rhuseby

My 2 cents in the never ending debate. I personally will hit 40 years with a flyrod in hand shortly. I've also started quite a few people in the great FF game. I have used extensively (10 plus days per rod) TFO, Sage, Loomis, Fenwick, Golden West ( on the J. Kennedy Fisher blank) and Hardy. TFO, Fenwick, Loomis and Golden West all have in excess of 150 days each, some of them nearly 600 days ( and I only use one rod a day, never taking a second one). Try the damn rod and see if it fits your casting stroke and budget. Don't worry about brand. One of my favorite rods is the TFO Series 1 in a 5 wt. My favorite salt rod is a Loomis Cross Current GLX. Opposite ends of the spectrum price wise and action wise, but for what I use them for, both excellent rods. I took my kids out to buy their first rods after a couple of in the park casting lessons. My daughter picked an Amundsen, my son a Redington. Even raw beginners like different rods. My daughter didn't even prefer the more expensive Amundsen rod. There are great rods for YOU in all budget ranges. Remember that the guys at Nile Creek and other good BC fly shops don't sell TFOs, so they certainly aren't going to boost them. I am convinced, having spent almost every fall for the last 8 years on Vancouver Island chasing coho, that most BC anglers have not even tried TFO rods. If you haven't cast it, you can't tell whether or not it's a good rod, and that means on the stream or lake, not just in a casting pond.

If you get a permit from Fish and Wildlife, absolutely get it mounted like Don said. They are spectacular when well done. Unfortunately, the one I hit with my vehicle wound up staying with my ex.

Lost Lemon is south of Highwood Pass, so you should be good for Elbow Lake. The size is a little better in Elbow Lake, but numbers in Bragg Creek can be pretty amazing on nymphs. Your choice. Many of the small streams that have browns north of the Bow also have the odd brookie, but you can't count on one any given day. I have caught three brookies in the Bow here in Calgary too, obviously not a high percentage. Unless you have a management license you can only keep what the regulations say, two in most streams.

I'll try again.

What the heck? I never win stuff but I'm in.

I was fishing in Fish Creek yesterday and lost my complete set up, worm, weevil and split shot on the last cast. I was fishing the same hole again today, and snagged the entire rig and brought it in. Maybe I should have bought a lottery ticket on the way home! Has anyone else ever pulled off something like that? What are the odds after all?

I'm almost 100% certain you need to sharpen your hooks. Do them in the vise before you tie the fly, and carry a sharpener on the stream to keep them sharp. If they don't dig into your thumbnail on the slightest pressure they're no good. If I miss 2 fish in a row, I always check the hook, and many times it's dulled slightly. Touch it up and away you go.

Phone the K-Country office in Canmore. Phone number used to be 678-5508.

About how much being caught affects a fish. I was down on the Oldman on the weekend, and caught a 13" cutt out of a little pocket (say 3 feet across) under a stump. He took a Stimmie and put up the usual sort of cuttie fight and then went back in the water. I put a few more casts through the hole with no reaction and moved on. About an hour later, on my way back upstream, I ran a nymph through the pocket just for the hell of it, and got a 13" cutt. Without having definite markings or a close examination to go on, I am pretty damn sure this was the same fish. In a pocket that small, with no other bites either time, and fish of the same size??????? At any rate, I guess that being caught once didn't bother him. It makes me wonder how many fish, of all species, go pout for a minutes after we put them back and then carry on with their regular activities. Anybody else have similar stories?

I use Helly Hansen fleece socks year-round and Helly Hansen fleece pants in the winter. I stay warm longer than my hands last when the weather's cold. Both socks and pants are over 30 years old, bought them for ski-mountaineering in the 70s. Obviously the quality and durability are great.

If you can't find it any where Don, send me a pm. I have four packages that I bought down in the US and haven't found a use for yet. All different colours.

I have a Marquis #6 that an uncle found in the basement of a house he bought. Unfortunately the reel foot is curved and will cost about $150 to replace, according to Hardy. I wonder if that says anything about the value of it ? Probably not. However, I am wondering if your reel also has a curved foot? If so, maybe it was a design to match specific rods.

There's nothing like fishing the salt. Nice fish all of them. I agree with Rickr, the bottom one is a mangrove snapper.

I use a 7 wt almost all the time. If I'm going to be fishing the evening caddis or another guaranteed to appear hatch I will sometimes use a 5 wt. In any given day I'll use heavy nymph rigs or streamers a lot, and the 7 just makes life a lot easier, especially if the wind is getting up.

I bought a pair of the boot foots specifically for fishing in the salt last fall. 14 days of saltwater, plus 2 in the pontoon later. No problems. I've always bought inexpensive breathable waders (Wardells) and the first two pairs lasted at least 4 years each (80+ days a year). I'm on my third set now, but Springbrook is not making them anymore, otherwise, I'd say get them.

The floor won't grip the line the way water does so you will notice a difference in picking the line up for the first backcast, but you won't damage the line.

Woolly Buggers and clouser minnows are both easy to tie and great on many species of fish. You can tie them in a variety of colours to suit different needs. For dry flies elk hair caddis are easy and very useful.

While I don't own a Native Run, I did try it in comparison to the Crosscurrent when I was shopping for a saltwater rod. If yu don't plan on doing a lot of casting over about 60 feet it is a sweet casting rod that is very smooth and accurate. If you plan on a lot of long distance casting, it begins to struggle beyond the aforementioned 60 feet.

My daughter has a Top Fly 5wt and she really likes it. We tried out several different rods from different makers at the exposition last year, and that was her choice. She hasn't gotten into fish over about 17" yet but it seems to a good rod all round.

I've used the Okuma Integrity 8-9 reel for all of my saltwater work so far, and have had absolutely no problems. The drag works fine and the reel has stood up to a fair bit of abuse well. Just rinse it off thoroughly as already mentioned. Another option for you to consider.

I went for a walk down in Fish Creek this morning, since it's still too cold for an old fart like me to actual fish. I noticed that there is a lot more anchor ice in the river than I remember in the past. It made me wonder about potential impacts on next years fishery. Streams that regularly form anchor ice are usually not productive due to the coating of the bottom habitats of invertebrates and hence killing off the bulk of the trout food. I guess we'll just have to watch what happens. Does anyone else feel the anchor ice is more extensive than usual this winter?

Not quite a story of forgetting stuff. I was working as a guide on Great Bear Lake in 1976 and had bought my first flyrod the week before heading up. After about 5 days setting up for the season we had an afternoon off. We couldn't use fuel, but I rowed out into the bay in front of the lodge, and after many tribulations I landed two grayling around 17". I was carrying them back to the cleaning shack and made the classic mistake of going through a screen door with a full length rod. Chopped!!!! One plane 1 week, so by the time I wrote to my momn and she got another rod and mailed it up, almost half the season was gone. So a very mixed day, my first ever flyrod fish and my first broken rod, all in one afternoon.

Good year all round. Hours on the water were up slightly, numbers of fish down, 9 new waters fished, finally got outfished by one of my kids one day. Highlight was probably 2 days in July where I got 8 fish in two trips, with every fish over 20".

I agree with the comments about 8 wt rods being big enough. You can get a bit carried away with the big fly thing (even with a 10 wt). So far I have never had a pike get anywhere near the backing, in fact they rarely go beyond the line that's already stripped off for casting. A simple click drag on a reel you can palm for more pressure will do. If you want to use the rod for other fishing, say saltwater, then get a reel that will handle that fishing, and it will be fine for your pike. I use an Okuma Integrity I8-9 for all my 8 wt work and it does fine.

My Old Faithful has sadly passed on. A Golden West 10' 7 wt that I built from a kit. For anyone who hasn't heard of them Golden West was run by Mike and Denise Maxwell, using J. Kennedy Fisher blanks. Thant was an incredible, smooth casting rod that was the only stick I owned for over 20 years. 20" browns on Stauffer, nymph rigs and big streamers on the Bow, you name it, it did it. The top section finally folded over one day, obviously hit by split shot or weighted streamers one two many times. Unfortunately, the Maxwells had gotten out of the rod business, and although I talked to several custom builders about possible repair it doesn't like it will ever be useable again. It still sits in its tube downstairs, though, hoping against hope.