RobHall

Here in Ottawa the all time record for snowfall is 444.3 cm (14.57 ft) set in the winter of 1970/71. I remember that winter, because that was the year i moved to Ottawa as a 10 year old kid. Well as i went outside this morning, my jaw just about hit the snow (it didnt have far to go). I was in total shock. I was looking at waist high snow drifts (i'm 6ft 5"), the cars were no where to be seen. I knew they were under the snow somewhere. This latest 48 hours of snowfall (starting friday night) brought 51cm of the white stuff, with about 35cm of it coming between 5PM last night and early Sunday morning. Ottawa now sits at 407.3 cm (13.36 ft). I think it's a safe bet that Ottawa will beat the all time record for snowfall by the time the snow stops falling later in march or early april. My prediction is 475cm (15.58ft) will fall by the time it's all said and done. I guess we can be thankful for the january thaw, as we would probably have about about 3 to 4 more ft of snow out there. Here are a few shots of the snowstorm aftermath..... Happy shovelling folks!! Take lots of breaks. Cheers, FOTB

It's been 9 years since they had back to back SO loses and over 15 years since they lost 3 in a row to the Leafs. I'd say Paddock has lost some of the players. Only thing a Sens fan can hope for now is that Murray can get them going again. The Sens are way better then they have been lately, that's for sure. It's not entirely out of the realm of possibilities that they miss the PO's. FOTB

I believe it is Bernie.

Awesome shot DanC. I tried with my digital camera, but I just couldnt do it justice. I guess i was moving around too much. One of those bright objects in your pic is Saturn i believe and the other is that US Spy Satellite that is due to fall to the earth in late Feb or early march. I hear the US will attempt to shoot it down with a missle.

That would be correct Joey. My eyesight is getting worse in my old age. lol FOTB

I thought it would be nice to recognize the OFC Tournament Bigfish of 2007. Team 4 "Livin 4 fishin" had the biggest fish in 5 out of 10 categories. Not surprisingly Team 4 also has the 2007 OFC Tournament all but locked up with 316.75". Team 7 "BiteMe" had the biggest fish in 2 categories. Team 6 "Fishing Frenzy", Team 3 "Fin-Chasers" and Team 5 "Up Scalers" each had one big fish category. Congrats to all the members with bigfish entries. Here are the BF entries of 2007.....a special congrats to JPD who claims 4 Bigfish for 2007. Well Done JPD. 32" Catfish caught by Sonny on June 25th 43" King Salmon caught by fishndevil on July 2nd 38" Carp caught by JPD on August 29th 26" Lake Trout caught on Lake Simcoe by JPD on May 29th 34" Great Lake Trout caught by SlowPoke on Sept 8th 50" Musky caught by irishfield in October 38" Pike caught by irishfield on September 28th 22" Largie caught by JPD on June 26th 14.5" Crappie caught by JPD on Lake Simcoe on May 3rd 33.5" Walleye caught by ccmtcanada on Lake Ontario near Durham in October or November Cheers, FOTB

Nice game against the Hurricanes last night. That new goalie looks like quite the pickup. I think missing the PO's 3 years in a row is a real possibility. FOTB

I was having a conversation with a buddy the other day and the topic of fishing came up. He proceeded to ask me if I was a "True Fisherman". I replied....What is your definition of a True Fisherman? One of his comments was.....A True Fisherman will fish on both hard and soft water. I thought about what he said and realized that i very rarely (if at all) fish on hard water. According to my buddy....i am not a "True Fisherman". I disagreed with his view of course. I believe you don't have to fish on hard water to be considered a True Fisherman. Thoughts? On a side note.... Many fishermen say things like, "I don't care if I catch fish, just so long as I can be out there in nature." Or, "I just like the scenery, the trees, the sky, etc . . . ." Or, "I love the sound of the water lapping against the side of my boat. Catching fish is a just a bonus." These remarks sound good, but you and I both know that most folks go fishing to catch fish. If you really don't care if you catch fish when you go fishing, can you be considered a True Fisherman? IMO No. I have yet to meet a fisherman who could look me square in the eye and say without hesitation, "I really don't care if I catch fish". You don't have to keep them, eat them, photograph or frame them, but you do have to catch them, at least once in a while. IMO once you sort through all the things fishing includes...daydreaming, rod-building, fly-tying, camping, scenery, solitude, friendship, the love of nature, tradition, relaxation, a balm for the soul, and so on--what you find at the very core of fishing is the thrill and excitement of getting hold of a wild thing, a creature that will spend its entire essence in a struggle to break free. This is the thrill of the hook-up, the catch. Fish don't fight half-assed battles; they go to the mat every time. To us it may be sport, but to the fish it is a life or death struggle. Cheers, FOTB

Wow! What an awesome painting. I was anxiously waiting to see it and the wait was well worth it. When I received the PM from Joey, I was happy to contribute. I may have never met you personally Lew, but i feel as if i have known you for some time. That's one of the great things about this community. I can't think of a more deserving person. I look forward to meeting you next year at lakair. A big thanks goes to Pam for putting one of Lew's favourite pictures of fishing with his brother Eddy to canvas. You did an awesome job Pam. Joey...a big up for you to, for bringing this all together. A big thanks also goes to all those who contributed. It's just goes to show once again, how great a community this is. Cheers, FOTB

Marks video can be found at the link below. http://wfn.tv/rogers/ Cheers FOTB

Congrats on winning the boat Mark!! I made a post a week or so ago, predicting you would win this contest. I'm glad it was a member of this community. Now when are you going to take me in your new boat? Cheers FOTB

On August 1st i predicted Mark Orszulak from Mississauga, Ontario would win the grand prize boat in the "Adopt an Angler" contest and i appear to have been right. See link. Cheers FOTB

Yes...I got a good chuckle out of that write up. FOTB

I was reading the Ottawa Sun this morning and came across a Jeff Morrison outdoors article. It has a write up about some guy named Jamie who happens to be an avid Carp Fisherman. By the time i reached the end of the article and saw a reference to his website, i knew it could only be one person.....Crazyhook. Congrats CH on tieing the IGFA world record for Carp on a FR. Too bad about the other Carp. Link to Sun article Cheers, FOTB

Here are 2 tiny fish. Small Smallie Small Perch FOTB

Thanks Maureen and GL. I agree....if WFN/Rogers does not pick me, then i would like to see them adopt you and see you in that 17' bass boat. If not you or me, then someone else from the board we may not be aware of. The fact that both of us managed to finish in the top 20 (BTW..congrats on passing me in the final days ), is a testament to this awesome community. Without their support, both of us would be buried several pages deep. I send a big TY out to those who voted for me and maureen. I hope the WFN judges pay close attention to some of the top 10 or 20 vote getters and chose maybe 1 or 2 semi-finalists from that group. The top 10 entries as selected by WFN will be evaluated using the following criteria: originality, creativity, innovativeness, and overall persuasiveness of the entry. The 10 semi-finalists will be reviewed by a panel of four (4) industry experts and the winner will be chosen at this time based on the above criteria. The selection process for the Grand Prize from the eligible entries received will be held in Toronto, Ontario on or about August 10 2007. I have looked at several of the entrants in this contest and think the Grand Prize winner might be.... Mark Orszulak from Mississauga, Ontario Case #: 5HPOJQSove He finished in 13th place and i thought his entry was very creative and original. If you have a minute, check it out. He's on page 1 at the bottom. Cheers FOTB

Excellent!! Have you figured out how many votes you have cast so far. How many hours did it take you to get her from 34 to 21?. She is about to overtake me for 13th place. j/k. I will vote for a hour or so later today and see of it moves her up any further. It will be quite an accomplishment if we as a community, can get her into the top 4. Cheers. FOTB

For those that really want Maureen to win the $350 secondary prize package, you need to disable your acceptance of internet cookies. by disabling your acceptance of internet cookies, you can vote more the once in a 24 hour period. In fact you can vote as often as you can point and click a mouse. In internet explorer, this is how you do it. 1. Click "Tools" 2. Click "Internet Options" 3. Click the "Privacy" Tab 4. Move the sliding bar up all the way until it says "block all cookies" Then go the the wfn voting site and go nuts. Vote for Maureen as much as your heart desires. I have already done this a few times to the tune of some 3000 votes. If all the folks who are casting votes for Maureen did this, she would be able to crack the top 4 and win the secondary prize. Cheers, FOTB

Hi Roy, I guess you didnt read my previous posts. Let me restate it again....How many votes Maureen gets, does not have any bearing on whether or not she wins the boat. The winner of the boat is choosen by the staff at WFN. So you saying "Let's give it to her....let's vote Florida style"....is communicating the wrong message. It should read....If anyone on the board deserves a shot at the $350 WFN secondary prize package, it's Maureen. Let's give it to her.... let's vote Florida style. This community has no control over who wins the grand prize boat. Cheers FOTB

You may be prompted to install a flash plugin. Once that is done, you click on her photo and it will come up in in the left hand window. Click the "vote" button. Cheers FOTB

Go here and vote for Maureen Manning. She is currently 15th. Cheers FOTB

I was once in 2nd place at the beginning of July. However once i realized that folks could disable their internet cookies and vote as fast as they could click a mouse, I gave up. I've since slipped to 12th place. and will most likely slip even further by the time the end of the month rolls around. The only prize i care about is the Grand Prize and the online voting has no bearing on that prize. Cheers FOTB

I have done that as well. In fact there was one day last week where i disabled my internet cookies and spent 40 minutes voting for Moe. I probably managed about 800 to 1000 votes in that timespan. Cheers. FOTB

I agree Beans. If you can't beat'em....then join'em. If we get a few more folks disabling their internet cookies, it might just be enough to put Moe into the top 4. I hope she makes it. Cheers. FOTB

huh? I don't think i said Moe was not deserving. In fact I hope she makes it to the top 4 as well. I guess you misunderstood my post. I wasnt taking anything personally. I was merely making an observation that Moe has been moving up fast and that i don't think there is enough time for folks who are voting, to put her into the top 4 and thus gaurantee her a secondary prize. This is just my opinion of course. I really hope i'm proven wrong and will be the first in line to congratulate her in winning the secondary prize or even the grand prize if she is fortunate enough to be picked by WFN. Cheers. FOTB