jgib01

I was wondering the same thing myself. I think it is safe to say there is now a zero limit in place. Less clear is whether targeting cutties and doing c&r constitutes "harassing" and "capturing". I think the argument could be made that it does. And my next question is whether the Feds now have some stronger responsibility around enforcement.

Fair enough... I just dug the name

On the food side of the discussion... Our 4 y.o. shetland sheepdog is a very picky eater, which I understand is a bit atypical for the breed. We thought for a while we were going to have to look at that "expensive and time-consuming" option of raw or variant thereof. Tried Orijen, Acana, Blue Buffalo, Darford, & a few others I can't remember. Then stumbled on a dehydrated food on the advice of a pet store employee, made by Canisource. He's been on Cani for almost two years now, and shows no sign of tiring of it. He lasted only a couple of months (or less) on the others before he lost interest in them. Even with the Canisource, we have to be careful. If it is approaching the best before date, he won't eat it; or if we try to slip him the fish variety instead of the red meat, also puts his nose in the air. Our sheltie is intelligent (he has trained us well) but quite independent and somewhat aloof. He came to us at 8 weeks already house-trained, and got the basics of obedience shortly thereafter with very little effort. He could care less if he receives any physical contact, but is keenly aware of what everyone in the house is doing at all times. During the day when we are home, he will always be around us, but never goes as far as to intentionally sit with us. He will work for food, but not praise or petting. Like the eating habits, I think his personality is somewhat atypical of the breed.

Surely to God there must be more than one semi-retired guy in the whole city of Calgary who can do it?!! A quick google search for shoe repair in Calgary reveals a place called "Fishman's"... by the name alone that should have some potential We have a couple of shoe repair places down south, and I think I will connect with one of them this winter to see if they can tackle mine. Still have to fall off my wallet and buy the felts somewhere.

I have the now discontinued Patagonia Rock Grips (the studded version before they went to the bars). Seemed pretty awesome in the store for comfort, and even for the first couple of short outings last fall. Then this spring I started having sharp pains at the back of my lower leg just below the top of the boot after only a couple of hours on the water... store I bought them from said they never heard of this happening to anyone else and suggested I consider an insole. I now use an insole in them, which raises the back of my foot a tiny bit, and, voila, no more pain. They are quite stiff, but seem well constructed. The newer Ultralight Patagucci stuff seems considerably lighter, but still look and feel pretty robust. Haven't laid eyes on the Tractors yet, so can't comment on them.

I wanted to try a nymph that day we were out on the Upper OM... except I was worried that y'all would start cursing, heads-spinning, spouting Lee Wulff quotes of some kind or another, before finally bludgeoning me with your size 3 rods and abandoning me in the woods with nothing except a bottle of floatant and some Frog's Fanny.

So, doing some intraweb surfing over the lunch hour. Looks like both the p-line and the Maxima 6-lb lines are 0.23mm/0.009", or equivalent to 2X diameter in the tippet realm. Strength comparison to Rio fluoroflex+ 12lb fluoroflex is 8lb powerflex+ 12lb powerflex 10lb.

I thought (perhaps incorrectly so) that regular fluoro fishing line was a much higher diameter in comparison to a similar test of tippet. So, while I can see the advantages of using something like fluoroclear for streamers and larger nymphs, isn't it a little difficult to work with for smaller flies, like 14-20 stuff? Maybe I have just drank too much of the kool-aid this past year that SA & Rio are "giving" away, and am way off base here.

Break-offs tend to be at the knots, but even then I can't bet my life this is 100% of the time. My rods are of the fast action variety (Orvis Access 6# tip flex, Orvis TLS 5# tipflex, BIIIX 4#), so that may be a factor. Maybe I need to try out my 2# fiberglass and see if I can manage a break off on that Edit: Just looked outside and there is no wind here today... I am definitely taking my 2# out tonight for kicks. As I have thought about the drag question, I am inclined to think my problem is more about finesse (or rather lack thereof) on my part. For me, the reel's drag rarely comes into play... certainly doesn't factor in on those that I have lost on hookups and in those first few crucial seconds afterward. I could count on one hand the number of times I have got these stockers to the reel. Even when fishing my regular haunts (not being in Calgary I don't experience the monster Bow River browns y'all do), I tend more often than not to never get a fish to the reel unless it is on the larger side. Tis a rare but occasionally happy occurrence for this novice!

For the past year and a bit of fly fishing, I've had relatively little experience with this... until the last couple of weeks. Have previously experienced maybe two break-offs (that I can remember) in the moving waters I'm typically on. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been on a recently stocked pond, with lots of fish to hand. Along with that, I've had probably a dozen break-offs too. I first started wondering if it was a tippet issue... generally using 4X (but also 3X and sometimes 5X on smaller nymphs), and have tried both fluoro and mono (my mono 4X was bought in August, 3X in the spring and 5X last fall; fluoro from last year). My fly vest is not stored in my vehicle; always in my garage at the end of the day out of any direct sunlight. Then experimented with a couple of knots, trying improved clinch and double davy (and yes I always wet my knots!). Can't really seem to figure out the pattern here. Maybe it is the sheer number of fish I am into, and that is taking a toll on the tippet. These little hatchery rainbow (most in the 12-16" range) are feisty, and have a tendency to hit hard when they strike... nothing subtle about the takes. Even so, they are not big enough that I would expect as many break-offs as I have been experiencing. That said, last night I was fishing a small leech with a small trailing nymph under a white yarn indicator... a rather large looking fish rose to and took my indicator, pulled it down about a foot and then let go. I was a bit mesmerized, when about 2 seconds later it was on my leech... took it straight down about 10 feet, zig-zagged a couple of times, gave a few head shakes, and broke off my leech tied on 3X. Fun while it lasted! Any advice for what I might try? I don't think I am fighting too aggressively, but you never truly know what the adrenaline is doing to your sensibility. Sure making me nervous if/when I do finally get to spend some more quality time on QSF waters. I can only imagine what 20"+ fish would do to me given my record these past few days.

I believe most of the Bhutanese refugees in Lethbridge came via the Nepal refugee camps. I understand that, for the most part they were ejected from Bhutan because of their historic Nepalese roots. There is quite a religious diversity among the group here; I was at a potluck a number of years ago, and we had to label everything... some were not allowed beef (Hindu), some not allowed pork (Muslim? Buddhist?) and some were strict vegetarian (likely Buddhist again). And while subsistence fishing may be illegal in Bhutan, we know that isn't the case/culture here. I'd say, like it or not, c&r is the exception outside the fly fishing community. I'm amazed how many people that I speak to about my new habit are surprised to hear that I retain none of the trout that I catch (the Pacific salmon I've caught haven't fared so lucky, and a legal-sized walleye would probably be in the same proverbial boat). That all said, religion and Bhutanese laws aside, I would agree with your previous comment... it is pretty inconceivable to think that none of the six knew that what they were doing was illegal here. And if any of them didn't, they know now... and I'd bet that so does the Bhutanese community.

Fantastic! That is one of the coolest stories I have ever read here on FFC.

Bit of an oversimplification of the process, but probably easy to argue that there is at least a heaping measure of political influence at play in the appointments. Applications have to first go to the Judicial Council, who will approve (or not) sending the name to the Nominating Committee. (4 of the 6 members of the Council are ex officio, and 2 are appointed by the Minister. On the Nominating Committee, 3 are ex officio and the remaining 8 are appointed by the Minister.) The Minister can appoint only from those names forwarded from the Nominating Committee. I know of at least one appointment made in the South in recent years of a judge who had very strong ties to a different political party... so our current crop of judges aren't all past Conservative riding presidents, just some of them

My wife just said to me the other day "I feel like I'm missing out on something with this fly fishing thing." Think she may be moving from a quiet supporter to eventually joining me on the water. Now on to my shout out. To Murray and Lornce for giving of their time to teach youngsters (and some not so youngsters) the art of tying. My son spent some time with Murray (at the Expo this year) tying his first fly, and he has done several more since. Heck, he even taught this south-pawed-clumsy how to whip-finish! As an "old" novice to the sport, my one regret so far is that I did not discover this gig as a kid, or at least as a young adult. I think the time spent at the tables at Expo will fix that for a lot of young lads and lasses. Appreciate that there were probably others who volunteered there too (kudos to you as well!), though I only met those two fine gentlemen when we were there.

Hmmm... west coast and steelhead, eh? How about April then? Not sure what your girlfriend would think of that.

Girl dog, right? Some word play examples maybe.. Riza, Mendy? Or straightforward bug names... Caddis, May, Midge. Lake names a plenty to chose from if you are inclined to stillwaters (Michel, Bonnie, Sandy, etc., etc.).

I recently tied a bunch of top-water ones using Phil Rowley's pattern from his database. Now to some subsurface ones... they have to be very simple ties, as I am a complete amateur at this stuff. I saw an old thread with a pattern from you Murray (might be the same one... pic isn't opening on my computer right now for whatever reason). Though I was reluctant to try it, as epoxy is involved and I'm quite sure I will glue some fingers together

Just listened. Excellent job on presenting a balanced approach to the issue, and on educating folks at the same time.

My point was that the judiciary is not the route to impact here. You simply have no way of getting an audience with judges. The "solution" you are looking for is a political (legislative) one through changed minimum fines/penalties. Just because the Crown asked for stiffer penalties does not mean that the legislation has the teeth you are looking for. I don't think I have been in court (save those rare ones where sentencing agreement was reached as part of a package prior to the hearing) where 1) the Crown and Defense agreed completely on sentencing, and 2) the judge didn't end up taking a position somewhere on the continuum in between.

I guess I sorta lied in my initial post... I have been open-water salmon fishing twice, so those would count as guided trips. I've just never been on a guided fly trip. The pinks were plentiful in the Juan de Fuca in July when we were there. We even managed a couple of hatchery cohos, but no kings. I was really contemplating the Fraser sturgeon trip this summer too, but never pulled the trigger... on the list for sure.

He was in fact a she, from the sounds of the media report. Judge Oishi was presiding, correct? Not that knowing this will help. Judges rarely ever respond to feedback from the public; they are meant to be impartial, and not influenced by political or public pressures outside the courtroom. I doubt that if you sent a letter, that it would ever even reach her. They are guided in their decisions by legislation, so if you want to make changes, that is where to start, not with the judiciary. I know that this will not be popular opinion to express here... I completely understand the anger expressed, but regardless of the case, judges always consider the personal circumstances of the convicted when sentencing. It is a cornerstone of our justice system. For whatever the reasons, in this case the judge felt that the $1000 fines in these circumstances were onerous enough for these individuals, and commensurate with the offence. We may disagree, but sentencing is decided after arguments are presented from both sides in the courtroom, and not up for debate by the public. (Edit: and if they think the decision/sentence was not appropriate, the Crown Prosecutor has a right to bring an appeal) On another note, I want to offer a huge thanks to those who attended, and especially to Jordan for organizing. That is the good news part of this story. I agree that this has garnered a lot of media attention thanks to their efforts, that would not have occurred otherwise. Kudos for sitting through what was likely a very long 6 hours to get to this case on the docket.

Friday afternoon dreaming here, and wondering what the best guided trip(s) are that you have ever taken. Still very much a novice to the world of fly, I have yet to do a guided trip. However, would like my destination list to shift to include lots of great fishing, in my years approaching retirement (only 10 to go!) and beyond. Appreciate that it may be hard to pick just one, so will indulge you to to spin tales of the best salt and freshwater trip ever.

Ya, those are great shots Redbeard. I'm a little envious of all the awesome photography being showcased here. Looking forward to a waterproof version of something like the Sony A6000... maybe someday. I had an older Canon G series that I dunked in my first month of carrying it last year, and have since switched to an Olympus Tough. Will see how it does in the rain this weekend.

Wow, hope their in-store prices are more reasonable than their online ones! Online they're more than double what you'd pay stateside; even with our crappy dollar that's a tough pill. I've also considered switching to Vibram soles from a place like Rocky Mountain Resole, which is looking like an even more viable option.

I was on a SE lake once this year, probably on one of the hottest, driest weekends of the summer. Not ideal timing on my part, and I mostly just fumbled to try to figure out how to maneuver in my float tube (first time ever) and cast a 14' nymph rig. Was a bit of a gong show! Off to a SW lake this weekend, but lots of rain in the forecast... might eek out some time on the water Sunday and Monday morning.