BowLurker

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.

Thanks Lenny. It's not a secret place at all, actually. I took this photo (and many others) at the Meadow Creek spawning channel, north of Kaslo,BC. The BC government allowed a big hydro dam project during the 1960's in the area, and just about lost this particular run. Thankfully, a man-made spawning diversion channel was constructed that basically saved the fish. It's open to the public during fall runs, and if one is lucky enough to meet a biologist, it's a very interesting day. Bear spray is mandatory, and going off on one's own is not recommended!! http://fwcp.ca/open-house-at-meadow-creek-spawning-channel/ -M.

These fish were bunched up trying to get busy...it smelled like feeesh...and bears. o_O Eeep! Olympus E-500, 14/45mm lens, polarizing filter and HDR treatment. © 2016 BowLurker -M.

Home Hardware has a stiff-bristled water-through broom that looks promising. http://www.homehardware.ca/en/rec/index.htm/Indoor-Living/Home-Commercial-Cleaning/Floor-Care/Brooms/Specialty/2-in-1-Flow-Through-Water-Broom/_/N-1r4p8mZntmic/R-I4515890 -M.

I was reading a bit about Whirling Disease, and it's been around for over a century in Europe. Kind of freaky that the higher-altitude areas seem to have the most difficult time with it. One point was that farmed fish (and hatchery fish) were the most susceptible, and that the fish parts of farmed fish run through garbage disposals still showed the spores. Surprised water treatment doesn't kill it off..? A lot of the affected countries practice fish farming/stocking, so it was probably just a matter of time. Maybe the 'accidentally-stocked' fish from the early days of BNP had it and it's just now starting to proliferate due to the strange weather over the years? Where do the fish for stocking come from nowadays? Just thinking out loud. http://www.protectyourwaters.net/hitchhikers/others_whirling_disease.php https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myxobolus_cerebralis -M.

Thanks for posting these, CanadianFish, and thanks to Fishtales and Jensen! Lots of great info there, and what a Rainbow near the end of Video 2! Monster fish. I like the part where a fish takes the bottom streamer and un-snags the top fly from a log! -M.

I agree, great folks there. Never too busy for a round of questions, great service and even willing to reveal a few secrets! -M.

Big props Roast, thanks a bunch. I have watched the technique and strikes of said O video with fly box open. I appreciate the response. I tried zipping some 2" buggers/Idahos around, got a few followers. Glass rod streamer tech is dumping the entire pool of knowledge, whoa doggie. Thanks for some thoughts, -M.

Hello folks, This is my first full season of fly fishing, and I've loved every day, rain or shine. Learned a bunch on my own, asked a lot of questions and this Forum has been a great help. So, yes I am a Novice. One of my ultimate goals is to learn how to two-hand Spey cast, but for this year, I was interested in learning about streamer fishing. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get my 6-7W rod this season, and I'm only running a 4W. So, should I try and learn about streamers when I take my Spey lessons, or are there lessons specific to streamer fishing? I've tried zipping around a few 2" streamers with my 4W, but I know it's just not the same. Thanks in advance, -M.

Update on the Tippet Rings, yup, it's faster to find the ring.... If you want more 'Rock Snot' cool, go for it. If you want to spook testy Rainbows in a "fishing" weekend, go for it. I can tie line-to-line pretty well...the hinge though/kinda handy. Caught 4 with nymphs, but the tippet ring is noisy..if that makes sense. The 'twistys' were bad. -M.

+1. As much as Americans get some s*** thrown their way, the Coutts and Montana folks are on point. -M.

Most people are Idiots. -M.

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I grew up half in Norway, and half here in Canada. The fish we catch in Norge are a staple food, I let most go, but we all know that most big fish have to stay in the water. Canadians/Neufies kept the giant fish. Yup...there it is. I have had many arguments about the sweet Cod. When I went to get my Driver's License in Norway, the person asked if I was to fish, and did I have a boat. Why is the Canadian attitude so difficult to license everyone, Seniors to Kidlets.. At least they learn! -M.

Oh don't worry, I get ready with pre-ties. (Secrets are being told!! ) Had great response with the Euro-style for the first part of the drift...two whiteys and a Rainbow! Woohoo! It does drift deeper, which is ok, dry fly guys have to post in. -M.

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+1 ÜberFly.. shot some lines and drifted a few tonight. Didn't feel much different, but the twisties were terrible...might try the swivel as well. Did a few 'HighStick'/ indicator shore drifts...hard to explain, but I could feel the end of the leader a bit better. Hmm... -M.

I've always been fairly consistent with my line-to-line knots and I can still see...( kind of ) but I've decided to try this option out on my terminal tackle. My leader will last quite a bit longer, and it makes tying on a dropper system a lot easier. Clinch knots are suggested, but I might try out non-slip loops as well, just for a more flowing action. I enjoy different styles of nymphing, but still like fishing dries, so the easy tippet switch will be handy. Is it just an extra place (knot) for the line/tippet connection to fail? Will I be able to dry fly fish with this system? Any thoughts are appreciated. -M.

+1 for this! At least BC has the right idea, with 100% of freshwater license revenue going to the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC. I was fishing with both ends of the age spectrum at a family outing, and the older fisherman didn't understand the regs because he hasn't had to buy a license for 10+ yrs. Kind of difficult to let the grandkids know about their bad habits. Guess that's why I piped up and let them both know about that certain body of water. But again, the older fella had the same attitude as others, that the rules didn't apply to the child..or him. Sigh. -M.