JMasson

Depends on the size of the fish and the application of the rod. I used to catch bones on a #5/6 when I lived in Florida and that rod had a fighting butt on it. Would I put a fighting butt on a #5/6 trout rod? Probably not because I'm not applying pressure in the same way. I wouldn't say they were necessary when catching bones either but it's nice to be able to jam the butt into your hip to apply some good side pressure to stop a big bonefish's run. I wouldn't even dream of a tarpon rod without a butt on it. I like them on any rod #8 and bigger but that's mostly personal preference. Having said that, I'm sure others' mileage may vary.

GEOSAR (Geographical Synthetic Aperture Radar) continually monitors all PLB transmitting on 406 Hz...there are six satellites that are orbiting around the equator that will always pick up the transmissions (within seconds). The moment they are activated the transmission is sent to a MCC (Mission Control Center), via Cospas-Sarsat (the information distribution system linked to GEOSAR) and a response plan is implemented from there. Local authorities are notified and, if necessary, a SAR (Search and Rescue) mission is undertaken. So, somebody is always monitoring your "channel". These are not simple radio beacons and someone does not have to walk around with an antenna and headset listening to beaps. They are waterproof so you can swim down a river and they will still work. You are encouraged to test your PLB shortly after you purchase it and certainly before you travel in the back country with it for the first time. There are ways to test them without triggering a SAR response. It's the same technology that is used by every single plane in the world. Just smaller, lighter and is not activated by G-forces (meaning you have to actually turn it on). No, they are not fool-proof but they have saved several lives in the past. I absolutely agree that you should not solely rely on a PLB to save your life. You should travel with a friend, inform family of your destination, departure and ETA and if you want to, leave a note on your windshield.

Yeah, sorry man but MEC's president or CEO (can't remember who it was exactly) made comments to the effect of "we don't cater to hunters or fishermen" (paraphrased, obviously); however, they did not specifically endorse PETA or any animal rights group, for that matter. They carry many leather and wool products which go against PETA's stated and very public beliefs. PETA lists MEC on their website as selling animal rendered goods and encourages their members to not shop at or support MEC in any way.

Ok, you misinterpret. I was talking about the 100' cast, not the weight and length of the tip. Although, the longest tip I have used when fishing for trout is 10' of T14 and I feel pretty confident that I would reach the bottom of 99% of holes in any trout stream with that much weight.

I don't feel the need to use a two hander, in Alberta, that is heavier than a #6. You don't need to cast 15' of T14 and a 100+' cast is definitely not the norm for any trout fishing situation...I don't care how big the river is. If you're using a 14' tip, on the Bow, then you're definitely over-doing it. I'd say 6-8' of T14 would get you to the bottom pretty much anywhere on the Bow....with the possible exception of spring run-off. You also don't need a double hand rod to perform a spey cast. I spey cast with my single hand rods, in fact, all of my single hand rods are set up with custom heads so I can either overhead or spey cast with any of them.

Zap-a-Gap, I have yet to find a stronger, more adhesive glue. Who cares what the head looks like, the fish certainly don't. They're for fishing not for showing. I'm not familiar with the brand of cement you're using so I can't really offer any advise on a thinner to use. Possibly nail polish thinner....that's really just acetone though but it might work. I'd definitely recommend calling the manufacturer though.

What? Piss upstream of him or booby trap the road?

Buy yourself a Backroads Mapbook and have a look in there. There are so many options that one could find themselves overwhelmed.

WOW........... Why anyone could possibly need a full auto machine gun is beyond my comprehension. Don't get me wrong, I hunt (geese, ducks, doves when I'm in Florida) and I like shooting the odd gopher but come on.....

As far as PLB's are concerned there are a couple points that you should be aware of. First, make sure you get one with that transmits on 406 Hz (a digital signal) that can be picked up by GEOSAR satellites roughly 99.3% of the time. I believe that GEOSAR will ignore transmissions from 121.5 or 243 (analog) transponders, as of January or February 2009. The analog transponders will often not penetrate through heavy bush or debris. Also, the GEOSAR satellites provide almost instant coverage 70 degrees North and South of the equator and polar and artic regions have much reduced coverage due to the Northern and Southern latitudes. Registration, in Canada, is mandatory and must be registered with the National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS)...it's free, by the way. When registered and if activated the beacon will transmit personal information to the satellite and from there it will be sent to a MCC (Mission Control Center). The code has information such as phone numbers, callsigns of ships, aircraft or vehicles and other personal contact information that is valuable to SAR and the local authorities. From what I understand the 406 Hz beacons are accurate to about +/- 15m and due to a strong signal are not adversely affected by movement of the beacon. They're not perfect but they can be a handy thing to have if they are needed. Oh, you also don't want to activate your beacon in an area where local emergency response is close by. SAR resources are scarce and the national budget is very tight. Almost all SAR assets are volunteer based and it's a shame to waste the resources if they're not necessary.

Search and Rescue can't initiate a search without authorization from the RCMP or local law enforcement. I know it sounds ridiculous but they have absolutely no authority to issue orders for a search without first getting the go-ahead from the police. Ski Patrols can initiate a search but don't really have the manpower or resources to take on a large scale operations without the RCMP or S&R teams on-site to assist. And any search, especially in the back country, is a large scale operation requiring a mind boggling amount of logistical support and very compotent and highly skilled people to do the actual S&R. Clearly this SOS should've been taken seriously the first time it was spotted. At the very least they should've sent a small team into the area to investigate. Also, you can't just write SOS in the snow and then leave. You have to be in the immediate area so that anyone that sees the SOS will also see a human and know that it is serious. I know that no one that saw the SOS saw this man in the immediate area...at least the first time. Being in the backcountry is obviously not something to take lightly. You're ususally hours away from the nearest road and several more hours away from the nearest medical attention. In this case, being unprepared and having a lack of knowledge cost someone their life. Truly a sad situation, any way you look at it.

I've been using a Peak rotary for the past 4 years now. I really like how simple it is...nothing fancy but it gets the job done. The jaws work just fine and I've tied from as small as a size 28 up to size 1. On a side note, does anyone know where I can get a set of bigger jaws? Moving back to Florida at the end of the month and will have the need to use some bigger hooks.

A Torridge will be my next spey rod purchase...probably in the length and weight you have right there. Courtney, I'm really loving that zr2 you traded me. One hell of a rod with tons of power. Nice fish! James

I own a couple Loomis rods and I have always been a fan of G. Loomis. I also like Sage, Redington, TFO, St. Croix.....get my drift? Hell, I have a rod right now that someone built...kind of a sloppy job all around, no idea what blank it is or what hardware was used but I really like the feel of it. The fish certainly don't know it's not pretty. It's a 9ft #3 and I carry it as a back up on cuttie streams but I end up using it more than my higher end rods. It just feels right when I cast it. None of my rods are what you would call "high-end" anyways...as a general rule I refuse to pay more than $300 for a rod. A $6-700 rod is not going to make you a better caster...it will only tweak your (hopefully) good casting skills. It's like buying a really high-end set of golf clubs....not going to make you swing like Tiger. You might get an extra 5-10 yards out of them but that's about it. Whereas, Tiger can pick up any club and still swing like a champ. Reels: Islander, Amundson (nice reels for under $150.00), Lamson, Galvan, Ross, Pfleuger...hell I own a couple Redington reels that I really like (they're light, have tons of capacity, a great drag and mostly come in under $150.00). It all depends on what feels comfortable to you. Some people vary and you're going to get a ton of different opinions on here. You really need to go and cast some rods. Pick out some reels that you like and see how they match up with the rods. Find your price range and then go around to the shops in Calgary and cast those rods and pick which one suits you the best. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't let us make that decision for you. You need to pick a rod that you can cast well and feels comfortable for you. James

Never ceases to amaze me. Look at a map or even the Alberta Fishing Guide...you can get them at several different retailers...or possibly the regulations booklet that you get with your fishing license every year. There's just a few ideas of where to start. You won't find many people here that are willing to spoon feed you information that took them many seasons and lots of km's of driving and hiking to find. If you get lucky you may make some friends that would be willing to take you on a trip or two and show you some gems.