skearns

LOL...I actually watched that episode on Discovery last week. The baitfish was about a foot long and he used a strike indicator...somewhat uneccessary I would think...sk

Mine lay nicely up on the rafters in the garage beside the skiis....it also helps if you are 6'4" or taller....sk

For me it is usually quality over quantity...but when i do want to keep track of the quantity it goes like this...number of hits, number of those hits that are hooked and then the number of those hooked that are landed...of course it can be like counting drinks...after a certain number the memory plays tricks...lol...sk

We are on our second lab now and she can be a struggle for me to manage when fly fishing. Our first Lab actually helped herself to another fishermans lunch once while we (he and I) were both in the water. Now my second lab is somewhat more manageable but I spend some time trying to shoo her back to shore so as not to swim thru the run. And then when she is on shore I spend too much time keeping an eye on her and consequently have been late on reacting to hits. Especially when fishing in the city near the bike path, she stays at home. The other hazard I find is when I am resting she can't see the line and therefore you have to be very careful when changing flies or line. When fishing outside the city in a secluded area she does come and i know what it means to her to get out and run and explore. Just three more months to pheasant season...sk

There are several spots a few hours from Calgary west of Sundre that we have ridden to. In particular Dormer and Eagle lakes near the Ya-Ha-Tinda Ranch are in great trail ride country. Eagle lake has some monster brook trout, it is about a 4 km ride or hike but can be difficult to fish from shore so a boat ( belly, inflatable raft etc) of some sort would be beneficial. You can also check the streams and rivers in that area including the upper reaches of the Red Deer river as well as the Panther river....usually don't publish names but these should be far enough and high enough to keep the lazy hords away...enjoy...sk

As indicated bought mine last year at Army Navy(top floor SW corner)...queen size 6 inch was around $110? and 4 inch $75?....round numbers as usual, It seems we spend the first third of our lives learning everything we need to know to survive , the middle third living hard and trying to instill what we know in the younguns, and then the last third when we really need the know how, we can't remember what we knew and hope the hell we taught the kids well so they know how to take of us before it is their turn in the barrel...oh well plenty of time to be dull when you're dead...as you were...sk

At least add a no over/back rule like basketball...but I like Terry's plan...alas while I can see the river from my office can't get on it today. But at least our company condones limited soccer viewing via live streaming. Just imagine should Canada ever qualify again, let a alone score a GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!

I don't watching it once every 48 months....As Coach Mike Ditka is quoted as saying "If God wanted us to play soccer he wouldn't have given us arms."

I just utilized the montana shipping outlet for the first time last week and it was great. Ordered $180 worth of golf equiment, was quoted $100 all in to get it to Calgary. Instead, for $6 usps it to Montana Shipping outlet in Eureka, $3 holding fee there ( leave it there for as long as you need). Then a Calgary buddy with a cabin at Libby picked it up for me on his way thru last week. He got a bottle for his trouble, almost asked him to get it at duty free as well...lol....sk

Rick, my brother and a few friends have had similar work done on their knees. If I remember correctly the Doctor's name was Penner(sp), and after consult appointment in Calgary the surgery was performed in Didsbury and in another case Banff. Total time line was less than a year...hope this helps....sk

Electricity and water= positive pain DON CHERRY of 'Hockey Night' in Canada , was asked on a local live radio talk show, just what he thought about the allegations of torture of suspected terrorists. His reply prompted his ejection from the studio, but to thunderous applause from the audience. HIS STATEMENT: "If hooking up one rag-head terrorist prisoner's testicles to a car battery to get the truth out of the lying little camel-shagger will save just one Canadian life, then I have only three things to say: 1. Red is positive. 2. Black is negative. 3. Make sure his nuts are wet!"

made it downtown without much hassle, but just cancelled my first tee time of the year at Glen Eagles tomorrow, don't want to waste a day off so now thinking of checking out some of the streams north of Cochrane but depending on when this storm dies that may be foolish as well...sk

Bella Coola B.C.....salmon, steelhead, skiing...had a chance to purchase 15 acres with a small house on the river 15 years ago for 25K...passed...and now here I sit in a DT Cowtown office tower watching the river flow....sigh

As an aside on the license issues, I was checked this past Februrary while out ice fishing. I handed the chatty CO my license, he looked at it and said it was fine if I was fishing last year. I had mistakenly grabbed the wrong license out of my vest on the way out the door. He said no problem, whipped out his cellphone, called the gov. helpdesk and asked them to run my win number which he got off the expired license. They replied back that I had indeed purchased a valid 2009/2010 license. He then wrote a notation on the old license that it was good for that day only and went on his merry way. That kind of customer service goes a long way with me....now to remember to destroy the old licenses. And I am liking the idea of multiple copies...

Watching that vid is the best way to spend a Monday morning coffee break...thanks Liam awesome pics, great soundtrack...some day some day...sk

And just to show my maturity level check out this classic http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060921/

Thought I would quickly share a couple of my fishing experiences from the last few months...seems pretty weird but then weird things seem to happen to me from time to time.. In mid-january I went to a small pothole pond looking to ice fish for some rainbows. Another gentlemen arrived at the same time, after introducing myself I found out his name was Mikhail and he was from Russia, been in Calgary for 2 years. We fished together that day and got out a couple of more times together and he is now interested in learning to fly fish. Fast forward to this past Sunday morning. I arrived at one of my go to inner city holes around 9 am only to find another angler riggin up right there. After a quick wave hello I proceeded downstreams a ways and got in the river. After limited succes, I was warming on the side with my thermos when the other fisherman waved me over. He then offered to kindly share the run. It was at that time that I inquired about his accent and yes he was from Russia, his name was Sergei and he had been in Calgary 4 years. We fished together for the next few hours, mostly whitefish for me but he caught and slowly landed one of the largested Bow River Browns I have seen, easily 24" or better. We were both nymphing, with me trying to master the highsticking method. Not sure why the Russians are targetting me but both new friends were gentlemen and very interesting to talk with in regards to our sport and their home country. Now if I can just parlay these relationships into a Kamchatka trip.... Nice to meet you comrades....sk

Never needed a key or seen a gate at the public Policeman's boat launch. Have a good look at the landing when dropping your vehicle. It is a little hidden from the river view and you don't want to miss it. I usually look for the three steel fence posts right at the landing entrance when floating in my 'toon...enjoy, should be nice lengthy float....sk

A man and his wife were woken at 3:00 am by a loud pounding on the door. The man gets up and goes to the door where a drunken stranger, standing in the pouring rain, is asking for a push. "Not a chance," says the husband, "it is 3:00 in the morning!" He slams the door and returns to bed. "Who was that?" asked his wife.. "Just some drunk guy asking for a push," he answers. "Did you help him?" she asks. "No, I did not, it is 3:00 in the morning and it is pouring rain out there!" "Well, you have a short memory," says his wife. "Can't you remember about three months ago when we broke down, and those two guys helped us? I think you should help him, and you should be ashamed of yourself!" The man does as he is told, gets dressed, and goes out into the pounding rain. He calls out into the dark, "Hello, are you still there?" "Yes," comes back the answer. "Do you still need a push?" calls out the husband. "Yes, please!" comes the reply from the dark. "Where are you?" asks the husband. "Over here on the swing," replied the drunk.

Ahh yes the Stanley Cup years in the 'chuck...seems just like....25 years ago.. Calgary Flames Team Canada contribution...only the sweetest gold medal pass ... Edmonton Oilers...not so much...

Point taken Rick but remember the pros ( NHL, NBA, Tennis) have only been participating in the Oly's for the past few Olympiads ( NHL started in Nagano in '98 I think). Prior to that the NHL sched rolled on with nary a bump during the Olympics. This is a never-ending conundrum...While we think most of the sports are played by amatuers in fact they are now paying prize money for World Cup ski/snowboard races albeit pittance compared to the real pros. Remember the '88 Canadian Olympic men's hockey team, a few lower level pros and assorted university players that got together a couple of months prior to the games and then unfortunately tried to compete on an uneven playing field with the Communist Bloc which were paying their players to train together all year. However on the other side are the Olympics not about being crowned the best participant in the entire world in a particular sport on a specific day?. And in the case of the high profile sports then the current pros are the best at their craft and should they then not be offered the opportunity to prove it? How about two different sets of Olympics...one set for those athletes making say under $250,000 per year at their sport, and another for those over that amount, no doping checks required, just show your T4 at the door.... Wait till Tiger shows up in Rio in 2016...lol...

ok, don't forget the refs were North American ( NHL I believe), it could have been a lot worse. Now for a fresh breath let's think about 4 years from now. Heard an interview with Cam Neely last night ( VP Bruins). Bettman has stated that he doubts the NHL players will be allowed to particpate in Sochi as the owners are risking too much for little gain...no building revenue for two weeks when there is no football or baseball south of the 49th, no revenue from all the jersey sales caused by what their employees are wearing, and possible injuries that may have an adverse affect on their teams playoff survival. Using the usual Bettman logic, he suggested that perhaps ICE hockey be moved to the summer games...remember the Canada Cups in August?...now I would think that is a little absurd, but I do remember seeing an outdoor rink at the Tower of London last time I was there...lol. There has also been talk of restricting the Olympic tourney to under 23 like soccer, however this would penalize teams with young stars such as Stamkos and teams without young stars ( Flames?) would benefit. I am now liking another suggestion whereby every fourth year we move the world junior tourney into the Olympics...same passion and a better chance for us to win methinks... As for the Germans tonight, remember they couldn't win on the road in WW2....sk

General Oly thoughts and observations: - the CTV consortium is wide spread and offers plenty of viewing ( even watched a hockey game with an aboriginal dialect play by play) but mixing the talking heads from TSN, Sportsnet and Brian Williams and Lloyd has made for some interesting moments...did you see Darren Dutyschyn cut in to the Bilodeau family interview with the Champagne?..Hilarious..Williams was stunned as DD poured the bubbly to give to Fredric Bilodeau ( first taste of alcohol), the sister ( possibly underage but she threw it back like a shooter pro) and then forgot a glass for Brian Williams - I have been to a lot of downhill races but have never seen as many spectacular crashes as yesterday in the women's race..and even more impressive is that the swede Anja Paerson got up and raced today after she flew and landed like eddie the eagle - can you imagine spending upwards of $100 or more for a ticket to an 18-0 women's hockey game? Should be like curling...shake hands when you have had enough of a beating.. - what is with all the VANOC glitches...was 7 years not enough time to think and test all this stuff thru? The weather cannot be helped ( remember the delays in '88?). But three ice cleaning machines and none of them work right?... -BIG BIG hockey game on Sunday

I bought my first pair of prescritpion MJ's last year, great glasses for everything, somehow misplaced them ( I convinced myself they were stolen), now wearing a cheaper prescript sunglasses until my wife cools off. I too have been contemplating surgery but as Rick points out they can't fix both so you are either putting glasses on to see far ( current state) or putting glasses on to read ( post surgery state), either way maturity is a bitch... And I have been to a few Jimmy Buffet shows ( Toronto and Dallas), they are like the best house party you have ever been at x 10...wasted away again...sk ( don't remember seeing Gary Busey at either show)

Ok, for those not of an advanced age to remember number 4...here are a couple of quick facts...As a defenceman Robert Orr won the following...Calder Memorial Trophy (1967) NHL First All-Star Team (1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975) James Norris Trophy (1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974,1975) NHL Plus/Minus Leader (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975) Art Ross Trophy (1970, 1975) Hart Trophy (1970, 1971, 1972) Conn Smythe Trophy (1970, 1972) Lester B. Pearson Award (1975) Canada Cup All-Star Team (1976) Canada Cup MVP (1976) In 1971, one of the six years he won the plus/minus, he was + 124....current NHL leader is a certain fun loving Russian who is +28 Defence rests....