Gateway Pipeline gets key opponent

David Anderson - former federal environment minister, with key opposition to the pipeline:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/video/canews-22424922/former-environment-minister-slams-enbridge-pipeline-plan-30136753.html#crsl=%252Fvideo%252Fcanews-22424922%252Fformer-environment-minister-slams-enbridge-pipeline-plan-30136753.html

A great storm!

It's just coming in to Red Deer, but pretty much everything west of Red Deer - Caroline, Sundre - north to Rocky just got smoked! The stream flow reports will show a bump in 6 - 8 hrs and a few rivers will be off color for 1 - 2 days after a storm like that!

The "BEST"

As you evolve in the fly fishing world, you notice how certain words conjure thoughts, feelings, and emotions - both in our own minds and (if you are observant) in those around you. One such word is BEST. Ask a group of sport fans who the BEST hockey, football, soccer, or baseball player is or ever was.

See a problem?
Now, remove showy sport as above and insert something private, intimate, and extremely personal... an event we do on these levels and without competition. Now, couple that with the word BEST.
Again, see a problem?
Let's look at one example where BEST was reasonably used. When Fortress Lake Retreat was co-named "World's Best Trophy Brook Trout Destination" by Fly Fisherman Magazine, we sighed relief that it wasn't stand alone in that designation. You see, it won't produce the world's biggest brook trout every day. In fact, some other locations may well average bigger. But, when it comes to a location that isn't insect infested, one of the world's most stunning vistas with brook trout present, and ease of access to such a back country location and probability of catching 2 to 5 pound brookies with regularity, Fortress nudged itself onto the list.
Is it the BEST for biggest? I'd say no. Is it BEST for location and surrounding vistas? Somewhere near the top of brook trout destinations? Is it BEST for consistency of good sizes? Again, it has to rank up there a when considering the length of the available season.
When the Fly Fisherman article and other magazines labelled Fortress with glowing reviews, of course we used that in marketing - to some degree. But, we've certainly toned that down since those first few years because expectations go through the roof if unchecked, and in business it is better to build a business based upon a stable, consistent foundation than one that under-delivers based on factors that weren't considered at the outset, or factors that commonly keep fishing success in check.
Further - thank goodness I/we didn't have to assign the label! What pressure! I would hate to label something BEST, have my name attached to taking something so uncontrollable as weather, water, and fishing.
But some do it.
It's interesting to see some try to establish a business by projecting their name or reputation onto a piece of water where they operate in order to sell trips, gear, equipment, or to further their name. Is the Bow R Canada's BEST trout river? Is the Skeena the BEST steelhead system? Are the Parklands the BEST trophy trout lakes in North America?
What defines BEST? Who sets those parameters? In the case of the Bow, take this year. It has been unfishable since late May due to snowpack and heavy, persistent rain. Does the BEST trout river in Canada have a 2 month window of great fishing? Is it the best because of bigger fish or for dry fly fishing? What of intimate moments on light gear, what of finesse, what of few other people on the water? Is it the best river for solitude and is that solitude easily found? Take the Skeena - the fact that it is heavily managed, has heavy tourist traffic, and the sheer massive size of the water - is it the BEST destination for everyone, especially those who prefer intimate fishing rather than a line up in popular runs? And in the case of the Manitoba Parklands, are 5 or 6 lakes that only fish consistently well for fewer than 4  months of the year, are located in the middle of nowhere in terms of service,  are on the edge of bald-ass prairie, are subjected to perpetual howling winds, sees fishing shut off in summer, and has insane biting bug infestations... do those factors equate to BEST?
Seriously?
Further, in each of the above, there are those trying to make a living off the resource. Some simply say that they do business when things are good and their baseline is to enjoy the opportunity their chosen location affords. But there are those that boldly state their location is the BEST. Why on earth would anyone want to do that to themselves by not only bringing attention to ourselves but to hilight the built in conflict when the fishing doesn't produce? (because the fishing inevitably will completely crap out when you thought it should be on - this is a universal truth in fishing regardless location).

Each of us has our personal BEST. Some of us might hate the perception of competition big fish bring. Some might love it. Some love small, intimate waters. Some love huge streamers and the aggressive take of one, large, predatory fish every few days. Some live for the consistency of 100 fish a day (cutthroat trout or goldeye). Some love to spot fish. Some hate howling wind. Others love to challenge conditions. Some only fish in the sun, others seek olive hatches in cold rains. The list goes on in 1000 tangents that each of us love, hate, cope with, don't pay much attention to, etc. What it comes down to is the discovery of what each of us enjoy, what we find interesting, what we choose for ourselves.
Someone out there actually wanting to project a BEST label, to speak on another's behalf... well... that is bold.

When I speak of BEST, which is rare for me to do publicly, it is for myself, after years of self discovery both in fly fishing and in life. The past few years have changed a great deal for me personally, and a few facets of fly fishing have followed suit. I've really changed a few things in relationships, expanding some while curtailing others... a change in perspective that has caused me to examine what each area of my life is most important, which needs more or less focus - to embrace each end as well as the middle. For myself as well as Amelia, we are set firmly on the BEST life we can lead based on the parameters that we want for life.  Of course, our parameters might be limited in others' scopes, while others might be intimidated by the scope we look at life with.
That's exactly why the BEST is a relative term to each of us based on our individual parameters.
Using it to describe a fly fishing destination to try to sell people? Really? Such a label certainly rises conflicting emotions. Is conflict what fly fishing is about? What ever happened to simply describing something and letting people determine for themselves if it is applicable to them or if they indeed see things the same way?

A little more on that Helios 2!

http://www.orvis.com/intro.aspx?dir_id=758&subject=10438

Helios 2 Announced!

Just FYI in case you are looking for a new rod...

http://www.orvisnews.com/FlyFishing/We-Would-Like-to-Make-an-Announcement.aspx

Silver Sonic

Orvis has hit the nail on the head with these waders. Dave and I have worn many different pairs of waders over the years of being in this industry and these truly are the best we've seen yet. Hats off to Orvis on this. It's worth getting your hands on a pair of them when they come on the market in September.

http://vimeo.com/45503903 

Arctic Oil & Gas

This is a really interesting article written from an American perspective. I write that as a Canadian, the fact that our land claim interests don't even resonate with the writer of the article, something that has been somewhat commonplace in US media reporting/thinking. Given our borders, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out over the coming decades.
Read the CNN article: http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/16/opinion/reiss-arctic-drilling/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

"Addicted to Radar!"

One of my favorite all-time quotes came a few years back. Amelia & I were watching what was supposed to be a major league baseball game. The sky was shown to be blue on tv but the grounds crew came out and put the tarps on the infield. 15 minutes later, with everyone wondering "huh?" they took the tarps off. Next inning they did the same thing. This happened three times before the tv crew did a little investigation. It turns out that the umpires had heard there was a threat of a severe thunder-storm before the game and had designated someone to watch the radar. Apparently, the person watching radar got a little twitchy and tipped off the umpires several times, hence the delay. It never did rain. The quote came after the third delay "Jeepers, these guys are addicted to radar!"

Well, Amelia laughed her ass off at me and I had no choice but to eat it.
I am addicted to radar and she knows it. If there's one thing I do, be it at home in Alberta or when in New Zealand, I watch the weather forecasts, stream flow reports, and yes, the radar loops to see what's going on where. Be it New Zealand or home, I can tell you exactly what the streams look like without going out. After 20 years of relying on the internet, I guess I've gotten pretty good at this stuff. There again, when on the road in New Zealand without internet, I rely on the computer model long term forecast which is 95% accurate 4 or 5 days out. And when the internet goes down at home, it's as much about playing a hunch as it is relying on fact. So far this week, when I was without internet due to Shaw's fire, my hunches were pretty good.

Why mention this now? Well, all day I had planned on heading out west tonight. But, as has happened almost all year, another sytem has moved north out of Montana into central Alberta. Sure enough, the cells started to pop up as forecast all along the foothills. Where I was headed was on the cusp of the early formation and I hedged my bets and stayed home.
As it turned out, the radar image at left turned out to be a 15mm per hour rain for a few hours and nothing turns off a reliable hatch like rapidly changing water/weather/temp conditions.

If anyone out there has a t-shirt that reads "Addicted to RADAR" please send it to me and I'll proudly wear it! Ah well, just another day in the world of being me, I suppose. We all have our vices. At least mine's cheap and innocent enough.  :)

Thoughts & Sharing

Thanks to Darryn Epp for some great photos we've borrowed!
Obviously to those who get it, and hopefully those who don't will consider it: this isn't about me, me, me - this is meant as a consider it and hopefully apply it to an opportunity yourself kind of post...

My first memory of the wee alpine lake that we fished last weekend was a one day, bang-out-the-fish trip. There are numbers in my head from my earlier days of fly fishing and that day was one: 221 cutthroat trout landed of the 400 that had been stocked 2 years earlier. A pretty good day. I was on the hunt, a fish predator, and I worked fast and furious. I wanted to catch as many fish as possible. I wanted what I wanted and had there been anyone else at the lake I would have been selfishly disappointed to some degree - I always wanted to have the best fishing possible every time I went out and tried to think ahead of where others wouldn’t be fishing. I never ran into anyone in the <maybe> dozen times I fished it, until the last visit. I was 27 my last visit.

I,  I,  I... uggh.

I hadn’t visited that lake in a decade until this past weekend. I stopped fishing it because the people I ran into the last visit were hikers that bemoaned the fact that trout had been stocked. The lake had been quietly used for decades as an out of the way, beautiful hiking destination. They were bang on right about the impacts of fishermen. 1/2 the perimeter of the lake is mossy and anglers (myself included) shamelessly and carelessly toured laps around this 200meter diameter bowl while fishing. I wish I had taken photos because the moss was trashed by boots. Further, anglers were now camping and cutting down trees and leaving garbage. Things got so bad that an outhouse had to be erected. Too many people. Considering that trees grow painfully slowly and moss recovers from insult in ice age time frames, I simply abandoned my then favorite alpine lake.

This past weekend Amelia & I decided to do something completely different and returned to the lake. Shockingly, there were a dozen vehicles at the trail head. That morning Amelia had commented that maybe if there were more than 4 cars we wouldn’t go. Well, there were. Our fly fising isn’t about competing with anyone else for fish, nor about worrying about anything external. It is simply about enjoying our time and whatever happens, wonderful! As it turned out – many wonderful things did happen. First, on the hike up, we ran into an old friend of Amelia’s and chatted for 15 min, catching up on things from our first 2 1/2 years of marriage when we were caretakers at Pioneer Ranch Camp on Crimson Lake. As we continued our hike we came across a family with 2 boys that had never been to the lake. We gave them directions and told them it was worth the hike. Sure, it’s straight up at times, but worth the hike. We continued on. When we arrived at the lake, there were a lot of people. Kind of a shock given how we were used to things, but it was the first gorgeous weather of the summer and a summer weekend, so it was busy. As we came to the lake, I heard a fellow call to his gorgeous male yellow lab, “Rocky!” I heard the words and replied,”Is that Rocky from Facebook?” I had never met Darryn but for Facebook and yet we recognized each other. It was good to meet face to face. We tossed sticks into the lake for Rocky – a very happy pup that loves the water.

Amelia & I decided to string up the rods as there were fish rising. It was kind of funny because they kept cruising the shoreline despite Rocky’s energetic swimming. It wasn't affecting anything. When my rod was together, the family of 4 from the trail arrived in time to watch me catch fish on 3 or 4 consecutive casts to start my day. I could tell the boys were curious, though had never fly fished before. Amelia & I were fishing barefoot so we invited the boys to shed the hiking boots and have a go at fly fishing. It took some coaxing but the younger brother finally stepped up and had a go. Dad kept asking us if we were sure we were ok sharing, sure that we didn’t mind the time interruption. Really, we were going to catch a ton of fish, that was a given. Why not share with others? So, eventually, over the next hour, we had the 2 boys and dad barefoot in the water, catching cutts. It was great to hear dad tell me that the whole event was going to cost him hundreds of dollars in fly fishing gear, but you know what? Perfect! The boys were really into it and loved the hike. If they can fly fish, hike, and enjoy time all together – perfect.

When dad decided to give the rods back to us – despite our assurances we were totally fine with sharing – they started the hike out. But, there was this Darryn fellow that I know likes to fly fish. I simply handed him my rod and made sure he knew I was ok with him using it and simply to return it when done. Again, Amelia had her rod, I had a camera. We’d be busy enough. We opted to walk 100m to the mossy bend and left him the rod. I suspect we might have surprised some people with simply giving of our time and fly rods, but in that setting, on that day, why not? The result for us was already in hand – I had hoped to get photos, to enjoy a day with Amelia, and land a fish. We’d get more fish, of that I was 100% positive. And from what we could tell, Darryn, his wife, and Rocky all had some fun with a fly rod.

It’s amazing how 2 fly rods kept 8 people and a yellow lab so happy.

Why not share?

As I wrote in an earlier blog post last week, there are times when we need to get past ourselves, to fill our needs, to get away to fill our personal needs prior to being with others. That’s healthy. Each of us has our own point of need. That’s fair. But, though it was our day off of guiding and hosting, we took the time to share. Why? Well... perspective. We were going to catch 1 – 200 trout with 2 rods and that kind of fishing. So? Do you need to? I haven’t counted my catch, save one 10km reach of the Ram R for a decade and have no plans to again any time soon. The photos and videos worked out well and there were people that were curious and enjoying their day.

I think to spots of combat fishing on the Bow R – the internet attitude of “get out of my way”, “he did this or that wrong”, and I wonder – if we simply shared and honored each other, what would happen then?

For anyone wondering: surprisingly, the lake has fared well. The camp sites are used and kept clean by users. People haven’t beaten the moss badly at all. We went barefoot around the perimeter to ensure we didn’t rip it up. We were extremely happy with just how nicely the lake has fared the past decade. And given the eagerness of the little cutts and the fact that we had the only fly rods of the 20+ people that came and went throughout the day, it’s clearly not heavily fished.

I also think to our trips to New Zealand. Would we be so forgiving with fish and water on our vacation where so few fish and such explorative, intimate moments are found? Amelia & I have given way plenty of times to honor those we fish with. We’ve actually discussed it a lot – all it takes is one fish a day engaged or a good day once every few days to fill our personal need. The photos and videos are of more interest in New Zealand, typically.

As I wrote at the outset, there was a time when I would have to catch every fish, plan to fish waters that nobody else will fish or plan to stay ahead of others – in order I could catch as many as possible. Sharing would happen but only after filling my need. This is why I can so readily see this same trait in some others I've fished with. Catching fish is still somewhat important, but my personal need is very much different now. I / we still find as out of the way trout waters as possible, but we do it because we have an intimate waters need – to explore nooks and crannies where fish may or may not be and not because we have to catch a ton of fish. That’s what drives our New Zealand trips: hiking 10 – 30km in a day to explore what’s there. We know that a good day once in a while and an encounter with a good trout is going to happen, and that suffices our personal needs. With our skill, sure, we'll get a take from 95% of the fish we encounter but by no means is conquering every fish the impetus. There's a massive difference between having to fish all the time, to catch every fish and not being fulfilled - versus fishing to explore, share, and enjoy for its own sake and deriving fulfilment there, regardless of result.

Of course, there again is a difference in sharing just because and sharing to fill a personal need for attention, for self fulfillment in any way. It's painfully obvious, those who give in order to get attention. It's not a negative, in the end, but it can dampen the experience for the person on the receiving end if the other is sharing based on a need - in the end it's all about them and their needs, not anything to do with the receiver, which is unfortunate.

The one caveat to this discussion is what kills my desire to share: people who take it for granted or show little to no gratitude. That, right there is my personal line. If we fish often with someone who simply fails to thank us or simply takes us for granted, future trips are non starters. I try to be gracious in the moment but future encounters are certainly limited. If there is mutual thanks and appreciation, wonderful - it's about the relationship. But if someone is simply out to use for their personal gain, it is very difficult to continue sharing. As Amelia says, I’m quite cut & dry on that. Quite simple psychology in that. And it’s not hard to identify those who have such an angle – and easy to hold back sharing. It’s typically those who simply enjoy life outdoors and aren’t selfishly obsessed with fly fishing that are more a joy to share with than those who want to tell you how everything in fly fishing ‘is’, and tell you / teach you all about it. It’s just fishing, folks. Enjoy it. Share it with others who could be enriched by it. Obviously, we're not perfect people and have our own shortcomings, but even in something so simple as sharing a fly rod, we can be a small part of enriching others' lives. Hopefully we can all explore this a little more with no self fulfilling need for anything in return.

A fun day up high

Given the water conditions were a little high and muddy closer to home, and given that after 5 weeks of hard work at the lodge (Fortress Lake Retreat), it was time for Amelia & I to take a break. We opted to hit a wee alpine lake that we hadn't been to in quite a time. 2500 feet up from the highway and maybe 200m diameter, it would be a great place to spend a hot July afternoon.

The meadows on the hike in are alive with flowers. If you get the chance, with this week's forecast, now is a brilliant time to enjoy the peak of the bloom.

The last time we visited, the sight fishing was excellent. With quite a few people around, we weren't sure what to expect. We'd never been when anyone else has been around but this day people came and left regularly. Nobody else fished, mind you, which was kind of different given the only people we'd ever seen here 15 years ago were anglers. Good to see. Anyway, back to the sight fishing...

When the fish are cruising like that and there are rises all over the lake, it's pretty obvious what's going to happen! Want to catch fish? Cast! We'd come up with 2 rods but we met up with another fellow we knew from Facebook and gave him a rod for an hour or so. This gave us the chance to take turns on the camera. Not sure if the actual fishing or the camera is more fun. We went barefoot - originally it was an effort to minimize our impact on the mossy shoreline (a decade ago it had been torn up by anglers but it has since grown back in quite well, surprisingly) but it felt so good we spent the entire afternoon barefoot to keep cool!

The cutthroat trout at this lake have always been colorful.

Famous New Zealand glacier's amazing rapid retreat

Like many other glaciers - just a little quicker.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10818264

2012 Orvis Expedition of the Year Finalist!

Hats off to the other Orvis Endorsed Expeditions! We are once again thrilled to let you know that we were considered by Orvis for the Expedition of the Year, 2012. We were named as the other Finalist in the category. The award is based upon feedback from our guests to Orvis - how we performed in providing the best, most consistent customer service at our locations. It also includes our interaction with Orvis - involvement in their blogs, video pages, etc - providing stories and photographs. We are also quite involved in the product testing side and provide consistent feedback to Orvis on new products such as waders, rods, boots, lines, etc. Some of the items we are presently testing are quite exciting and are proving the hold up to some involved, diverse testing on our part.
Thank you to our customers for providing such good reviews of our services on your fly fishing vacations!

Being Present

I've been fortunate to fly fish with quite a few folks, either as friends, guests, or others involved in the fly fishing business community. There are a whole host of varying reasons as to why we fish - and those reasons can remain static or change through a person's lifetime. In fact, they can change daily, and within a few moments, but those temporary changes tend to fade back to the primary framework quickly, after a hatch wanes or fish caught.
Apart from that is our presence - where we are within a situation. If we are present, we are able to see what's going on, honoring those near us, functioning wholly and effectively. This, of course, means we are not just performing our sport well but the concept of being present means that other facets beyond ourselves are considered. We've all fished with people who simply have to catch more or bigger fish, fish until the day runs out - generally conquer the water and make sure that they come out looking like a hero. However, there is a fine line optically but a chasm psychologically between a person who has built up their fly fishing skill to fish well and see consistent result and is content with the daily outcome, compared to someone who has to conquer the water and has to be the hero, lest they feel empty and on edge (grumpy) because of a 'failure'.
The best examples of being present come when people honor each other. I have a few friends that I fish with in BC, Alberta, and New Zealand that appreciate honoring each other by giving way, recognizing when to give each other space, when to use tact, and who fully grasp the concept of subtlety in approach to the fishing and relations. The days go smoothly. The fish come and go, photos are taken without too much of an event, and the focus is very much less on the fish and more on the relationship. It's in these times that we are present with each other while carrying out a gentle sport. We're able to carry out conversations and be gentle with each other, perhaps being vulnerable and open & honest in communication. How wonderful those times are. Amelia & I are very thankful for those times we can enjoy fishing with others in this manner.
Of course, the opposite does happen. I recall a trip to fly fish just over a year ago. We traveled with a couple and he was totally engulfed in his world of catch-catch-catch from sun up to sun down. He had to catch fish to fill an obvious psychological need and that really warped everyone's fishing to be centered about him. The evenings were followed by being engulfed in his world of internet, Facebook, and email to give updates and "share" how good his fishing was. We might as well not been there as everything was on his timing. That was fine, it really spelled out to us where things were at regarding our relationship, but moreso it pointed at an example of not being present beyond an activity. Being so self focussed, he missed the opportunity, missed how he was sacrificing the relationship for a few fish. There was no room for talking, sharing, being vulnerable, and little room to consider honoring each other. There was no being present in what was happening in his world. I even made a comment to his wife that sometimes we can't see what's really going on in the moment, but in years forward when we no longer have the opportunities is when the light comes on to what we sacrificed when we were being so self focussed.
I've seen quite a few self focussed folks who simply live in their worlds when living, fishing, etc. It's difficult to have deeper relationships or spend considerable time with them because they show their rules of the relationship so transparently - it's about me and I'm likely not to ask too much of you or really honor you by engaging you to get to know you beyond what my projections of you are. Many people are this way when fly fishing. Just the statement "I fly fish to get away from it all" tells you whom the focus is on.
We simply hope to encourage everyone / anyone who reads this to examine that statement - not that it's wrong to fulfill a need to escape or get away from life for a while - it's just that we'd encourage more people to realize just how much the focus is on yourself. Sometimes not being / fly fishing with others until the edge of that need wears off a little will help you blend in with others when fly fishing, help reduce conflicts, and enhance your relationships and experiences.
Fly fishing is a wonderful sport and with a little forethought to where we are at emotionally and psychologically prior to heading out will allow us to consider the others we may share it with, or allow us to take time and space to fill our needs on our own time before connecting with others. It's worth the time to consider - it might enhance your fly fishing for years to come.

Crowsnest R - TU Lease Work Day

If you have fished on the chapter’s lease properties (most of you have), please consider coming out to work for 3 or 4 hours on Saturday, July 7.

Crowsnest Leases Workday

(Burmis and Hillcrest)
Saturday, July 7, 2012 — Rain or shine

When, where and what

· Crowsnest River Burmis and Hillcrest lease properties.
· We will be doing some fence repairs and pulling weeds.
· Please bring a shovel, claw hammer, good gloves. Dress for the weather.
· We will supply bottled water.
· PLEASE RSVP (via email) IF YOU CAN COME
· Attendees will be assigned to one of two meeting locations, either the Burmis lease or the Hillcrest lease.
· Unless otherwise directed, meet at the Burmis Lake day-use area parking lot at 9:30 AM, Saturday, July 7.

Here's a map

o Turn south off Highway #3 west of the Burmis weigh scales onto paved #507.
o Drive 1.1 km south on #507 and turn right (west) on a gravel, dead-end road—township Rd. 7-2.
o Drive slowly for 2.3 km to the day-use area. You have arrived!

Expect to work for between 3 and 4 hours. You can fish the salmonfly hatch (??) in the afternoon.

FOR INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Clive (schaupmeyer AT gmail.com)

The first weed pull and workday at the chapter’s popular leases was in 2002, so this will be our eleventh event. If you’ve avoided these so far, please consider donating 3 or 4 hours!