Brown Trout on the Edge

As a follow up to my article in American Angler Magazine's next issue, I assembled a few clips through the years. Trouble was that we had well over an hour of 2 - 5 second clips of big brown trout, so we decided to use the more popular shots from Alberta & New Zealand. The video coincides with my article, in which I detail what the keys are to finding big brown trout on the edge water of rivers and streams. The issue should be out soon.
Cheers.
Dave Jensen
PS - you can watch the video in HD on YouTube. It does show fairly well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PuVq5-u6vI

Buy the 2009 licenses

Time to renew your fishing licenses. Just a quick reminder for the 2009 season.
:)

Special Walleye License Draw Period

Draw Application Period
Fri, March 20 - Thurs, April 23

Pigeon (47-1-W5), Wolf (66-7-W4), Newell (17-15-W4), Kehiwin (59-7-W4) and Floatingstone (60-11-W4) lakes.

We encourage you to apply
as early as possible!

Need help?
Call the draw information line!
Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Toll-free
1-877-289-0999

Apply online:
AlbertaRelm.com

Survey: Pigeon Lake Fisheries Management Plan and Proposed Regulation Changes

Survey: Pigeon Lake Fisheries Management Plan and Proposed Regulation Changes

The Pigeon Lake Fisheries Management Advisory Committee has recently completed its five year review of the existing Fisheries Management Plan has made some recommendations and proposed regulation changes.

You are invited to provide your input into the proposed changes to the management of fish populations in Pigeon Lake.

Deadline to complete survey is the end of March

http://www.mywildalberta.com/Fishing/FisheriesManagement.aspx

Things that take your worm

Bob has been hating the winter weather and the forecast that killed our trip to fish for Lahontan cutts this week. A teacher only gets one, set week for spring break and the Red Deer district has it early. But, it wasn't a total loss thus far. Good skiing and a good tug on the SJW down south made life good!

Kill Bill

I was forwarded this email from ReThinkRedDeer. An interesting bit:

"Bill C-19

Please take a moment to inform yourselves about Bill 19 –
the LAND ASSEMBLY PROJECT AREA ACT and hopefully sign the petition to oppose it. IN sum, Bill 19 is an attempt to streamline the expropriation process of private property for major infrastructure projects. Although justified under the guise of acquiring land for utility corridors, the Bill is broadly worded to allow for any major infrastructure projects including pipelines, gas wells and nuclear reactors. Worse the Bill gives considerable power and discretion to government Ministers and removes existing rights of land owners and the public to question the public interest value of major infrastructure developments by criminalizing any objections with a $100,000 fine and/or two years in jail.

Please learn more and pass the info around!

Website: http://killbill19.wordpress.com

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=55684063057&ref=ts

Cheers,

Kilmorey Lodge Reconstruction Public Open House

Waterton National Park, Alberta – Two months after the iconic Kilmorey Lodge was tragically destroyed by fire, new plans are being unveiled to rebuild. A public open house is set for the Waterton Lakes Lodge Resort on Saturday, March 28th from 1:00 – 4:00 PM.

“We started working on plans to rebuild the Kilmorey Lodge right after the fire,” says owner Locklynn Craig. “Everyone has been extremely helpful during this trying process, especially Parks Canada who has received our development permit for Kilmorey Lodge. Next is our public open house on Saturday March 28th. We want people to hear about our plans for Kilmorey Lodge and we want their feedback. It’s a very important part of the process.”

Details are available at www.thekilmoreylodge.com

For more information, hi-rez photos and/or interviews, contact:
Mr. Locklynn T. Craig,
President, Waymarker Hospitality
T: 403.297.0130
E: lockey@waymarker.ca

Mr. Neil Bousquet,
APR, PR, Waymarker Hospitality
T: 403.256.8834
E: neil.bousquet@prwizard.ca

Tromping

The west country, particularly the brown trout streams out west, will have a good runoff this spring. The past several springs have seen melting progress over a month and not really kick the streams into low elevation runoff. Prior to the foot of snow out west a few days ago, we wandered down Stauffer Creek and tromped through knee deep snow in the field. It'll be a good runoff as soon as we get any kind of heat. Don't hold your breath until the weekend, mind you.
:)

April Magazine

We're working on the next issue of our magazine and it's coming along nicely. It will tie into a few articles that are coming out in print magazines shortly. There's going to be a neat video short of a moment in time with a trout in New Zealand. It was a great moment for Dave! Also, along the same lines, we tie a feature video that features some new and some older footage blended together, coinciding with Dave's article in American Angler Magazine "Trophy Browns on the Edge", which lays out the key ingredients to increase success fly fishing for large browns.

Par for the course

After a slow start to the season on Stauffer fishing follow up all day, it's only fitting that the forecast slows down the anticipation a touch. 10 to 20 cm of snow forecast and not a lot of hope anywhere in the province for a few days. A good few days to hit the ski trails and enjoy the last stretch of our favorite winter sport. Of course, we've been hoping each of the past 3 or 4 weeks were the last of the skiing to get on to the more important aspects of life!

Bull Trout & a porcupine

What would a bull trout and a porcupine have in common? Read below.

It had to be neat to catch a bull trout with a face full of porcupine quills. Our dog Jaz is too chicken to nip at anything, having spent 10 minutes curiously obsessing about a porcupine from the doorway of our cabin last summer. It's almost a sad world when a bull trout is willing to take a few quills in the face when our lab won't. But we're happier for it. So's Jaz. :)

Central Alberta TUC Annual Mtg tonight

Wednesday March 18th, 2009 Black Knight Inn Red Deer at 7 p.m.
Featured guest speaker is Phil Rowley.

Bow River Shuttles update

Michelle was kind enough to email us and let us know that the boat launches are coming close on the Bow River. Graves Landing launch is clear of ice and now. 22X is snowed in with a fair bit of ice along shore. Policeman's is ice and snow, though both 22x and Policeman's are definitely easily done with smaller, inflatable boats. McKinnon is frozen across the river.
Cheers

Improvements to Waterton Lakes National Park

WATERTON, ALBERTA, March 7, 2009 -- The Honourable Jim Prentice, Canada’s Environment Minister, Minister responsible for Parks Canada and Minister responsible for Southern Alberta, along with Mr. Rick Casson, Member of Parliament for Lethbridge, today announced the intention of the Government of Canada to invest in infrastructure improvements in Waterton Lakes National Park under Canada’s Economic Action Plan.

“The Economic Action Plan is providing real action and real stimulus while ensuring tangible benefits for Waterton Lakes National Park and its many visitors for years to come,” said Minister Prentice. “The projects announced today would help to create local construction jobs and economic activity right away and will help to increase tourism in the long term through an improved visitor experience.”

The January 2009 Budget – Canada’s Economic Action Plan – supports Canada’s national parks with $75 million, over two years, for improvements and enhancements at Parks Canada’s visitor facilities, such as campgrounds and visitor centres, as well as an additional $75 million to Parks Canada for upgrades to National Historic Sites.

Projects announced for Waterton Lakes National Park today, which could total up to $9.4 million, would include repairs to the Belly River Bridge on Chief Mountain Highway, improvements at the Blakiston Valley day use area, and new washroom facilities at the community playground.

“The new investments would focus on projects ready to start construction,” said Mr. Casson. “These would provide immediate benefits and reflect this Government’s commitment to national parks and to offering the highest quality experience to park visitors.”

As part of Canada's Economic Action Plan, the government is delivering immediate action and investments in infrastructure. This is a targeted plan that will create and maintain jobs for today and tomorrow. The plan invests $4.5 billion over the next two years for infrastructure projects in Alberta.

Information:
Rod Blair
Field Unit Superintendent
Waterton Lakes Field Unit
Parks Canada
T: 403.859.5112

Source: Parks Canada news release & the web editors

Back Country Sports Closing (Red Deer)

There is a sale on right now at Back Country Sports on Gaetz Ave in Red Deer. Currently, most items are 30% off with further discounts coming as they try to empty the store for its permanent closing out on April 1.
It's funny, through the years, to see various shops close down in Red Deer. Loyalty to the old store seems to be the biggest factor, as well as locals heading to Calgary or Edmonton for their fly fishing needs. The local outdoor shops are certainly geared toward hunters and spin fishers. It was a good go for a couple of years. Hope all is well for the owners as they close the door on this chapter of life.

-43C

Wow. Can anyone remember anything like this in mid March? We just moved the clocks forward, spring is on its way. Not so fast! With the high pressure and near full moon, sleep is a non issue for me. I get little sleep when these factors combine. So, up at 3am, I've looked at the weather a few times and note that Red Deer dropped from -30 at 3:30 am to -36C at 7am. Not to be outdone, Elk Island Park is checking in at -41, and the Dapp corner near Barhead is -43 glorious degrees C this morning. It is a sunny day, so enjoy the sun bathing.

Also on this morning's web browsing, I see flights to New Zealand are $1000 a seat. Return (if you insist). Of course, I also noted that the weather for the south 1/2 of the south island of New Zealand calls for 110kmh winds and snow. In a week I could be fishing late season mayflies there or midges and early stoneflies here, as our weather is likely going to be quite nice, very soon.

Happy thoughts!

This is Fly Mag - new edition available

Follow the link!
http://www.thisisfly.com/

New Catch Magazine

Available now:
http://www.catchmagazine.net/

March Magazine

Our March Issue is on line now.

Feature Article: "On the Other Hand" - learning to cast on your opposite hand
March Brown Mayfly
Photo Essay "Ice Out at Fortress Lake" - one of our favorite essays detailing wildlife, avalanches, and brook trout at an exceptional time of the year to visit
Orvis gear review
"Where are the fish?" for beginners
"90 minutes" - Why Dave was swimming with fish last issue.

http://flyfishalberta.com/magazine/march09/magazine/Default.html

Fish numbers outpace human population

"It's increasingly likely that the fish you eat was farmed not caught wild, according to the latest statistics of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
The group's two-yearly assessment of world fisheries, published today, comes with mitigated good news.
The outlook for wild ocean fish remains gloomy: 80% of all fisheries are at or beyond their maximum yields, and over-fishing continues to climb. Yet the amount of fish available to eat is growing faster than the human population, thanks to a boom in fish farming.
The FAO calculates that, for the first time, fish farms produce half the fish we eat, up from less than a third in 2002. With wild-catch fisheries maxed out, any more increases in fish production will depend on farms.
Problems in the wild?
It is unclear from the FAO data whether fish farms are indirectly putting more pressure on wild stocks.
Many farmed fish eat fishmeal and oil, made from small species like sardines. The FAO says the tonnage of these species consumed has trebled since 1992, but does not say whether this is a consequence of fish farming, or because the fish are being used for other purposes.
In a parallel report, international fisheries pressure group Oceana charges that by relying on wild-caught species like sardines, which now constitute one third of world fisheries, fish farms are starving larger predators, including tuna, marine mammals and seabirds.
The FAO observes that the unrestricted competition between companies is a waste of energy: too many boats mean that fewer fish are caught per litre of boat fuel. Meanwhile, boat owners buy more powerful, less efficient engines to beat the competition."

ReThink Red Deer Update

"www.rethinkreddeer.ca
Hi All,
Don't forget to mark your calendar for next Monday's presentation...
Recently back from a sabbatical (vacation), Red Deer residents Ray Allan and Patricia Orr will join us to speak about their trip to visit 7 different "ecovillages" in Europe and India. I saw their story in the Sunday Life (Advocate) and had the chance to catch their presentation in early February in City Council Chambers. It was nothing short of inspiring!
And, back at the end of January, I attended the Province's first-ever Food Security conference in Edmonton where I met Rob Avis of Ravis Sustainable Consulting. Among many other things, Rob is hosting a series of workshops in Alberta for citizens to teach them how to take control of their energy future and minimize their impact on the environment through the use of Permaculture, renewable energy, and sustainable technologies. Rob will speak to us about the science of Permaculture, his upcoming "convergence" session in Olds this April, and his highly-acclaimed 2-week permaculture design certification course in Gull Lake this August.
Monday, March 9th - 6:30pm at the Margaret Parsons Theatre (RDC).
Again, the attendance is free but limited to the first 90 seats.
Ecovillage Synopsis (paraphrased from Cameron Kennedy's article in the Advocate's Sunday "Life" newspaper - 02/08/09):
Ray Allan and Patricia Orr's footprint on the environment is smaller than that of most Central Albertans. For the past several years, the Red Deer couple have taken steps to reduce it by improving the energy efficiency of the Woodlea home, walking to work, sharing one car and making a conscious effort to buy eco-friendly goods and services. Allan, a biology instructor at Red Deer College, and Orr, a teacher with the Alternative School Programs of Red Deer Public Schools District, visited seven ecovillages to understand how they worked during a year long sabbatical in 2007-08. Ecovillages are human-scale, full-featured settlements in which human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world in a way that is supportive of healthy human development and can be successfully continued into the indefinite future. They're looking forward to sharing their experiences with Central Albertans who may be unfamiliar with the concept of ecovillages.
Ecovillages 101:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a4iXFTZtYM&feature=PlayList&p=B7BF52ABCBCFB0BD&index=0&playnext=1
Permaculture Synopsis:
Permaculture 101 - http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6370279933612522952
Permaculture empowers individuals to take sustainability into their own hands by providing key design principles and ethics that allow individuals to design sustainability into their life. The Permaculture design system is based around holistic philosophies and systems thinking which allow humans to work with nature rather than against it.
For more information on permaculture visit Ravis Sustainable Consulting's website at:
www.ravissustainable.com
and
www.tagari.com OR www.permaculture.com
Cheers,
Rene Michalak
Coordinator
ReThink Red Deer
403-505-4550"

Orvis Endorsed Lodges Program Recognized

Orvis Honored With For Immediate Release
Sporting Classics Contact: Matt Coffey
Award of Excellence matt@sportingclassics.net
(800) 849-1004 ext. 219

Orvis Endorsed Lodges Program has been named Sporting Classics’ Travel award winner as part of their ninth annual Awards of Excellence.
For more than 21 years the Orvis Endorsed Lodge, Outfitters, Expeditions, Guide Service and Guide Program has made planning a world-class wingshooting and fly-fishing experience easier for its customers. The program locates and researches the best sporting destinations in North America and passes that information along to potential clients. All operations are continually reviewed by Orvis staff and evaluated by visiting guests in critiques sent directly to Orvis. Each operation has its own character, but all share the same high standards including superb service, great location and personable, knowledgeable and professional guides
The Endorsement program encompasses the following facets of sporting services: 51 fishing lodges, 26 wingshooting lodges, 39 outfitters, 14 expedition services, 16 guide services, 75 individual guides, 14 dog breeders and 6 dog trainers. The Orvis Company proudly recognizes the Endorsed Operations as the best destinations in North America for providing exceptional sporting experiences and world-class customer service synonymous with the Orvis Tradition.
For more information about the program, visit www.orvis.com. For more information about Sporting Classics, visit www.sportingclassics.net or call (800) 849-1004.