albertatrout

Great to hear. It's encouraging to see charges originating from an online video as youtube is full of that kind of stuff. Thanks for posting the link.

To be honest I kind of oppose having to have a smart phone in general. Needed to have email/ a few functions for work otherwise I would have avoided them altogether. My newest phone is a HTC, I don't even know who builds it, could be built by apple for all I know. I wanted the Samsung but they were on backorder when my old phone had an unfortunate accident rendering it useless, I took what they had and its been working fine. I do like the bigger screen, but as I only have my phone on my body when absolutely necessary I would think some would find it bulky.

Same owners as Telus, I'm told that's different than being owned by Telus. Ill take $30 off my bill over and over and will switch if its still cheaper down the road. Rogers is the most expensive biggest bunch of liars out there, I don't even consider them an option. Glad your Iphone works after leaving service area, I've yet to see a happy customer among the guys I work with. Chinese orphan sweat shop phones as we like to call them.. Just observations from someone who spends lots of time in remote areas.

I convinced my wife to get rid of her iphone, it was a hard sell but after 2 month she's very pleased. She now prefers the way the "apps" operate (she runs a shop over her phone) and cant believe how much better reception she gets traveling around southern Alberta. If you're just a city folk that never leaves service area/ wifi I'm sure an Iphone is awesome, I work with 3 guys with Iphone 5's and they have all had major crashes after being out of service area for more than a day or two. The wife's old Iphone was the same way after a few weeks at the cabin. They need updates or they just don't work. The reception is just awful as well with the new Iphones, I can place calls/ get 4g and the guys I work with aren't even receiving messages (all on telus or bell). The best "free" phones as of a month ago were through Kudo, I will never sign another deal with Telus or Rogers (who my wife was with) after the offers they made to "loyal" customers. Kudo saved us $30/ month on the wife's phone switching from Rogers, im stuck with Telus for another year myself.. blah. I'm going waterproof with me next phone too, technology has come a long way.

Another phenomena I've noticed in Alberta is floods leading to more quad degradation. I went to watch the "running of the bulls" a few weeks ago and noticed the popular recreational trails were badly damaged. I'm not sure how few brain cells quaders possess but instead of leaving the area they are now using the creeks to bypass the washout areas. Two class A creeks have been badly damaged by the heavy traffic this summer and I couldn't even see one redd remaining or adult fish still hanging out in the smaller creek. The one stretch which is now the main trail had redds over the past 3 years while the other stretch is known as one of the most important spawning areas in the McLeod River drainage. Similar phenomena up by Grande Cache this year too, very discouraging and something that nature cant really prepare for. This is the third major flood in that area over the past five years as well, we could use a stretch of calm weather again. I am beginning to see a pattern of major floods and quads using streams though, hopefully SRD steps in.

I'm not speaking directly to the poster but to this topic in general. Its funny how many fisherman make a big stink online but aren't the type to actually help someone new to fishing learn the ropes/ better technique afield. I watched 2 "pro's" (typical snobs, didn't say hello, or ask how the day was going, or acknowledge anyone as they go by) walk right by a young fellow who was obviously new the fly fishing on the crow. I eventually caught up with the guy as he was trying to unhook a fish that was doing a fair bit of flopping in the mud/ rocks. I had a short discussion, shared a few flies, and had the opportunity to suggest he may want to try a landing net next time as the fish are easier to revive when kept in the water. If you approach these sort of situations delicately (with respect) you can greatly benefit the resource. It may cost a few dozen flies over the season but its a lot more effective than assuming everyone new to fishing will have a high level of fish handling knowledge right off the start. I feel this sort of "guidance" will do a lot more long term good than internet complaining, but that's just my 2 cents. Try it out next time you see poor fish handling, I have yet to experience any aggression/ negativity when I approach other fisherman in this manner.

The Oldman has been absolutely brutal flow wise this year especially downstream of the dam! I drive across the Red Deer, Bow, and Oldman every week or two and have noticed fluctuating flows across the board. The Bow downstream of Carseland has only looked reasonable on a couple drives all summer, the Oldman is finally looking acceptable as of last week (still more like mid July flows but I cant be too picky). The Red Deer was looking great for a few weeks there but seems to be fluctuating more than normal as well, though that's kind of been the norm since the last big flood. I only see it getting worse after this years flooding, I think twitchy dam release fingers are here to stay and tail water fisheries will pay. Fingers crossed the resiliency of trout can buffer further negative consequences. Hope the fish get some consideration in future dam control plans but I'm not that optimistic. On the bright side, at least the sturgeon seem to be happy down on the Oldman, they seem to be showing up thicker and thicker after each high water event.

I stopped fishing/ vacationing in that part of BC when the classified system was implemented. They will never see a penny from me again, its easy enough to head elsewhere.

If anyone is curious the berries are at least a week behind, 2 weeks behind in some valleys. A few of my favorite trails were completely wrecked so access was tougher than ever before. The saskatoon crop looks really good while the huck's were looking awful at least at lower elevations. Not much ripe as of yet. Ill be out there in a few weeks for a look at the higher patches. Be bear aware down that way, its overrun with grizzlies and everyone needs to remember they have first dibs on the berries and whatever you leave out on your picnic table. Obvious fact for most but some of the folks I encounter down that way really make me wonder.

Thanks for the link for the festival. Sounds to me like the berries are running on time if there's some ripe Saskatoon's about. thanks for the comments.

Anyone been down to the Castle and notice if the berries are getting close? I normally pick a few around August 10th and was wondering if the vegetation is behind or on schedule. I've been up in the Jasper area for the past month and everything's about 2 weeks behind so just hoping for a southern update. Also, long shot but anyone have any ideas for some hucks in an easily accessible area down there? My normal spot is a 45 minute hike for a fit person but an older friend of ours with heart issues is interested in coming out so open to suggestions. I just like my one huckleberry pie every year, always a nice treat. Hope everyone is having a safe weekend.

I don't like the concept of the levy based on it going to the ACA. We need enforcement and we need the ACA to commit to spending levy money on sport fisheries. I appreciate a lot of the work the ACA does but as an organization funded mostly by fisherman and hunters I fee their priorities still need further adjustment. Funding to organizations/ land groups that do not at a minimum support fishing/hunting access should not be currently occurring, the revenue base is simply too narrow. http://www.ab-conservation.com/go/default/index.cfm/aca/revenue-sources/ I acknowledge the ACA is "developing" and they do perform lots of good work. Albertans also need to realize Alberta Fish and Wildlife is a mere skeleton and the ACA is not capable of taking over their role in Alberta. If ACA's mandate continues to expand they cannot simply continue milking hunters and fisherman for funds, new sources of revenue need to be explored. How about a levy on ATV users who are destroying our streams? How about levy's on industry? I will not support another levy until other players are forced to contribute to the pot. I did send my feedback and have had many discussions with the ACA about this in the past.

Sorry to hear that, thoughts and prayers go out to the family. Even the most experienced waders/boaters/fisherman will make a mistake from time to time, in this case it cost a life. Be careful out there everyone.

Do you know anyone into target shooting? We shoot them out at the farm, makes a big mushroom cloud. The rest (peppery metal) goes into the garbage can. That or practice firing it to improve confidence. We generally replace 2-3 a year in our group so don't really need to practice anymore. I'm sure toxic roundup would take them otherwise.

The article says within the park fossil collecting is not allowed, you're good to go on provincial public and private land. Not "poaching" in all cases. Finding fossils is one of my favorite hobbies, whether its with a camera or the traditional way. Unless the rules have changed recently I had confirmed I was good to with an archeologist.

Not all exposed "finds" are regulated that strictly. Surface collecting is a common hobby and is legal if you follow the correct rules. Here's details for any interested parties. http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/research/fossils_law.htm

Its low and clear south of Hinton and Edson as well, the Brazeau is high but everything else is in really good shape. If coming from the south via Nordegg, monitor road conditions as there is only 1 lane left in the Blackstone Valley and the river is flowing/ chewing away at what's left. The road is rough but fully passable otherwise. Some pretty major channel changes due to the flood events this year, the McLeod and Blackstone in particular are hardly recognizable along some reaches. Big mayfly hatches today around Robb, really nice to see.

Yeah, lots of hard to access backcountry this summer. Hopefully a lot of thought and research goes into the repairs especially along the particularly hard hit sections of roads. From the pictures I've seen a few of the sections should probably just be left as is and alternative routes/ a level of decommission should be considered.

The mosquito's are going to be awful! Lots of worry about the fish but they will pull through better than anyone figures, they always seem too. There are many mountain creeks with fish that deal with severe flooding just about every year, trout never cease to amaze me with the level of resilience they demonstrate. I think fish will be showing up in odd places all summer though (and for the next few years), lots of beaver dams will be gone, old log jams removed, and creeks that are usually tiny will have attracted migrant fish of all species. Though many of the young and old fish will be gone, there will be some bright spots for the future. Fish communities are way more resilient than human communities when it comes to floods. Though i must admit, Calgarians are about as resilient as anybody, way to pull together Calgary.

Thanks. Really hoping to hear the government will finally pull the trigger on a couple significant management decisions as included in troutfriend's summary. Ive heard rumors but always like to read everything over myself.

I just wondered if tentatively meant cancelled. Any idea what the big issues were last round?

Does anyone know if the round table is still meeting? Did they end up meeting in April 2013 like initially planned? I normally watch for the agenda/minutes to stay up to date but havent heard this time around. Thanks.

Great to hear this program is expanding. Looking forward to hearing about how it works out. I don't make it into that area enough to warrant getting the license but if things change its a program i would definitely be willing to help out with. Thank you for posting all the information packages and updates.

Doesn't sound like it. It says external transmitter tag along with numbered tag behind the eye. The external device will be very obvious, the tag not so much (assuming they're using the same eye tags I've encountered in the past). I'm betting floy tags were avoided due to the type of tracking device being used, not sure what their justifications for the combo they chose is but I'd be interesting in seeing why they went that route.

Hey, figured guys on here may find this interesting. Bow River weir/ Harvie Channel fish tagging study. Betting these guys would appreciate hearing about any tagged fish captured this spring and summer. Details on the government news site this afternoon for those interested. I'm betting a ton of money is going into this one so hopefully they collect some data. http://alberta.ca/NewsFrame.cfm?ReleaseID=/acn/201304/3400424418A31-00B0-6C21-9423B94B96F319A9.html .