ginger

Some people might recall a couple of years I posted about a situation where I called in a poacher near the Douglasdale ball diamonds and made the mistake of letting the poacher know I had done so. The result was the poacher went to the parking lot and slashed the tires of another fisherman who had very little to do with the incident other than lending me his phone to make the call. What I took from that incident was that while you should always call in poachers you have to be careful about how you do it.

I have worn two sets of Simms non-felt soles(the Vibram and the earlier ones with the round nubs)almost smooth. The tops are still in ok shape. Then I discovered the screw in Simms starshaped aluminum lugs which are amazing on slimy rocks. Saved the other smooth pair for picky boat owners.

Thanks again everyone.

Thanks, if it ever happens again I'll have a plan. Do you fish those BWO emergers with an indicator?

Last week at a trib of a river we encountered a two hour period where the number of rising cutties was incredible. In every pool there was a fish coming up every few seconds and often two or three risers could be seen at the same time. It was cloudy and threatening rain. We tried every fly in the box which they ignored but kept coming up. Green Drakes,Stones and Flavs were taking a few fish but that is not what they were taking naturally . Suspected PMDs but a few previously successful patterns did nothing. Looked like they were picking whatever it was in the film or just below. I'm guessing some kind of emerger(duh)but would be interested in expert opinions and tips. Thanks

here's the drill: you contact the insurer giving a meticulous account of how the loss occured. Of course you have to carefully tell the truth,I didn't think that needed mentioning. If the insurer thinks there is a coverage issue they will certainly let you know. Don't necessarily rely on their opinion. There is no ethical issue and there is no reason not to make a claim- how could your wife's mistake of throwing out the bag be any different than backing over it with the car. The risk of suffering loss through negligence is why we buy insurance. Standing by for PM if you want.

Also, get over the personal issue on making a claim. Insurance is a scheme where we contracturally pool our risks and if it is covered by that contract there is no moral issue whatsoever. Don't forget all the premiums they have happily accepted from you.

Brian: I think it is almost certain that throwing personal items out by mistake is covered by a standard homeowners policy (subject to deductible)and that is the consensus of grey-hairs around here. Ginger QC

Interesting, thanks. Sorry bout the bubba thing.

When there is nothing good on the shopping channel I sometimes I watch the gear fishing shows on WFN and am always appalled by the fish handling. For example I recently saw Henry "The Poacher" Waszcuk lift a big snook out of the water by a gill plate, hold it vertical, and then switch to horizontal with his fingers visibly touching the gills. Most of the pike and walleye seem to get lifted vertically by a gill plate as well. Finally, the bass bubbas always lift the fish by the bottom jaw, hold em vertical and then just drop them back in without even leaning over. My question--are all these other fish way tougher than trout or are these guys idiots.

I agree with the doctor and would add that I think that unless you are very skilled landing w/o a net the potential for squeezing and abrasion on rocks is very much higher. Both net and non net landing removes some slime (maybe a bit more for net)but slime removal is lower on the list of problems.

Last year I caught a Burbot on a #14 prince nymph fishing a deepish hole on the Bow downstream of the city. I actually thought it was a log and it scared me when I first saw it. Hard to measure but definitely over 30". So there is hope of getting one on the fly.

I have a 6wt orvis frequent flyer that I bought for back up on trips. I don't like it at all. Also have a 7pc custom rod (sorry don't know what blank) built by John Retallack here in Calgary under the name 'Blackstone' which is great.

Anyone tried the Patagonia aluminum 'crampons'?

I'm still trying to get over the shot at snowboarders

SOS is a solution oriented conservation organization opposed to open net salmon farming mostly because of the sea lice issue. They have put their money where their mouth is by partnering with a First Nation on a pilot land based closed containment farm to be built on Vancouver Island. Sorry if the links on the news release below don't work . Check www.saveoursalmon.ca Update: 'Namgis Land-Based Atlantic Salmon Recirculating Aquaculture System Pilot Project The ‘Namgis Closed Containment Project has received a fair amount of media coverage lately as a result of the January 9th funding announcement by the Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. SOS is a Project partner with the ‘Namgis First Nation and in order to keep you abreast of the latest news, we provide you with links to some of the recent media coverage below: • IntraFish; January 12, 2012; "Investors throw $7 million at land-based Atlantic salmon farming" • Times Colonist; January 11, 2012; "Fish-farm pilot worth support" • North Island Gazette, January 10, 2012; "Land-based fish farm gets $800,000 federal boost" • Times Colonist; January 9, 2012; "Feds back plan for land-based salmon farming - First Nation will use funding to build a closed-containment pilot project" • DFO Media Release; January 9, 2012; "Government of Canada Supports Jobs and Growth in B.C. Through Funding of Four Innovative Vancouver Island Aquaculture Projects" For a full listing of media coverage related to the Project, click this link. For the latest Project Backgrounder which includes a full listing of confirmed funders, see "Project Documents" at this link. For a short video explaining the "Recirculating Aquaculture System" (RAS) technology that will be used in the Project, please click here. The video if from the Conservation Fund's Freshwater Institute in West Virginia. They are the world's leading research facility for RAS and their technical expertise is being made available to the 'Namgis Closed Containment Project through Tides Canada. With regard to facility being built, the site is currently being cleared and construction is soon to begin. It's indeed a time of great progress for the Project and we wish to express our gratitude for the support that has brought us this far. Thank you for your continued support and the shared belief that, in order to help save B.C.'s Wild Salmon, it is essential to prove that there is an environmentally sustainable and economically viable alternative to raising Atlantic salmon. Best Regards, Eric Hobson President The SOS Marine Conservation Foundation Everything Depends on the Wild Salmon - The Survival of Wild Salmon Depends On Us.

Lead article in the Nat. Post today contains some interesting discussion of the economics of refining bitumen here and may give a little counterpoint to the article by Weibo apologist and anti-oilsands campaigner Nikoforuk referred to above.

Very interesting and scary video which I have forwarded too many of my fellow riders. We were in the northern Monashees on the same day where ,surprisingly, the stability is fairly good. Although there is a layer in the area in the Monashees we were in similar to the one that nearly got you it is not reactive like it is in the Purcells and Selkirks. Thanks for sharing,I'm sure you're thinking that one clip makes the GoPro all worthwhile.

Also,Dan at Whats Your Racquet, like Felix,has been doing it forever and is certainly an expert.

Fair enough Don, you may have guessed I have a hard time resisting this debate. Taco,ouch,good point but I'm guessing with that fuel burn you have a job and the success of the oilpatch is clearly the reason we currently have one of the lowest unemployment rates anywhere. Cheers.

Oilsands investments can be very profitable but they are also very risky. The NEB figures are from around 2004 and are out of date. Although producers try to keep this secret, cost per bbl (including a capital cost component) for the existing developments probably varies between $35 and $65. Don't forget oil was $26 in 2003 and below $40 in 2009(not to mention that in 1998 the price went below$11) In other words some multi billion dollar operations were under water very recently. In addition to the oil price risk enormous construction cost overuns have been the norm,fires and other calamities commonplace and there is even technological risk--see Nexen/Opti Long Lake. Finding and producing oil,conventional or otherwise, is an entrepreneurial activity that demands levels of investment and assumption of risk which are unheard of in other industries. On the conventional side, when Ed launched his "Our Fair Share" review(gee,how was that going to turn out!) and jacked royalties oilpatch entrepreneurs headed for the hills of Northern BC and SE Saskatchewan. Ed's constituents noticed no one was hiring their excavators and water trucks or staying in their motels and some of them got it--EVERYONE IN THIS PROVINCE OWES THEIR PROSPERITY TO THE OIL INDUSTRY. Although he doesn't say it I gather Don is advocating increased royalties, taxes or price controls. Wildly excess profits are distasteful but can we agree that if you take a huge risk you might be entitled to a jackpot and can we also agree that if you are an Albertan high oil, gasoline, and natural gas prices are A GOOD THING.

Here's an easy salad for guys and for Lynn F Grilled Romaine Salad Cut whole romaines lengthwise into 1/2s Dress lightly with your fave simple oil and vinegar type salad dressing (ie 1/2 cup olive oil,2tbsp balsamic vinegar,1tbsp dijon mustard,1clove chopped garlic,salt pepper ) Saute mushrooms,walla walla or vidalia onions and lots of thickly sliced jalapenos in butter Grill romaines on hot grill for a minute or two until slightly charred Serve each guy(and LynnF) 1/2 romaine covered with a bit more dressing, mushrooms,onions peppers,anchovies etc and lots of freshly ground black pepper surprisingly good

Thanks for all your input. I've learned a lot from the incident and from the comments as well. The best and only consequential way to identify this poacher is by his gear and technique: spin rod,rod holder,tight line heading out to slow deep water. I think this is the infamous"pickerel rig". I'm guessing I haven't converted him to legal techniques and the next time out he will have exactly the same set-up. For the sake of the guy who is buying a new truck tire this week call this poacher in when you see him (very carefully). I'll never go out again without my cell.

I am usually just a lurker on this forum but yesterday a bad thing happened to me and another fly fisherman on the Bow that I thought I should post. I was fishing downstream of the baseball diamonds in Douglasdale. On my way back up to diamonds where my car was parked I encountered a spin fisherman with his rod in a holder and a tight line heading out to a deep hole. It looked like a bait rig so without thinking much about it I asked him what he was fishing with. He said corn. I told him that was not allowed. He said he didn't know that and I continued upstream. I noticed that he continued fishing and that irked me so I approached another fly fisherman and asked to borrow his cell so I could call the poacher hotline. He was very friendly and lent me his phone. By the time I got through to the hotline the poacher was leaving and the operator and I agreed that there wouldn't be much point sending out a CO. As the poacher passed I yelled at him that I had called him in. The other guy and I fished for a few minutes more and then headed back to the parking lot to find that a tire on the other guy's truck had been slashed. It seems pretty clear that the poacher thought the truck was my vehicle. I felt terrible about the whole thing particularly because I initiated the call and riled the poacher. The other guy graciously turned down my offer to pay for the tire. I gave him my number and hope he reconsiders. I'm going to continue to call in poachers but in the future I'm going to be less naive about how I do it and more careful about where I park my car. At least the fishing was pretty good.