Lake Fishing Podcast

There's a great listen with Tom Rosenbauer of Orvis with Phil Rowley. A lot of information dealing with lake fishing.

http://www.orvisnews.com/FlyFishing/Podcast-Stillwater-Fly-Fishing-Tips.aspx

Brown Trout Streams Presentation

Dave will be down at Bow R Troutfitters on this Thursday, April 28, 2011 at noon until 1:30. Presentation topic is central Alberta brown trout streams. Hope to see you there!

Annual Piper Cr flood

There hasn't been a good one in a few years, but Piper Cr is back at its spring tricks near Rotary Park. It's moving really good right now, field runoff in full swing.

Field Run Off & Stoneflies

The first signs of field runoff have finally come. East of #22, several streams have come up and gone muddy. Expect this to linger through Tuesday before levels lower and visibility improves (on streams that actually have ice free water). The cold temperatures forecast this week will freeze the snowpack and slow run off. A tip for hatch chasers is to keep your eyes out for a sunny, warm day on the back side of the cold snap. Good dry fly activity can occur if we get a day or two of warmth to get the egg laying female stones on the water before waters muddy up again. This spring, that's going to be a perpetually tight window. Here's hoping though! A variety of early winter black & late winter black, plus a few skwala stones are all out and about on the region's waters, though the skwalas will be another week or two to really get going.

Why?

Perhaps I live in a utopic haze, but can anyone help me understand this photo?

Note the atv and ski doo tracks on the left side of the sign, leading out to a very sensitive ecological area on the N Saskatchewan River. Prior to the change in land use framework, we used to float the river once or twice each spring and fall and have atvs ripping down the river bank to stay ahead of us, to ensure those on the atvs could get to the next pool to fish first. They'd rip donuts in the gravel and tear wherever they wanted. They completely missed the point of the location. The Kootenay Plains, tucked beside Banff National Park, receive such small amounts of precipitation and endure winter like conditions much of the year. It's an anomaly filled area. Life takes time to grow here. The surrounding mountains are absolutely gorgeous, and while the conditions are extremely harsh, cold, and the wind often howls down the valley, floating the river here ranks highest of any river in the province this time of the year for the white peaks and herds of elk we often see while floating. Sure, there's the odd bull trout that shows, but the reason for the float is to appreciate what's here, not our use and conquering of it.
I will never understand the blatant ignoring of simple rules like "don't drive your atv here because we're trying to conserve what's here". Driving a skidoo or atv right past the sign, that's just mindboggling. Yet, it is so typically human, the mindset of conquer, use, and move on so prevalent. Especially here in Alberta where we have so much money, but so few brains attached to pro-active forethought of our future. Do we have to drive our off road units everywhere in the province, especially in the 1% of the landbase under Alberta gov jurisdiction that is actually protected?

Changes to Boating Licenses in Canada

Important Changes To Boating License Laws In Canada - copied from the Boater Exam blog

To Improve Boating Safety
Some of you may have already heard that Transport Canada has made some fundamental changes to the boating exam process needed to acquire a boating license in Canada. These changes have been implemented in order to improve safety for all boaters, and make the boating experience more enjoyable for everyone.
Providing access to the latest boating safety information these more defined boating guidelines will help recreational boaters become more responsible and knowledgeable about boating safety.
New boating enthusiasts might not know how this will affect them so here's rundown of all the upcoming changes.
Overview

Effective April 15, 2011 boaters of all ages (there are no age exemptions or minimum ages to get certified) operating a motorized pleasure craft (this includes any watercraft with a motor, be it a sailboat fitted with an auxiliary motor, or even an electric motor on a canoe) need to hold a Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) (i.e. a boating license).

In order to acquire the license, candidates must first pass a mandatory 5 chapter online course and receive a minimum grade of 80% on each quiz found at the end of every chapter. Once completed, they must pass the open-book online PCOC test comprised of 50 questions and receive a minimum grade of 75%.

Those who have taken a boating safety course prior to April 1, 1999 will not be required to take another course or test. However, a copy of a certificate or a card issued at the completion of courses taken prior to April 1, 1999 will need to be carried on board the pleasure craft.

Online Study Guide Requirements

Beginning April 15, 2011, if a person wants to take the online boating safety test, they must first complete the Study Guide, which is available online.

The Online Study Guide comprises a minimum of 5 chapters which cover the basics of boating safety, regulations and accepted best practices. At the end of each chapter, the candidate tests their knowledge by taking a chapter review quiz. There is a minimum of 10 practice questions per chapter. They are graded automatically and given their score online. If they receive a grade of over 80%, they can move on to the next chapter.

◦The total amount of time required to complete the Online Study Guide must be no less than three (3) hours and each chapter has a minimum set time limit

◦A candidate may complete the Online Study Guide one chapter at a time at their own pace, over a period of up to one (1) year

◦Once a candidate has successfully passed a chapter review quiz, he or she can return to the content page for that chapter at any time with no time requirements

◦Once the Study Guide has been completed, candidates will be able to access the online PCOC Test website and complete their official test

Online PCOC Test

Once the Study Guide is complete, candidates will be provided a link to the Transport Canada Marine Safety's (TCMS) online test website. Every test is unique with 50 randomly generated questions drawn from the TCMS bank of boating safety questions.

The test is open-book and can be completed from the candidate's private residence. (Prior to this, a Supervisor was required for the exam.)

◦A passing grade is 75% and candidates will automatically receive their test scores online

◦A candidate may only take one (1) Online PCOC test per day (24 hours)

◦If the candidate fails the test twice, TCMS will email the Course Provider and the candidate will be required to start the entire Online Study Guide again from the beginning ? with the time requirements in place.

After Passing The PCOC Test

Following the test, TCMS will send an email to the candidate that will allow them to print a temporary Operator Card directly from their website. The temporary PCOC expires when candidates receive their permanent PCOC, or, no later than 60 days after the date they passed the test.

*** We checked and anyone with a valid boaters license in the past years need not worry. Your lic is good for life.

Upper Colorado R - A river on the brink

This is an interesting video done by TU about the issues imminent to impact the upper Colorado.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzWA8gTb4og

'Fishing' Report

Most years there's a lot of water to fish for the April 1 opening. It's April 6 and few reaches of any water have opened. Snaky braids of the upper Red Deer, Clearwater, Brazeau, and N Saskatchewan Rivers are open. Poke around and you'll find the typical open water on Shunda Cr near the beaverdam. Sure, Stauffer & Clear Cr are open but get there first or fish follow up. There's a smattering of midges, a few olives, and the usual early stoneflies on sunny, warm days.
This fishing report should be a wee more positive a week from now, after we've had +10C and perhaps some wind to really evaporate the moisture.
Cheers

Flymage Magazine

Add another to the e-zine list of fly fishing magazines to look at. Nice shots. The center shadow through all images in the magazine are a little distracting, but in time they'll get a new software package. The pictures are nice.
http://www.flymage.net/

We're @ the Edmonton Fishin' Hole Show - come say hi

We're in Edmonton @ the Fishin' Hole & Camper's Village spring show & sale. If you have the time to stop in & say hi, we're here with our Fortress Lake booth. We have a great Father's Day cabin promotion! Hope to see you here. :)