DonAndersen Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 Barry Mitchell of Red Deer, Alberta passed away. Many of you know Barry from his days publishing the Alberta Fishing Guide magazine and many others from his book “Alberta’s Trout Highway”. Barry’s interest in our Province’s fishery extended well beyond his writings. He was one of the founding Directors of the Central Alberta Trout Organization formed in the early 80’s serving in many capacities including President. He worked tirelessly on stream remediation projects throughout Central Alberta, he conceived and implemented the Alberta Streamwatch program to provide increased enforcement on the East Slopes streams. Barry pushed Govt. to rewrite the East Slopes angling regulations which successfully improved the fishery. The list of fishery related issues where Barry was involved is near endless. The family is hosting an informal, come-and-go funeral reception for him on Friday, March 6 from 2 to 5 pm at Eventide Funeral Chapel in Red Deer (4820 45 St.). There is no official service happening. An obit will be published in the Red Deer Advocate soon. On a personal level, Barry was a very close friend and we shared camps many times throughout Alberta. In Barry, I not only lost a friend but the fish did as well. We all will miss him. Regards, Don Quote
Myth1228 Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 A sad day for Alberta fisheries. I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your friend, Don. Mr. Mitchell left behind one hell of a legacy though! His name and efforts will be remembered for many, many years to come! Quote
troutfriend Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 A sad day indeed for the Mitchell family, the fishing community and maybe more so, the entire conservation community. Regrets to his family, especially Matt who has lost his father and the best fishing buddy anyone could ever ask for. I thank you for your generosity and passion for the resource. peace. bm Quote
RedBeard Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 Rest in peace Barry. I garnered so much information about Alberta's fisheries from you and always hoped I would bump into you while exploring a new stream. Condolences Quote
bigbowtrout Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 Don sorry for you loss of such a great Friend. RIP Barry and thanks for everything you did for Alberta and myself. 1 Quote
SilverDoctor Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 I will miss Barry, I worked with him on a couple of projects and was fortunate to share some time on the water with him. Condolences to the family and we'll miss you Barry. 1 Quote
Taco Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 Condolences to everyone, Alberta has lost a true friend. Quote
cheeler Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 I never got to meet him in person, but his love for our trout and their waters was evident in everything he published, he will be missed! Quote
Ricinus Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 Condolences to Barry's family and friends.. Mike Quote
Smitty Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 (Why I deleted my comments in the other thread and waited for this thread to begin). I count Barry as one of my mentors, though we only met once in the past 28 years. I phoned Barry as an overeager 14 year old, asking if I could buy back issues of the Alberta Fishing Guide. He was only too willing and kind enough to help. I'd spend hours on summer vacation poring through the guide, memorizing listings. His lasting impression on me is his generosity in sharing knowledge and spots through the magazine. I'd eagerly buy every year's issue when it would typically debut at the Edmonton Sportsman Show. His advocacy for fisheries is well known, and I hope his enduring legacy will be recognized or memorialized in years to come for his incredible contribution to Alberta fisheries. We all feel like we've lost a friend and the province, a truly great Albertan. My sincere condolences to his family. Rest in Peace Barry. May you always find hungry trout along the tiny, bush choked jeweled creeks you loved so much. 1 Quote
BrianR Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 My condolences to family & friends.I looked forward to his AB.Fishing Guide every year. Quote
angler Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 A truly sad time for those of us who knew him, fished with him, sat on committees, on and on .......................... Barry, you WILL be missed. Barry, you inspired us. You meant a lot to me as a kindred spirit. I'll miss our outings, but know that some of the traditions will continue - at least in spirit. I'll still fish 'the river' ......... and think of you at every pool - left handers, pot smokers, Matts to name a few ............... ............. Rest in Peace - you deserve it!! Loved ya man Anyone else going to RD? Wanna car pool?? Quote
ggp Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 My condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace, you will be missed! Quote
lorney Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 Condolences to friends and family of Barry. He will be missed by many but his legacy will live on. Thank you Barry for all your hard work and dedication. Quote
osprey Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 Condolences to family and friends. Fish and fishers in Alberta have suffered a big loss with his passing. Quote
Birdo Posted March 3, 2015 Posted March 3, 2015 Condolences to family and friends. He was a mentor to me and he never even new, just due to the knowledge of fly fishing which loved to share and protect. Quote
fliesbymike Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 Rest in Peace Barry. Condolences to all friends and family. Quote
Popular Post dryfly Posted March 4, 2015 Popular Post Posted March 4, 2015 (Sorry .. long post.) Mitchell was a great guy and I was honoured to know him and be his friend .. like everyone who knew him. (We used to chat on the phone a few times a year. He answered the phone, "Mitchell here.") I first met Barry (oh gosh) maybe in the late 80s...something like that. I had written or was going to write something for AFG so dropped in to meet him and Ann. Over the years I stopped in for a visit now and then. As Don and others have noted he was a mover and shaker on many fish habitat projects. In the 90s, he made it his mission to fish every East Slopes stream in Alberta. Back then (help me here Don) the limits were five trout with no size limits. Well Mitchell was pissed after his one-man survey and wrote an 18-page letter to fisheries managers. He was not overly polite and used some strong language. But his point was made and within a few months the east slope regs were changed. (Damn, sure wish I had a copy of that letter. ☺ I think it is where the expression, "Ripped 'em a new one" came from. ) Barry had heard rumours about fishing down south, so in 2006 he made a trip to fish with adc and me. We had a ball. In 2007, he came again and this time declared something like. "You know Schaupmeyer, I've been publishing this rag for 30 years and it is about time I was on the cover." So we set out on a mission of getting a decent snapshot of Mitchell for the 2008 AFG. Mission accomplished. Was funny .. Andersen pay attention here...someone wrote me that spring and asked, "Hey is that the world-famous Don Andersen on the front cover?" Barry never did reveal who was on the cover on his "To the angler" annual editorial. A lot of folks knew Mitchell, but of course many did not. 2008 AFG cover Cover shot candidate ... At Bullshead...fitting shot for beedhead. He could be like a kid when fishing...see below. This was so so funny. He thought some of our southern streams we so easy to get around on. He said they were "like walking down a sidewalk" compared to the bushwhacking he did in the West County. I will never forget this afternoon. Mitchell stood on one small reach (and did not move more than 50 feet for 90 minutes or so) and landed fish after fish and had a ball. RIP Barry Mitchell 1947 - 2015 15 Quote
Myth1228 Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 Wow, great post Clive! Sounds like he was a real pleasure to share the water with. Quote
SilverDoctor Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 Thanks for posting, those pictures pulled at my heartstrings. Quote
monger Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 Sorry for the loss all you folks who knew Mr. Mitchell. Family, friends and the fish will miss his presence Quote
eagleflyfisher Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 I had the pleasure of meeting Barry several times and had some some really good talks. He had a great spirit that made him one of those guys easy to get along with. Starting in the 80's as many others I used the AFG as my bible to scope out possible new areas to explore. I even phoned Barry on occasion to pick his brain. He seemed to have knowledge about every piece of water in Alberta. A big loss for all, you guys that were Barry's close friends , hang in there . Very sorry to hear of his passing. 1 Quote
angler Posted March 4, 2015 Posted March 4, 2015 Here is the obituary for our friend Barry RIP http://www.reddeeradvocate.com/obituaries/ Quote
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