BurningChrome

They have an app for it too. Search for "Alberta rivers" in the Play store.

Talking about the reporting station for Calgary? Pretty sure that station was broken last summer by construction work.

I don't tie on them myself, but this is worth a read if you do. http://flyfishalberta.com/jensenflyfishing/new-video-trouble-at-the-mustad-ranch/

Yup, we need to stop worrying about how long it has been here and concentrate on limiting/slowing the spread by anglers and other recreational river users. Everyone say it with me - clean, drain, dry.

I'm ok with the increase for now. They can always make more adjustments next year after seeing if this makes any difference. I'm actually more disappointed that there was no change in barbed vs barbless hooks, especially on 0 limit waterbodies.

They jacked up the license fees for non-residents too.

It isn't a done deal yet. We should thank them by filling out the survey to provide feedback on the plan and let them know they've made the right decisions.

That's because the previous government had no plan to manage OHV use and just let them go where they pleased. OHV use is currently allowed on 90% of public lands in Alberta.

Absolutely. They've already run full page ads in the Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, and Lethbridge Herald - possibly others as well. It'd be nice to see them actually invest the money in creating sustainable trails and rider education instead.

We still need to keep encouraging people to fill out the draft management plan survey though. Everything I've heard says that the overwhelming majority of responses to it have been from OHV users. One of the guys from Backcountry Hunters and Anglers went to the info session at Chain Lakes last weekend and was told by the Parks folks that they need to hear a lot more support from our sectors (hunters, anglers, hikers, paddlers, etc). I agree - a well-engineered, sustainable trail system could even be a tourist attraction like Moab and the Rubicon. I'm not anti-OHV, I'm only opposed to irresponsible use. Kevin Van Tighem wrote an excellent op-ed about the need for OHVs to have trails and I agree with him. I wouldn't want to see this happen. There shouldn't be any OHV use so close to the headwaters, even if it's responsible use. There are still a bunch of issues around soil compaction and sedimentation even with responsible use. Plus I think either way we need parklands without the constant noise and fear of being run over.

Yeah that's why I only use kijiji as a last resort. I post all my fly gear in the trading post here and on the Alberta Flyfishing - Buy, Sell, Trade Facebook group. Had pretty good luck that way.

The conversation about this has been absolutely dominated by the OHV users. Don't just fill out the survey but send it to any hunters and anglers you know who may not have filled it out yet. This isn't only about OHVs either - the draft management plan also bans motorized random camping aka the squatters we all know and love.

Man that's a tough one. I've seen lots of people online completely lose it even when the person pointing out poor handling did it very tactfully. I haven't been in this position yet though so I'll let you know what I do if it ever happens. I think the problem here is that people see the hero shot but don't know how they got there. They only see that frozen moment in time and can't see that maybe the fish was in the water right up until a second or two before the shutter opened. I think some people might concentrate so much on replicating that photo or getting some other perfect composition that they end up handling the fish much longer than they should. Maybe the real problem is that the magazines need to stop showing the same old type of hero shots. I'm so bored with them that I'd much rather see a picture of a release or a fish half submerged or anything different than the typical arms stretched out, elbows in, forced perspective shot. I think you alluded to the real problem. Because of social media some people are so obsessed with getting lots of followers or "likes" that they take a pic of every single fish they catch, not just the first or the finer specimens. I've also seen A LOT of people on social media take multiple pictures of the same "good" fish from different angles just so they can post it days or weeks apart as different fish. I always have a good laugh when I see someone post a pic from the Bow "today" and the background is sunny and blue skies when it was overcast all day. I even saw pictures posted in the fall claiming to be from that day where the grass on the banks was still green but it had actually turned brown a couple weeks before. Hell, I even heard a story of one Instagrammer who fishes the Bow and has lots of followers changing their hat and jacket during a "hero shoot" for that sort of purpose. Sorry, guess that's my rant

The first two public consultations have been announced so if you can, get out there and have your voices heard. I've already seen that multiple OHV groups are planning to attend in large numbers. March 10: Pincher Creek 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Pincher Creek Community Centre – 287 Canyon Drive March 11: MD of Ranchlands 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Chain Lakes Provincial Park – MD Office https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=46413772EC843-D6C8-AD14-32F7905FFB03A5D8

That's why we need to get as involved with it as they are. Here's another link to the survey for anyone who hasn't filled it out yet: https://talkaep.alberta.ca/CastleManagementPlan

I have a Korean-made Bougle and two UK-made ones. Can't tell the difference unless you look for the "Made in Alnwick" stamped on them.

I think the fallacy there is most people would take a breath and hold it. Gills don't work that way - the fish can't "hold their breath" the same way since they need water flowing through their gills front to back to breathe (same reason you revive them by moving them side to side facing into the current rather than moving them back and forth). Probably a more accurate comparison would be to expel all the air from your lungs, then stick your head under the water while trying to breathe.

Went to the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers pint night yesterday and I was impressed. We already have groups like TUC, Cows and Fish, and the various watershed councils doing restoration and rehabilitation projects for us to get behind. BHA is more of a policy group looking to keep public access and conservancy specifically for hunters and anglers. OHV groups have manufacturers and dealers lobbying and providing funding, so BHA is the kind of group we need right now to help preserve our public lands. The OHV lobby isn't going to let up any time soon, so we need to keep pressing as well. BHA said they need 50 members to start a chapter in Alberta and I believe they already have almost half that number. If we can get that number before their AGM on April 7th they'll vote to create the chapter at that time. If you want to know more check out their website.

http://www.backcountryhunters.org/

http://store.flyfishfood.com/ Have ordered from them a few times now. They usually ship within 24 hours of purchase and it arrives about a week after I order. The only downsides are that since they're American you have to factor in exchange and sometimes pay tax on it.

I was a bit unsure when I first heard about BHA but then I ran across this article today: http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/back-country-hunters-and-anglers-tawney-wins-conservation-award/article_f0b5eaf5-f483-528a-8242-4969eccefe9f.html

From reading their reactions to the plan on various media outlets and Facebook they refuse to acknowledge it. They pretty much claim to be the only stewards of the environment in the Castle.

Yup, everyone on here should be filling this out as I can assure you every OHV group out there is giving their feedback. It really doesn't take that long...

Link to the actual article if anyone is interested: http://www.rmoutlook.com/article/Parks-to-fight-whirling-disease-by-removing-fish-20170216

Fly tying spaces are so subjective. I like tying while there's a game on so I have my vice set up on the coffee table with a Renzetti tool caddy and Sterilite bins for material storage. I've thought about a portable station but I'm not sure it would make that much of a difference. To me those two craft desks look ok if they're going to be hidden away somewhere like a basement, but I think I'd rather go with something like these if I went the desk route: http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/00282132/ http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/50244741/ http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/S09000500/ I even saw this at Cabela's in Calgary and it's nicer than I thought it would be, but I feel it's a bit overpriced for what you get in terms of storage: http://www.cabelas.ca/product/28427/cabelas-fly-tying-desk