jpinkster

Under the previous government, no. Under the current government, maybe. Minister Phillips really seems to have a good understanding of these kinds of issues. Some of their decisions around flood mitigation for Calgary were made with environmental considerations in mind. This current government has spent a lot of time talking the talk, but these kinds of things are opportunities to walk the walk.

I really care about the east slopes, and I know a lot of you in this space do too. Check this out: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-Hurymu1vf0RU5wMEFXcm5qT0k/view This is great work, and I hope it leads to positive change for our native species!

I have almost the exact same ones. Aside from the fact that they keep sliding down my nose, they are great.

Ultimately I would select the remediation or decommission of the site over those two options, especially with the future of coal under the new government. If I had to pick the two options you outlined, I'd pick a functioning mine with appropriate oversight/regulation.

That's great, except for the fact that organizations like TUC don't have the financial resources to do what you are talking about. It's on the government to make sure industry plays by the rule, and it is on industry to play by those rules. Oversight and regulation is exactly what government should be doing.

I think that's the problem....the quality of the oversight has been lacking. I'm all for having a functional industry that plays by the rules...but we need to make sure the rules are enforced properly.

I've heard that they don't taste great from the river anyways...

I'm back and forth through there all the time to go to my parents place. The Columbia is tricky to fish unless you have a boat. It is also closed up stream of the Highway 1 bridge in Revy all the way to the dam. I have heard that the Little Yoho is a good place for an adventure up by Field. If you get a chance you should also look at Kinbasket Lake. I have a few family friends that make a yearly trip there and they absolutely love it. There are a few rivers around Revy that I've always wanted to try. The Perry River to the west of Revy looks really enticing from the road, and the Illecillewaet River also looks very fishable from the road. I have never once seen anyone in either river...at least not from the road.

I'm totally on board with what BC does re: single barbless across the board as well. I'm doing my best to not use trebles, even when I'm pike fishing. Since I'm exclusively catch and release, it doesn't make any sense for me to ever use more than a single hook.

Catch and release and a fall closure to protect spawning Brown Trout. That's what I'm looking for.

As someone who is involved on a number of boards, this pretty much sums things up for me. The best way to influence change is from the inside (unless you're on a Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta Board like me...in that case things don't change).

We actually alter our nymph rigs specifically for stone fly season. Typically we have our bigger fly on the bottom. In May-June-July we keep the stone on top with the nymph at the end and a splitty or two above the stone. This keeps the stone tight to the bottom and has the nymph slightly suspended. Works really well.

I'll use stonefly nymphs for about 2 months out of the year. That's probably enough for me to make them my 8th pattern on the list.

Now I'm only a few years into my fly fishing odyssey, but this year I tried something different....I drastically dumbed down my fly selection. The main staples in my box this year were: Pheasant Tail (sz. 14, 16, 18) Hare's Ear (sz. 14, 16, 18) Dirty Worm (of course) Maribou leeches (black, olive, brown) Stimulators Parachute Adams Hoppers I had my most productive season fishing these 7 patterns. I stopped obsessing over matching the hatch and just focused on presentation. Knowing which flies to use at which time can be very intimidating, especially for a beginner. Patterns that can imitate a number of different bugs are the ticket to better fishing in my eyes. At the end of the day it's all about getting the fly to where the fish are!

Potentially another small bit of good news: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/ottawa-declares-proposed-alberta-coal-mine-site-endangered-trout-habitat/article27571074/ Looks like the impacts of some of these projects are finally going to be fairly questioned. I know several people who have worked their asses off for years on this. I can only imagine their level of elation over the news that has come out this week.

If it saves a species, isn't that worthwhile?

Aren't Bulls on the Gazette already?

Some good news for our native trout species today: http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2015/2015-12-02/html/sor-dors241-eng.php A lot of people have worked for a long time to make this happen. Congratulations to everyone who is doing their part to protect our native trout species!

Working at City Hall during this entire Uber episode has been challenging. Calgarians are being led to believe the entire thing is a political issue, when really it is a legal issue. The framework currently doesn't exist for Uber to legally operate in Alberta. The City has a role to adjust bylaws that would allow Uber to operate, and the Province will need to create a new insurance framework for Uber. Disagreeing with a law doesn't make it acceptable to ignore it. Imagine if other new market entrants behaved the same way Uber has?

Slurped it right off the surface. I actually asked the guide if it would be at all possible to catch a sturgeon on a fly rod. He looked at me like I was from another planet.

Here's my take for what it's worth: I am hopeful that we will see either a Liberal or Conservative minority government. While ideologically I lean more towards the Conservatives, I have issue with the way our country has been governed over the last decade. A lack of cooperation with the provinces and a move towards more American style politics makes me uneasy about another Stephen Harper lead majority government. The Liberal platform has some potential. That being said, I haven't seen enough from Trudeau yet to just hand over the keys to the country. I would be comfortable to see what happens in a Liberal minority and decide again in a few years if they have earned a broader mandate. The current government has a style problem, not a content problem. I have several friends that have been working on a few CPC campaigns. Sounds like they have been given some guidance from the central campaign to "save the office furniture". Internal polls are suggesting this will not be a good night for the CPC, and they are throwing resources at seats that might be saved.

I know this isn't fly fishing...but this absolutely has to be shared. Earlier this year my dad was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. He has had one surgery already, and another scheduled for later in November. Getting out for this trip was AMAZINGLY important to the entire family. We caught two sturgeon over 7 feet, and my dad summoned the strength to reel the last one in for 45 minutes straight. I'll have a blog coming up on this in the week to follow. Me with a 7'3, 230 lbs monster. We hooked it 10 minutes into our first day, and it rose 4 times for us. These fish are absolutely amazing creatures. This was the money shot. This was a 7'4 200 lbs monster that took us 2km downstream.

Yup, try setting your drag a bit looser. I had some issues last year (and last night for that matter). I don't like to try to turn the head until they stop their first run. Once that run stops you can lean on them a little bit more.

In all honesty, it's my least favorite float on the Bow. Lots of swirly water with less obvious structure. I know the fish can get huge down on that stretch, but I've always preferred Police to Mac.

Interesting context, thanks for sharing that. I have similar experiences with my non-fishing friends when I tell them that I don't keep anything. Most of them ask, "well what's the point then?". Different strokes for different folks I suppose!