albertatrout

Responsible quader's are about as common as palm tree's in Alberta. They did rally and get the most attention during the South Saskatchewan planning process, sounds as though any regulations are going to be very watered down as not to hurt feelings (it's their right to destroy the forestry after all). Designated trails, fees, and complete bans in sensitive areas are over due in this province. I've been noticing tracks up and down the rainbow trout spawning creeks this week once again, too much snow for them to get into the bull trout creeks still, always great to see........ I hope the few responsible guys out there are successful in cleaning up the quad culture, i just don't see it as gaining traction without an iron fist.

Are they confirmed in Pine Coulee? I have checked on numerous Prussian Carp reports for friends this year across the south (Oldman, SSR, several reservoirs) and all have turned out to be White Suckers, Quillback, or Redhorse thus far. Lack of fish ID skills across the general population is making the issue a bit foggy/ hard to understand at this point.

I don't think brand matters all that much, the most important thing is if it makes you feel comfortable in the bush and is available if you need it. I have had dozens of close bear encounters and haven't used spray yet. Unfortunately for one black bear, i was packing and had a tag in the pocket when he decided to get aggressive (I didn't want that one but it worked out well). He had become habituated to random campers leaving trash everywhere and from what i understand it wasn't his first human encounter by any stretch. I have also thrown rocks a few times and that worked well (even though the bear aware training generally says it's a bad idea, personal experience says otherwise) and I have had the trigger off the spray ready for use several times. I strongly recommend a holster, makes it safer and more convenient for you to carry the cans, it is ugly when you wipe out or drop your pack and they puncture, holsters help.

These are a big issue. If you were to actually see some of the systems they have taken over you would realize there isn't much else left. The take over, i would imagine not only competing with other fish but also with frogs, salamanders, and other aquatic critters. Invasive species are a huge issue, and many bad ones, not just a few. They (carp) may not take over the mainstems but many smaller systems will be inundated. This has happened before, maybe you've heard of brook trout, you know, the eastern species which has displaced native bull trout, cutties, and Athabasca rainbows across the province??Or crayfish which are invading many southern lakes and streams competing with the native fish and invertebrates. How about plants, maybe check this out and educate yourself a touch. https://www.abinvasives.ca/fact-sheets

http://www.gov.ab.ca/release.cfm?xID=36304AC3F1B7A-F805-B232-0890B4D81610852C Update on the governments intentions. Try not to barf while reading the PC political drivel mixed in with the plans. Not much for details yet but be ready for environmental reviews and opportunities to provide feedback. Sounds to me like an excuse to sneak in another irrigation reservoir near High River is included, i was waiting for that (better than a dry dam in terms of spending, but saying it's for flood mitigation should help ram it through). People concerned about head water fisheries will want to get organized and be ready for a fight.

Not out that way but I was in Writing on Stone the other day and there was people camping already.

Awesome video, I really enjoyed it. As for their equipment, they look pretty comfortable to me, comfort outweighs a few pounds in the back pack from time to time. They aren't exactly bush-whacking, those trails look like highways. Lighter and more compact isn't always better either, I have carried the same cookwear set and its remarkably light and useful. Then again, I eat good when I'm hiking, its a holiday not survival training. I've even been known to carry a cast iron skillet and frozen steaks from time to time (its good exercise, makes the steaks worth it). Problem with lots of hiking enthusiasts is they look down at folks at who don't have the latest hippy gear from MEC, you really have to appreciate those that get it done without buying all the latest junk. Many of the people I hike with started 30-40 years ago and still carry the same gear, it still works. What beautiful country though! Reminds me of some of the valleys in southwestern Alberta.

This is something I wish the ACA would take up. Strategic purchase of small land parcels or easements could open up hundreds of km of rivers spreading out pressure and also benefiting canoes, kayakers, and many other outdoor enthusiasts. I really like the set up they have on the Milk River (mostly for canoe trips/ tubers). Public access points with garbage cans, signage, and even some outhouses have been established meaning public access for the public waterway. Seems more valuable to me than the "enhanced" fish stocking program or a good portion of the university studies they've been funding (Almost all research is valuable, it's just odd how funds don't make it back to the resource in many cases). A public access point even every 20 km would be awesome on some of the rivers south of the bow.

White and blue with a bit of flash is very effective. I mostly fish clouser style flies in bull trout waters but find that color combo works well wherever whitefish are the predominant prey item. Bullies are not picky though so whatever you try should work.

Yeah, I agree a catch and release lake would be great but wait to see what happens on Clear. I think you lose out on a lot of the meat fisherman as soon as the 3 limit is removed. I saw pictures of several really large pike out of there this winter, all were released which was encouraging. Some of the best trophy pike lakes in southern Alberta don't have any sort of special regulations (or even a closure in some cases) so it's still a wait and see sort of scenario. I know the pike fishing is way better than it was 10-15 years ago on many of the lakes I grew up fishing.

Clear lake had major regulation changes recently (year or two now??), limit 1 over 100 cm. The changes to Birch Lake will be interesting, I enjoyed the justification based on poor presentation of the survey info. Basically, anyone who thought the regulations did not go far enough are lumped in the with those that want to eat everything (survey is on the fisheries roundtable website) and no comments/ suggestions were published. Its too bad, used to be a great fishery before it was overly publicized.

Yup, absolutely insane price for the taxpayer. Last I heard is they may be getting grazing lease lands in the Millarville area which would mean even less public land remaining down south. Only if the city planners that caused this problem could have been held accountable.

I think responsible off roaders are a minority at this point, must be a few out there but they are rarely encountered. I own a couple ATV's which get used at our farm and occasionally for work on public lands. I would love to see all ATV users on public land pay a $200-$300 a year fee to ride with funds going to repair the damage and build proper trails; additionally there should be seasons (like fishing and hunting) where no use is permitted, like during the spring when trails are wet and ungulates are calving. The quad lobby is well managed and funded, I'm just hoping some change comes with the SSRP so I encourage all Albertans to get a workbook filled out. Id be more than willing to pay the fee for the 2 or 3 days a year I operate a ATV on public lands (and I generally use it on non-maintained roads just to save my truck wear and tear). The vast majority of quaders I know have the "we pay taxes" or the "its my God given right" attitude on public land and the landscape shows it. Many trails need to be reclaimed and changed to foot access only, I don't think an all out ban is going to happen but tight control is needed. Good luck in your endeavors, hopefully you can help with positive change.

Make sure everyone gets their voices heard. The workbook does not take long and the ATV lobby has a disproportionate amount of influence at this point. I am also very concerned about the wording of public lands management as it basically leaves it wide open to selling our public lands and expanding irrigation/ water use. Here are a few pictures taken this fall (north of the SSR area but you get the point). The creek adjacent to these shots is a known Bull Trout spawning creek. The small stream with a trail up it had Bull Trout spawning in it last year, picture was taken at lower than normal flows but the impact is obvious. This trail used to be used predominantly by hikers, fisherman and hunters on foot. Almost all damage has occurred in the past few years. Fishing is no longer allowed in this creek, but ATV's still have free reign. Same story in the west-slope of southwestern Alberta, get your voices heard.

Push back from the ATV lobby, hope it doesn't get significant traction. I was down in the Racehorse Creek area recently and I see the floods this spring opened up many more valley's to ATV destruction, they are taking full advantage. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/conservation-plan-for-southern-alberta-worries-4x4-enthusiasts-1.2430525

Look down the legs in a well lit room, you can generally see light coming through the holes (especially in non-neoprene waders). Goop is another perfectly reliable glue for repairs. For non-neoprene (neoprene holds together just fine) and larger rips/ tears, use a piece of duct tape on the inside of your boots to pull the material together, goop then let dry. Next day remove tape and goop the inside so both sides are adequately sealed (as already mentioned). Works really well and prolongs patches as with goop or aquaseal the glue can begin to peel over time due to sun/ rubbing/ use in general. I find myself going through 2-3 pairs of waders a year and find looking for light to be just as effective as the filling with water trick (takes way less time this way too). If repairing the older style non-breathables rough up the area around the hole with fine sandpaper first as well, the glue will stick way better. Breathables are generally too thin to risk sand paper.

Luckily coal tailing's are mostly inert/ non-toxic. I'm sure there are some habitat impacts but we will be waiting to hear just how serious the damage is. That mine is being reclaimed so I wonder if aging infrastructure or damage from this springs floods could be a factor, only time will tell. Hopefully they can figure out what failed and why, imagine if this was an oil sands settling pond that gave way....

If you have ice dubbing that makes a really good substitute as well. I switched to using just a little bit of ice dub/ flashabou style dubbing many years ago, one bag will do thousands upon thousands of little nymphs if you're just using it for a hackle substitute. Gold, peacock, brown, white it all works.

I do agree for the most part, I'm just thinking out loud trying to look at all aspects of the proposal. In a best case scenario it wouldn't impact fish habitat/ populations, worst case it could be very detrimental. I don't trust the provincial government even in the slightest so I am very skeptical of what they plan to do. I was just trying to point out why it may not be a 100% bad idea.

Though I agree the ideas seem like they could cause a lot of damage/ unnecessary harm they do have some positive attributes. The way I see a dry dam working is the area behind them would only hold water during a significant flood event. Depending on the residence time, theoretically it could simply create a cottonwood/ riparian flood dependent type forest upstream while lowering flood impacts downstream (look at the Oldman valley next time you go through Brocket to see what kind of forest temporary flooding creates). I'm not sure how they handle woody debris but I do see how softening the peaks during the flood could greatly benefit fish habitat downstream. I like the idea of removing development from flood plains but I do not think relocating downtown Calgary is a viable option so some outside the box thinking maybe needed. I do know man-made lake systems have contributed to huge increases in fish biomass in mountain streams due to buffering (and additional) benefits. Fish would be lost in temporary puddles/ low spots but that happens in nature too (I found many rainbows and bulls in the forest this summer a short distance from the creeks). All effects need to be looked at to judge what kind of impact these structures would have on fish and habitat, that's what EIA's are for. I would rather see a dry dam with fish passability than a new collection of water storage reservoirs which forever block fish movements.

They are by far the best, flaky meat with no fish taste at all. I like to go get a feed of them at first ice but not via a fly rod. The only thing wrong with them is short freezer life. They are really easy to catch with bait, I've never caught one fly fishing.

Just go and ask, be polite and go at a reasonable time of day. On busy rivers or in very tight knit communities (area around Caroline comes to mind for me) you may get shut down, but no harm in trying. Unfortunately people buy land along many of our best rivers and expect to have their own private fishing spot. All you can do is ask. If you'd rather, go to the county office and purchase a landowner map, look the numbers up via a phonebook and call for permission. I had a landowner on the Oldman go as far as giving me permission to drive in and camp a few years back, 90% of landowners are easy going. Likewise be respectful of the non-accommodating landowners. On one section of the Crow I grew up fishing, I have to walk about 2 km to a particular spot now as an investor from the city bought the land and doesn't want anyone cutting across. It happens but try to be respectful as we can always hope in time they realize fly fisherman aren't really that bad of a bunch and access may be once again accommodated.

I think the status would address the majority of the issue. They are discussing a much bigger Wildland park than most would of thought possible. I spend a lot of time in Wildland Parks, its a good level of protection from a watershed point of view.

I just finished going through, its going to be very very controversial. Lots of new Wildland Parks (which I approve of) but still some relatively large areas with vague objectives. The Castle Wildland park is in there, that's huge news. I expect to hear a lot of screaming and whining from the quad clubs in short order, they stand to loose a lot of access (about time in my humble opinion). There is more public consultation coming up so have your voices heard. I was hoping to see mention of some form of levy on ATV's to pay for maintenance/ environmental degradation in the area.

Great use of tax dollars right there. If no one wants to help pay for an art display that may be an indication it's a dumb idea. Almost half a million bucks though, that's the really nutty part... I'm sure you could have given some local welders some scrap metal and a few cases of beer and come up with something much more appealing.