ggp

You're right Clive that's an awesome song....What a great time it was to be alive Ahhhhhhhhhh nostalgia :rolleyes:

Snow :$*%&: :$*%&: :$*%&: :$*%&: :$*%&: :$*%&: :$*%&: But the Dean Martin video made me feel better!!!!! Ooooop's there I go showing my age again

The Crow definitely has some of the healthiest looking bows to be found anywhere. Thanks for sharing.

The river is quite dirty from the melt over the last few days but the fish are still co-operating.

Lynn I am so sorry for your loss....My thoughts and best wishes are with you.

Awesome pic's Jeff!

I just had to take advantage of the great weather the last couple of day, so off to the river I went.....Most of this winter the fish I caught where either browns, or whitefish, with the occasional sucker thrown in for good luck , however the last few times out it's been all bows....Water visibility today was quite poor.....A big old bow river leech has been my best fly over the last couple of days, but I did get a few on midges yesterday.

Rick, I think you gave him a real gift by sharing your knowledge, and it is also one of the most important things anyone can do for the sport....I am very sorry to hear about your friend.

Got out again today and had a fantastic afternoon.

Thanks for all the nice comments....This fish was quite sluggish, and came in very quickly.

Was another nice warm day on the river today, and she treated me well.

As far as I am concerned any time is the right time, except for run off.....My favorite time of year is late August, September, and early October!

Awesome! I can't wait to get out a few times this week.

Absolutely, 9 ft. 6 wt. would be perfect.

I will assume because this is a fly fishing site that you will be using fly fishing equipment, so I will answer with that in mind. I have not fished lake trout or whitefish of the size you mentioned but I do fish Chinook and Coho Salmon every year of that size and sometimes larger. When fishing for Chinook in rivers I use 12lb. tippets for the most part, occasionally 15lb. with 20lb. backing on my reel. I have two other reels set up with 30lb. backing but I still fish 12lb. most of the time, however I could go up to 20 to 25lb. if need be. A lot of force can be applied to a fish using 12 lb. without it breaking. I would use the same leader and backing for lakers, and I'm sure they would be more than adequate. My main concern is that I can break a fish off should it becomes necessary, without loosing all my backing and fly line, because sometimes in salt water larger critters will take your salmon and head for parts unknown

I have fished Hawaii before but it was deep sea fishing not beach fishing and it was many years ago (paid in advance, tip at the end of the day if you felt it was worth one). Seems to me it was quite pricy when I went, and I shared the boat with two other clients. Everything that was caught was killed, and at the end of the day I had to demand some of the meat from the fish that were caught. (Yellow Fin Tuna)....At the time I went I had not heard of any decent fly fishing for bones off the beaches, but that certainly doesn't mean there isn't....There is one island, I believe it is Kauai that has Peacock Bass in one of its lakes, they certainly could be fun on a fly rod. When I beach fish off of Vancouver Island, it's not so much the wind that bothers me but the surf. It can be awful hard to stand up when the surf is trying to knock you down or the waves break right in front of you and fill your waders. If your fishing in secluded bays, you probably won't have to worry about the surf. (you won't need waders in Hawaii ) But hay if it wasn't fun I wouldn't keep doing it. In my opinion a good guide should also be a good teacher....Keep practicing your casting as the more proficient you get, the greater your odds become, and don't let anyone tell you that if you can't cast at least X amount of distance, you shouldn't go, that is just plain nonsense....Just remember, the more proficient you become the more you increase your odds, and you don't get proficient without practice....Good luck and have a great trip!

And a good opinion it is, I think you have hit the nail square on the head....What is more important is to know how to fish the imitations you are using....Even when suspending an imitation from a strike indicator there are subtle little tricks that one can do to improve his or her catch rate.....And by getting rid of the indicator all together can produce amazing results....Sorry, this sort of moves away from the original topic but I am trying to make a point.....Here are a couple of pic's from the same lake, one using a strike indicator from a boat depicting a nice fish, the other from shore without the use of a strike indicator, depicting an even larger fish.....Two fish two different chironomids....In my opinion a throat pump is a very invasive and unnecessary device.

It has been my experience that small town dealerships are more willing to negotiate. My last vehicle was bought in High River.

Just a few pic's from the previous year or two. Fishing for Coho Coho caught in the salt, note that it is already turning dark. Bow River Brown From a little puddle down south Same puddle, bigger fish Nice Bow

Well I'd like to think that after forty years of fly fishing and fifteen years of fishing prior to that, that I have amassed some knowledge and skill, but there is always something new to learn whether it be from an old experienced fly fisher or a new person to the sport who just does something a little different, and it works. So I try to keep an open mind, but in this case I just don't agree with the use of 3 and 4wt's in the Bow . I have used light rods in the past and landed large fish with them, but I came to the conclusion that I would rather have one designed for larger fish in big water than smaller ones designed for smaller fish in smaller waters. A 3x tippet should be enough to bring in just about anything in the Bow. However a 3x tippet in my opinion defeats the purpose of a 2,3,or 4wt. rod. No question that light rods have a place which in my opinion is smaller streams and dry fly fishing, where I will usually start of with a 4x tippet and work my way down to a 6 or 7x if necessary. Having said that there can be some very large fish in small streams but they tend not to run to the same extent as their cousins in larger rivers. Some of our central Alberta streams have some very nice browns in them and this is where I tend to use my light rods but not in the Bow. Like I said before I can only share information, it is up to others as to whether or not they are willing to accept it.

Total nonsense! Rather than telling us that you know a guy who does it, you should try it for yourself. I have done it for myself and I know that you cannot put the same pressure on a fish with a light rod that you can with a heavier one, using the same leader. Lighter rods simply do not have the backbone required to move some fish....If you have ever fished Chinook salmon with a fly rod and it decides to sulk on the bottom they become extremely hard to move, even with a 9 or 10 wt. There is no way you will move one with a light rod (by that I mean a 6,7,or an 8) trying all the tricks you have learned over the years, and thats not to say that if the fish co-operates you can't land it, with a light rod because you can....But hay all I can do is share information, the rest is up to the individual fly fisher!

People may love the fight you get from a 4 wt. or lighter, but the extra time spent fighting a fish will be contributing too more lactic acid build up in its system and could cause its death, even though it is revived and released. In my opinion anything lighter than a 6 or perhaps a 5 (but even that's pushing it, considering the size of some of the fish in the Bow) is to light for this river.

Happy Birthday Terry I hope you have a great day. Hope to see you down in the pass in the not to distant future.

When I walk and wade one rod is all I take, anything else gets in the way.....When I float the river I will have a back up in the boat and it will still be a six....I reserve my light rods for smaller streams with smaller fish.