fishnsled

Now that's a great outting. I haven't done much fly fishing myself but have all the gear. I certainly do enjoy it when I think about bring the rods along. Might have to do it again soon. Thanks for the report.

This might make you think twice about using the kill switch.

From the Globe and Mail. Fishing: the cause of more drowning deaths While we revel in water's delights, we too rarely consider its dangers Article Comments (4) ANDRE PICARD From Thursday's Globe and Mail E-mail Andre Picard | Read Bio | Latest Columns May 14, 2009 at 9:04 AM EDT "Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after," Henry David Thoreau said philosophically. On a more practical note, it is worth observing that at the start of a new fishing season, many men also go fishing and never come home. Fishing may be relaxing, it may be fun, or it may be work for some. But fishing is also the activity most frequently associated with drowning and other water-related fatalities. In the decade from 1991-2000, there were 5,900 water-related deaths in Canada; of that total, 889 died fishing. More fishers drown than swimmers. And more fishers die than power boaters, canoeists, scuba divers, sailors and kayakers combined. These grim yet fascinating statistics can be found in the just-published fifth volume of "Drowning and other water-related injuries in Canada." While it will never hit the bestseller list, the statistical and analytical work done by Peter Barss, Cait Beattie and Sophie Lapointe (with the backing of the Canadian Red Cross Society) is a monumental contribution to public-health literature. Canada is a country surrounded on three sides by oceans, and dotted by lakes, rivers and streams. There are few Canadians who do not live within a short driving or walking distance from a large body of water. Water is where we head frequently for recreation - in all four seasons - be it swimming, boating, skating or fishing - transportation, work and subsistence. Yet, while we revel in water's delights, we too rarely consider its dangers. Nor do we invest in prevention programs to ensure the safety of the millions of Canadians who spend significant time near water. The earlier parts of the Red Cross drowning report focused on swimming, boating (motorized and non-motorized) and ice-related activities. But the latest chapter looks at fishing. The reasons men (and fishing is almost exclusively a male pursuit) drown while fishing are numerous. But regardless of where incidents occur - fishing from a motor boat, a canoe, in a stream, in an ocean, from shore, or on ice - there are a couple of constants - alcohol and carelessness (or, put another way, loss of judgment and lack of respect for the power of water). "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day," goes the humorous twist on the old aphorism. But the fact that at least half of the drownings in this country are linked to excessive consumption of alcohol is not funny - it's tragic. Fishing and drinking becomes a deadly combo because it leads to reckless behaviours such as speeding in a motorboat, heading out on rough waters and capsizing, wading into fast currents, driving your vehicle on thin ice, and falling from a boat while standing to urinate. But one of the most striking statistical findings in the new report is that only a tiny fraction of fishers wear flotation devices (or life jackets, if you prefer). Of the hundreds of fishing-related drowning deaths studied, only 10 per cent of victims wore a flotation device. In more than one-quarter of the incidents, there was not even a life jacket on-board, and in most of the rest of cases, there was safety equipment available but it was not used. Nearly half of all fishing-related drownings involved small, open powerboats. This type of boat is favoured for fishing because it is generally comfortable, easy to use, and it has plenty of room for a beer cooler and bait. But these boats are often overloaded and taken out in poor conditions like choppy waves and high winds. Fishing is highly seasonal - best in the spring and fall (and ice-fishing in the winter, obviously). Canadian lakes, rivers and oceans tend to be icy cold a goodly part of the time; the Red Cross report found that cold or extremely cold weather water was present in 98 per cent of fatal cases. The reality is when you fall into cold water, you can't survive very long - especially if you have no flotation device to assist you. Another sad statistic is that many, many people in this land of water are poor swimmers. Almost two-thirds of fishers who drowned were poor or non-swimmers. The report also shows that many, many drownings occur within 50 metres from shore - about two lengths of an Olympic pool. The statistical report is not merely an exercise in gruesome cataloguing, it is designed to inform public policy: If we know how, when and why people drown, we can prevent these tragedies. What the Red Cross drowning reports tell us is that we need to do much better health-education campaigns about the dangers of water. We also need to legislate and enforce the wearing of flotation devices (which are the equivalent of seat belts in cars); we need to enforce impaired-driving rules on the water as strictly as on roadways; and we need to make water-safety programs an integral part of the school curriculum so that, in our water-blessed nation, everyone learns how to swim, knows how to use safety equipment like life jackets, understands currents and ice safety, and knows how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Water sports like fishing should be fun, relaxing, maybe even mind-expanding, but they should not be mindless and fatal. **** By the numbers In Canada, there were 889 fishing-related water fatalities between 1991-2000. Recreational immersion deaths Trauma deaths Occupational immersion deaths Fishing from a boat 547 Commercial fishing 148 Fishing from shore 73 Subsistence fishing 40 Fishing in water (wading) 26 Fishing guiding 8 Fishing on ice 29 Aquaculture 6 TOTAL 676 12 TOTAL 202 TRISH McALASTER / THE GLOBE AND MAIL SOURCE: CANADIAN RED CROSS SOCIETY

I'll have to try that the next time, good tip. I did pick up a bearing race and seal driver at Princess Auto (even on sale this week) and found that to be worth every penny. No more slipping while using a punch to set the race. A couple of wacks and it's done. There are also a few videos on youtube that show you how to do it yourself. Heres the list of them Bearings

Happy Birthday Joey!!! Have a fishtastic day!

Get out while you still can HH!!! We need you to be north this weekend

Very cool Wayne. When I use to do a lot more flying they had a saying among the pilots when transporting boats, you tie it, you fly it. If they all had this set up it that saying would be long gone. Nice job!

Very generous offer Scott.

Great looking ride Lew. Now get out there and enjoy the season!

Couple of nice fish there. I was out doing some running around last night and for some reason I thought I should go down and check out the spot. I figured you 2 would be there. I wish I had now. Congrats on the evening out.

Congrats again Ryan! A keeper for sure. As for the prop, I'd fix or replace it. You can file it down and get it pretty close but it's pretty much impossible to know if it's properly balanced without the proper equipment. It's now out of balance and over time can cause more serious damage to the motor. Noticed that Cabelas has props on sale now, might find a good deal. Probably costs about a $100 to fix. I had a quote last year to fix mine of $110 and ended up buying a new aftermarket for $130. So far so good. Also picked up a spare, just in case. PS - You might want to do you own repairs on the damaged one and keep it for a spare as the damage isn't too bad. Pick up a new one as you main prop. Just a suggestion.

No need to wonder. 3 patients in Durham Region and 1 in York. Toronto - Ontario's chief medical officer of health said Tuesday four people in Ontario have mild cases of swine flu, the first cases for the province. The province's Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams said three patients in Durham Region and one in York Region are suffering from the virus. Williams said all four cases in Ontario are considered mild and the individuals are recovering at their homes. He added that testing confirmed that the virus is the same as the one in Mexico and the United States. The Ontario cases, which all involve people who travelled to Mexico, put the nationwide total at 13. There have been two cases of the swine flu in Alberta and four in Nova Scotia, all of them mild cases that didn't require hospitalization, and British Columbia has three cases. Earlier in the day, Toronto city officials said there were no confirmed cases of swine flu in Toronto, but that they had a plan in place for any outbreak. Toronto's Medical Officer of Health Dr. David McKeon said hospitals, doctor's offices and EMS staff were watching closely for any cases of respiratory disease that could be Toronto's first cases. "This type of surveillance and reporting of influenza-like illness and cases with a travel history has been in place in Toronto since the 2003 SARS outbreak. So, these procedures are not new to us, and they're not new to our hospital and healthcare provider partners," McKeon said. The city confirmed it has an ample stockpile of antiviral drugs, which would be reserved to treat anyone who becomes ill and the frontline medical staff who have to treat them, because they are the highest risk of contracting the disease. There have been 152 deaths in Mexico, with most of them suspected cases of swine flu. Source - 680 news

Just thought I'd bump this up since it's this coming weekend. I'm hoping to check it out on Saturday. 11th Annual Lake Scugog Studio Tour

Great report Mike. Congrats on your 1st Laker.

Welcome aboard! I love the colours on that speck.

SWEEEEEEEET!

The kid has talent!

Awesome fish!

In the cooler months a thermos of coffee and a thermos of soup (loved it last year when Bly brought along some homemade chile ), lots of water, granola bars, fruit - no bananas , Sandwiches and I'm good for the day.

Cool videos and pics Brian.

Sweet day on the water I'd say. Beauty Brown

Personally I wouldn't go either. This would be another reason that came in an hour ago. Mexico City - A powerful earthquake has rocked tall buildings in Mexico City, sending office workers down stairways into the streets. CNN reported that buildings rattled for "30 or 45 seconds.'' No other details were immediately available. As if they didn't have enough to worry about.

A great day on the water I'd say! Congrats Sydney on your catch of the day!! You've done well grasshopper, after all you've got a couple of great teachers .

Looks like a great trip Gerritt, nice looking resort. Always interesting when there are few curves and bumps along the way. Did you hear how the guy made out who taken away by ambulance? Feel sorry for the people he was with. Not a great start to their vacation.

Nice looking ride Mike. Enjoy the adventures and looking forward to the reports. Looks like the family can hardly wait.