BurningChrome

That is exactly why I got one of these: https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5042-431/Bear-Spray-Safety-Travel-Container

Yes, there are other ways for invasives to spread but the science has shown that felts are one of the most effective mechanisms. Then on top of that fly fishermen are probably much more likely to visit multiple water bodies within a short period of time. If you have felts and only use them on one river then there probably isn't much harm in that. Honestly though, there's really no need for felts any more. The first Vibrams I wore were kind of crappy and slippery, but I haven't taken any unplanned swims in the newer ones. Can't say the same for when I wore felts.

What are they waiting for then? Ban it. They've had months to do it. I know that Country Pleasures has decided to stop selling felts, hopefully other shops will step up and follow suit.

Agreed, but I think you have to triage the situation and first figure out where it currently is then stop any further spread before you worry about tracing it back and all that. Just to clarify, the outbreak on the Yellowstone this year was not whirling disease; it was a parasite that led to proliferative kidney disease (PKD).

I think the best course of action right now is to assume that it's new until proven otherwise. Take all the necessary precautions so as not to spread it further. Let the biologists figure out when and how it got here in the meantime since nobody on a fly fishing forum is likely to solve that.

I'd have to guess they already have and are maybe waiting for test results. If it's in the Oldman drainage it has to be in the Elk and tribs. Way too many people from both sides of the divide jump back and forth.

Have you tried posting on http://classicflyrodforum.com/forum/ ?

So then we as fly fishers with an interest in the resource need to take a leadership role and help to inform other river users. Sure the kids in the cheap inflatables from Walmart don't care but they aren't exactly taking those disposable rafts to different water bodies. Know anyone with a kayak, canoe, etc. though? Let them know why it's important to clean all their gear and how. I'll bet someone like Uberfly has friends who kayak or canoe and he's also the type who'll tell them about these things. Maybe while you're lobbying for increased river access (which also benefits the recreational folks you're complaining about by the way) you could also ask about things like adding signage and cleaning stations. Otherwise you'll have lots of access points to a fishery possibly compromised by all sorts of invasives.

Happy holidays.

I'm sure someone will come along any minute saying the mussels are probably already here so there's no point.

Heh, he might not be able to even log in. Probably just a missing character set on the new server.

https://loonoutdoors.com/product/loon-dust/ I used Frog's Fanny before and Loon Dust is pretty much identical.

I've got a Patagonia roll top and the sling with the zipper. With both after I close them I give the bag a squeeze to make sure no air escapes and they have an airtight seal.

Not sure about the patience part, but if you drive a 4x4 a few guys I know get their trees out in Waiparous.

There are more water bodies in Alberta than the Bow. How well do you think the cutthroat and bulls up in the mountains will fare if anglers bring it up there? Right now they might have a bit of protection from dams, hanging culverts, and waterfalls. Cleaning your gear isn't that difficult and like I said before protects against transferring other invasive species.

Survive, yes. But it took what, about a decade for Montana rivers to recover? Our already at risk bulls and cutties are a major concern though. How will their already low numbers fare if they're exposed? Posts like this have a danger of lulling people into a false sense of security when we should be encouraging them to clean their gear between water bodies, especially when you look at quagga mussels being on our doorstep as well.

More or less the same thing. Some of them like Loon Top Ride also have a powder floatant mixed in. I gave up on the shake stuff last summer and bought an amadou patch instead. Works way better and doesn't risk damaging your tippet like the shake containers.

Thought I read somewhere that they did test it but didn't find anything and will continue to test. It's much more difficult to prove a negative than a positive...

Yup. If you go to the Rio website and choose a tip it'll tell you the grain weight. They used to have it all in a table but for whatever reason they changed up the site.

So maybe draining it will "put a break" in the lifecycle, but from what I've read the spores can survive 30 years in dry dirt. Wouldn't it start up again after they put more fish in? It might not start right away, but maybe in a year, 2 years, 10 years... Seems not fully baked to me.

See what I did there?

Went last year for the first time and I'll be back this year. Great format and lots of fun.

The Versitips should be different grain weights depending on line size. 5wt - 55gr 6wt - 65gr 7wt - 75gr 8wt - 85gr 9wt - 95gr

I think that guys who actively seek to pull fish off redds are going to find them either way. You just need to know what kind of conditions they need and the redds are pretty easy to find. Before we did the count last year I think a few of us already knew where to look and where we'd find the highest concentrations just with that knowledge. Hopefully if anything responsible anglers can use the information to avoid certain areas during spawning times. Man, that's a major philosophical debate. I think one of the things about it that gets people worked up is years where there Highwood is frozen at the confluence. Those years the fish don't simply pass through, they stack up waiting for the ice to drop out so they can migrate. It creates a bit of a "fish in a barrel" situation where you can pretty much just chuck a triple worm rig and catch lots over and over and add to that the number of people lining the banks on both sides. That's what probably raises peoples' hackles the most.

Plenty of people don't have social media accounts so would they not be able to get a fishing license without providing that info? If not, what would stop me from saying I don't have those accounts even if I do when I buy a license? No way to enforce it... And of course it's a moot point anyhow since it would be a privacy violation to ask for that info.