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Was thinking my signature French Toast actually..........Yes, some good shore access and you can wade if need be........Wind, maybe!!.....

As you likely know, and thanks to your support last year, starting in April 2008, Police Outpost Lake will be governed by new, Delayed Harvest reg's........We really need your help to benchmark this fishery and we would like as many anglers as possible to fish at Police Outpost on the May 9-10 weekend..........Come Friday night and camp with your family and enjoy the full weekend or come as a group for a day or however much time you can spend..........We'll even try and do a complimentary camp breakfast for all the participants on Sunday morning....... What we need is for each angler to fill out a survey form that will basically track: 1)number of hours fished 2) number of fish caught 3) length of fish caught and 4) method used.......It'll be fun and this data will be invaluable in tracking the success of Police under the new regulations.......... I'll post more information soon concerning the data........Dryfly and I are heading down there in the next week or so to post some signs for the new regulations and while I'm there I will search out an appropriate campsite so that I can let you know what campsite you'll find us in on the weekend and where to pick up and return your log forms..........(And where to find breakfast on Sunday morning!!)......Hope to see lots of you there and I'll try and get a fix on rough numbers for the breakfast so please post whether or not you're likely to attend............. Cheers....... Al.....

And the best guide is Mario Graniel and he looooooves to hunt tarpon........Best guide I ever fished with..........

Cuba is a pretty cool place.....6 of us fished for 6 days.......I fished 3 days for bonefish and 3 for tarpon........Didn't land a tarpon until the last day.......Smoked a cigar to celebrate (I haven't had tobacco between my lips for almost 30 years!!).... The bonefishing was great........I caught 19 in total and every one showed me backing at least once.......I could have doubled that number if I hadn't been such a clutz on the secong day.......Couldn't cast worth stink and scared some fish that may be still travelling..........Most fish were caught wading in skinny water..........Fun! The tarpon were another story.......I had hooked a couple of tarpon (my first) last year in Belize which I had on for one jump each.......There is a knack to holding on to those fish.......I fished the river in Cuba the first day for tarpon and while we saw lots of good rollers I got skunked.....Second day for tarpon my guide took me out through the bonefish flats to an area he called "the channel"........We hunted for tarpon along the mangrove lagoons.......At the end of the day, 3 hooked, none landed.......The last day I fished the river again and by noon I was wet, cold and sans tarpon........We were fishing sinking gear and my arm was sore from chucking lead core, big flies and weight on a 10 wt. rod........Saw Clive at lunch an he had hooked 4 but hadn't yet landed the beast in his photo.......My guide then took me about a mile up a small feeder creek where there were lots of tarpon rolling.......I chucked the heavy gear (10 wt. with lead core and 8 weight with a sink tip) for about 15 minutes but nothing........Just for laughs I asked Manalo if poppers might work........He said "me no know but you try"......First cast and the fun was on.......Blurp the popper and try and keep your heart rate under control..........In 2-1/2 hours I hooked or raised over 40 fish..........Had 6-8 on for multiple jumps that were +20#...........Broke my 10 weight on a fish that sounded under the boat........I had him on for 3 jumps and I asked Manalo how we would get him in the boat........His answer "that tarpon not come in boat!!!).......He had him by the gills after I broke my rod but no picture..........I do have the memory however and the broken rod..........Thank God for gaurantees........Anyway, I had more fun in those 2-1/2 hours than should be allowed with your clothes on.......Will likely never have that experience again but will always have the memories.......

I build (assemble) rods and I like an 9' 8 wt. for pike and a bit softer..........This is good because the Forecast blanks are perfect---and cheap!!........If you know anyone who builds or if you build rods yourself you can do up a pretty nice rig for about $100..........Any decent reel (I like the Pfleuger Trion or President which are about $130 or so) that will hold an 8 WF floating line (Cortland used to make a pike taper but not sure they do any more but no need to get real fancy and if you're on a tight budget cheap is fine here too) with 50-100 yards of 20 pound backing will do........Pike seldom run very far but big pike dog it and can be fun to land........ Jaw spreaders are a must and most tackle shops have them........Poppers and pike flies are easy to tie and if you tie yourself look at Dryfly's pike page for help here and some other useful tips as well such as how to snell them with wire leader which is also a must......... http://members.shaw.ca/clives/pikeflyfish.html I also use a glove for big fish as it just makes them a bit easier to handle.......Pike are a hoot in the spring and fall but most action is in the 4-5 foot depth range....For evenings in the summer when they take poppers are about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.........Enjoy!!

Any of you Calgary guys know that spot??...........You'll have to tell Clive again to stop giving away the secret holes........

I feel alot better now..........Makes the 8 rods I BUILT over the winter more satisfying somehow..........

Looks like those fish had been frozen to me.......I'd bet he could have fished it BEFORE it was open...........A guy who'd whack that many fish would likely break ALL the rules........

Finally!!!..............A fly named after Dryfly and me!!.......

I know of the canning suckers thing........I grew up on a ranch near Drumheller and there was a creek (WillowCreek) that fed the Red Deer........Was almost dry most of the year but big flow in the spring............During the 50's the town of East Coulee was a thriving mining town with mostly east-block escapee's who had fled to Canada.......Poles, Hungarians, all of the Slaviks.......In the spring the suckers would run up Willow creek to spawn and apparently you could fork them out with pitchforks wherever there was a constriction like a deadfall or thin water...........Canned suckers apparently were on the menu for alot of the kids I went to school with..........Sort of like heron, I guess-------an acquired taste.......... Al...

Yeah, and then eat the pot........

Hmmm...........Wong???...........From Ontario???............Fishing a lake near Medicine Hat????............Why would HE care if he's destroying the place??........And I agree with those who've said suspending his liscense for a year is in the WGAF category 'cause this dude likely doesn't buy a liscense anyway............Did someone say shoot him in the kneecap??...............

One fly might use my entire inventory of tying materials...........

Jim, the first rod I built---er, assembled---was a 2pc. Orvis Spring Creek 9'3" that I bought from you and got your advice on how to assemble it when your shop was down on Richmond Road----probably about 1980.......It was a noodly, soft, slow rod and it was the rod that really taught me how to flycast........I used that rod and nothing else for years throwing everything from tiny drys to big weighted streamers.........Cast like a dream and although I seldom use it anymore----it became a 8'9" when I broke the tip off and had to re-wrap it---I still prefer softer rods to the ultra quicks that seem to be the norm now........As Taco pointed out, you adjust your casting stroke to the rod and they all work fine---really just a matter of preference........ Al.....

That's nice!!!...........

Don here's an observation..........Seems to me that with graphite at least, (I know nothing about fish grass) the higher modulus graphites---read faster, stiffer, whatever--often don't load with the recommended line........Line weight seems to be determined, by the rodmakers at least, more by the diameter and weight of the rod rather than the action..........I assemble rods (I built them until today when I read your post) and I find that with the softer rods the recommended line weight is sometimes correct and sometimes too heavy wheras with the quicker ones the recommeded line is usually too light to load the rod properly---or at least the way I like it..........Whatcha think??

Thanks bhurt, I feel soooooooo much better now...........Finally some respect!!

And all the old farts, lets get things changed before it's too late. catch ya' Don I wish everyone would stop calling me old!!

Toolman is the guy running the auction........I sent him a PM but I think he's away for a few days...........When he's back, we'll get the donations/auction sorted out so everyone has a better idea of what's up for sale, who's bidding and who's successful..........We'll put some timelines around it and it'll all be good............

I have a 3 and 5 wt. trion and an 8 and 10 wt president..........All good........Only real difference is the trion is what I'd call a mid-arbour and the president is a true large-arbour..........Happy with both.......

I have a Little Chief that gets little use.......Comes with a good smoker recipe book ........You are welcome to borrow it....... Al.......

Thanks a bunch for doing this TM..........Just to remind everyone who donates to the auction that if you submit an invoice with your donation marked Trout Unlimited Canada--S. Alberta Streamwatch a tax receipt will be issued.....Invoices that accompany the donation can be forwarded to me, TM...........Thanks again.......

LS, if you have contacts that could donate the binocs, camera or gps we will be more than happy to issue them a tax receipt for the full retail amount.........All they need to do is give me the retail price sticker when they send the item and I will see they get the tax receipt..........Thanks for your help.......

Nicely done Andrew........Big Earl was indeed a worthy contender........

But let's not waste a lot of time and effect tying to purify all of our waters back to before the European invasives got a foothold. Cheers! Clive Good idea but "we" are already consumed with that in our national parks........Used to be some decent fishing in Jasper but with the "natives only" philosophy not so much any more......Agree the original stockings there were not in any way scientific (Quebec Red Trout??) but the rainbow and brookie populations should have been sustained through stocking which doesn't occur any more...........