one in a tree at the bottom of a ravine). After being told I could have one in a particular (a WW2) jeep if I could devise a strategy to remove it (it is 15km off the highway) I asked the archeology department to define at which point does a piece of trash (abandoned vehicle for example) actually become a historic articfact (also citing an old Jimmy Simpson food cache I found in a river bank) - needless to say it provoked an interesting conversation that has no one right answer. One interesting aspect of fishing the parks is that there is much less pressure the odds of finding interesting things is so much higher, most river banks are pretty tough travel near headwaters so not much traffic per se - I know a couple years back I posted about a rough coffin a friend found that had a skeleton in it that likely came from the same camp I mentioned above. Other intesting finds include canvas hand made canoe preserved in muck, a perfectly preserverd trappers cabin still stocked with cans on the shelves, the list goes on - the Parks are fascinating if you can get yourself off the established trails once in a while and explore - just make sure you leave things the way you found em for the next person I wish I could have made your presentation Sean, bet it was an interesting discussion.

Although it sounds like you solved the problem this can happen alot if your switching filters all the time - here's a tip for next time We have a tool that is meant to help folks with arthritis undo jars - it has a band of rubber about 1/2 wide and a handle - one end of the strap is bound in the handle and the other just slips in at whatever size you need - the thing is brilliant and will keep you from scratching or damaging lenses or filter when taking them off. (or damaging delicate lense switches) If you want me to take a pic and post let me know.

I love my nautilus, chose islander as the one I would like to try since Nautilus is not on the list

One of my fav lunch spots on the Kicking horse (Ottertail) is on the remnants of a hand made log retaining wall at an old internment site - most folks never even notice the human evidence at the site. I think it is kind of cool to sit there enjoying one of the most beautiful valley views this country has, and wonder how different the perspect must have been for someone, who for all intents and purposes was a POW sitting in the same place looking at the same view. The idea of catching a fish for "fun" and then releasing that "gourmet meal" back into the river would have seemed so ridiculous and wasteful to those unfortunate souls.

Pretty aggressive melt going on in my backyard (Lake Louise) for the last two weeks - about 25% to 75% river surface exposed depend on it's lie to mid-day sun - more open stretches, such as the castle area are wide open now. I am already seeing ground exposure on south facing slopes, but that said, I also went chest deep trying to access one spring hole on the Bow on Sunday, ...with snowshoes on LOL. In the lower valley around Lake Louise, the volume is there, but not alot of density other than on lower river ice itself, snow seems to be rotting out very fast with this consistant warm weather - Freeze up was very fast this past fall so many lower basins actually flooded over creating some stunningly thick iceburgs left sitting on islands - I snowshoed the lower accessable Pipestone and about 25-50 % of it's surface is exposed as well (quite early) and everthing is flowing well in both the Bow and Pipestone plus other smaller creeks (I've checked Baker, Outlet, Corral, etc etc in the last two weeks and all are running strong) - all in all, it looks pretty typical and generally I would predict good spring fishing ahead for the headwater to Banff. I ran into the Parks Biologist, and she said her data seemed to support my observations, snowpack is really only slightly more than typical in most of this area. Mind you, always potential for more this time of year. I looking forward to getting into my first bully holes either this or next weekend. Not accusing nobody of nothing, but obviously the perpetuation of record snowpack rumours, suits the bottom line of some industries in such a manner that sometimes the "water gets a little muddy" (excuse the pun) when it comes to discussing snow volumes in terms of generalities vs what can be supported by actual data LOL albeit the snowbanks in town look more like the late eighties and early nineties, that does not neccasarily mean we should expect an epic run-off Just my 2 cents on my amateur observations....take it with a grain of salt

Like many others Lynn, I feel like I know you from years of enjoying your posts - sincere sympathies for your loss from our family to yours.

Ha Ha - more like casual observance...

Ditto on the TFO's - I keep a couple for loaners and beginners - great rods for the $

I'd love to have a 22/410 over-under - they seem more rare and expensive these days - I had one I bought second hand when I was young, but sadly sold it in the eighties. perfect grouser, and always rabbit ready... I still have, and use occaisonally, my dads .22 savage that was issued to him when he was an army cadet (back when you got to take your rifle home after cadet camp) Coincidentally I just chopped a bunch of siezed AK-47's and some Israeli tactical SA's into pieces for the RCMP detachment up here (Supervised by a member of course, so there was no sneaking one home LOL) - that was kinda fun, and heartbreaking, just cause they were cool rifles to handle, and destroy