albertatrout

Be careful down on the Crowsnest and down in that area. I had someone take my stinking canoe and clean out my drift-boat down there 2 years ago. Had a few other things go missing since when i neglected to lock my toolbox. It used to be a safe area but theft of fishing gear is becoming very common. You mentioned you may be down that way so just wanted to give you a heads up to keep gear out of site, especially around the long weekends when the "hoodlums" flood the area.

Not responding for Dave but ive heard your arguments lots, I fish barbless 99% of the time but still look at the big picture on issues like this. If we're going to follow precautionary principles all forms of angling should be banned, as should walking in streams, building roads, boating, etc. Its called managing risk and in Alberta its directly related to available resources. Why waste money checking for barbs when officers could focus on illegal harvest, habitat damage by ATV's, fishing in closed waters etc?

I did a quick search around and couldnt see this posted anywhere yet. Pretty cool read and a really good case being made. "South Saskatchewan River Basin Adaptation to Climate Variability Project Bow River Basin Integrated River Management Business Case" One little excerpt that caught my interest; "The estimated annual incremental economic benefits of stabilizing Lower Kananaskis Lake are at least $2 million - $3 million with an estimated net present value between $30 million and $40 million" http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=kananaskis%20lake%20stabilization%202013&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CEAQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.albertawater.com%2Findex.php%2Fcomponent%2Fdocman%2Fdoc_download%2F39-bow-river-basin-integrated-river-management-business-case%3FItemid%3D&ei=iuJmUY7DNcTQiwKUoIG4AQ&usg=AFQjCNH9Z5fG7SI5T3rmXMW7d8t8tiS0qg&bvm=bv.45100731,d.cGE Anyone heard if the power companies are starting to consider these kind of changes? Last i heard they'd be out about a half million bucks a year so would not consider it. I just figured a few others may enjoy the read, appologize if its been posted and i just couldnt find it.

I agree with you for the most part, as I've seen no peer reviewed evidence that would suggest barbed hooks will benefit any fishery, this includes studies which take handling time into consideration; The obvious doesn't always translate into an actual effect or impact. I really dont think barbs are the reason for deformed fish either though, ive seen some fisherman do a lot of damage removing barbless hooks as well. I think the only way to ensure "pretty" fish is to have minimal fishery pressure and access to seldom known remote lakes. A difficult goal to realize in many parts of Alberta.

Id say its been spread everywhere in this province (it was here for many years before being identified as an issue) but only becomes problematic in certain areas. Ive noticed it's at its absolute worst in spring fed areas and tailwaters, which seems to be the issue everywhere didymo is found. I have noticed a bit of didymo on one stretch of the crow, hits a muddy slow section right away though so does not become problematic. Short drive away on the Oldman below the reservoir, it makes the river unfishable for a few days every year. I think the Crowsnest's freestone nature is the main reason you don't see it become too bad, didymo likes stability, it doesnt like freshets. A unique trait of didymo is it thrives in nutrient poor waters so it seems to appear in streams that otherwise wouldn't have noticeable algae or macrophyte populations. Personally, i don't necessarily clean my gear because of didymo, I'm convinced its already spread everywhere anglers go. I do clean/disinfect my gear however, because who knows what other invasive species is making a move in our province.

Im pretty sure 3 years old is simply too long ago to be meaningful. Fish and Wildlife is fully aware how bad it is in the area, i know they've been back there as i noticed a bit of signage appear since this video was uploaded. There are literally dozens of videos like this (or worse) on youtube though, this is not what id call an uncommon occurence.

Couldnt get the info, they go by so fast and you cant even tell where they come from or where they stage from. Im fully aware its not legal, but the trail in also has about 10 stream crossings which are in such bad shape there's no way there should still be access. I hike the area lots and you can hardly even use the trail for that in sections its so torn up. The lack of cell service means there is no way to contact Fish and Wildlife before the groups move on and disapear. I know they try but there's a lot of creek and country to cover. Sorry if i hijacked this thread at all, just trying to remind other fisherman why we need to get input (preferably written letters) on land use planning and management.

And whats more, the creek is permanently closed to angling to protect the bull trout... Ive had enough of seeing it so have been on a bit of a crusade against this activity. Last fall, i watched quads run up that creek, later noticing they destroyed several redds that were visible the day before. Enforcement and strict rules are desperately needed province wide.

I have submitted a lot of feedback on this plan, but the quad lobby managed to get a lot of input as well. I hope the province hits the off roaders hard (i even have a quad, just dont like using it for destructive purposes). I hope plans like this can be established accross the province soon enough. A few examples to justify the need can be found in about 2 minutes on youtube.. The video below is an example, is mostly taped on the most sensitive bull trout spawning creek in central Alberta. We need the government to step in before these idiots destroy whats left. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6Rftp-fF_k

I think this is by far the greatest threat to trout populations in Alberta, specifically in critical spring fed areas where species like Bull Trout and Browns spawn. I don't think we understand the issue nearly enough, but i think we've basically lost the battle at limiting its spread/ blooms. Ive noticed bad blooms in some very remote areas where previously you might get a bit of filamentous algae but otherwise nothing. This issue is finally getting some discussion, and rightfully so. I know when you look at the Oldman and Red Deer rivers in the wintertime it gets to be several inches thick over the Brown Trout redds, i cant see how good oxygen concentrations can be maintained under that stuff.

How many guys here are familiar with Star Creek? Its mostly fishless (no fish above the falls) and is so close to the Crowsnest River id dispute there being much chance of pure strain cutts still being present. It is an important topic to study, as logging is intended to mimic fire disturbance and we don't really understand if it works on a watershed/ waterquality level. I always wondered if it wouldnt be a good candidate creek for pure strain Cutty introduction with a bit of habitat work upstream. There is a cool little lake up there (created in 1995 flood i believe) that may provide enough wintering habitat. Not likely to happen with the current state of Fish and Wildlife unfortunately. I wouldnt worry to much about the bears and other wildlife as id say fire suppresion has had a very negative impact in that area and a bit more grass would be a good thing. Ill be watching for more details on that proposal for sure, thanks for posting it up.

Few more photos just for the heck of it. The first one was a couple years ago but cool as the bear was sleeping on a road then ran up the hill and just growled/ popped his/her jaw at us. Pretty sure it ended up being a sow as last summer there was a young sow in the area with a cub, looks to be about the same color bear. One evening drive last spring, mid June. Two young bears feeding off a viewpoint just off hwy 40. Then, get out for a bit of fishing and we have company. Same young boar that charged me last spring and that appeared in my other photo (i think). Watched the bear for the evening as he hunted elk, he cornered this calf just as it was getting dark, the cow dropped the little guy off about 30 yards from the truck (where we were safe and watching the action) He ended up chasing the elk into the water where it swam around for a bit, got too dark for pictures but the instincts of a calf elk are amazing. The grizzly ended up catching another one that night that went to the meadow instead of the pond. Next night there were no calves left with those 3 cows. Researcher told me one of his collared bears ate 16 elk calves in one month the summer before, amazing.

I can find a fair number of guys that have seen even more than me. I'm being very conservative with my numbers sighting wise, though i do basically know a few bears personally as Ive run into them so may times. There's a giant dark boar along the Gregg that comes to mind right off the bat, and that sow with the three cubs out towards Robb. Last summer there was a sow with a single cub and a lone boar both hunting elk calves within 1 km of my cabin, i actually chased the boar out of the random camping area twice as he was approaching within a couple hundred yards of kids playing in the grassy field. The wolf encounters have been awesome for the most part, one was terrifying. I was working near Robb when i came to a stream crossing on a cutline, i was about 100 metres from the quad at the end of a long day of work. I cut into the woods as there's an old spruce i use to get across the creek (on foot). As i'm crossing i hear rustling (thick willows) and its getting closer. Then the howling started, really loud. There were 5 or 6 wolves circling me in the willows so i began banging a metal ruler against my clip board and hollering, i could see them around me in the willows, about 20-25 yards away, like they were trying to flush me onto the cutline. Then, hand radio crackled and beeped and they silenced down and backed off a bit, i went through the thick stuff and got the quad, fired it up and they ran off. Adrenaline was rushing, not sure how much danger i was actually in but Ive never heard a pack of wolves that close and hope to never hear them that clearly again. I do consider that a freak encounter. As for grizzlies, Ive seen 7 different bears (grizzlies) in one evening driving from Robb to Cadomin, and up to 5 in an afternoon driving from Cadomin to Gregg Cabin. Down in the Castle, they often occur in high densities in the berries but Ive only seen up to 3 adults on one slope, i know a sheep hunter that got a picture with 7 on the same slope about 5 years ago, all gorging themselves on hucks. If you don't frequent the same areas at the same times of year (spring and fall) id understand why you may be skeptical, the media says they're rare after all.

I agree Pipestoneflyguy, but i also think there are areas of Alberta where you are pretty likely to have run ins if you spend enough time out there. Id say people that spend enough time in certain parts of the Castle or the Coal branch should be very alert. Though seeing wildlife is awesome, getting charged or mauled isn't and there's nothing wrong with emphasizing preparation. I spend a lot of time outdoors (in excess of 100 days/year easy) and would rate my chances of having aggressive wildlife encounters as pretty high (its an annual thing lately). Ive had run ins with grizzlies, black bears, and even wolves on different occasions, i look back on all of those experiences fondly but also as lessons. The one black bear i have sitting next to my fly tying desk always serves as a memory of wild spaces, and how scary an animal can be when they loose fear of people (for me, a black bear tag is an insurance policy for early spring and fall fishing on a couple lakes and streams). I know the stats are impressive, but not everyone is statistically comparable. My cousins that don't leave the city are far less likely to get charged by a bear than i am. I agree with your post, just view wildlife interactions a bit differently i guess. Dont avoid the forest but don't avoid precaution either.

Depends on the length of trip. I did a backpack sheep hunting trip a couple years ago and every ounce of dry food was well worth it. Our food ended up being about a pound each/ day which is enough weight; our packs still weighed around 65 lbs on the way in and a bit over 100 lbs each for just over 30 km on the way out. We ended up covering 150 km and did over 15000 feet in elevation gain over 8 days. The few days spent drying food ahead of time was very well spent. I agree its a lot of work if you're just doing 1-2 days but anything more makes it a wise investment. I do a few 4-5 day trips down in the Castle every summer and always consider the dry food well worth it, plus it tastes great if you get your recipes figured out. Cans of beans are really heavy, especially when you're going 40-50 km.

Most cheaper fruitcake is a very bad idea, it tastes really awful when you're overly hungry and the sugar loading hurts the gut something fierce. Im sure some guys can handle it but not me. I was on a 3 day hiking trip once where we just took cheap fruitcake, could hardly eat a bite after the first day due to the sweetness, ended up just living on reserves and half a bag of jerky for the trip (great way to drop 10 lbs). I did have a piece in my emergency kits for several years, it definitely doesn't seem to go bad, just gets harder. I have made similar "breads" much lower in sugar, oatmeal base with nuts, peanut butter, fruit, etc and they were awesome. Id share a recipe but just moved and haven't found that binder yet. The best one energy wise had like 3 lbs of butter and 12 cups of oats or something like that. Supplement that with the odd bit of jerky for protein and its not so bad. I'm sure you could find one you'd like, my favorite is kind of a oat chocolate banana loaf with fruit bits.

That is a beautiful area for sure, lots of lakes/ valleys/ ridges worth exploring. If you plan it right, lots of huckleberries and saskatoons can be found to supplement your meals.

Figured id upload a few photo's just as spring is almost here. Hope they work. The worst time of year for fishing run ins has been June for me, these guys are the main reason, grizzlies love elk. The get big, even in Alberta. I have a size 13 boot, just to show size. Fishing partner saw this guy coming up behind me last spring, i managed to get across the beaver pond from him. He did charge but didn't like getting stuck in the mud. Beautiful young bear, scared me pretty good though. I had a run in with another darker grizzly and a small black bear less than 1 km away downstream last fall, they're always around. Saw these cubs as i was getting out of the truck to hike into one of the quality lakes, the sow wasn't far away. As of last fall, she still had the 3 cubs, and was getting a reputation for chasing fly fisherman. Lots of pictures of that girl, i just like this one as it shows how well a grizzly can disappear into a dip. Not making up stories, i love seeing all kinds of wildlife and consider myself pretty lucky to share wild areas with grizzlies. We used to see a lot more black bears, the grizzlies have really taken over recently though (in a few areas i fish anyways).

Moose are dangerous, but i know a lot of anglers/ hikers that seem to see way more grizzlies than moose while out and about. Ive seen around 25-30 grizzlies a year annually over the past 5 seasons, definitely see them more than moose and black bears. Ive only been chased by one moose over that time (cow with a calf), the bears definitely seem to give me more grief. I swear grizzlies outnumber moose up towards Hinton and Grande Cache and it seems we see about as many grizzlies as moose down in the Castle and Oldman country. Interesting to hear a variety of experiences on this topic, most of the guys i fish with have had similar experiences to mine as of late. I'm not even that bear paranoid, probably should be at this point though.

I dehydrate almost everything myself, I only buy the occasional ingredient (like a few berries or fruit varieties i can't get locally). Currently trying to find a new fuse for my unit but last year i dehydrated close to 200 lbs of fruit, veggies, meat etc, most of which we produced ourselves. Great way to deal with surplus summer vegetables and fruits, and makes for high quality camping food. Another one of our favorites is dehydrated backyard apples which can be re-hydrated in oatmeal out camping to create a pretty good "apple crisp", great breakfast at 7000-8000 feet. The dehydrator has led to a fun hobby which was born out of me being too cheap to simply buy all the ingredients.

I make all my own food packs, day hikes i just make trail mix (dehydrate all kinds of fruit to mix in). Multi day i make food packs (pasta, rice, quinoa, potatoes). One of my favorite meals (very simple) is basically rice (instant), soup base, dehydrated veggies (zucchini, onions, sometimes broccoli) and dehydrated burger (seasoned, browned, preferably elk or game as low fat preserves well). Cooks in about 10 minutes on my whisperlight, just add water. Its almost as good as a fresh made dinner after hiking all day.

Definitely bear spray. I haven't used mine yet but i have been charged by 2 grizzlies over the past 3 seasons and also had a few other aggressive run ins, one required throwing rocks. Make noise, i find bells give a false sense of assurance so remember to still be alert. Ive had several bears come check me out after hearing the bells, they can be curious too. On multiple day trips make sure you keep a clean camp, Ive had a few bears wander right by the tent but if your food is all up a line a safe distance away they generally just keep moving. Seems to me if you spend enough time out west you're bound to encounter a grouchy grizzly, best to be prepared.

Problem is the stretch upstream of town is so different, they would pretty much have to look at the few sampling events completed in the past few decades to get much of an idea. That river changes every year too, especially downstream of Sundre, its like a new stream every summer. I may make a run up in mid April to see how the fishing is, i used to fish the upper Red Deer a lot and it had really high trout densities, some of the best action to be had in Alberta. Access is really limited by the dangerous nature of the wading and the ability of flows to increase very quickly during the day, not sure how much of a difference catch and release will make during the monitoring period anyways.