Jim Fox Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 Well, it is the time of year to be announcing conclaves. The FF@ and NLFT group will be meeting August 5-11. The 5th is a holiday in Alberta and it is my hope that some choice locations will be vacated that day. I'll go out and grab the best spot I can find and hang up the shingle. My first choice for location is to repeat on the upper Oldman River. However, southern Alberta is experiencing a pretty serious drought. Rain was almost non-existent last year and the current snow pillow is well below average. There is a chance that we may see some fishing restrictions by August. We managed to deal with time-of-day restrictions last summer but this year might be even more challenging, like stream closures. If there are restrictions in place, I will consider moving to another location that might have better water - North Ram, Blackstone, Athabasca/Berland. I'll let people know. I hope you all will consider coming out to fish some of Alberta's wonderful waters. 2024 would be a great year for any of you who have had this trip on your bucket list - everyone is welcome. Reach out if you have any questions. Jim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dell Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 I will be there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Fox Posted March 9 Author Share Posted March 9 I do not like to change directions for the conclave but the water situation in Alberta is really not great. You can see in this Alberta Government report <LINK> that just about all of the river basins in Alberta are expected to be at low flows this summer. There are likely to be fishing restrictions in some areas, time-of-day restrictions like we had last year or perhaps outright closures. The Oldman River is part of a larger watershed that is used intensively by municipalities for drinking water and farmers for irrigation. The situation in this watershed is highlighted by this story <LINK> reporting that the lower Crowsnest River is essentially dry. Very scary news. While it is impossible to predict, I think that the likelihood of closures in the Oldman watershed are higher than they might be in other areas of the province. Thinking about this situation, and after consulting with some of you, I've decided to move the location of the 2024 Alberta Conclave to the North Ram River at the Nice & Easy site. We have met up at this location before and it produces excellent fishing. In addition to numerous spots on the North Ram itself, there are a number of day-trip options. While the outlook for this area is not that much better than the Oldman watershed, there are fewer municipal or agricultural pressures on this system. The dates for the conclave remain August 5-11. If you have questions, please let me know. Jim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Fox Posted June 19 Author Share Posted June 19 Well we have about 6 weeks left before the 2024 Alberta Conclave and it is time for an update. While the water situation around Alberta is still not great, cooler and water weather has helped. Things are looking great! We will be meeting on the North Ram River from August 5 to 11. The specific location is known as Nice & Easy (52.27072° N, 115.81243° W) and has lots of space for tents and RVs. The site is on the North Fork Road, about 10km up from the Forestry Trunk Road (Hwy 734). If you need more specific directions, let me know. Also, as usual I will put out a sign visible from the road. For those considering coming for the first time, the primary game on the North Ram is westslope cutthroat trout on dry flies. They are the only gamefish in the Ram River, having been planted in the 1950s in a previously trout-less river. Most clavers focus on the North Ram while here but a number of other waters are available in the area (Blackstone, Chaco Creek, South Ram, North Saskatchewan, numerous tributaries, etc.). A lot of the Alberta Conclave veterans have fished this area a lot so there is good guidance available. This year I bought a new mountain bike and I think I will bring it. The North Ram downstream of our camp site has few access sites from the road and I plan to ride downstream to access some water I’ve never seen before. If you are so inclined, bring a bike and we can explore. Please let me know if you are planning to attend or you have questions. Fingers crossed for warm clear days with little smoke and plenty of water in the river. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffW Posted June 21 Share Posted June 21 Hi Jim, I have booked time off and intend to be there until Thursday afternoon. I was considering heading out to the blackstone gap, or somewhere north of nordegg on Sunday and meet up with the crew Monday evening. I have a beater mountain bike I can bring, should be ok with average off roading, nothing super technical. Jeff Wilson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Fox Posted June 24 Author Share Posted June 24 Thanks for the note Jeff. I should be there sometime on Monday. Look for the sign. The Blackstone is a great place to stop for a bit of fishing adventure on your way to the North Ram. As for mountain biking, the path I'm thinking about isn't technical. There are people who take OHVs down it. The biggest issue will be how many mucky holes we have to push bikes around. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Fox Posted July 18 Author Share Posted July 18 We are a couple of weeks out from the 2024 Alberta Conclave being held on the North Ram River. There isn't much to tell this group as many of you will be getting out to view conditions first hand. If anyone has been to the Ram, I would be interested in hearing a first-hand account. I had hoped to get up there for a day to check things out but I don't think that is going to happen. My current plan is to show up on Monday, hopefully early afternoon. I will have my mountain bike with me - I've wanted to ride further down the trail downstream of camp for some years. I will be tenting this year so it will be a much easier drive. I have a sign that I will put on the road, as usual, so people can find us. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Fox Posted July 24 Author Share Posted July 24 This morning we woke up to extremely smoky conditions in Calgary and a continued heat warning from Environment Canada. Today our air quality index is at 9 (High Risk) and the temperature is expected to go up to 32C, very hot for Calgary. Luckily, both measures are expected to improve over the next 24 hours. There are some things going on that 2024 Alberta Conclave attendees might want to take into account: There are out-of-control wildfires in AB (no surprise) but a couple that we need to pay attention to. First, the town of Jasper (as well as the National Park) have been evacuated by a fire south of the townsite. It is roughly 100km as the crow flies from our camping site so it is unlikely to create fire danger for us but it will be producing smoke and evacuated areas have impacts on roads and services. The second fire (designated RWF-064-2024) is closer (about 20km from the Nice & Easy site) could create an issue. It is located on the west side of the Forestry Trunk Road. If this one were to expand or move, it might close access to our campsite. I am watching the alerts closely and will let you know if there is any change in the situation. You can track Alberta wildfires here: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/3ffcc2d0ef3e4e0999b0cf8b636defa3 Earlier this week, Alberta Environment & Parks issued an Angling Advisory for flowing water. This Advisory (located here) suggests measures to take when flows are low and the water warm. This is not a restriction but it might suggest that angling restrictions are on their way. Last season, when the angling restrictions (no fishing after 2pm) were in place, the North Ram was not included - it was just the south-west corner of the province (Oldman River & Bow River basins). You can track actions that Alberta Environment & Parks at the link I included above. I plan on going ahead with the Conclave unless something changes for the worse. I will watch conditions closely and let you know what is going on. If anyone happens to be in the area, a report on conditions (smoke, water, fishing) would be appreciated. I heard from one of you who was on the North Ram last week and reported excellent conditions. If the fires stay get controlled and we get just a bit of respite from the heat, this is going to be an epic Conclave! Let me know if you have questions. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
italk2u Posted July 30 Share Posted July 30 This from Alberta wildfire site: RWF-064 - 288 ha It is located: 4 km west of the Forestry Trunk Road (Hwy 734). 17 km northwest of the Ram Falls Provincial Park. 30 km south of Nordegg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
italk2u Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 The wildfire continues to spread. They've closed the FTR from Nordegg to Highway 752. Looks like the only way will be the North Fork road for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flycaster Posted August 1 Share Posted August 1 Was up there yesterday. Things were OK until the wind picked up around 4pm....then things moved quickly. The smoke along the river was bad after 4pm. Spoke to fire fighters who were set up at the gravel pit as we were leaving....said they almost had it controlled in the morning then sw winds blew it up. We left through the trunk road side just as they were closing. Keep an eye on the wildfire site....you may need to reconsider location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Fox Posted August 1 Author Share Posted August 1 I sent this following message via email today - some of you will have seen it, some not: So there have been some developments you should be aware of. This morning I found out that the fire close to our campsite (RWF-064) has grown substantially from about 300ha to 1400ha and hot weather/high winds have made it difficult to fight the fire. Smoky conditions have closed the Forestry Trunk Road (FTR) from Hwy 11 to Hwy 752. You can (maybe?) still access the Nice & Easy site via the North Fork Road coming west from Strachan. However, if the FTR is closed because of smoke, the campsite will likely be unlivable. For now, I am not going to change anything. Wetter weather seems to be on its way and a few good rain showers might changing things for the better. I'll be watching closely. If we can't access our North Ram camp site, I will propose moving our gathering to somewhere south of the Bow River. I may scout something tomorrow. Keep an eye on your email for updates as we get closer to Monday. Jim I'll post here whenever I make an update to the email listers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffW Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 Thanks for the update Jim, I will check in on here to see where you all end up, not sure I can make it too far south. Jeff 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flycaster Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 Fire update from Aug 2; https://srd.web.alberta.ca/rocky-mountain-house-area-update RWF064 is classified as OUT OF CONTROL and is 12 km northwest of the Ram Falls Provincial Park boundary and 25 km south of Nordegg. This fire is now estimated to be 6,331 ha in size. Overnight the wildfire crossed the Forestry Trunk Road RWF064 experienced more growth to the northeast perimeter due to extreme wildfire behaviour. Safety is a top priority for firefighters on the ground. Due to this extreme fire behaviour crews could not safely get to this wildfire yesterday. Firefighters will assess the situation today and plan to return when conditions allow. Due to unfavorable weather conditions, airtankers were not effective yesterday but will be called in if conditions allow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJD Posted August 3 Share Posted August 3 Whats happening with the conclave? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Fox Posted August 3 Author Share Posted August 3 I have been watching weather and fire reports for the last couple of days and I think that there is little chance that we will be able to gather on the North Ram this coming week. The main road in the region (the Forestry Trunk Road or FTR) is closed south of Nordegg because of smoke and fire danger. The fire nearby (RWF-064) is even bigger than yesterday (now 6996ha) and moving eastward. Some forecasted favorable winds and rain are good news for the region but these may or may not occur. The provincial government has closed all of the campgrounds in the area. Given all of these signs, I would say that there is no way to judge when it would be safe to camp on the North Ram. Given this, we are going to have to change location. The Oldman River, a few hours south of Calgary, offers cutthroat, rainbow and bull trout. In addition to the Oldman, the Livingston River (a tributary) is nearby and was Alberta's first catch & release river. The Crowsnest and several other rivers are within day-trip distance. We will hold the 20204 AB Conclave on the Oldman once more and it will be a great trip. The one issue to be resolved is a specific location. I have not done any scouting and don't have a place in mind yet. I'll set off on Monday morning, with my Ontario and Quebec compadres in tow, to find one. Once I do, I'll drive back up the road a bit until I get a cell signal and post where it is. I will also have a highly visible sign up. We will be somewhere on the Upper Oldman Road. If possible, I will try to set up where we did last year - there are a couple of convenient "thrones" there overlooking the river. Quite a convenience. As I type this, thunder is beginning in Calgary. We are going to get some rain here. I hope it falls in other places as well. If you have questions, let me know. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Fox Posted August 3 Author Share Posted August 3 Sorry, I should have included this. If you have questions, it would be best to direct them to my email - jim_and_dorothy@hotmail.com I may not get the opportunity to review this forum to often before Monday Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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