SilverDoctor

Although I fish a Meiser Highlander Trout Spey 4 wt. on the Bow personally I would not use it for smaller creeks. Too long at 12.5 ft. If I needed spey casts because of back cover a Skagit Shooting Head with a 3 to 4 wt would be the ticket for large streamers.

https://www.rockyview.ca/CountyServices/Roads/RoadUpdates.aspx https://www.facebook.com/CalgaryRiverUsersAlliance/?__tn__=kC-R&eid=ARBaR29hsEMqGhWvveuKZKWQwEr_R-dkbhwGRVN9R-VUT04yZHQQ2XzzVJKi4GwoC0yrEkbOvLLsCxRC&hc_ref=ARTsCsy7JQaPkNvu_DgmnIFYQgAgInNF83Yj-5FPf4UV2I7qaamJ_W51BRdvwnkOaB8&fref=nf From the Bow River Trout Foundation Facebook Site Yesterday at 2:50 PM . Mackinnon's Flats Update We received the following message from Rockyview. Due to road conditions, the end date for the “Site Access Restrictions to McKinnon Flats” originally advertised as April 15, 2020 has been extended indefinitely. If anyone is up that way let us know.

Access Road going down to McKinnon Flats Recreational Area at south end of Range Road 274 south of Highway 22X

Beauty emerger matt. Here is a CDC emerger with translucent body.

In my greenhouse, I use gutters with holes drilled n the bottom. Nice for growing shallow root crops like onions, radishes, lettuce, etc. My neighbor liked the idea so much he attached gutters to his fence, works great.

Got to fish more spinners, Like tying them

If we start stretching things beyond family units and staying in place, the Gov. may decide to shut down the season completely. Here is where a few may kill it for everyone by looking for loopholes.

Would love some horseradish unfortunately I'm in Calgary. Have to nose arround here for some roots.

Peppers do take a lot more time to germinate than most other seeds. Mine took 9 days. To speed the process, place the seeds between damp sheets of a paper towel, than place in zippered plastic bag, put the bag in a warm place the top of the refrigerator works As soon as the pepper seeds sprout, carefully plant them in individual containers. Our varieties are Sweet Marconi Rosso and Calafonia Wonder. Alot of my veggie seeds come form last years crop.

Thought I would start a place to talk gardening. We started our normal seeds a week ago. Multiple varieties of tomatoes, Peppers, Beans, Squash and Cucumbers. Elephant garlic in the dish starting. Want to order a couple of varieties of Haskap berries this year and need to find some Horseradish root as a starter. Anyone else out there have your seed starters going. Good year for a victory garden. We usually produce veggies for most of the year for the freezer.

As some of you may know I love vintage FF equipment and have a modest collection. Here is a cool documentary on Hardy

Mayfly Genus Baetis (Blue-Winged Olives) hatch throughout the year, in the spring and fall thy do tend to be smaller than in the early spring and fall. There are in fact dozens of different types in our province. I have often chased pods of Rainbows and browns during these hatch cycles. You also have to look at stages of nymphs that are pre-emergers for a complete cross section in your box. Often anglers look for that one magic fly that works all year instead of looking at what is on the water at different times of year and differnt nymphal stages(an insect screen can be your best friend to determine size and color). Here are a few that work for me throughout the year. Some are original others specific to well know patterns. I tend to bend my patterns to what I see on the water. Red Headed Step Child mentioned here in #16 and #18 My Doc's BWO (personal favorite) in Size #20 Suspended BWO Nymph #18 - #20. The large tail is pre-shuck Bars Emerger is a good one fished in a Leisenring Lift manner. Tie it in Green and brown. Doc's Gilled Baetis Nymph Hope this helps a bit in chasing the BWO hatches. keep up your social distancing and keep safe and may wee all meet at some time on sparkling waters.

Thanks Don, just took it, good course, I quite enjoyed it. It should be mandatory to be able to get a license.

Loop has some great offerings also, the Loop Opti series as an example. Have a few like the Loop Opti stream and the older Loop AEG.

Provincial parks and Rec areas have been closed. You can read about some of it here. Quote: Now is not the time to visit our provincial parks or recreation areas. If you have plans to visit one of these areas in the coming days, please cancel your plans. We recognize this news is disappointing to our avid park visitors and recreationists. The COVID-19 virus is serious and we encourage Albertans to stay home and to go for a walk in their neighborhood- remembering to practice physical distancing (remaining two metres apart from others) at all times.

Here's my tubing. Here's what the final product looks like. I like to keep a small loop.

I originally picked mine up at a Radio Shack type store years ago that was across from PM Hobby next door to Redhart Shoes. Don't think its there any more. Seems to me I looked for it when I was driving by and didn't see it. But you need to look for thin wall transparent Electronic tubing. Transparent so you can see it happen and not burn it, thin walled so you can easily cut it. . It came in 4 ft lengths and I believe it is by 3M.

Yep it was 1/4 inch.

Hay Jay, you could certainly buy a fancy heat gun and I have used an old heat gun of mine that I used to strip paint works well. But… I like to use an ordinary tea candle. I find I can control it easier. You do need one other thing for this and that’s some narrow light clear shrink wrap tubing a bit wider than your fly line. This method is great for all coated fly lines and gives strong, small and neat loops, which will glide noiseless through the guides. Here’s a step by step, if you have an old line you can use it to experiment with. It does take a bit of patience and practice but not hard to do. 1. Cut a piece of tubing approximately about 2 to 3 inches long. Pass the fly line through the shrink tubing so a few inches protrude out the other end. 2. Loop your fly line and pass it back through the tubing you should end up with 1/2 inch from the end of the shrink tubing. Adjust the loop size to your liking 3. Slowly apply heat to the shrink tube with the side of a candle. Heat the line in short intervals and gently. The coating of the fly line will melt together. Only heat the shrink wrap tubing not the fly line protruding. Repeat this slowly until all the fly line connection is smoothly merged and melted together with no gaps between the two lines, take your time and work at it. I like to roll the melted line between my fingers a bit when it is still warm. careful not to burn yourself. 4. When the coating of the fly line cools a bit, you can remove the shrink tube carefully. The shrink tube is best removed while it is still a little warm. I use a fine pair of scissors and cut from the loop down. 5. Don't apply too much heat or you will burn the line. If the line burns or browns clip it off and start again. Hope this helps and makes sense. Started using this method a years back. Never had one fail, just like factory made loops.

Cortland braided clear monofilament is what I used, bought it years ago when I guided and needed to work on clients lines. Usually for 6 wt up to Spey lines. For lighter setups I have used heavy mono in 20lb nail knotted to the fly line then tye in a short Perfection Loop. Since than I have switched to welding my own loops in the fly line. Find it more efficient and fail proof.

Hollow braided mono approx 50 lbs works great. The fishing hole and BassPro usually carry it. Not hard to source online.

Well gosh, with being in that target age (70) and now cocooning at home. I was working I need to adapt to this new life reality guess I'm retired now. Shock to the system. Shopping for necessities occasionally. Time to do things. It is nice having the internet but I'm tying a bit (most of my winter orders are done) mostly now for buddies and new fun ties to experiment with. I started doing some art with a bit of watercolor, good for the soul. Digging around and found my old iPod. Forgot how nice it was just listening to music, like an old friend. I did it a lot more listening in my younger days. All my old playlists are on it so its cool. Things I should also do around the house. How is everyone out there coping? The community has been quiet lately. Let's use this as an opportunity to post how you are doing, what you fill your days with your fears or not. Heres hoping we all of us come out the other side OK. Wash them hands and keep well from Ol' Doc

Early BWO Hatch

Wish there where more Greyling opportunities in the southern province. Closest we have around Calgary is a couple of small ponds. Wish we had some stream fish.

Cool stuff Taco.