Is it just me?

[borofan]

I am a Calgary local and though I don't post a lot I do read other posts with great interest and I like this forum a lot. Especially now I am a fair weather fisherman and live much of my fishing life vicariously through the posts here. But... is it just me or is there less traffic or at least less posts on here than there used to be? Is there another forum that has taken up the slack that I am not aware of where I could be adding to my fix?

[northfork]

This place is pretty quiet around here typically in the winter months, but I have noticed less guys posting here myself included. Nothing to share. Reports are typically the same: Busy. Slow. Busy. Not as good as it used to be. Busy. Fisheries management sucks. Busy.

Beating a dead horse after awhile....This site is much like the fishin. "Ain't what it used to be."

[SilverDoctor]

Like all forums its what you make of it, Winter is always slow, and other social media does share users. It is amazing how many people do comment when an interesting subject surfaces.

[snuffy]

I think the sport's growing popularity pretty much killed the fishing reports. No one wants to talk about Frenchman's creek.

[SilverDoctor]

I love Frenchmans Creek Had some great days out on that water last year.

[snuffy]

Me too - particularly this one day with my wife when the rain brought out the drakes, made the fish stupid and kept all the other fishermen at home. I just didn't tell anybody about it!

[northfork]

10 hours ago, snuffy said:

I think the sport's growing popularity pretty much killed the fishing reports. No one wants to talk about Frenchman's creek.

Snuffy, I was thinking this too but I didn't know how to put it into words. You did this much better than I could've. Agreed 100%. I told a fella a few weeks ago about a spot and he said "can i tell other people?" or something along those lines. I mean at least he asked but is nothing sacred anymore? No you can't tell people if you want it to stay good fishing and have it to yourself!

[borofan]

I guess winter on here is less busy as per the comments but it wasn't just directed at this time of the year it was more of a general thing. 

Some interesting responses above especially the 

14 hours ago, northfork said:

I think the sport's growing popularity pretty much killed the fishing reports. No one wants to talk about Frenchman's creek

Instead of the increased fishing popularity creating more comments and posts it has had the opposite effect.

When I first came to Calgary, about 25 years ago, I read lots of reports about amazing fishing at Frenchman's Creek on a similar forum to this. I was desperate to find out where this amazing river was...

[SilverDoctor]

There are a lot of subjects to talk about besides hotspotting.

[borofan]

32 minutes ago, SilverDoctor said:

There are a lot of subjects to talk about besides hotspotting.

Indeed.

 

[lad]

There is the Alberta Outdoosman forum. Very busy place with lots of flyfishing and other areas of recreating in Alberta's Outdoors.

[SilverDoctor]

We don't do politics, hunting or trapping here.

[Smitty]

Also, "every" platform has it's day. Forums are becoming passe. Oh sure, the old farts still use them, but with Facebook and Instagram et al, forums aren't what they used to be. The olden days of this forum plus Dave Jensen's was the "golden age", imo. 
But it's good to see this forum kicking around. 

[borofan]

Yes I remember the Dave Jensen age, seemed like there were new posts every 10 minutes. I am old enough to remember getting the fishing reports in the local evening newspaper when I lived in England but those days are long gone. I don't do Instagram, twitter, etc. though I do have a FB page thanks to my good lady forcing me to open one and I visit the Alberta Fly Fishing page often.

[lad]

One reason i think people post less often is so many people sit and watch the forum and never post anything until they feel they can point their finger......

Go on about the way the poster handled the fish or about their barb or what they are using for a net and on and on and on......

Bitching about the other users of the water or what the gov or bios arn't doing for them blah blah blah. How everyone should do what they do and the rivers and streams would be perfect...

Lets cut some slack to the posters and not be so dam critical of our peers. Just get out and fish!

Just because you have been flogging the water since christ was a cowboy doesn't mean the new kid cant serve you a helping of humble pie. I have seen many local kids down in the SW that can draw out the tanks long after the sun has set and most fly floggers would "reel" at there methods and style of flogging the water.

[DonAndersen]

As a guy who flogs occasionally and wanta helping of humble pie, how do those young locals do so well?

 

Don

[toolman]

Fish are really easy to catch in the dark. Top feeding fish, bright, sunny afternoons in low clear water, much more difficult game.

[cgyguy]

Thanks for the thread on this topic. Enjoyed reading the perspectives of all who commented.

 

Cheers

 

[lad]

On 3/26/2022 at 11:53 AM, toolman said:

Fish are really easy to catch in the dark. Top feeding fish, bright, sunny afternoons in low clear water, much more difficult game.

Your skill set is way better than most of the fisherman i have ever met in the past. I have always struggled with the difficulty in wading or traversing moving water in the dark. Unless you have the path and rocks below the surface committed to memory it is quite dangerous in my mind and i don't enjoy that. Some fellows like yourself have no struggle at all. Casting without spending a lot of the time tangling in vegetation, logs, rocks and debris in the water is very challenging for myself as my pupils don't let as much light in as they did when i was 16. Down in the S.W. there is also a ton of wildlife that dont start to move until the sun sets and that too makes me quite uneasy and it for sure contributes to challenging the night.  What a kid will risk to catch a tank is awe inspiring and meeting them when i am returning home at dusk as they are heading out in running shoes is quite something and one of the things causes me to tip my hat to them when we pass. Tip of the hat to you and your mastering of fishing in the dark unless of course your go to is still water stocked trout. Myself I find it much easier to fish before the sun sets. 

[Jayhad]

I fish at night often. 

I will not wade at night, all my fishing is from the shore.

I typically only roll cast using the rig to load my rod, basically a single hand spey cast poorly done.

I fish very heavy leaders to prevent having to re-tie.

As Toolman said they are really easy to catch at night.

 

[SilverDoctor]

Although at times I wade. But I more often see people standing where fish are (where).

[monger]

True Silver, and parking their guide boats

[haggis57]

On 3/9/2022 at 9:43 AM, borofan said:

Is there another forum that has taken up the slack that I am not aware of where I could be adding to my fix?

Although not strictly local, try FlyBC.ca forums and Pacific NorthWest Fly Fishing forums.  Both have more activity and are well moderated.  I have found they have more activity during the winter when everyone seems to be kicking around looking for something to do or someone to talk to.  

[SilverDoctor]

7 hours ago, haggis57 said:

Although not strictly local, try FlyBC.ca forums and Pacific NorthWest Fly Fishing forums.  Both have more activity and are well moderated.  I have found they have more activity during the winter when everyone seems to be kicking around looking for something to do or someone to talk to.  

With all respect any time you want to pick up the moderation duties here and think you can do a better job you are more than than welcome.

[haggis57]

There was no comment made at all about the moderation here.  Simply a comment that there are other well moderated sites as well.