scel

Forgot my waders today. On the drive home into the setting sun, I realized that I had also forgotten my sunglasses. Sometimes, I wonder how I reached adulthood.

Your point about policing is the most important, but simultaneously the most irrelevant. We have to both rely on ourselves and allow ourselves to be influenced about by the opinions of the community. There is a fly fishing community. There are groups and messageboards. It is through discussion that we begin to understand. From my professional life, in community health education, there is a tipping point. Once a certain percentage of people know and understand the consequences of their actions, opinions begin to change. This an extreme comparison, but one that is personally sensitive. My mother died of smoking related lung cancer. Do you notice how quickly the movement to non-smoking public spaces happened? This movement was not on a national or even provincial level. This movement was far more grassroots, initiated by towns and cities. Many people took it as an affront to their personal freedoms. But now, only 10 years later, people accept and understand this policy. I know that I am affected by the community. I just debarbed my size 16 and smaller flies. Everyone knows that I do not have to, but after (literally) years of discussion, I decided it was the right thing to do. I think fishing reports and good picture posts generate excitement and passion for the sport. I think that tipping point might exist for the angling community where people are not only excited about the fly fishing, but also excited and passionate about the conservation and stewardship. Thanks for the discussion. It has helped me sort my opinions.

I have been thinking about this for a while, so I have a lot to say about it... I am kind of torn on river/angling reports. I would like to know what you think of them. When is it OK to write a report? When should someone just keep their mouth shut and appreciate the resource? On one hand, when I was learning (always something to learn...but you know what I mean), river reports were invaluable. I understand that ‘making it easy’ takes away something special from fly fishing. But in my 10 years in advanced adult education, I also know that ‘fighting to learn’ can be destructive. Putting a steep learning curve on anything promotes elitism. Fine. I admit it. I believe fly fishing is better, simply because there is so much to learn. I love learning. I am totally OK with self-directed learning and exploration. But for some things, I still needed a push to increase my enjoyment and appreciation. I did not have a mentor, or even a friend to fishing with me---river reports did this for me, gave me that push. I post river reports when I fish the Bow every 7th or 8th time I go. I still read the river reports all the time, so I think that it is important to occasionally contribute. This Bow river runs through the middle of a city of a million people. Concrete trout line the walls of one our busiest freeways. All in all, there are not many ‘secrets’. There are still places that harbour a higher amount of fish, but everyone seems to understand that you have to earn this knowledge. While there are certainly troubles and inconsistencies (ahem...dam(n) management), I feel the Bow represents a relatively stable ecosystem. I feel the fish are hardy, robust, and, at least compared to east-slope streams, can handle the inevitable mistakes of novice anglers. The Bow is also an environment where the experienced and newly-eager can mingle. The B ow is not an easy river to learn, even if someone tells you exactly what to do. I know people often come to messageboards for quick information. The brutal truth is there is no quick way to learn how to learn how to fish the Bow. For example, even with a precise river report like, “size 18 BWO on typical baetis weather---you will average double digits. Just fish the seams 50m upstream of the trainbridge”. Besides the hordes of people snapping it by the train bridge, fishing teeny BWO takes a lot of practice and finesse. At least people have an outlet to learn. And the girl/guy who finally ‘gets it’, will move a long distance from the trainbridge. All in all the Bow river is a good place to learn about fly fishing. Hopefully, people take the skills they have learned here, and treat those special out-of-the way places with a little more respect and reverence. And that respect is often shared through the Bow River Reports thread. I fished Crawling Valley Reservoir a couple of nights ago. It was on the water for about 6 hours. It took me 3 hours to find my first fish. There are times when the bite is off, but this did not ‘feel’ like one of those times. It was sunny with blustery conditions. I was on the windswept side of the lake. These are usually good pike conditions. I found a cell signal and found a depth map for the Crawling Valley. I heard had great structure, but I had no idea how varied and diverse the lake structure is. It is much more like a Canadian Shield lake than your typical Albertan pothole. I put on a heavier sink tip and retargeted my approach. I caught my first pike, cross referenced depth and weed growth with overall visible structure. And then I started catching many pike. And when the sun started going down, I started catching walleye (a couple over 20”) and bigger pike (this is a good sign, because the biggest pike will follow walleye feeding patterns). Overall, my success took a culmination of all my experience. I had earn my learning. I never encountered anyone else all day. It was almost a perfect day fly fishing. I couldn’t wait to write a report. And then I got home. My Smeagol turned all Gollum. It was my precious lake. I learned the secrets. It was mine. I did not want to share it... But then I stopped to think about it. CVR is potentially one of those reasonable areas where the structure and lake size make it just difficult enough to fish, but also gives lots of opportunities. With the regulations being catch and release for all pike and walleye, it will potentiate the good breeders (and good food sources to make big fish) will stay alive to build a healthy fishery. With increased pressure and environmental sensitivity on the east-slope streams, pike and walleye fishing are slightly more insulated. Congratulations if you made it this far... My feeling is post the occasional report on any major river: Bow, North Saskatchewan, Lower Oldman, Lower Red Deer (below Dickson). Leave tributaries and small streams out of it. Post reports on stillwater stocked/catch and release fisheries, but leave the sensitive ones out (like high alpine lakes) or notably recovering native populations.

I am still figuring this out. I find early (Mother's Day) are black/dark. Otherwise, there seems a few different species for the rest of the year.

First of all, I am sorry. I know---once you spend your time, you can never get it back... Those crazy Swedes and KanalGratisdotSE. There is the . is a fishing competition where the fly people put their skills against the gear---although, I do not think they fully understand what 'jerk' means. is mostly hosted by Niklaus Bauer, but is a cross section of fly fishing in Northern Europe. There is also TieTV and hot chicks catching perch. The full channel... https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwTrHPEglCkDz54iSg9ss9Q The New Fly Fisher is apparently not so new. It seems like it was once a TV program. I have not had cable television since 1992. On one hand, I know it is essentially a giant Orvis commercial and outfitter promotion, but I do not care. I have picked up tons of good tips for pike and bass on the fly. Tom Rosenbauer makes an occasional host appearance. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk2DJldSE7hhQTU8rjNHeYw

My experience is that a 7wt is a little undersized for pike, but still doable. I would say the ideal rod is a 9 or 10wt. It is like fishing for a Bow River trout with a 4wt. Without serious chuck-n-duck, you will not be able to throw the big fish streamers. Fortunately, we all know small patterns still catch big fish. Fishing spring (slightly smaller) patterns on a floating line (3-5" streamers), you will be fine. If you want to start fishing for fall pike, with bigger silhouetted flies on a sink tip, you will find the 7wt tiresome.

There is an incredible wealth of information in the archives. I do not think anyone will slight you for using the 'search' function. For dries, I will use either 9' 4x mono to 45cm 5x fluoro tippet (for size 16 or smaller flies) or 9' 4x mono to 45cm 4x fluoro (for anything else). In both cases, I grease the mono, and I leave the tippet untouched. Something I have found to have a positive effect is using a Turle Knot if your fly hook has either an upward or downward eye. When tied properly, the Turle Knot line always comes straight out the eye of the hook. A clinch has a noose effect, and if the knot becomes shifted in the eye, it can drive your tippet into (or out of) the water.

Cool. Thanks, peeps.

What do you do for line management when fishing streamers? I seem have issues when fishing from a standing position in a boat. In a kayak/canoe, I clear out absolutely everything from my feet. Even still I spend 15% of my fishing efforts in line management, clearing up line and untangling. It is about the same level of efficacy as a stripping apron on my pontoon, so I am willing to live with this. Standing in a boat, even if everything is clear, I still tangle around me feet. I would hazard only ever 3rd cast is tangle free. The only pseudo effective deterrent is being barefoot, so I can feel the line around my feet, but this is just a stop gap and only works in really warm weather with a clean boat. It is not very comfortable to stand for hours barefoot. Stripping the line directly into the water only works with a floating line, but there is risk of far more serious motor tangle. When fishing the streamer slowly, it is easier to manage line, but when quickly fishing 25-40cm strips, it is hard to keep control. Stripping baskets seem like the obvious solution, but they seem kind of hard to find out here---I have looked in a couple of online-stores (I have not yet pounded the pavement to get into all the fly shops). I would not know what to look for in a stripping basket. The seem to like the hard-plastic Go Daddy. As much as I love getting new gear to solve (my very first-world) fishing problems. Maybe there is a simpler solution.

Oh goodness. I got all the feels. I never had a chance to go fishing with my father, let alone my grandfather. That is something very special, Murray. I am glad you appreciate it.

The windows 10 upgrade is free until 19 July (or something like that). When you do the upgrade, simply unplug all the stuff. Just keep the mouse, monitor, internet, keyboard, and sound. Do the upgrade. Download and install any updates. Start plugging in peripherals 1 by 1---wait for windows to detect the item and install drivers/software. You will know if something glitches I understand the frustration with MS, but when you consider the incredible diversity of hardware Windows operates with, it is pretty impressive.

Linux has been my primary OS for almost 20 years. I have kept a windows partition for games and those niggly work-related MS Office tasks. I upgraded to Windows 10. Once I disabled all the usage 'improvements', I have found it every bit as useful and stable as win7. In addition, I think it looks a little crisper and cleaner. I was very reluctant to upgrade, but I find it at least as good as Win7. With the the native support for Ubuntu BASH shell, I am finding it very familiar. OP if you have standard hardware and very few peripherals, I would recommend the upgrade. The more 'stuff' (scanners, printers, USB hubs, external sound cards, etc), the more likely you will have a bad experience.

I have been turned down twice. Most graduate students have to teach to earn extra cash (the whole TA thing). I was well-paid. I actually met with a counsellor at the UofC regarding their adult education courses and their direct validity to teach college/University---they flat out told me this was not the intention of their course work. You have inspired me. I am going to look at this again. Thanks.

Thanks, Mike, for the thoughtful reply. This is a good deal to think about.

Nominally, Electrical and Computer Engineering. My specialities are lasers and biomedical optics.

So, I am in a bit of mid-life crisis. I have an undergraduate degree in physics and a graduate degree in engineering. I have been fairly lucky so far to find gainful employment. Though, this past year has been rough. To make ends meet, I sharply honed my cooking skills to keep my wife as happy as possible and taken up tutoring math and physics. Over the last 6 months, I have begun to realize how much I enjoy teaching. I have begun seriously pondering going back to school to take an education after degree. Through what would have been good circumstances, I have limited teaching experience at the post-secondary level. There seems to be a need for high school and college math and physics teachers. I have a couple friends who are teachers. Their opinions are somewhat variable on the pros and cons. And despite the summer vacations, they definitely work longer than average days. For a labour of love, this is OK. So teachers...how do you feel about your jobs? The good? The bad?

Some of the best advice that I ever received was randomly delivered as I was cursing the wind: "If you want to enjoy fly fishing in Alberta, learn to enjoy the wind." I want to believe he was right. Also, saltwater fishing is heaven on earth.

My dog and I have been on several training runs this week. I get all dressed up, but I do not do much fishing. I have a 1 year old Border Collie(BC)/Australian Cattle Dog(ACD) mix. For the most part, my dog is amazing. He does not bark (unless it is night time and the furnace starts...sigh). He listens well. He has mastered all the basic obedience. My wife works directly with the dog no less than 7 hours per week with obedience. My wife also takes him bird watching, so he is learning to stay close and non-disruptive. Being a BC (and basically still a puppy) means he has oodles of energy to burn. For the last few nights, I have given him a carte-blanche to see what his natural behaviors are. For the most part, he is naturally inclined to stay close---to a fault. Wading seems to somewhat confuse him. Now, everyone has their ideologies, but research has shown, regardless of being a human or dog, it is critical to reward positive behaviors. My dog is really play focused. So the first time we went, after 10 minutes of good behavior, we would interact and play for 5 minutes. The next time, after 15 minutes, we played. When we are moving spots, we play a little. But tonight, something new happened. I caught a fairly nice brown. As soon as the fish jumped, my dog jumped into the river and was barreling downstream after it. This resulted in a stern scolding. But I think it will take a few more scoldings---he was pretty amped with what he had done. I would make sure his prey drive is under control. Chasing deer/geese/wildlife should always be taken very seriously. As far as the water fascination, I find it best to get to the river and give him the first 20 minutes of go-time. After that, he is not permitted in the water unless I say it is OK. This might not be the best action, but it seems to be working. A water dog like a Lab will probably never be able to break the fascination. It is pretty fun to have him around. I hope to get around with more fishing.

Cool. The one at the cabin in Saskatchewan is a 14' aluminium Grumman. I was really surpised how easily I could get around in it. It is a little heavy. I can carry it alone, but only for a hundred or so metres. I would be solo and I would be using it primarily for stillwater fishing. I have a Subaru Outback. I guess I would just want something stable that I could get onto my car by my own power. By the looks of it a $1400 new Clipper canoe would reasonably sell for $800 second-hand. Do you agree?

Over the last summer, I had a good chance to use a pontoon, kayak, and canoe. The kayak is my favourite. It is fast and effortless to move around still water. I am willing to wait until I have enough money to buy the new fishing kayak I want (or if the exact model comes up second-hand). The pontoon is great for rivers and very small bodies of water, but it sucks to row any more than a few hundred metres. The canoe is a simple compromise. It is relatively light, requires no set up, and has a great payload. It is not as fast a kayak, but it is a crap ton faster than a pontoon to paddle around stillwater. I am looking for something that I can paddle for a couple of kilometres, holds a days worth of gear, and is stable enough to cast from. I was surprised how few canoes were on Kijiji, and it felt like they were overly expensive. I do not need a $1500 cedarstrip canoe. Some dude on kijiji was selling a fishing canoe that leaks for $350. I dunno...a leaky canoe seems...broken. I used a 1973 14' aluminum canoe all summer. It was noisy and heavy as heck, but it was great. I know canoes stand the test of time. It was no fishing canoe. It was certainly stable and comfortable enough for a whole day on the water. I know there are a few paddling enthusiasts on the forum. What should I look for and what is a good price for simple, used canoe?

It seems like they are following the snow-pack data, which is 3-5 weeks ahead of normal. http://www.environment.alberta.ca/apps/basins/Map.aspx?Basin=8&DataType=4 I would hope the collective group of engineers/scientists could understand their decisions last year were poor. However, they were conditions that bred a group of honorary steelhead. Maybe shutting down the Bow to angling for August is a good thing.

A benevolent messageboard spirit like flyfishy does work in mysterious (and confusing) ways.

6pm!!! That is not night fishing. You will have 3.5 hours of potentially the best fishing of the day. Bring a collection of size 16&18 Blue Wing Olive dry flies and emergers and hope the wind is low.

You will have the moon on your side this week. It is fun to fish for risers with a full moon. You cannot really see your fly. You have to track your line and listen for the rise. Otherwise, I would go for a streamer of some sort---something where you fish by feel. Even with the full moon, it is hard to see an indicator.

Yeah, I believe you. I have heard that too. My CO was a young guy---he really stressed the signature---I had my WIN card with me so he could verify that I had a license. Times are changing; there is likely a myriad of opinions and inconsistencies. That is why it is best to carry a hardcopy.