jpinkster

One tip: don't be afraid to stronger line. Bass really don't care, and they try to burrow themselves into the weeds. You'll want that extra strength to horse them out of a lily-pad.

Wasa has some really big bass. Don't waste your time in the spring (that's trout season). Head out there in July or August and bring your hopper box with you. We caught 80 in a day all on hoppers near Jaffrey.

I was hoping to attend, but the damn PCs decided to have their AGM on the same day. I'll get to the next one!

I'm not making this up: http://newsroom.calgary.ca/goat-grazing---piloting-a-natural-form-of-weed-control-in-calgary/ "The City of Calgary is introducing a unique pilot project that will study the use of goats for targeted weed control. Beginning this spring, a herd of goats managed by a professional shepherd and highly trained herding dogs will be dispatched to two Calgary parks to help control weeds, including Canada thistle. “We know that grazing has the potential to offer several benefits for managing landscapes in Calgary,” says Chris Manderson, Urban Conservation lead for Calgary Parks. “Targeted grazing for weeds is environmentally friendly and sustainable, and there’s evidence from other cities that indicates that it can also be cost-effective.” The City is committed to controlling pests and weeds in a safe and environmentally responsible manner, and wThis pilot includes the collection of data to analyze the effectiveness of grazing on controlling weeds. “We’re especially interested in seeing if we can use grazing in areas that may be unsafe for work crews and equipment, such as steep slopes and nearby water bodies where we avoid the use of chemical herbicides”, says Manderson. The goats will appear in Confluence (West Nose Creek) Park and possibly at a second location in a nearby green space, just as the Canada thistle begins to flower - an effective time for controlling this particular weed. The timing is weather-dependant; however The City anticipates the herd will arrive late May or early June. A media availability is being planned to coincide with the goats’ arrival. Additional details will be shared as they are finalized. Calgarians can visit calgary.ca/biodiversity for more information." I don't really have an opinion on this either way...I just think it's kind of hilarious.

Make sure you get a pontoon that is certified for the river. Last thing you'll want is putting a hole in a pontoon...

Saw those guys when both of our boats were floating last weekend keep what looked like a really healthy sized rainbow. It looks like they are bait fishing, but they just have sink rigs with red hooks. Makes me uncomfortable, but I'm almost positive they aren't doing anything wrong.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who took part in the 2016 Tackle Swap and Boat Sale. It was great to meet many of you, and we were able to raise some funds for the Bow River Chapter. Looking forward to next year!

Some comments from a Green Peace co-founder: This is an absurd comment. This completely undermines all of the hard work that reasonable environmentalists and conservationists are doing. Folks like this are too tone deaf to realize they are hurting their own cause with this kind of inflammatory nonsense.

The NDP have made an important contribution to Canada. Without a strong NDP opposition we would never have moved forward on universal health care. I think their consideration of things like LEAP show that the NDP should only ever be in a position of strong opposition and never in a position of government.

Not quite a fishing post, but bear with me! The Federal NDP had their AGM in Edmonton over the weekend. Two key things happened at this AGM: 1) Tom Mulcair is out as leader. 2) The NDP will consider adopting the LEAP Manifesto. What's all the LEAP noise about? Give it a read below. My thoughts? As a conservationist, I fully understand the need for radical changes on the environment file. With that being said, this is NOT the way to do it. The Leap Manifesto marginalizes the resource extraction industry and fails to recognize the economic repercussions of walking away from the oil and gas industry. If our native species are going to be better protected, industry needs to be a partner, not an adversary. Conservationists have worked very hard over the last number of decades to form partnerships with industry. There are some great success stories from these partnerships. The Leap Manifesto would seek to undermine all of that hard work in the pursuit of an ideologically driven fairy tale. Premier Notley's biggest challenge over the coming months will be distancing herself from the federal NDP and this awful manifesto. With the strong constitutional links the provincial NDP has to the federal party, I question if she will actually have the autonomy to do what is best for Alberta. https://leapmanifesto.org/en/the-leap-manifesto/

I'll be there manning the TU booth with a few other members of our board. Stop by and find out some more information about some of the exciting spring projects we have coming up, or just stop by and say hello!

CP can be an impossible stakeholder to engage with. Just have a look at what is happening down in Golden right now: http://www.timescolonist.com/turbulent-battle-as-golden-b-c-fights-to-save-local-river-rafting-industry-1.2224241

Perfect, that's all I know how to catch. That stretch does look like some dangerous wading, especially under the falls.

That pool below the falls looks like it would hold a few healthy sized bulls...

Looks like a lot of us have planted a flag in that area. Great work!

So....I shouldn't be using 100lbs braid?

It's actually pretty funny how they make the content different for each paper. All they really do is change the headline.

The Sun doesn't care about environmental issues! I've run some content by Colette Derworiz at The Herald in the past. I'll flip this over to her and see what she thinks!

The Oldman Watershed Council was kind enough to offer me some space as a guest blogger. In my article, I talk about some of the challenges the eastern slopes face and how all user groups can contribute to the solution. Give it a read! http://oldmanwatershed.ca/blog-posts/2016/3/29/the-fish-that-got-away

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/logging-on-the-eastern-slopes-prompts-debate-about-watershed-health Logging gets a bad rap. Some of it is deserved and some of it isn't. A great deal of logging activity happens in the Eastern Slopes. This area is the headwaters for nearly all of the fresh water in our province. The logging industry makes an important contribution to our economy, but water security makes a big contribution to sustaining a growing population. Finding that balance isn't easy, but it sure is important.

An answer to what? I don't see a statement being made in either direction. The post stimulated a conversation and the conversation revealed that there is nothing to be concerned about. That was the intention, and I was pleased to see some of the very detailed information that was provided. You aren't out of line, I just think you're suggesting I'm doing something that I'm not.

Therein lies your problem; blind assumptions. I'm VERY well aware of the fact that I don't have all of the answers. I also appreciate the fact that a fresh perspective isn't always an informed perspective. At no point in my gas leak post did I suggest that I knew the science behind any of it. I post articles and ask questions. I often leave a post with more information than I started. That is a very good thing. The more informed folks, yourself included, are a wealth of knowledge that I am privileged to tap into. If your assumption is that I endorse every article I post, that's your problem. I'm prepared to listen when someone tells me that I don't have all of the information or that my perspective isn't correct.

You know, not to name names or anything. I didn't provide an endorsement of the article, I simply raised it. The points I raised were my perspectives and experience on this file. Whether poaching incidents are rising all together, or rising per capita...does it really matter? The only thing that matters to our fish populations is that incidents of poaching are rising, period. If we keep making excuses for this behavior, we'll never get to the bottom of it. Anglers have a proud legacy of self regulation. There are always going to be bad apples in the bunch, but that requires the rest of us to be that much more vigilant. Or you know, we can keep making excuses and see what happens.

This was Friday night: Not sure what was going on. At least it was on the downstream side!

This isn't new, it was first drafted in 2012 unless I'm missing something. Are there plans for another refresh to this plan after this one expires in 2017?