jigsnreels

I have three that come to mind: I actually got snotted by a killer whale during a whale watching trip in BC. A blowhole is basically a giant nostril, and I was at the receiving end of a six-ton sneeze as I was looking over the bow of the boat I was in. Think of "Ghostbusters" - it was kind of like that. It was seriously disgusting. Listening to all the wisecracks from my fellow passengers on the ride back wasn't much fun, either. My family and I lived in Alberta for awhile, and we had a snowmobile. My dad used to let me take it out for little trips around the farmers' fields, and one time I was out in the middle of some pasture and I stopped to get my bearings and just enjoy the silence. After a few minutes I noticed a little field mouse emerge from a hole near the trail, and I just sat there quietly and watched him for a bit, as he didn't seem too concerned that I was there. He should have been more concerned about the snowy owl that swooped in without a sound and snatched him up in his talons, not five feet away from where I was sitting. I nearly soiled my snowsuit, I was so freaked out... It was one of the most amazing (and scary!) sights I've ever seen. Those birds are the ultimate stealth fighters. This one doesn't really count as "the wild," but I'll never forget the Christmas morning that my family and I woke up to the sight of a huge bull moose standing right in our front yard. He peered in the living room window at us for what seemed like an eternity, and then he just turned and trotted off down the street. Amazing.

Not a "true" blue walleye, is it? I thought they were extinct... could that be some sort of algae rubbing off it?

I tried the Wellington St. bridge on the weekend. Other than a rusty old bike, there was nothing of interest to be found there.

And that, to me, is the point. It's an absolute tragedy that someone was seriously injured and his life forever altered as a result of this ridiculous nonsense (condolences to your friends, Bruce). And yes, the victim in this case was white. But was he the intended target of the attack? Judging by the OP and by Bruce's recount of the event, it seems not. The fact that it was a Caucasian who was injured in the attack doesn't mitigate or nullify in any way the motivation for the attack in the first place. If it had just been three white guys fishing, who knows if there would have even been an incident to report?

K then... Guess they should have gone with "Man Crashes Truck Into Car - Motive Unclear." Less said the better (for some, anyway). Related story - "Research Of Asian Population Reveals Balance Issues Near Water."

"Just one more cast." Yeah, you got him. I like the pole, too. Still deciding between "Disney Princess" or "Dora the Explorer" for my daughter...

Sure am. This is something that a lot of editors struggle with - do you present the story as honestly and unadorned as possible, or do you dress it up, water it down, sugar-coat it, etc. to make it more palatable to the readership? It's clear that a lot of people don't like that phrase, myself included, and I took great offense to the suggestion that perhaps I do. I probably should have took that comment to mean that I support the use of the phrase in print. I don't believe that a responsible journalist or media editor would allow that phrase to be published unless it was a significant part of the story. Do I believe that printing it somehow "popularizes" the term? Absolutely not. If it casts a spotlight on the kind of ignorant, hateful lowlifes that commit such actions, than I believe it does far more good than harm. Failing to acknowledge that these attitudes are out in the world does a lot more to encourage this kind of behavior than the mere reporting of the use of an offensive term by people who are commiting far more offensive acts. Anyway, my bucket is red. But nobody's tipped me in the water yet.

Media regulatory bodies, like the Ontario Press Council for one, wouldn't stand for a newspaper inventing a term like "nip-tipping," as it would be considered a made-up term that goes beyond reasonable discourse to be directed at an indentifiable group for the purpose of insult and sarcasm. A paper wouldn't be banned from using such a phrase in print, however, if it was part of the reporting on a specific story. The fact that the phrase was put in quotes indicates that, well, it was likely quoted from an outside source. But yeah, blame the media for the incident. Better that we just ignore stuff like this, eh?

Don't like it at all. It's odd that it's not just called "angler-tipping," isn't it? It's not hard to determine which group the term is directed toward, and I'm reasonably certain that the term was not the media's invention. Ignoring the fact that something like this is occuring just gives the perpetrators a free pass to carry on, IMO. I suppose "gay-bashing" is an irresponsible term as well, because lots of people get beat up outside of nightclubs.

By the same token, you can also thank the media for putting a spotlight on this kind of disgusting behavior. Would be better to keep it on the Q.T.?

Bring nail clippers with you, I keep a pair in my tackle box and they work fine for cutting braid. I'm using 8 lb Power Pro and haven't had any problems.

Long story short - you had a light dinner...

A good craftsman never blames his tools.

I'm an Ugly Stik devotee. Mainly because I just can't afford the top-of-the-line stuff. But also, since I got my first one over fifteen years ago, I have never had one fail on me - not once. I currently own two, a 7' ML spinning rod for general fishing and an 8'6" salmon rod that I have yet to use in Ontario (bought it when I was in BC and Alaska). I've had big salmon nearly tie a knot in the latter one but so far, nothing has managed to damage it in the slightest. IMO, you can't beat these rods for the price, and even if the unthinkable happens and one does break, you're not out a lot of money and it's easily replaced. So far though, I haven't had to replace one yet (other than my first one, which was stolen, and is probably still being used by someone somewhere).

Agreed on bull shark. Short snout and small dorsal fin, and they're native to the US Southeast coast. She should have landed it.

Can't wait for "Specks On The Water." Awesome report and great pics!

Those things come with volume control? Nice largies, too!

Kudos to those who leave their fishing spot in a better condition than they found it in. If only more people behaved accordingly...

No need, I came into work this morning and now the snakehead is gone. It's weird. My little muskie seems to be getting a bit fat. I think he could probably use some exercise, so I'm going to take him for a walk on my lunch break. He shouldn't be out of the water for more than 20-30 minutes, tops. Hey, which way should I pick him up when I lift him out of his bowl? I've been doing it by the anal fin, but he doesn't seem to like that very much...

I've got a baby muskie in a little fish bowl on my desk at work. He's really cute, and pretty smart, too. I even taught him to eat cheezies right out of my hand. I caught it up north and brought it home to keep my pet snakehead company. So far they've been getting along great, although all of my guppies seem to have disappeared, and now they just swim around staring at each other. They're getting a bit big for the bowl, so I'm thinking I might have to flush them soon. Do you think that's okay?

x2 Nice fish. Anybody who manages to take a gator like that solo can pick it up any freakin' way he pleases.

Is he playing?

Coho. Nice one, too. Congrats on the great finish!

You're crazy. Luongo will go to Florida. Fair weather and family ties - and a much better chance of making the playoffs. Plus, the Panthers have more to offer in trades as well as a ton more cap space than the Leafs. Burke better get cracking on a goalie deal, because unless they've made significant strides over last season, Reimer/Scrivens ain't going to cut it.

How many Cup finals have the Leafs been to since expansion? 'Cause you're bound to win a few when you've got a one in six chance... :-)