scel

I got a ticket for not having my license. I had a copy on my phone, but it was not signed. The F&W officer said it would have been OK if I had signed it. It is still safest to keep a hard copy.

There is a point of no-return with ART/massage in treating tendinitis-like injuries. If the inflammation is too high, ART will only serve as a further irritant. It sucks that you had to find out you were beyond the point of no-return the hard way.

I am fortunate enough not have tennis elbow, yet. I have experienced a fair number of repetitive strain injuries---bursitis, Achilles tendinitis, forearm tendinitis, and carpal tunnel. Over 6 years of competitive track and field, I saw many physiotherapists. Once you get a repetitive strain injury, you are more likely to experience it again. Warming up your muscles adequately will prevent re-injury. Occasional breaks to rest/cool/ice the risk area will also help. At the first twinge of pain, you should stop the activity, go home, ice the area in for 20 minutes every 2 hours for 8 hours. However, if you are on the 4th hour of an 8 hour guided trip on the flats and there are tailing bonefish everywhere, aspirin or ibuprofen (or another NSAID) will get you through the day, then ice the area as quickly as possible. In addition to pain management, NSAIDs and aspirin (anti-inflammatory drugs) will help in short term, aiding recovery when used in combination with icing and stretching, but in the long-term, drugs will just mask any residual pain instead of helping you heal. Physio is probably the best resolution to the problem because it will actively seek find the source of the injury. Sometimes injuries occur because the balancing muscle is weak or there is compensation for another injury. Deep muscle massage or Active Release Therapy directly targeting the inflamed area by stimulating blood flow. Both have been shown to work. But severe cases will require steroid injections to reduce the inflammation. SOURCE: biomedical engineer/researcher. Dated a physiotherapist for 4 years. I still occasionally get achilles tendinitis.

My slump was busted today as well!!! First, I caught a 25cm whitefish. I was certain I had hooked a nice mid-sized brown. Whitefish do not get enough respect. They can fight like demons. But in regards to ending the worst slump I have yet endured on the Bow River, 25cm whitefish, you da real mvp. I then caught a fat 48-47 cm rainbow hen. She jumped 3 times and she was heavy, but MVP whitefish gave a far more dedicated fight. My 2 points of evidence agress with SeanD---at least waist deep, slower, but just fast enough to have some character. These lies can be difficult to access on foot.

I can commiserate. I am on a 5 time skunking---the worst I've ever experienced. I know the fish will start moving into more 'trouty' water starting now until the first week of April when all the breeders start moving.

LOL. A pesco-political joke.

Dammit, Taco. Now I have to add another item to my bucket list. It just makes sense that Alaska would have some amazing fishing.

I do not think you understand how this process works. First of all, the optometrist has virtually no interaction with the people who make the glasses. They analyze your sight, and recommend a prescription. The optician has sample glasses on the shelves---Lenscrafters or whatever. The customer finds the glasses they like. The optician then takes the measurements where the customer's eyes sits in the glasses both horizontally and vertically (some people like myself have eyes that are closer together than other people). The optician sends this information along with the optometrist's prescription and frame choice to the manufacturer, like Oakley, Smith, or Maui Jim. Oakley (for example) then custom manufactures the lenses that fit into the chosen frames and sends them back to the seller (like Lenscrafters). The better sunglasses manufacturers build frames that are meant to be worn while being active and the manufacturer accounts for wrapping and curvature. There is a definite advantage to buying purpose-made prescription sunglasses.

Another +1 for Knifewear. They are a little pricey, but they are the best that I have encountered.

What is your budget? I had a zen experience this past summer fly fishing for pike in northern Saskatchewan. I had one epic day of 30+ fish, of which 4 were over the 15lb mark. I did this all on my own---it took me about 7 days fishing on my own to figure out which patterns worked, where the fish were holding, and retrieve rates. With a guide or a little local knowledge, I think it would be easy to have a week of absolutely epic fishing. As an aside, for most of the lakes where big pike hold, there is a super healthy population of walleye that can be ethically harvested. Super delicious. A light weight spinning set up with a couple rapala and/or jigs will allow a double dip. In the spring, I caught equal amounts of walleye and pike on the fly. In the fall, I only caught pike on the fly, but on average, most of the pike were much, much bigger. As well, I know it is really close to home, but Northern Saskatchewan is stunningly beautiful. it is such a stark contrast to the grasslands south of Saskatoon. Canoeing around the lake, I encountered lots of wildlife. Curious otters would follow me around. Ospreys and eagles live healthy lives on the bountiful fish. Thankfully, the bears are not very curious but seem to have a penchant for gas cans and oil containers.

I have Oakley Flack Jackets with polarized amber lenses. They are absolutely awesome. What I like most about Oakley is the comfort and stability during activity. It drives me bonkers when I spin to look at something and my glasses move.

Use Flickr or Imgur. I use Imgur. There are iOS and Android apps that make it super simple.

We recently got a Border Collie(dad)/Australian Cattle Dog(mom). I guess it is called a border heeler. Whatever it is, it is a full-on working dog from working lines. People warned me about the time requirements. I understood, but I did not really *get* it. My wife has had several herding dogs. It was my first dog. We opted for a puppy because of our cats. He is now 6 months old. The dog is incredibly smart and willing to please with a seemingly unending font of energy. He still attempts to herd my cats. He has not yet had the existential crisis that he is trying to herd that which cannot be herded. Unless you are interested in amping up your fitness, I would not recommend a dog like mine. It takes a 4 km run around the neighborhood, a minimum of 30 minutes fetch/frisbee (at least an hour of dedicated exercise), and 30 minutes of training/obedience. That is a total of 1h30 of time that we need to allot to the dog every day and I suspect that it will likely increase (obedience requirements will fall, but exercise will increase). A month ago, it was 2 km and 20 minutes of frisbee. I am not really complaining---since moving to a 4 km run, I have lost 10lbs and I am noticeably healthier. I can deny him his exercise for a single day. By the second day, the destruction begins, starting with the relentless harassment of the cats and assorted 'home renovation' projects (he likes ripping the carpet off the stairs). I cannot fault him for this destructive behavior---it emerges because of my laziness and I deserve it. My dog is awesome and he helps me be a better person. Our vet is a professor at the U of C. He is a specialist vet at the CARE centre. He works 2 days a week at a local clinic. I had an extensive discussion with him on this topic. He was involved in a long-term study. Apparently, there is no substantial evidence a raw diet is better than a high quality dog food (like Acana, Go!, Orijen, EVO). There is evidence that a raw diet can result in malnutrition, especially in younger, growing dogs. But it would be foolish to deny the anecdotal testimony of dog owners and raw food---my wife's parents are included in this group. It seems raw diet owners have only good things to say about their choices. My vet likened the argument of raw vs prepared dog food as the equivalent of organic vs conventional produce. Based on pure nutrition, there is little evidence there is any significant difference but people tend to *feel* better about organic food. So, we have gone with a combo. We feed our puppy a nutrition-balanced wet food and kibble (Acana and Go!) and some raw food. My dog is picky. Yes, a picky dog. I did not even know they existed. He will not eat the same food 3 days in a row---variety seems to help. His top 3 favorite foods are: lip balm, shoe laces (the shoe is untouched), and anything the cats are eating. EDIT: Oh, and cat poop. He loves eating cat poop. Humans have 5 million smell receptors; dogs have 225-300 million smell receptors. The simple human palate simply cannot process the depth, intricacy, and sophistication of feline feces. Dogs are kinda gross.

Your grandchildren are already saddled with a very difficult future. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-drops-out-of-top-10-most-developed-countries-list-1.1357269 Even if your grandchildren are university educated, they are less likely to get a well-paying job (or heck, even a bad job) in the present economic climate. We are falling out of global favour because of antiquated social policies and completely devoid of any environmental initiatives. I have international work colleagues. They make fun of how Canada has fallen. Now, lets couple this with the fact that your grandchildren (and me too) will have to work longer and harder than any generation before us. The only thing that scares me if things stay the same. A balanced budget should be the least of your grandchildren's concerns.

I have been trying to understand this: http://www.environment.alberta.ca/apps/basins/DisplayData.aspx?Type=Figure&BasinID=8&DataType=1&StationID=RBOWCALG Can anyone give some insight?

Not at all. I appreciate the honesty---it is the only way to make good decisions. I also go fishing to get away and a bad dogs/nasty people put a damper in my day.

My dog is a genius. Border Collie/Australian Cattle Dog mix. My wife and I went to puppy class. As it turns out, our dog has almost no need of puppy class, but we, as owners, learned a great deal. Our dog can do sit, stay, come, get in (heel). He can navigate pylons on-leash like a pro. We learned something critical, 'Running at Large' is something is usually defined in a set of bylaws. While being off-leash in Mountain View County may be legal, it is not always legal everywhere. In the UK, for example, it is explicitly stated that a leash is not required for your dog, if the dog is under control. When I visited Munich, Germany, almost nobody used a leash. Leashes were for puppies and bad dogs. In the US, however, most dogs have to be on a leash while not in a space explicitly controlled by the owner or in off-leash areas. City of Calgary bylaws require the dog to be on a leash within city limits, except in designated off-leash areas. So here is what I have learned from this thread: Leashed or unleashed, fellow anglers want to interact with a dog on the river on their terms. This is completely fair. People do not go fly fishing to meet dogs. A dog should be completely irrelevant to their day. The only interaction a fellow angler should have with my dog is the notification of their approach, at which point the dog needs to shut up, sit, and wait. If the angler is a 'dog-person', they will still want to meet a well-mannered dog. Train, train, train Sure, my dog can sit, stay, heel, etc. But it will be a long and worthwhile commitment to make him a truly trustworthy fishing companion. Understand the laws and obligations The laws are not consistent. Even if something is legal, it is not necessarily acceptable. The onus is on the handler to adapt to different situations. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

This is awesome advice. Thank you.

Wow, this became quite the discussion. Here is a funny. Take note though, Ze Frank equivocates 'gremlins' to 'men with hats and beards'. How many of you have beards/moustaches and travel the river with a hat on? I have encountered many ill-mannered dogs on the river too but most of my bad encounters have been as a cyclist (for over 15 years, I rode more than 150km/week). Every time I encounter a dog on the river (or on my bike), I just take off my hat/helmet and lift my sunglasses. It completely disarms 80% of the dogs, downgrades 15% dogs from aggressive/defensive to cautious (these dogs are likely loved but were probably not properly socialized), but 5% of dogs are just bad. So 1-in-20 dogs is a complete ass-hat. That means that I tend to encounter more dogs I like than people I like. So, I give them all the benefit of the doubt. Even though I have encountered bad dogs, I have not had a bad encounter. I worked directly with dogs for 15 years before owning one. Dogs are incredibly sensitive and they can feel your mood but cannot hear your thoughts. While there are no excuses for a poorly trained and soclialized dog, especially if the dog is off-leash, if your thoughts are 'will have to mace this ass-hat dog?', I would not be surprised if every dog encountered would be, at least, defensive.

It is really embarrassing and disappointing to read this.

I took the dog to the river today for an off-leash romp. As you can imagine, he was frickin' stoked. He scaled riprap like a pro. Trundled through the single track. The only bad thing that happened was chasing a cyclist. It was weird though, I know there was not a bike path for many kilometres. Anyway, we will have to work on this. I am the novice dog owner. My wife, however, has owned several dogs, including (and most recently) Australian Shepherds. We decided to get a dog because I mainly work from home and we have both had a few wildlife encounters that left us a little uncomfortable. I must admit, when I first got the puppy, I was thinking 'what the hell were we thinking?!' It did not know where to poop. Tried to chew everything. It was like a toddler except way more destructive. At least now, even though it is still a puppy, with the basics of house etiquette down, we are starting to have some fun.

All great advice. Thanks peeps!

I am a proud owner of a dog. My puppy is 12 weeks old. The dog is an F1 hybrid of a registered border collie and a registered australian cattle dog. He is super smart and very trainable. He has the basics down: sit, down, come. He responds well to a leash (important if we are living in a city). Ultimately, however, fishing is an off-leash activity. There have been a few times that I have been fishing and encountered poorly behaved dogs. Barking incessantly and aggressive behaviour are 2 personal peeves when I encounter a dog while fishing (a warning bark is totally OK). Here are a few questions: How old was your dog when you first took them fishing? What are some mandatory dog etiquette training you would consider mandatory in order to take a dog as a fishing buddy? Personally, I know I have to be confident the dog's prey drive will not kick in. He no longer chases cats or squirrels (although, i know he wants to). He tends to stick very closely to me unless there is a group of animals when herding instinct kicks in (it is funny watching him try to herd a murder of crows). Dogs are awesome. He sees me: stoked. He sees my wife: stoked. He gets some food: stoked. He plays with the cat: stoked. I cannot wait to take him fishing, but I do not want to ruin it for both of us.

Ezra Levant has a history of not using facts. http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/ezra-levant-loses-hate-speech-case-must-pay-80000-to-man-he-defamed-as-illiberal-islamic-fascist http://o.canada.com/news/ezra-levant-libel-suit-552865

I have a pair of G3s and 2 pairs of Freestones. Generally speaking, the Freestones were more comfortable and better to wear over longer periods, but the G3s are far more durable, and provide better support. The G3 durability meant they were harder to break in, probably took 30 km of hiking (10 or so outings) before they began to feel right.