Don Andersen

Yesterday, Michael and I went to a pond to try for some brookies. He's got this 4*4 thing down pat.

Folks, Here is further information on the Prairie Creek Water Diversion. My concern, this is first time a mid/smaller stream was diverted for Fracing. Prairie Creek is no longer a virgin. Do other foothills streams also get deflowered? The shale gas formations are overlayed by foothills streams. http://bamboorods.ca/Prairie%20Creek%20Water%20Diversion%20-%20web.html Please take the time to read it and write a letter or two. Make sure you copy your MLA. regards, Don

I’m with Flymaster, way too many lines for me and only two of them made to the American Fishing Tackle Manufactures Association standards. Shameful. And Sci. Ang. Is no better. Don

Hi, Is the road open? Campground parking lot open? Don

Anyone know - time & date. Don

Folks, Contrary to what Border Paving executive told us at the first public meeting, they wish to expand their gravel extraction below the water table according to ACA mouthpiece, Let’s Go Outdoors. A public meeting hosted by Border Paving will make a presentation at the Butte Community Hall November 28/19 5>8 pm. Below is what arrived via the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers From Let's Go Outdoors: Breaking story: Millions of conservation dollars and countless hours of work to improve stream bank and fish habitat along the North Raven River could go out the window. Border Paving Ltd is proposing changes to their operation permit seeking to mine gravel below the water line. Why is this significant? The North Raven River is a spring fed river, it's soul source of water is provided by underground aquifers. The request by Border Paving to mine below the water line could have a significant impact on the under-ground water way, potentially cutting off the water source that provides the water to the river. Open House Border Paving will be hosting an open house Thursday November 28 at the Butte Hall from 5 to 8pm. If you are concerned about this proposal and the threat it poses to one of the top Brown Trout rivers in Alberta, I would encourage you to attend.

Continuing the redd count last week with Michael Dell above the bridge upstream of the Lazy M. While the redd locations have moved in several places, we did see from 22>25 redds from the bridge to 100 yards below the cattle ford. The number is down some from the typocal 30>35 in high redd years. Several times beaver dams have destroyed the spawning area. I expect what we encountered is average. Regards, Don

An update. Took another walk today looking for redds in the Buck for Wildlife area. Starting <> 600 yards east of the parking lot I wandered upstream checking out the usual spots. Well, it took a while to find the first one. From year to year, the browns will often use the same locations. Such wasn’t the case for the first several hundred yards. Then I found a possible. Occasionally, browns will try a spot and find it not to their liking. These trials redds often do not contain the large rocks at the upstream end indicating a rejected location. Then I found a real one and within a short distance another. In one stretch of 50 years there was four. The walk ended with eight redds found which is far better than the two I found two years ago and certainly down from sixteeen found about ten years ago. Whether this indicates normal is unclear. I never check upstream of the Buck for Wildlife parking lot to the Lazy M any longer as there has never all been more than two redds in this location. Upstream of the Lazy M is a far more important spawning area. I then checked two short previously used spawning areas. Just below the culverts on the west property line of Stainbrookes site yielded four redds which is typical. Further upstream, downstream of the culvert on the Leavitt site often has redds but there were none. So ended today’s redd check.

Peter, Perhaps this week i’ll Walk another stretch, And just add Redd to the dictionary in word. Keep you all posted. Don

1) is off road parking planned? 2) does Porter have dower rights? Don

Folks, Did part of my annual redd walk where I pick a section of Stauffer Creek and walk it during early November to determine the number of redds and therefore the possibility of increased brown trout populations. I divide the stream into four sections and today I walked the section from the Lazy M upstream to the bridge. I am pleased to report that someone removed the beaver dams along this section thereby allowing browns to utilize the traditional spawning habitat. From a low two years ago of only 12 redds, the beaver dam removal resulted in an increase to 36 redds in this section. Only nine below the removed dam shown bellow and the rest above it. There were some sections where the redds are so close together that counting was difficult. In this case, I error on the low side. No point in being too optimistic. This redd located along where the dam was located humored me. A fishery screw you. Regards, Don

Folks, Did part of my annual redd walk where I pick a section of Stauffer Creek and walk it during early November to determine the number of redds and therefore the possibility of increased brown trout populations. I divide the stream into four sections and today I walked the section from the Lazy M upstream to the bridge. I am pleased to report that someone removed the beaver dams along this section thereby allowing browns to utilize the traditional spawning habitat. From a low two years ago of only 12 redds, the beaver dam removal resulted in an increase to 36 redds in this section. Only nine below the removed dam shown bellow and the rest above it. There were some sections where the redds are so close together that counting was difficult. In this case, I error on the low side. No point in being too optimistic. This redd located along where the dam was located humored me. A fishery screw you. Regards, Don

I’ve been catching them at Beaver. Fish shallow <5’ seems to be where they reside. Use an attractor pattern or a boatman fished fairly quickly. Don

Here are some ideas: https://www.rodbuildersupplies.com/Cork%20Grips.pdf http://www.mudhole.com/Components-Rod-Building/handles-grips-components/Fly-Rod-Handles-Components And I get my cork from this guy - excellent quality https://www.proofflyfishing.com/collections/cork-grips Regards, Don

Neil, My thanks for the link and you are bang on right. O2's disappear in deeper water during the summer. A couple of other things poked out: 1] pH - indicates calcium carbonate 2] TDS or resistance which means chemicals in the water. Bugs need limestone [ calcium carbonate] to build chitin which forms their exoskeleton. Alkali lakes east of Highway #2 grow more big shrimp than west. of #2 regards, Don regards, Don

Neil, I've watched the evolution of the web site and contributed where I could. Good info. Will be used by many. Dropbox original download told me it was free only for a month. Got little interest in another subscription. The last download did not mention of costs. Tis strange. Don

Neil, It seems like Dropbox is a paid application making it's usefulness much less to a pile of folks. I have no interest in paying another subscription. Don

Hi, The info requested is to add/change/modify an info page provided by the Govt. Don

Those that fish trout lakes may find this web discussion interesting. http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?p=3840271#post3840271 Don

This new construction is interesting. http://bamboorods.ca/Clearwater%20Hole.html Don

Peter, I've watched the Govt perform for a long time. I hold out little hope. Nearly 50 years of poor performance by Govt, I guess, makes me a cynic. At the end of the day, C&R is but a bandaid. Near 20 years ago, bull trout were protected. And now 20 years later, Govt is finally realizing that limiting Bull Trout killing CANNOT be the only solution. Damn, but they are sharp! Nearly 20 years ago I attended a yearly conference where the ACA's grant holders presented their findings. One guy talked about 700 of 900 stream crossings in the Swan Hills area that were illegal which effected a migrating species - grayling. Both provincial and federal govt fisheye heads were at the session. What did they do with the evidence - nothing! It is about time, the people who make decisions get out on the landscape and look at the destruction. Don

Peter, If the plan is too only look at angler impacts and ignore all other issues, it is a screw the angler because he is the only guy the has proven mailable enough to fake it. Pembina and Fall Creek closures raised no shill voices from leading to the bios. to yet again go to closures. Angler's have had their angling oppotuniteis curtailed everywhere all the while dick poo-poo hs been done about any other fisheries impact. I'm getting tired of packing the weight for thousands of other impacts. About time we grew some balls and stood up to the real killers of fish. This discussion kinda reminds me of a article I wrote years ago entitled "where do we gone after zero kill". I realize to takes time to fix things. But so far, I haven't seen any real attempt. TUC's willow planting on Falls w/o the removal of the quads is just plain stupid and a waste of resources. Don

Peter, Without a strong commitment to deal with the land use issues making Angler's pay yet again for lousy land use issues will not do anything. Unless Govt deals with the disease ( land use) rather than the symtoms ( fisheries decline ) nothing substantive will be accomplished other than closing more waters. As the "diverse" doesn't include grazing allotment reps,, forestry company reps, oil company reps., Alberta transportation reps, I would think outcome is yet again screw anglers. I appreciate they may look at the science of other impacts, but there must be a commitment to actually do something. The question that should be dead Center. Some sections of the Pembina River have been closed to angling . Show me the action plan and on ground work to reverse the closure. Don

Peter, 1) Who is a member of this diverse group of stakeholders? 2) How were they chosen? 3) From near 40 years of repairing habitat, I and others have found the repair only works when the reason for the repair is controlled. Most of these repairs are a result of poor land management by several user groups. How are the poor land management issue getting resolved? Who is paying and how is the control accomplished? 4) lots of questions. Personally I think may just be a work around by fisheries rather than dealing with the real issues. Damn but I'm i'm impressed. Don