SilverDoctor

Fished through the Ausable, Saranac & Chateaugay etc.. Beautiful country in the fall. Spent a few rainy days at the Ausable fly shop with Fran Betters it was a great experience on very haunting waters.

Fished the Adirondack's in the 70's, where some great streams down there and met some great fly tiers.

https://vimeo.com/169278790

K country to Canmore and Waiprus bear warnings. It's berry season, so please take precautions in Bear country. there have been a couple of attacks with one woman pulled off her cycle. Stay calm Hike in pairs Make Noise as you walk, a little war whoop every now and again can carry a long way and is good for you as therapy anyway. It reduced the chance of surprise encounters and with other Fly fisherman that you are crazy and not to fish in your waters. Bears don't want to interact with you, make yourself noticed with noise. Note: I have trained bears to attack you if you play loud Rap music on the stream. Watch for Bear sign like very fresh scat (especially if full of berries) avoid the area even if the trout are rising to dry flies. Always carry Bear Spray and use it. Be aware how it works. remember it has a safety tab. Practice draw it a few times so you don't fumble and its' carried in a comfortable draw position. If you encounter a bear don't act like prey, back away don't run (again never ever run, they are in some way like a cat and running triggers Predator-prey syndrome), talk to the bear firmly but don't yell and back away slowly. Bear spray usually has a range of about a car length or a bit better. If you see a bear, draw your can of spray out and be ready with safety tab removed (most brands let you put the safety back in). Also use just short bursts, depending on the brand you have about 8 seconds of spray total. That can give you a few short bursts. Carry the spray where you can get to it fast, not in the back of your vest or backpack. If you see a bear group together you will look like a larger animal and mor intimidating (nto that bears intimidate easily). Leave the area, I've had bears circle me and encountered them a second time in a couple of hundred yards, they might not smell you and not know what you are so circle to figure you out. After the encounter change your shorts and have a small nervous breakdown. There are several websites that have bear warnings for areas to avoid. http://www.albertaparks.ca/ http://www.pc.gc.ca Keep safe out there.

If you use your line hand to add action to the streamer, it's easy to do a quick little strip set when you feel the bump. Takes a bit of practice to get the feel of it but it's a nice way to fish as after the cast I usually can look at the scenery still feel for the fish. The Tug is the Drug.

You can bring a Streamer to a Trout but you can't make a Trout to bit a Streamer

One of my biggest Bow river Browns was caught in a submerged bike path.

Spare money in your jeans

Dave's Flexament works great but lately I have been using Shoo Goo.

Darn a place I haven't left flies in the bushes.

Often times we are looking at the new private sector privacy of information laws that protect everyone. It is especially true with legal proceedings. The other factor we are looking at is the severe cutbacks in manpower that seldom allow the more social aspects of return contact.

Report, report, report. Three times I have taken pictures of people holding their illegal catch. "Wow can I get a picture those are great". License plates a couple of times but mostly call in reports. Regulations are given out with fishing licenses, really simple to read even categorized with the lake or stream you are fishing. Let the CEO sort it out, they are better at it. People get mad when caught, better to just observe, record move on and report. Confrontation does no good. I have chatted with kids and parents a few times.

Great looking place, haunting waters.

I glued up my boots and tested them yesterday stumbling around one of my favourite freestone streams. Held together so far. Korker has offered me a great deal on a new pair.

The Disney "Men in Black" would take my fly rod away. Davy Crockett canoes? jeepers you must be as old as "Ol Doc".

I wish my pension was that much.

With a 6 month old, Disneyland

Don't get me wrong, for all my complaining I did find the Korkers to be an excellent boot from a performance point of view. Very comfortable and the traction was excellent.

There are times that skating "Skid Bitches" can be a riot.

Cool

I use a Turtle Knot a lot, but mostly use the Davy Knot for smaller flies. Whatever knot you use, tie it so you can do it blindfolded.

Steelhead flies no, but Caddis......... another story

Fishing a stream about 2 miles up my Korker’s soles separated from the uppers. Rather shocking as they advertise themselves as a quality product. Having a good look at them you can see there is very little glue holding the uppers to the Sole. Must have been a Monday Morning boot, or the guy was running out of glue. Had a hell of a time limping back. Luckily I had some leader to hold them together for the walk back. Don’t expect them to last forever but where is quality control. Warranty has expired but emailed customer service, as they seemed to have a rather shoddy glue job to say the least. Not much bonding there. Here’s the answer I received below. Basically too bad fix them yourself. Gone are the days where people stood behind their products. Can’t say I’ll be running out to buy another pair of Korkers and rather disappointed as they are not cheap. Can’t find the glue they suggested but will try Shoo Glue. Let you know how it works. Anyone else had this problem? ------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for getting in touch with us, I'm sorry to hear that you've experienced a problem with one of our products. For most glue issues and repairs, I'd recommend a product called Free Sole: You'll want to make sure that the boots are clean and dry before attempting a repair. Let us know if you have any other questions, thank you. Best Regards, Mark Fuller Customer Service Account Manager Korkers Products, LLC -------------------------------------------------------

When I was a youngun I had to earn my right to fish. Gramps, Dad, and Mom all tied flies and fished. I could not go on a trout fishing trip with Dad till I could tie a perfect Classic Royal Coachman... and cast it into a coffee cup. It was a rite of passage that I was proud of. So different of today's demands of instant satisfaction.

Years ago I named a specific stream location where a very big Brown resided. She was a big breeder and topped the 32" mark. Looked for her again and found bait containers and the leftover skeletal remains of that filleted fish. It bothered me, some of the small stream fish especially I end up with an intimate relationship with. These smaller waters deserve protection, not mobs. I would rather they be my own experience or that of trusted old friends. Pictures are great reports are good along with bug reports, flies and water conditions. Many of the spots I fish are a bit secluded, others fish there but others respect it also. Not everyone does. Streams especially will get fished out by unthinking people. Bigger water and lakes are a different story. I like to act as not only Fly fisherman but a steward and be a bit thoughtful in these years. I love seeing reports but ones that are more general about the location.