Bighorn Wilderness (From AWA)

We recieved this email from the Alberta Wilderness Association. We're not taking a stand here, just informing you of what's happening and encourage you to get involved.

See their report at:
http://issues.albertawilderness.ca/BH/Archive/20080430RP.pdf

ALBERTA WILDERNESS ASSOCIATION

Defending Wild Alberta through Awareness and Action

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Albertans want Bighorn wilderness safe-guarded
Backcountry recreationists active in the Bighorn wilderness of west-central Alberta want to see this large portion of mountains and foothills maintained as pristine wilderness through better management, including the limiting of motorized recreation, states a recent report released by Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA).
Based on a survey conducted last summer of area users, the report shows that the greatest number of both individual and organizational participants believe that protecting the area’s natural, wild character is of greatest importance for its future. Participants identified the priorities for the Bighorn as pristine wilderness, fish and wildlife habitat, and a source of clean water. Their own interests in leisure activities were often ranked below these environmental priorities.
“This survey is a clear indication of the values Albertans place on this truly wild landscape,” says Chris Wearmouth, a conservation specialist with AWA. “The report raises concerns that the government must address, particularly in managing for the priorities outlined and addressing the issue of motorized recreation access to this pristine area.”
To address the concerns identified by participants, AWA has made several recommendations for the present and future management of the area. Most important for the long-term protection of the Bighorn’s wilderness values is the recommendation to create a Wildland Provincial Park of approximately 4,000 km2.
“The creation of the Bighorn Wildland Provincial Park would meet the conservation values identified by recreational users active in the area,” says Wearmouth. “We are also recommending an appropriately managed transition area east of the park for motorized recreationists and industry following ‘best practices.’”
The Bighorn lies adjacent to Banff and Jasper National Park, bounded by the Dormer River in the south and the Brazeau River to the North. The survey was conducted as part of AWA’s ongoing work in the area, specifically to identify Albertans’ values and concerns when it comes to enjoying this magnificent wilderness area. The complete report, entitled Recreational User Perceptions of the Bighorn: Land Management Values and Concerns, Present and Future, can be found at www.AlbertaWilderness.ca.
AWA recently sent out copies of the executive summary and recommendations to every Alberta MLA asking that they work towards fulfilling the recommendations. Complete copies of the report were sent to Minister of Sustainable Resource Development Ted Morton and Minister of Tourism, Parks, and Recreation Cindy Ady.

For more information regarding this report, please contact
Chris Wearmouth, AWA Conservation Specialist (403) 283-2025
-30-

The Bighorn
Located west of the communities of Sundre, Caroline and Rocky Mountain House and bordering Banff and Jasper National Parks, the Bighorn covers a significant area of this province’s mountain and upper foothill regions. Its numerous rivers bring water to more than a million Albertans while the 7,000 km2 of surrounding lands provide a large and relatively intact habitat for native wildlife such as grizzly bears, elk and mountain orchids.
The Bighorn‘s current ecological integrity is primarily due to lack of development and an absence of roads. The area’s primary users are recreationists looking for a wilderness or backcountry experience. The Bighorn is currently managed under Alberta’s Sustainable Resource Development department, with most of the land falling under six Forest Land Use Zones (FLUZ) each with its own regulations and permissible activities.
Alberta Wilderness Association’s recommendation for the creation of a Wildland Provincial Park is not without precedent. In fact, under a different classification the same general area was proclaimed a Wildland Recreation Area by the provincial government in 1986. However, the enabling legislation was never enacted to support this designation, and eventually the government denied its existence, creating the current FLUZ system.
While this current strategy offers a token level of protection, it lacks the support of permanent and robust legislation, therefore allowing for the degradation of wilderness values through shifting priorities and lobbying by specific interest groups. As a large and relatively intact wilderness area, the Bighorn offers a vital, ecologically centered landscape, housing important watersheds. It must be managed with its continued health as the guiding principle
AWA has had a long-standing interest in the Bighorn with work that has included organizing stewardship activities, conducting research, and offering opportunities for Albertans to explore its magnificent landscape.

About Alberta Wilderness Association
Alberta Wilderness Association is the oldest conservation group in Alberta dedicated to the completion of a protected areas network and the conservation of wilderness throughout the province. More information about our organization can be found at www.AlbertaWilderness.ca.

Spring Slideshow

We've had some great fly fishing in Alberta already this spring. Check out this slide show to see different moments on the water thus far in 2008!
http://picasaweb.google.com/jensenflyfishing/SpringAlberta/photo#s5194721258397059298

Blast from the past photo

The photo above was taken in the Clearwater R system back in 1998. A friend had shown me this out of the way piece of water and mentioned that there were quite large browns swimming in the woodwork. Sure enough, we managed to land a few that season in the 27 to 33" range. We weren't nearly as photo happy then as we are now, otherwise we'd have a few more shots to show of these fish. This one above is 29". Plan on doing a little exploration this season and you never know what you might find.

Choosing Sunglasses

A post on the Orvis guide pages asking for input about fly fishing sunglasses and assisting in lens color selection:

What Color Fishing Glasses Should I Buy?
by Tom Rosenbauer (Orvis)
One of the most common questions our technical department at Orvis receives is “What color polarized lenses should I buy for fishing?” One part is easy: Anything but gray. In my 40 years of fly fishing, I have never heard a guide or any other expert recommend gray lenses. If you have found a great use for gray lenses in your guiding, I’d love to hear about it -just e-mail me at rosenbauert@orvis.com.
The reason is that contrast is critical when fishing, and gray lenses just make everything darker, decreasing your resolution. It’s harder to see the edges of a fish or rock underwater without some kind of contrast enhancement. The blue end of the visible spectrum scatters easier than wavelengths at the other (red) end, and also it is suspected that the relative number of blue receptors on the human retina, and their location, make it more difficult for us to discern shades of blue and gray.
Thus cutting out blue light helps in fishing glasses—but not only in fishing glasses. In the FAA pamphlet “Flying in Flat Light and White-Out Conditions,” the agency recommends amber-tinted lenses as a way to “compensate for the lack of visual contrast and depth-of-field loss.” When you think of it, staring at a bonefish flat or a riffle on an overcast day can produce an effect that is very similar to snow blindness. Amber, brown, copper, orange, and rose lenses all cut out blue light.
You probably have a favorite lens color for your guiding conditions. Here’s what we recommend to our customers:
Brown lenses give you the best eye relief for long periods of time, so they are best for general purpose fishing and driving.
Copper and amber are perhaps the best all-around color for inshore flats fishing, trout streams, and big open water on hazy or foggy days. These colors are especially good where you have a lot of similar tones, like a cobbled stream bottom or shallow flats on hazy or cloudy days.
Orange and rose produce the most contrast enhancement and are a big help in seeing objects in deep water (like open ocean fishing or big lakes). They also provide the best contrast in very bright situations, like white sand flats on a bright day. But many experienced fly fishers swear by them under all conditions.
If you have any details about what colors you prefer and under what conditions (and why) I’d love to hear from you. The more information we can get from the field on sunglass colors, the better we can educate our customers.

West Country Streams

Took a drive for a couple of hours today. The intent was to fish but things didn't quite work out that way. Please see the current fishing reports at the top left of the blog for current conditions out west, it's not pretty. Here's Stauffer @ the BFW bridge:

Orvis Endorsed Guides/Lodges Rendezvous

It was good to spend a few days last week in Bozeman, Montana at the Orvis Guide/Lodge Rendezvous. Over 240 guides, lodge owners, etc registered for the event and it was well attended. The annual event is held for Orvis endorsed guides, outfitters, expeditions to come together to sit in on seminars, learn of the new Orvis gear, learn of new directions and updates from the company, as well as the following itinerary:
Orvis New Product Fair – Orvis Rod & Tackle– Demo cast the new Helios!!!
What you should know about Stream Restoration - Lon Mikkelsen (founder of Interfluve – specializing in fisheries development – the science behind the art.
Tips on Photography – Tom Rosenbauer - writer, photographer and Marketing Director for The Orvis Company.
Are you prepared for an Emergency Medical Situation? – Neil Luehring, Orvis Endorsed guide, Paramedic and Captain of the Colorado Spring Fire Department
Orvis Continuing Education Seminar - Casting Work Shop – Orvis casting instructors.
“Best Practices”– Panel Discussion by ELOG members.
Tracking the effectiveness of your website – Jeremy Cameron from Simple Solutions (Orvis web consultant)
Utilizing Electronic follow up with your customers – Orvis Marketing Guru Patrick Keller
Conservation Panel Discussion – TU Guide/Outfitter Program – How you can make a difference.
How to go about getting published in Fly Fishing Magazines – Phil Monahan, Editorial Director, Morris Fly-Fishing Magazines
Guide Olympics (Casting - Distance and Accuracy)

Sorry to say I didn't take part in the Orvis Guide Olympics, I tend to shy away from competitive activities!

It was a good time to meet guides/lodge owners in other areas and see how operations do things differently in different areas. We learned a few things and realized some positives from our own operations that we'll add/implement to further enhance our guests' experiences.

Just wanted to drop a note as to where we were last week while the snow and cold weather hit Alberta.

Cheers!

Dave Jensen

Hanson & Dickson Trout Ponds

From Bob Vanderwater, the following pictures and report from these two trout ponds:

Ice 18" at Dickson. 3 groups still ice fishing.

Ice from last night @ Hanson, otherwise ice free for the most part.

Bull Trout Redd Surveys on the Highwood, Sheep, & Elbow

An interesting look to see the progression of bull trout redds in these systems. A good read for those looking for information about how our bull trout are doing in these river systems.
http://www.tucanada.org/reports/AB-009_ReddSurvey%20_2008.pdf

Fortress Lake Scenery

One of the draws to Fortress Lake is the scenery. We've assembled some photos of the 2007 season in the gallery:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jensenflyfishing/FortressLakeScenes/photo#s5192037832072278546

Fortress Lake Flight

We finally found a float plane to use, starting the 2007 season. We happily made the switch from helicopter to float plane and had a great year because of it. Here's a few photos of the flight, the plane, the whole experience of flying float plane from Hinton to Fortress Lake.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jensenflyfishing/FortressLakeFlight/photo#s5192035014573731938

Oldman River TU Conclave, Dinner, Auction

A big event being hosted by the Oldman R Chapter of TUC:
Please see the link below to see the poster for the event
http://www.flyfishalberta.com/poster.jpg

There are 60+ items on the silent/live auctions/raffles sheet to be won.

For more information, date, location, contacts, etc, please see the poster at the link above.

Subscription Opportunity - River Report & Fishing Conditions

This year, until further notice, we will be providing one subscription option. The Weekly Report - a review of the week's activities. A service for everyone in the fly fishing community.
Simply email michelle@bowrivershuttles.com with the subject line "Subscribe.
Weekly Reports will include:
Fishing Conditions/Water Conditions
Today's Flies & Hatches
River Flow Rate (m3/s)5. Water Temperature
Weather
River Etiquette
Fly Fishing Tips
Happy fishing!
Kindest regards,Michelle Magotiaux
http://www.bowrivershuttles.com/
michelle@bowrivershuttles.com
(403) 278-9165

Brookies of Fortress 2007

We've assembled a few photos from the 2007 season at Fortress Lake. There were many great moments and great memories. We'll simply share a few of our fish photos in this gallery.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jensenflyfishing/FortressLakeBrookies/photo#s5191731886084653218

Again, we're booking the 2008 season now, with ice off less than 5 weeks away. www.fortresslake.com

Enjoying the snow & cold

I'm likely one of very few people contented to have this brutal, unusual blast of cold and snowy weather. When you've been fishing 3 or 4 days a week since late Feb, you know that somewhere along the way the weather is going to shut down for a spell. It just happened to be this weekend. Perfect. All spring we've enjoyed some incredible fly fishing with good hatches of early stones. Sure, the last trip of last week saw a couple of skwala stones and blue winged olives, making us wish things would continue on pace, but all good things have to wait. 5" of snow and howling winds aren't the end of the world, nor is the -20C windchill that hasn't stopped in 3 days. But good times are coming back. To us, however, it feels like we've already had a great season, with some very good dry fly action already. So, maybe the actual season will feel like a bonus before long? In the meantime, I'm finishing a 3 part article on "So, you want to be a fly fishing guide, eh?" scheduled to begin in a magazine this August issue. It's a good set of 3 articles with some great stories. Just have 1/2 of the last article to go before shelving it for a week and then editing it one last time, adding a photo selection, and submitting the final run. Of course, this weather's a good time to tie up a few dozen flies as well, to go with the 4000 tied this winter. Not a huge number compared to commercial folks, but enough to get by. Of course, if you hadn't been fishing the past 7 weeks, this cold weather's likely got you in the dumps. By the end of the week, life will be good again. Of course, with a foot of fresh snow, the next heat wave will send local streams high and off color... :)

Costa Rica Sailfish

From Louise Shotton who does shuttles on the Bow River, comes a photo gallery on Costa Rica sailfish. With the wintery weather out there currently, this gives a nice break from longing to be out there.
http://photoshare.shaw.ca/messages/viewshow/12494325569-1204901366-74328/gallery/page/

Last go around before the storm

We made it out to fish on Thursday, knowing that the forecast was to go way downhill with cold and snow for - hopefully - the last time of the winter. We'll get another go-round in May but things should look up. We hit the stream and had a fairly good day. Amelia lost a 27" brown after a good head shake and run. How do we know the size? It was landed fairly recently in the exact same spot. We managed to land 15 or 20 trout, which is the lowest catch of the spring thus far but still a great day thanks to the sun shining. The wind howled, making casting tough at times.
Spotted: 2 skwala stones and 1 blue winged olive. 1 blue herron.
We're staying in to tie flies and finish our Fortress AOP while the snow falls!

Amelia decided to pinch down the split shot on her tongue rather than the line. OW! I was kind enough to take a photo prior to getting the pliers to free her.

Report and back to the same stream... again

I was set to fish a different piece of water today and sure drove a long distance to realize that little else was available to fish thanks to ice and muddy water. Please refer to the fishing reports at left for stream information.
A great day to be on the water. Life was slow until about 1pm, but once the wind stopped howling and things settled down, life sure kicked in. A good number and size range was enjoyed once again. Some beautiful trout were landed but few photos taken as I fished alone. Covered a long section of water and fished to my heart's content on a lonely river. The water is quite clear and watching several trout move to the flies was a great show.
Saw the first two blue herrons of the year. They'll get a rude awakening this weekend with 20 - 30cm of snow!

Thought of the day

Looking at the forecast, today & Thursday are the only days that make sense. If you have a day off, best get out on the water because we're staring at a major weather shift here. Fri - Sun is calling for snow, periods of snow, and more snow each day. It could be a good accumulation. We'll go from +14 Thurs to below freezing for the first time in nearly 6 weeks. It doesn't look like much of the west country from Rocky to the Pass will miss out either.
Sundre: http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/ab-53_metric_e.html
RMH: http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/ab-16_metric_e.html
Crowsnest: http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/ab-17_metric_e.html

Bumper Boat

Floated a local river recently with the usual round of obstacles. In & out of the river, bouncing off log jams, ice, rocks, you name it. The river got really tight in quite a few spots, making rowing almost impossible as the oars' span was too wide to fit between ice and wood. A fun day anyway, and a few fish were moved. If only Amelia had landed that 24 - 26" bull it would have just topped a great day off nicely.

Cows

Life is good for Alberta cattle - for a little while at least. Hanging out by the river, soaking in the sun. Then a couple of oddballs and their furry dog come floating down the river, hootin' & hollerin' over a few fish, disrupting the peace of the valley. "Keep it down, down there, will ya?"

Trespassing

This sign is on the Red Deer River, at an access on the river along private land. I think the point is fairly straightforward.

Fish Creek Park - "Park Watch Anglers"

I read with great interest the information in the Bow River Shuttles email about Park Watch Anglers for Fish Creek Park. The program they are launching is exactly what I personally was hoping to see Streamwatch evolve into when Barry & I started it back in 2001/02. Barry and Tom took it another direction with the focus primarily on enforcement officers, while I really wanted a program like the following that was set up by anglers, for anglers, with good communication between anglers, between anglers and the officers, information sharing at all levels, education, monitoring of users/all users, and picking up litter where needed. The Park Watch program is exactly what I hoped to see from Streamwatch, but I was over ruled and I subsequently left to alleviate any conflicts, because I didn't want the #1 focus to be enforcement. Good for Fish Creek Park to get this program off the ground. I personally wish them well with their efforts as it is the right way to go - empowering anglers to share and report! This is a great program.


PARK WATCH ANGLERS
Do you like to fish on the Bow River? In Fish Creek Provincial Park fly‐fishing along its sparkling banks is a popular recreational activity, and the new Boat Launch facility near Sikome is sure to attract many sportsmen and women to the area. On the water’s edge one can find peaceful time to reflect, fish, watch the geese and ducks, or just admire the river’s rippling flow. The Friends are looking for volunteers to participate in the new Park Watch Anglers program and help keep the riverbanks a safe and secure place for all to enjoy.
Park Watch Anglers
● Give something back to the Park
● Provide support and information to Park staff
● Improve user education
● Increase community involvement in the Park
● Further Park Conservation
● Monitor the riverbank for:
● poaching
● fishing with bait
● fishing with barbed hooks
● drinking, vandalizing, fighting or parties
● littering
● dogs off‐leash
● exceeding catch limits
To become a Park Watch Angler you will need to:

● Provide a valid Alberta Angling License
● Be at least 18 years of age
● Attend an orientation session
● Fill out an application form
● Provide permission for a police security check
● Complete a short interview
Please contact Bonnie at the Friends of Fish Creek if you can help: 238‐3841 or info@friendsoffishcreek.org
It’s a Great Day for Fishing!

Shuttles on the Bow River

Just a note that the two companies we've used to do shuttles on the Bow are again taking bookings for shuttles. Please give them a call to set this up. We realize that some have been open longer this season already, but with this warm weather we thought we'd remind you that this service is available.

"Hi there, I have opened for vehicle shuttles since last weekend. 17th Ave./Blackfoot is open, and Fish Creek . The new launch at Policeman's is almost finished and I have been shuttling vehicles there. The launch is usable. MacKinnon's is not the greatest for pulling out with a driftboat. There are spots at the launch that have chunks of ice ready to break off.
Have a great summer...
Louise Shotton 282-5071"

Happy fishing! We're taking shuttles again in '08!
Kindest regards,Michelle Magotiaux
www.bowrivershuttles.com
michelle@bowrivershuttles.com
(403) 278-9165

Weekend Plans?

The weekend looks spectacular, to say the least. Now, if you lice in the Calgary area where they got a foot of snow, this forecast is going to mean muddy waters. That said, the Bow still can produce well in 12" of visibility with larger flies - streamers and nymphs. With the warming weather and raised water levels, trout will also move to the edge of wintering runs, or the head riffles into shallower water.
Brown trout streams will likely lose considerable ice this weekend, but the waters will also get murkier. It might be a good weekend to look at spring creeks or waters that are smaller with a shorter drainage.
The Crowsnest should be good, so to the Oldman. I recall 1998 and 2001 having very good dry fly fishing mid day as early black stones and late winter blacks crawled all over us. The trout were aggessive those days, mid April. The reach of the Oldman above the dam is open to hwy #22. There's good water to fish there, as well as the lowe Crowsnest below hwy #3.
With +20/21C and sunny skies, this is a great weekend to head out and enjoy the fishing.

Kelly Galloup video

We've embedded the Kelly Galloup streamer fishing video as it is the abridged version of what you really need to know to fish streamers his way. Note the small variety of fly selection, the leader used, and the method of fishing. It certainly isn't rocket science but you need to know how to cast, how to present the fly, and be willing to change retrieves - what those look like. It isn't hard, but requires some trial and error.

Stauffer Wednesday

A happy Wednesday out on Stauffer. Not much for size today, largest only in at about 19". The numbers were good, however. Stones, midges, and boatmen. A very pleasant afternoon of fly fishing together. We've again updated the water report in the links to the left, at the header of the Blog. Lots of potential for this weekend's fishing!

Final NZ video - "As good as it gets"

This video was taken on a perfect day. The river reminded us so much of the Ram - the water anyway. The surroundings were quite different for plants, birds, etc, but the water was as though I was fishing the trestle rock or glass house pools on the Ram. The big difference was that while a fellow could catch a couple dozen cutthroat trout in a pool like that in the Ram, there was one big brown sitting in this one. This was the perfect way to end the day - as much of a "gimmie" fish as there will ever be. The fish was moving in choppy water on the upper side of the boulder. The chop and boulder gave all the protection from spooking the trout with a bad cast, so it was essentially an easy flip of a cast, really. The first cast or two were good, but the trout went opposite directions to my casts as it fed. This cast seemed to do some good, however. This is the last of our New Zealand video that we'll share here. The Alberta fly fishing season is well under way, so be sure to get out fishing. Hope you've enjoyed the NZ footage. We'll likely get a lot more next year. :)
http://www.flyfishalberta.com/video/nz17/nz17.html

Streamwatch goes Lakewatch?

In the RDRFRTC mtg last night, we spent some time discussing a variety of things to do with the region's lakes. The lack of enforcement (or perceived lack) on Buck, Pigeon, etc Lakes was expressed as a major concern. I introduced the Streamwatch program that Barry Mitchell & myself started back in 2001/02. There was a very positive response from committee members that represent associations and clubs to look at the concept of adopting Streamwatch to morph into a Lakewatch, enhancing the presence of education and some enforcement on local lakes that get less attention than some would like to see. I was honest in saying that I'm no longer involved with Streamwatch because its focused so intently on enforcement, and conveyed that any potential Lakewatch needs to focus more on education and communication of why regulations are what they are, to build a community of aware anglers. This would be especially true on a lake where an officer would more than likely come across the same anglers 10 or 15 times a season.

While this committee has government members, it is important to note that the sharing of ideas is a focus, so there is no slight to the gov enforcement branch coming from this mtg. The idea with Streamwatch or the possibility of Lakewatch is simply to add to the education and enforcement of regulations, and why they are what they are. It is very possible that you will hear of Lakewatch coming to Pigeon, Gull, or Buck Lakes in the next year or two.

Hoping for a SES Fisheries Round Table Committee

Sent to Dave Christiansen & Steve Herman of Rocky Mountain House:
"Hi Steve & Dave
I'm on this Red Deer Region Fisheries Round Table Committee. I'm really curious, now that the committee has met 2 years running, if the Rocky Mtn House or SES Region would consider hosting a similar annual/semi annual meeting? Obviously there is a provincial level RT, however, the info and proceedings for that are reliant upon the regions representing themselves. I think it would be a good idea to have a regional RT meeting for the SES, as the RD Region one is very good, very informative. The trouble with the provincial level is that folks like myself are left out in the cold, not knowing what's going on nor what might be coming down the pipes. Having this kind of mtg would help with that and I really value this committee. It really helps knowing where things are at, and if any action might be required. I know that the RD Region RT is opening the door to the RDR Fisheries Mgmt Plan due to the committee, and that's a good thing.
Just wondering what your thoughts to this would be?
Hope all's well."

The benefits of having a RTC for the SES are fairly obvious, with so many people in the province having such an impact.

EDIT: Rec'd a reply from Dave Christiansen of RMH. "Hi Dave:
Agree, we intend to set something similar up when our new Area Bio is hired and in place. Just has not been enough horsepower here to establish a local RT yet, but by this fall we should be in shape to try and kick something off.
Dave."

Red Deer River Fisheries Mgt Plan

I joined the Red Deer Region RTC initially to ensure that the Red Deer River brown trout got the needed attention. The Red Deer River Fisheries Management Plan was developed and implemented for the river between Dickson Dam and Joffre bridge east of Red Deer back in 1994/95. The plan was to be revisited every 5 years. Since being developed, no action or revisitiation has occurred. Since that time, provincial walleye regulations have changed, the walleye population has changed with a large upward trend, the river's whitefish are facing over harvest with their populations changing dramatically, and the river's brown trout continue to face open angling during their fall spawn.
I had loose commitment from Vance (region's head bio) after last year's meeting that the RDRFMP would be revisited once the Pigeon Lake plans were dealt with. Coming out of last night's meeting, we have firm commitment that the RDRFMP will follow the completion of the Pigeon Lake FMP's completion this fall. We can expect to begin work on the RDRFMP early in 2009.
Obviously, there needs to be discussion on extending the MP's reach, possibly further downstream to the Tollman bridge. It will have to deal with the over harvest of rocky mountain whitefish. It will face dealing with a potential special walleye harvest tag. And, somewhere in there, hopefully we can finally deal with a fall closure on the reach of river known to be prime brown trout spawning. There is a possibility to manage known spawning reaches for various species. When we are finally able to re-open the RDRFMP, brown trout may fall down the priority list somewhat, but they will get their due attention. The brown trout population is doing well. Regarding rocky mountain whitefish, Vance informed us that the population peaked in the mid to late 1990s after the dam was built in '82. Since the mid 90's the population has been on a downward trend due to over harvest. The 2005 flood can't be blamed for this.

Kerbe's Pond Update - Stettler

Kerbe's Pond got support from the committee last spring to have its regulations changed to a delayed harvest regime to allow larger rainbow trout. The group pursuing the change also was to implement use of aerators for summer and winter months. The new regulations are now in effect for Kerbe's Pond. It was stocked 3 times in 2007 with 1500 rainbow trout per stocking. The thrid stocking came as a result of concern over loss of the initial May & June stockings as heavy rains raised the pond levels and saw a 10 foot wide, 2 foot deep stream flow leaving the lake, taking the trout with it. They have since built a more suitable retaining wall which has recently been completed. The oxygen levels from aeration are now considered good through tests and modifications of the aeration over the summer and winter. The aeration system set up cost $15,000 raised locally. The system uses about $60 to $80 in power each month, again, supported through local fund raising. The system uses 2 aerations lines in the summer and 1 in the winter.

Walleye Draw Ramifications on other waters & species

In the Red Deer Region RTC meeting last night, it was discussed that provincially, the 2 year pilot project of issuing special harvest licensing for walleye is now part of the management regime for fisheries managers in Alberta. This means that managers no longer have to go to provincial cabinet to get approval for special harvest tag draws in fisheries. It specifically opens the door to other rivers, lakes, reservoirs - any water body and any fish species in Alberta - to this management approach. I asked what the ramifications could be on sensitive c&r trout waters, bull trout waters, and what the parameters were for determining locations for such management would be. While a greater level of study is needed to reflect a change of management from current regulations to this, the door is certainly wide open. The special walleye harvest tags followed a strict set of parameters developed by fisheries managers in conjunction with stake holders. The same would have to be developed for future waters and species. To date, there are no such parameters. However, there are fisheries managers looking at possibilities such as bull trout harvest, closed waterbodies, etc. Job Lake quickly comes to mind.
It's an interesting development as one project that deals with a lower elevation, warm water species could have a direct impact on the management decisions and opportunities on sensitive trout populations.

RD Region Fisheries Round Table Committee

Last night, Monday, April 7, the Red Deer Region Fisheries Round Table Committee meeting was held. The purpose of the committee is to communicate between stake holders, share ideas and awareness, put concerns forward to the provincial round table, and possibly make recommendation of regulations or policy change forward to the provincial round table where concensus is reached.
The agenda was:
Special Walleye Harvest License
SWL witihin our area - Pigeon & Lake Newell
Pigeon lake Summer Creel Survey
FWIN's Walleye densities in Pigeon, Buck, Pine
Red Deer River Brown Trout
Battle R IBI Study
Bathymetric Mapping
Buffalo Lake Integrated Shoreline Management Plan
Riparian/Shoreline videography of RDR, Buffalo, Buck
Projects Planned for 2008-09
Other Mgmt Issues

It was a good meeting with a lot of information shared. I'm working on getting copies of the pdf files of the core of the mtg to share here. There are some interesting things happening in the walleye and lake whitefish world in our region, certainly. The Battle R IBI study is a great program that is to have further implications for further study as well as management decisions.

NZ Video - "Bad Decision"

We spot a nice trout ahead of a boulder. It's Amelia's turn but she lines up to cast from the side instead of from downstream, where she would have been in deeper water but able to have protection of sight lines by the boulder and the seam. Instead, watch as casting goes from hope to dejection.
http://www.flyfishalberta.com/video/nz6/nz6.html

NZ Video - "That's what I'm talking about!"

After a frustrating morning of casting 18 foot leaders into a headwind, we cut things back to what we're used to - 15 foot leaders and make accurate casts again - getting back to what works for us. This is the first fish that we came up to once the change was made.
http://www.flyfishalberta.com/video/nz3/nz3.html

NZ video "Arriving"

We'd flown a long ways, traveled a day and a half to get to NZ. Finally on a trout stream and finally ready to work a nice fish. The first really good moment to relax onstream together.
http://www.flyfishalberta.com/video/nz2/nz2.html

Red Deer Region Fisheries Round Table

If you have any concerns, questions, or issues that you feel need addressing for the Red Deer Region, please email me today. Tonight, the Red Deer Region Fisheries Round Table Committee meets in Red Deer and I'm on the committee, so if you want anything added, please email info@flyfishalberta.com
Dave Jensen

ACA aerated lakes

ACA’s Aerated Lakes
ACA’s lake aeration program ensures more fish survive winter freeze-up so Albertan’s canenjoy year-round angling in many provincial lakes. Some of the best lake fishing for larger trout exist in these lakes. The following link provides detail of the locations of such lakes around Alberta:
http://www.ab-conservation.com/aeratedlakes/

Dogpound Cr Volunteer work day

April 16, 2008
Event: Volunteers Needed for Dogpound Creek Project
Event Type: Project Workday
Description: The Bow River Chapter of Trout Unlimited is looking for volunteers to help with a rehabilitation project on the Dogpound Creek. This is prime rearing habitat and trout water that where flooding and stream bank damage occurred along a 1 km section of the Dogpound Creek with the flooding in 2005. Our project involves removing a log jam and bank stabilization using natural materials found on site to recreate conditions similar to the original found upstream. We hope to stabilize the banks to decrease the damage from future flooding. The project has been spearheaded by the local landowner, Kevin Watson of the BRC and TU biologist Brian Meagher.

The project will be started on the Dogpound Creek on Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 (with students from Olds College reclamation program) and finished on Saturday, April 19th, 2008 (with members from the Canadian Water Resources – Students and Young Professionals).

We would ask that prospective volunteers bring:

• Flat-bladed shovels
• Weather appropriate clothing
• Waders for in-stream work
• Water bottle and any snacks one might require
• If anyone can come with chainsaws with appropriate safety equipment, it would be much appreciated.

If there are any questions, please feel free to contact David Hardy via email (cdhardy@shaw.ca) for more details. It would also be helpful to RSVP so we have an idea of numbers for each day.

Waiting for the wind

With our little, yellow mascot acting as a wet, frozen, hood ornament, we search the valley for the imminent wind. True to repute, it picks up and rams us downstream. That was yesterday. Today, after swimming hour after hour in that cold water, Jaz has found herself a warmer, plusher, place to nuzzle into. As long as it's all about her, life is good.

Precious cargo

A windy day and cold, so cold, water. The elk hounds stayed on dry land while the lab swam 1/2 the day in water that numbed our hands in 5 seconds or less. A good day to be on the water but a night best spent at home. Dumping, driving snow proved the point on the drive home, so all was well with the decision.

The Fly Fishing Life

Just a word about Rick Harding & Russ Webb's new online venture. Their online video magazine / tutorial website is now online. It's a fairly major undertaking and looks to be a great effort:

"Hello All,

At long last our web site is up and running. Check it out. There are some free things and some not so free things. I would appreciate your feedback. Spread the word.

Enjoy

www.theflyfishinglife.com

Rick and Russ"

Our House

We've lived in our house for two years, purchasing it after it had undergone extensive renovations and restorations inside, with all but the flooring on the main floor being dealt with. We have to deal with a ring of spruce trees that were topped about 15 years ago and are a little top heavy, but landscaping over the coming years isn't insurmountable. It's a unique property that's recognized by Red Deer for its history. We haven't had it designated as a Heritage House yet. We want to do some landscaping around the property over time to get it back to some of its past glory. Looking at the photo above, the curved sidewalk still comes up to the house, but comes up in front of a derelect apartment, unfortunately. We have some plans to make the property nicer, and the idea of re-building the upper walk out deck keeps creeping into minds, to bring the house back to how it was built. We love the age of the house, the high cielings, and the open spaces. The sandstone foundation makes for a unique basement feel, something we're still working out how best to work with. We're 1/2 way there. In time, we hope to convert to solar power, a permanent roof, and geothermal heating/cooling, to bring one of Red Deer's oldest houses to state of the art standards. We'll see.
We enjoy our house and proximity to the river, trail networks, and Kerrywood Nature Ctr.
Anyway, the reason for this blog post is that there have been two articles published about the history of the house in the local newspapers, the latest online right now. www.reddeerexpress.com/express/edition03/news-016.html

NZ video "The worst cast"

A large trout, brilliantly sunny day, flat, crystal clear water. A bad cast that lands 9 feet downstream of the trout. 30 minutes of setting up a shot turns into 2:45 of video that shows why sometimes one bad cast can ruin a shot at a big brown.
http://www.flyfishalberta.com/video/nz23/nz23.html

NZ Video - "Gobble Gobble"

We watched this 23" brown feeding aggressively. We thought it would be a gimmie - as far as NZ trout go. Trouble was I was faced with glare and couldn't see and when Amelia peered over the camera to give me directions of where the fish was exactly, the trout saw her and bolted. See it all in the link:
http://www.flyfishalberta.com/video/nz14/nz14.html

Fish ID Test

With many lower elevation streams opening, it's a good time to hone up on your fish identification. Please take the time to examine the following fish id test. If you don't get 100%, please hone up on your identification skills. Nobody will know your score, nobody takes notice. It's just you and a computer, so if you're unsure of your fish id, take the time to learn today!
http://srd.alberta.ca/fishwildlife/fishingalberta/fishidentification/quizcentre.aspx

Stauffer, Thurs Apr 3

We hit Stauffer today and had a good day. Not great but moved plenty of fish, certainly. The front rolled in about 3 and wind began to howl downstream, making upstream accu-casts a little tough. So be it, we went to enjoy the warm weather and the fishing. A good day all told with many stones flittering about. There was rain and snow falling further west on the drive home, so keep that in mind per tonight and tommorrow's forecast. The stream is clear at the BFW.

Central Alberta TU Dinner

"The Central Alberta Dinner/Auction is only 5 short weeks away on May the 8th.
The tickets are $50 per person and you can contact me by email or phone 347-3802 for tickets. This year's event will occur at the Black Knight Inn.The evening includes a first rate dinner, bucket draws, a silent auction and a live auction. Last year we had an excellent turn out that included many of you. The success of the evening is mainly getting as many of you to attend as possible as well as any of you friends, especially those who love to fly fish! Most of the proceeds of the evening will go towards the Stream Watch Program. This is a program that has been spearheaded by several hard working members of the Central Alberta Chapter of Trout Unlimited. The Stream Watch Program has two parts. There is an education part of the program so the fishing public understand what fish are in the rivers they are fishing and the enforcement of the regulations, especially in our catch and release streams (Ram System and the Blackstone River system). This program is now expanding into the Oldman drainage and the Grande Cache area as well. The Central Alberta TU Chapter has been involved in so many projects over the years. If you have fished Stauffer Creek or Clear Creek in the past you have benefitted from the projects. The amazing fishing in our Eastern Slopes rivers has a lot to do with the enforcement of the regulations through the Stream Watch program.
Like last year, our goal is to get at least 140 individuals to come. Please consider coming...and bring your spouse and/or a friend!"

Bob Vanderwater
bvanderwater@rdpsd.ab.ca

NZ Video - "Time for Lunch"

A fun moment in time. After a beer and a bit of lunch, we hook up with a nice male brown trout.
http://www.flyfishalberta.com/video/nz8/nz8.html

ACA looking for Director @ Large

Board of Directors, Public-At-Large Director, Northwest Region
About ACA
Candidates are being sought for a Regional Public-at-Large vacancy on the Board of Directors of the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA). The Board meets quarterly and consists of 17 Directors – one appointed from each of our nine member groups, one provincial government representative, one ACA/University of Alberta chair in fisheries and wildlife, two appointed Public-At-Large Directors and four Regional Public-At-Large Directors.
http://www.ab-conservation.com/about_us/BOD_Public-At-Large_Director_NW.asp

Wednesday Drive - Sundre to Rocky

We took a drive out west and found open water without having to look too hard:
RDR near Sundre - slack water frozen but riffles are running freely in 3 spots looked at
James R - Looked at in two locations & frozen but for a few strips.
S Raven is wide open at #22 crossing but frozen at 4 other spots looked at.
Clearwater is open @ 54 crossing and wide open at #22 crossing south of RMH
Prairie Cr frozen at 3 of the 4 locations looked at but wide open at one.

We didn't fish, rather, let Jaz run around & fetch sticks from the open water. Oh, to be a lab. :) Back to fishing tomorrow.

NZ video: "Elvis - Leaving the building"

This video represents over 1/2 hr of sighting the fish, getting the camera and Amelia into a place to fish and tape, and then communicating what the fish is actually doing. Again, more glare on the water from Amelia's vantage didn't make this one easy. If you've never seen a trout come to take a look at a fly and spook from looking at it, and leaving the pool because it doesn't like your fly, this video shows just how picky some trout can be.
http://www.flyfishalberta.com/video/nz15/nz15.html

Quill Parachute

The Quill parachute is fairly simple to tie and can be adapted to match local mayfly patterns. It can be tied as large as #10 or as small as # 20. Quills or goose biots don't allow for much larger or smaller patterns due to their size. This pattern is possibly better than a post wing Adams as the quill body can sink into the surface film a little if only the post is Ginked when fishing. This allows for an emerger style appearance with the quill segments appearing like a nymphal case being shed by the emerging dun.
Hook Size: #10 - 20
Tail: Grizzly hackle fibres
Body: Goose or turkey quill in colour to match the natural.
Thorax: Ice dubbing
Hackle: Grizlly, brown, ginger, etc to match natural.
Post: Poly, calf tail, or phentex

GRHE soft hackle emerger

GRHE Softhackle
Hook: Tiemco 3761 #10 - #16
Thread: Black
Ribbing: Oval Fine Gold Tinsel
Body: Hare's ear dubbing natural
Thorax: Spectrablend nymph dubbing brown olive
Hackle: Partridge flank brown 1 or 2 turns
The particular photo above came from tier Allen Landheer.
The pattern is exceptionally effective with or without a beadhead. Fish as an emerger pattern, either under an indicator or as a dropper.

NZ video "Inside Flats"

Yesterday's video dealt with fish in a daze, sunning or funking. Most were spooked but 1 in 20 we saw were actually moving and looking for food. Again, others appeared stoned and comatose. In this video, Amelia finds one that's actually moving.
http://www.flyfishalberta.com/video/nz24/nz24.html

2008 licenses

A reminder to stop and pick up your 2008 Alberta Fishing license before hitting the water. Today's the day we all need new licenses.