BowLurker

Thank you. It's not a big issue, as stated, but saved a prime piece for my first true "Salmon Fly". No desire to grab a dead Duck. If I shoot it, maybe...but I haven't yet learned to shoot at just birds... Dunno who was flailing around in the water at Dog Park/Confluence...swear he lost something important...nearly lost Himself wading too!! . Thanks FFForums.. -M.

Hey folks, been away from my main computer for a while. Keep in mind I found these feathers back on February 19th. Here's an image of the last feather of 5 that I kept. They didn't have any flesh or bugs, they were just very waxy to the touch, so I'm assuming a 'mother mallard' (thanks professori ) The small pile of feathers was just in a small group on clean snow. Might use this last one for tails or legs on smaller stonefly patterns. It was kind of neat to use feathers in a fly from a 'local' bird. -M. Hey Bron, were you fishing at Dog Park this morning, and did you try to intercept this dead Drake today, on the crossover from the island? I thought you had lost a net or something! (what is he doing ?!?) -M.

It was told to me that it was a Mother Drake. I'm not a Hunter, so I didn't know. -M.

Ok fine. Uhmm....that's hurty. I'm a Firetrucking Right-hander, and I'd never heard this term before. It doesn't matter to me, I don't care for it, but screw you! I CAN cast over 65, which is bigger, than you>>! -M.

Hi FlyFusion folks! I'm in the YYC area, and lately we've had a ton of fresh snow, along with cold, cold temps. It's an odd combination. Maybe its tougher for the birds this year..? On the way back to the car one day, I noticed a few feathers on the snow.....nice tan colour, not a 'kill site' just a bunch ruffled off, near the trail. I tried to tie a couple in at home, but very waxy still. I'm not a bird hunter, so forgive me, but it's a light tan, has down, and really small dark brown 'hackle' patterns... would you keep the 3-7 feathers? Didn't hear any crow/magpie noise..not a person in sight while walking...( no dog friendliness either! ) I'm stumped..? Did an owlet fall? Was a nest being re-arranged? Duck, duck, duck? It's kinda cool to tie in some of these 30mm long feathers...no matter how waxy they are. -M.

I tried them out nymphing for a while, and found they became saturated pretty fast, no matter how much gel/dip/wax I used. Really nice to cast, though. As TroutPanther posted, if you have to get deeper, and move the indicator, it can be a real pain. Still have the package in my sling pack, however, so might try them again. -M.

Therap-Y as it were. OK, I don't say it for nothin', but I have dealt with more of my PTSD on the Mighty Bow than ever before. Maybe there was a post before... I cannot thank you all enough. Thanks FlyFusion...Thanks FlyFishCalgary. Many thanks to Iron Bow and Canmore and the real fly fisherman in YYC.. and others. Everyone has a story, and mine is nothing new, we got this! (....Did I mention I have ants in the wading pants?....) -M. Yasss, you might think so, but his name is

Therap-Y as it were. OK, I don't say it for nothin', but I have dealt with more of my PTSD on the Mighty Bow than ever before. Maybe there was a post before... I cannot thank you all enough. Thanks FlyFusion...Thanks FlyFishCalgary. Many thanks to Iron Bow and Canmore and the real fly fisherman in YYC.. and others. Everyone has a story, and mine is nothing new, we got this! (....Did I mention I have ants in the wading pants?....) -M.

With the latest chinook blowing through, I was able to cast my new rod/reel kit. Thanks Santa.😆 Echo 9' 6w Glass, Allen Kraken reel (2016) and a master wind from the tall guy at Iron Bow. It's a laser, I swear. So accurate. Thanks! -M.

Ha ha, old BC guy here too. You can still buy 'mooching' lures and conventional stuff..😆 My gramps (neé) was around until 102. He kept asking why he was still alive. I subscribe to the 'burn out rather than fade away' notion, but I wasn't fortunate enough to grow up in a fly fishing family. Respect! -M.

The best wading boot -fitting ever was at IronBow. I've hiked hard most of my living, calf fit, fitness, stand-up, orthotics. sole-fit..,43 E or 42US Adam..you gotta check him.

Spoke with a couple guys at a legit fly shop in Kelowna. The people who were willing to speak with us knew that it was kind of a small issue. The fact that the rumours were to try and block Montanans from coming to Alberta was really laughable in Kelowna too. Wtf. Whirling Disease topics are never-ending, even within Canada. Stop saying we're going to block Montana/Idaho from fishing here. Idiots. Clean/spray with vinegar/and make sure you can do overtime on Friday nights! -M.

Dunno about our AB fishermen. Boa just fails, and if you carry cord (which ond should) it gets a Laces person home, jus' saying. Beeoo.

Thanks @überfly and @silverdoctor it's a great thought. When the tourists poach all the yearlings and mini Bullies, will there be another round? I've driven this highway for over 20yrs, and witnessed everything from idiot wolf/bear baiters to people fishing off season. Sigh. It's great that they will put the Bull Trout back, but will they last?

Looks like they've been busy! It was much more obvious to the naked eye, but the iPhoneography will have to do. -M.

Found this after some digging on the CFIA website... http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/aquatic-animals/diseases/reportable/2016/whirling-disease-2016-/eng/1473276924853/1473277495599 -M.

Not at all monger, not at all. I understand the attitudes of some BC folks are different when it comes to their fishing (bonking) but have never experienced it myself. I take pride in proper angling, and I keep maybe one or two fish a year. My bad if I sounded grumpy, it wasn't my intention. -M.

Thank you, ÜberFly. At least someone didn't have a 'knee-jerk' reaction to my post. I might be one of your clients in the future (c'mon economy!) and I would instantly recommend another potential client if you ask that question! -M.

I pinch all barbs, even down to my smallest dries..all the way down. Pinched all barbs on my treble hook which was legal over Thanksgiving in Kelowna a few yrs ago. Don't live there, never fished there with barbs, always went with family/friends who were clearly misinformed about keeping/rules. (see my post within the Should Pre-16 And Post 65 Get A License? thread.) I always fished barbless, always read the regs, made most folks informed about said regs and fished my merry way. They didn't get why I would release my caught trout. I understand there is a lot of tension about the Elk River area and different parts of BC. I had neither the money nor the time to fish in secretive coves or World-class Bullie streams. I was trying to base my initial year here on the Bow, and if I had been able to fish said BC streams, I would have released every single one. Next.... -M.

Agreed. Had few bump & jump into the rocks because they were lively, but was I pulling a bit too hard for 'traditional' head-lifts? Attached my net to my pack once the water dropped a couple months ago. -M.

I've had a great first year of fly-fishing the mighty Bow, and have caught quite a few, both on nymphs and dries. I started my fly odyssey in April. The single fish I kept this year was a Rocky Mountain Whitefish, caught in the NW. I checked the size, realized I could keep and dispatched it quickly. Pretty tasty too! For some reason, every legal trout I've caught this year...I've had an overwhelming urge to release it, and did so. When I fish in places like the Okanagan and Wet Coast, I didn't feel the same, and promptly fished to my limit, but only once. Hmm... Maybe the snow is freezing my brain a bit ( ) or it could be the pre-Thanksgiving turkey coma. Thoughts? -M. edit: the single fish!

Noticed this in the past posts, and wanted to flow an update. Did anyone hear anything since this post, or the following article? Seems a shame to let a foreign company destroy a legendary valley..again. http://albertaventure.com/2016/09/case-coal-proposed-open-pit-mine-crowsnest-pass/ -M.

With this strange weather/hatch/water level year on the mighty Bow, maybe they are testing gravel already. Nice to have a structure to look for instead of wading straight across. Thanks for the pictures, folks. -M.

I've seen quite a few here in the NW already, and was curious if Whitefish create the same structures? The redds I saw were the shape of a football, 1-2 feet long and very obvious amongst the algae. -M.

Part of the man-made channel.... ....smaller group near the bank, 40- 200mm telephoto.... ....outflow of Meadow Creek into northern Kootenay Lake. ©2016 BowLurker -M.