jgib01

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.

Looks like the Provincial park will encompasses Beaver Mines area, Castle Falls, and most of the Carbondale/Lynx area. That is a lot of random campers who will be "upset". Not saying that's a bad thing, but might be some strong and vocal opposition from those folks. Personally, I think it is pretty awesome, especially if they put some resources into developing some of the exisiting camping areas. Can only be a good thing in terms of restricting OHV to trails too. Edit: Now that I took the survey, it looks like there may be some efforts made to manage random camping, by designating it to specific areas (which by definition will make it no longer truly random). Maybe a good happy medium to satisfy both sides.

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.

Awesome! #2 is on it's way to looking more like a football than a fish, and #3 is just a monster all around . I'm interested in doing some stillwater stuff, and hoping to get out a few times this fall. So, is this typical of what the "expectation" is from folks for QSF waters? I've certainly read lots here about disappointment with how some of those lakes are producing, but your outing seem to argue the point. Of course, I'm making the grand assumption that this was actually at one of those lakes.

The risk of showing up en masse is that with this being a first appearance, it may be a very quick hearing with no outcome. The accused might not even be there if they have legal representation (or they might just not show if they are "unconcerned", and then have a warrant issued). I think the waders idea is pretty cool, but you might get a hassle from security (and be sure not to have any foreceps or nippers in your pockets). Haven't been to the Pincher courthouse, but security is tight at Lethbridge.

I've not seen them in store here in Lethbridge, and can't find them on their website. Online, there seems to be lot's of options available stateside, but can't find any here. If anyone sources them, please let us know.

Awesome pics! Can't say I blame the little fella. I wouldn't want to kiss a walleye either... between the teeth and the fin spikes, I was lambasted more than a few times when we fished them as a kid. Arguably still the best tasting freshwater fish I've ever had though.

I'm betting that the 17-18C surface water temps I saw on the Crow last Saturday will be noticeably higher than that now. 37C in Lethbridge right now (but with the wind it only feels like 36!), and the Crowsnest Pass currently is 29C. 2-4mm rain forecast for CNP on both Friday and Saturday, and daytime highs moving down to the mid to high teens there for several days starting Saturday. Maybe the change in weather will even things out by early to middle of next week. Here's hopin' (and not just for the sake of fishing, but for the fish themselves).

I think what your referring to there is a lack of logic and common sense. Don't crush my last remaining shred of hope

How about using logic as a defence?

I'd be curious what a straw poll would say about folks who were not planning to venture out to the places listed under "not yet closed", but are now considering doing so because of closures of their regular beats. Smokin hot down south for the next few days... mid 30's in Lethbridge and pushing 30 in the mountain areas. I was getting surface temps on the Crow this past weekend around 17-18C, so can only imagine what another week of hot weather and no rain will do there. Think I will put the gear away pending the cooler weather (and hopefully a tiny bit of rain) that's supposed to be on our way.