passthepitonspete

Hey AK, I know all those guys! Above ^^ you know Alex Honold from the movie Free Solo. This was a year ago in the fall of 2019, I took this pic of him working their new free climb. Me: "Hey Alex, how many seasons will it take you to free climb your new route?" Alex: "Oh, we'll get it this season." Me: "But it took Kevin and Tommy ten years to free climb Dawn Wall! How can you climb it so fast?!" Alex: "This route is easy. it's only 5.13d. Dawn Wall is 5.14d..." Sheesh. With Alex on the wall, and Kevin Jorgeson. Crap, I can't see what's uploading here. Geez, why is the photo upside-down? Anyway, that's us. OK, third photo looks right. That's, like, me and Tommy Caldwell, showing his "good" hand with all five fingers. The other hand, well, you know...

So here we are going into grey lockdown for the province. How does this differ from last time? Here's what I've been able to find. I hope I am reporting correctly, but if I am wrong, please correct me, and provide a link if you can. Changes from last time: 1. Boat ramps will not be closed. 2. Crown Land will not be closed to camping. 3. Significant restrictions on group gatherings both outdoors but especially indoors. 4. Hotels, motels and lodges [emphasis mine] to remain open. Stuff that is the same as last time, even though plenty of folks didn't know these things to be true at the time: 1. There are no travel bans in Ontario. It is not against the law to travel around Ontario to go fishing. 2. Doug Ford and others are "asking" "recommending" "suggesting" "wishing" "requesting" people stay at home, but there is nothing preventing us from going out fishing. 3. As for (2) above, there are the same requests to not leave your region, but no orders. 4. It's OK to go up north to your cottage. 5. Merricans can't come into Canada for non-essential reasons, and though many here would disagree, fishing is deemed non-essential. 6. Nobody is going to write you a ticket for doing this stuff - going fishing up north, etc. As far as I can determine, it was a complete fallacy that any cops wrote anyone any tickets for going up north in the spring of 2020. In May, I put my canoe on top of my car and drove up north to above Sault Ste. Marie to go ice climbing. The canoe was there merely as an attention-grabber, and after passing a half-dozen OPP cars, it garnered no attention whatsover. No credible proof was ever shown here [a photograph of the alleged $700 tickets issued by alleged cops on Highway 35 going up to cottage country], so SOMEONE [I forget who] owes me a beer, unless he/she provides said photograph. Anyway, read the rules, understand what they mean, and make an informed decision based on facts, not rumours and hearsay. I figure we might as well go fishin' during grey lockdown. Is there any better way to socially isolate? Thoughts? Cheers, eh? And, like, Merry Christmas! P.S. It might be of interest to some that I have engaged in significant international travel this year. We only learned the truth in July, that only the You-Ess land borders were closed to non-essential travel, but it has ALWAYS been OK - and is STILL OK - to fly to the US for non-essential travel and holiday and so on. Accordingly, in September we flew to Yosemite and did an 11-day ascent of the big wall called El Capitan. Then we travelled through California climbing in places like San Diego and Joshua Tree. People were wearing masks for the most part and observing social distancing rules. We did not see any Trump supporters threatening to take over the country after he lost. Then we flew to Mexico - wearing masks on the airplane and busses and so on - and went caving up in the Sierra Mazatec mountains in Oaxaca. We spent a day in Mexico City before flying home, where most everyone - including us - were wearing masks. After downloading and filling out our ArriveCAN app, we flew into Toronto International Airport YYZ - which I refuse to call Pearson - where we received no covid test. A friend picked us up [we wore masks in the car] and drove us home, where we didn't venture off the property for the required 14 days of quarantine. Actually, we did make a single allowed excursion to get a covid test, and three days later the website told us we were negative. We didn't need to do this; we just felt like checking. Today I have received my "get out of jail card" and the first place I went was like, the Beer Store, eh? I might also go visit a fishing store, because I can. I'm the safest person out there right now! Anyway, please check my facts, and don't not go fishing!

Thanks, Lefroy! I actually said to Debbie, "watch for this on the news tomorrow".

I just drove back home from the Soo - ten hours of exposure on the main Ontario highways in a vehicle stuffed to the roof with climbing gear and a few fishing rods, and a canoe on top to attract attention. None was attracted, and I passed perhaps four or five cops in each direction, and nobody is getting picked off for anything. There are no travel restrictions in Ontario right now. This is a fishing forum - so go fishin'! Doug Ford says we can, and the OPP doesn't say we can't. Nobody tooled me, and I didn't see anyone else getting tooled.* Practise social distancing - you will interact with fewer people and touch fewer things that other people have touched on a fishing trip than you will in a visit to the grocery store. And Chris.Brock owes me a beer. *Edit - on the QEW this little-dick guy went screaming by me at well over 200kph, and lawsy lawsy lawsy, if I didn't see him pulled over by the cop only 2km later! Ha! The guy must have actually stopped when the cop asked him to!

Hey Chris Brock, I am getting desperately thirsty at the thought of the ONE beer you are going to send me, unless of course you actually will post up the photo of the [alleged] ticket your buddy [allegedly] received. ;) Interesting about the fire ban being lifted by Kawartha Lakes as per link above - is it just that municipality or the entire province? As for travelling up north - me and Debbie Double D's drove north from Hamilton to Batchawana Bay [just north of Sault Ste. Marie] on Monday with her SUV loaded to the gills with climbing and fishing stuff, and a big bloody canoe on top - a total "tool magnet" one would think. We passed three cops, and none of them appeared interested in us. We arrived at our destination unmolested. There is NO travel ban in Ontario - Doug Ford says we can get out fishing, so WHY NOT YOU? This is, after all, a fishing forum. Cheers and beers, Or at least one free beer from Chris, Pete and Triple D

I will bet you ONE beer! I am very curious, I would love to see the ticket. Good thing about all the folks heading up north. I will be one of them on Monday. Cheers, eh?

Oh my gosh! That video is FABULOUS!! Definitely the funniest Covid-19 spoof I've seen yet - thanks for sharing, mate.

Hahaha! There is a Supertaco Refugees page on Facebook you can join.

Hey guys, two things: Thing #1: I was communicating with Mike Borger when his son got kicked out of the river on Saturday. Mike instant messaged me on Monday to say that the cops finally called him back on the phone, and informed him that the riverbed is owned by the GRCA, which is closed. Mike deleted the post from Facebook, which was mostly supportive, but of course had posts by the usual vocal minority "haters" My interpretation: The cop was likely correct to the letter of the law, even if he didn't know it at the time. I bet they searched a long time to find the excuse. Most likely Brandon was standing in the river opposite a closed park, and I bet the cop thought he entered there, rather than having waded upstream a mile from the Legion. Rivers are navigable waterways, so if Brandon had been fishing from a canoe, he might have been [legally] OK, at least if he weren't anchored to the riverbed or tied up to a tree in the river! Ha! The cops won that round, by luck. Thing #2: Has ANYONE HERE been tooled by the cops for fishing or driving up north to go fishing? Tooled = stopped on the highway, turned around, issued a citation, hassled in any away or prevented from fishing? Not looking for hearsay, I want personal experience. if so, why and what happened? This is a Fishing forum, and I want to go fishing next week! And yes, a photo of the ticket by buddy's buddy above will work! Thing #3: OK, I lied.... Has anyone here had personal communication with any cops for any reason regarding fishing now? A phone call, text, conversation with a cop? Not hearsay, but personal conversation? I've had two so far. My interpretation: Non-essential travel is "not recommended". They are "asking" us to stay at home, municipalities up north are "requesting" we don't go up there fishing. So far as I can understand, there is no LAW saying we can't travel to go fishing. There is NO non-essential travel BAN in Ontario so far as I can tell. Even Premier Doug Ford says we can go fishing. Crown Land is closed to camping, and campfires are banned everywhere in Ontario. The OPP has the video up on Facebook - linked a few pages upstream of here, upside-down but like the audio still sounds OK, eh? - which specifically addresses misinformation on social media - they are not tooling drivers. I spoke to two OPP cops on ATV's on Saturday afternoon riding along right beside the Grand River in Brantford - moments before I messaged Mike, and only a few miles upstream of Brandon's episode! - and they said absolutely I could go fishing, here or anywhere. I could drive up north with my canoe on my car, and I wouldn't be hassled or stopped or anything. I queried them at length. They were unambiguous. They said that there were tons of false rumours on social media, in particular Facebook, that were simply not true. Go fishing, the cops told me! On an unrelated matter [don't ask, sheesh], I asked a different OPP cop via phone and text the same question today. He texted me something along the lines of, "I would consider fishing non-essential travel and I would write you a ticket" or words to that effect. I deleted the text, you know, just in case... Ahem. I do intend to go fishing next week up north of the Soo, although it is mostly a climbing trip. I figure I will be bear bait with a canoe on top of my vehicle. It just so happens that I am a financial advisor who sells funds, RRSPs and life insurance - considered essential - so I think I will throw a few Canada Life segregated fund apps into my briefcase, along with some business cards, you know, to make it look like I am actually working. Which everyone who knows me I never do. If they write me a ticket, I will fight it, for sure. Next week should be an adventure, it always is with me. I'll report back here. I'd love to hear yous guys' replies to the above. Cheers, eh? Pete P.S. to any "haters" - really? There can't be any haters in this forum, can there? I verily believe I can socially isolate a helluva lot better up north while climbing and fishing on a deserted cliff or lake, than I can in any routine visit to the grocery or beer store. You may disagree. I will not need a rescue, with any luck. I have cheated death high above and deep beneath the earth for over 40 years without ever having been rescued, though I have nearly died quite a few times. [I confess my prideful sin, sorry] And if I were to get sick, I would turn around and drive to the hospital in Hamilton, I wouldn't be going to any little hospital in northern Ontario, like the northern municipalities continually fear might happen. Like, seriously - who would? Think about it....

Ford Says Fishing Season Won’t Be Delayed According to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, fishing season will open as normal. Some of the boat ramps are closed, so guys with big boats might have trouble launching. Crown Land is closed to camping, but I guess we can still visit on day trips and go fishing? Fishing lodges and cabins are not allow to have guests this spring until at least June 1st according to the guy whose cabin I had wanted to rent, and of course that June 1st date could easily be extended. Ontario is "strongly recommending" everyone "avoid" non-essential travel for recreation and leisure, and certainly this would include fishing.* But so far as I can see, there is no LAW against doing so. So I wonder .... if I am driving up north in a few weeks with my canoe on top of my vehicle to go fishing on Crown Land for the day, not using a boat ramp nor being in contact with anyone, will I be tooled by the cops along the road? https://www.895thelake.ca/2020/04/16/130396/?sc_ref=facebook P.S. *Fishing isn't a matter of life and death ... it's far more important. Perhaps travel for fishing really IS essential travel. Note the comfortable 2m separation of our politicians in the photo.

Well, um, I guess you won't be going in there anytime soon, with the ice being what it is this year..... I have fished Luckless a few years ago, and we actually had pretty good luck. We had fished a nearby small speck lake with some success, almost all of which came over a two-hour period one afternoon or evening, and not much thereafter. They were smallish. I definitely remember my dad catching the biggest speck of the trip in Luckless - a bit to either side of 3 lbs, can't remember which way. We fished a lot of hours for that fish, however, and didn't catch much more. On the way out, I caught a "screamer" laker in the north side of the lake, couldn't believe he was only around three pounds. So a decent lake, with a nice campsite. Have never caught a fish in Catfish, having trolled through several times. Not sure why. Definitely fish the rapids on the Catfish outflow, along with the swifts. One time on a rocky point with some deep/slow current, I hooked something BIG down deep on a spinner and worm, never even saw him before he let go. It's not so bad when you at least SEE the damn fish.... Reckon it was a big-ass speck. Anyway, I would STRONGLY recommend you do the loop in the clockwise direction. You really do KNOTT want to paddle UP the Nip. River, against the springtime current. Better to go in via going upstream in the Petawawa - there is no current to paddle against anyway, the 2345m portage is long and uphill but not terrible, and more significantly, the cumulative amount of portaging you will do to reach Luckless is not much more - if any - than what you will do paddling up the Nip. River. And did I mention you don't have to paddle against the current?? If you are going this way, check out the rapids upstream/south of Catfish Lake, as you can usually nail a few specks here. I would *love* to try North Cuckoo, Macoun/Plumb and Hayes Lakes for specks. They must NEVER get fished, owing to how difficult it is to reach them with all the long and barely maintained portages. My only concern with the quality of fishing is that these lakes do not appear to have a lot of catchment area, so perhaps not enough springs to maintain a quality speck fishery? The portage from Luckless downhill to the Nip River is not bad at all, and then [not sure if I have mentioned this yet....] but you will be paddling the Nip. River downstream!! I see that the Friends of Algonquin Park no longer gives you the PDF of the canoe routes map for free - I have it if you want me to email it to you. My user name at that warm email place dot comm with only one M, eh? All I ask is that if I give you the "beta", you write me back and tell me how you did! Also, I might have a few top secret secrets I could share .....

Have a look here at high res satellite images. They are current, and if there is no cloud cover, you can easily see the ice conditions of any given lake. Man, I'm hoping for some warm, windy and sunny weather. http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/modis/region_map.html

If you guys want to know where the open water, have a look at these high resolution satellite images which are uploaded several times a day. Just click on the area you are wondering about, and look for a thumbnail to an image that doesn't have cloud cover. All of the images are dated, so you know exactly what the ice status is of 'your' lake or area. These images are HUGE, and if you are on dialup, they will take a while to load. It is amusing that the US government is adding the caveat that requests you don't look at the images too often! It sure looks frosty up there these days! There has been a lot of cloud cover the last few days, so it's hard to tell what's going on the last few. I'm heading up to Algonquin the first of May, so here's hoping the deep freeze thaws by then. Or un-thaws, as we Hosers like to say, eh? Cheers, Pete Edit: to provide the link, sheesh. http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/modis/region_map.html

Hmmm. Does that mean I can paddle my canoe through the Long Point Reserve, and catch all those largemouth bass that nobody else fishes?

Thanks for the bump, guys. Not long now before we head back. My dad is 88 this year, and the old fart just won't give up. I'm not sure he'll be able to "carry his age" any more, in fact I'd bet against it, but me and Ian can cover the portaging. What we *do* need my dad for is to catch the biggest fish, which he always seems to do. Don't you guys bump old posts in this forum? It happens all the time in other sporting forums. Some of you seem surprised. Glad we're not going in via Opeongo Lake this year. I would be afraid the ice wouldn't be off soon enough! Here's hoping for some warm temps, warm winds, and warm sunshine. I've had enough of winter. Cheers, eh? Pete

A couple other places come to mind, sounding similar to Emily Lake mentioned above. In Long Point Bay in Lake Erie, there is a large area of water roped off with buoys that is owned or leased by a private group, I believe they are Merricans. Heaven help you if you are caught in there! Clearly navigable. But no rite of passage? It's not like you "have" to pass through their waters if you want to boat from Canada to the States. But you *do* have to pass through buddy's land on Bronte Creek if you want to boat from Lowville to Lake Ontario. Another place is up west of Minden, east of Couchaching. It is the Longford Reserve, and this township of Longford has been leased by the same Merricans since 1899. Different rules than Long Point? Perhaps. Canoeists are allowed to paddle and portage through, and go fishing as well. Hell, you can even land a float plane there if you want to. You just can't camp on the shore. And I don't know if you can anchor to the bottom, either. And travelling between lakes, you have to follow the portages. I was once told by the MNR that Longford is "vigorously and aggressively patrolled" by its caretaker. Well, bully for him. I would like to paddle through sometime, just because I can. And catch a big fish. And then let him go. Beagle Dad and Dave Bailey - I would love to hear your stories. You have to pick and choose your battles, because it sure is pointless fighting something you know you can't win. Three thousand years ago [probably] Solomon made this clear when he wrote, "there is a time to fish, and a time to run like hell." Or something like that. Anyone been busted for wading a stream? How did you make out? Incidentally, I'm not trying to be a pain or a troublemaker. I am merely out to have fun, enjoy the river, and catch and release a fish or two. I would always respect a landowner's land, and keep the place neat and tidy. We left no trace of our passage yesterday, except a few elbow-shaped divots in the streambed here and there when we were falling out. But if it's our right as Canadians to paddle, wade and fish a river, then we really ought to take advantage of our heritage and our opportunity. Beauty, eh?

Thanks everyone for your answers. These are indeed interesting and relevant concerns that we all ought to understand. The ruling regarding the inability to portage around a dam on the Credit River is perplexing. Is this dam on the main part of the Credit, or a side stream? I paddled from Terra Cotta to Highway 5 last year, so wondering if I crossed this dam? Bronte Creek was most assuredly paddleable and hence navigable yesterday, easily and happily from Lowville Park all the way down to the QEW, and presumably beyond to Rebecca Street, Bronte Harbour, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River all the way to the 'lantic Ocean. {wink} There were plenty of 'bows in evidence, too, most often startled in swift-flowing gravel-bedded sections about a foot deep. Probably lots in the pools, too. While Bronte Creek could never be paddled in the summer due to low water, it's in decent shape now, and will be superb for paddling this week with the coming rains which are forecast. We had a bit of "bump and grind" here and there, and there are numerous obstacles consisting of fallen trees across the narrow river. Suffice it to say, all three of us spent plenty of time falling out of our canoes, getting soaked and halfways hypothermic. It was what you might call "Class 2 Fun" - it was definitely an Adventure, but fortunately did not make the progression to an Epic. Here and there, you will see "No Trespassing" and "No Fishing" signs. O'Really? So once again I ask, what is stopping anyone from jumping into the water under a bridge, and wading along the river bottom, whilst fishing one's way along? Great advice about printing out appropriate paperwork, and handing it to the landowner if challenged. It's hard to believe a cop could catch you, or would bother to catch you, if called, merely to write you a ticket for trespassing. Wouldn't it be fun to see a pair of Halton's Finest standing in the river under a bridge, ready to capture you as you paddled beneath? Hmm, they wouldn't shoot, would they? Actually, they might, because the SIU charges hundreds of cops every year, and only convicts two, so odds are in their favour. There are any number of remote places you could stop to fish at will, and never be seen by anyone. It's a beautiful stream, for sure, with some fabulous remote pools. I bet with the late spring, there will still be fish present after opening day. If I weren't heading up to Algonquin, I might give it a go. Anyone ever been written a trespassing ticket for wading a stream? Did you fight it? Did you win? Aren't there any Lie-yers here who fish, and who could interpret some of these rulings? Concur on it not being worth the fight. I would jump in my boat and run. There is always another great pool around the next corner!

Hey guys, Today I am going to take a paddle down a Lake Ontario trib called Bronte Creek. Parts of the river are open to fishing, most of it is not. I'm not even taking a fishing rod. I just want to go canoeing. At least until opening day. {wink} There are a few great fishing holes along the way that are easily accessed by canoe. I remember fishing one years ago after opening day with my dad, and the landowner walked a quarter-mile across the field to kick us out. "It's a family fishing hole," he said. "We don't let anyone else fish it." At the time the landowner kicked us out, we were sitting in canoe, floating in a pool and anchored to the bottom with a rock on a rope. We weren't tied to a tree. If you are going to fish from a canoe in a river, you probably need to be held in place, so how you do this is relevant. We also could have gotten out of the canoe, stood on the bottom of the stream, and fished that way. But we didn't want to push our luck. We left without arguing and went to the next hole. It's pretty easy in a canoe. The creek is definitely navigable by canoe, and this is important in deciding whether you have legal access to the waters, and can fish it or not. But if you can paddle it, it is definitely considered to be "navigable." Now I read of several Ontario legal rulings that state that the streambed is usually Crown Land, and accordingly you have access to the legally fish the river. But there can be exceptions which I don't fully understand. Here are some interesting links I have found: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume/groups/lr/@mnr/@crownland/documents/document/mnr_e000115.pdf http://www.ontariofishingforums.com/forum/topic/17522-who-owns-rivers-in-canada/ http://www.greybruceoutdoors.com/guestwriters/ChrisHutton-navigablewaters.shtml So my questions are this: 1. If I can paddle it, can I fish it? 2. Do I have to stay in the canoe, or could I stand on the bed of the stream? 3. I guess if I'm standing on the bed of the stream, I can't beach the canoe, right? Because the landowner owns the banks, right? Do I have to tie a rope around my waist and attach that to the canoe? 4. I see in some of the writings above that the "high water mark" doesn't really mean much. Thoughts? 5. What is stopping anyone who wants to fish the creek from parking their car at a bridge, and walking along the bed of the stream to fish it. This is assuming that the creek is indeed navigable, like Bronte Creek, so that you could paddle a canoe down it, but it is also small and shallow enough that you could also wade it if you chose to. So basically, you would be walking through someone's land and fishing, but always standing on the streambed. You would think that if there is a no trespassing sign, that would have to keep people out, wouldn't it? 6. There is no sixth question. I am looking for two kinds of answers: - practical experience answers from guys like us who wade streams and/or fish from a canoe. What do you say when you're fishing from a canoe, and a landowner asks you to leave? What do you do? Have you had "run-ins" with landowners? - legal interpretations from people who actually understand the law and how it applies to these situations I don't post here very often, but if you look you will find a really nice photo essay I made of a trip in Algonquin Park with my dad a few years ago. That post took about twenty or thirty hours to make, incidentally. If this question has already been answered on the forum, could you please provide a link? But some of these rulings seem to be new, so I am looking for the most up-to-date info. Thanks for your help. Cheers, eh? Pete

Wow, what an amazing coincidence. I too have found beer cans along the portage. Bump for a great trip report - it's almost "that time of year"

Wow! Another great report by Mikey! Excellent photos and writing. I had the privelege of fishing and canoeing in Quetico for three weeks with Dan and Mike back in the mid-90's. Try as I could, it was impossible to out-fish Mike. Dan says, and quite truthfully, "Mike can catch fish in a toilet." I have this crazy image in my mind of Dan standing on a rock in Cutty Lake and fishing in a particular set of clothing that Mike found a bit annoying. Ahem. Great times! In Cutty Lake, I played a 46" pike about 24 lbs for fifteen minutes or longer on 6lb test, only to have it spit the hook at the last second. Mike said, "Don't worry," picked up his paddle, pushed the canoe towards the fish which was lying on the surface, and casually reached in and grabbed that massive pike bare-handed, pulling him into the boat and landing him for me! The most amazing fish story ever, and it's even true! It was my biggest pike up to that time. Anyway, Mikey - just wrote you an email. Write me or phone when you get a chance, eh? Can't believe you old pharts don't really look any older than back in Quetico. Which just goes to prove actuarily that every day you spend fishing adds one day to your life. Cheers, eh? Pete

What can I say? Some guys get it, and some guys don't, and emphatically Cookslav gets it. And dude! A 30' x 30' tarp?! That is some serious bad-ass tarpage! Nice! Note: The beers were prepackaged into re-usable plastic bottles.

Mikey timed it perfectly. My dad and Ian and I just got out on Friday after a week in the park. We went to a completely different place [for us] and had a great trip - every kind of weather you can imagine. Unfortunately and not surprisingly we were a bit too early, but it was our only option as Ian starts a new job on May 4. The fish didn't really start biting until Thursday when we caught 11. Mike - drop me a line when you get back and I'll tell you how we did and where we went [assuming I remember to check this website cuz I'm always on the climbing websites] Cheers, Pete

Wow, great photos. That's probably a map turtle, but could be a Blanding's as well, it's hard to tell and I'm out of practice with the ID. Either species is fairly rare, so great find!

Hey guys, Thanks so much for your kind comments. It encourages me to want to try again. Never for a moment would I make any "rules" for reading my post - I was merely offering instructions on how to keep it de-clusterfrigged. Those of you who know me know that I am about the last person to ever obey a rule [ask my ex-wife] I didn't realize that the forum downsizes images, so next time instead of making them 700 pixels wide, I can downsize to 500 which is roughly half the area, so they'll load faster and I can make fewer threads. I think there are still enough guys on dialup that it's worth splitting for now. Even Mepps' photo at 640 is too wide for this forum. I'll go skinny next time, or maybe try the blog approach that SlowPoke suggests. For those of you who feel my story is too wordy, I make no apologies. Jean-Paul Sartre wrote, "on a toujours la choix." If you don't want to read it, you can just look at the pictures. I think there's a need and demand for decent writing in places other than magazines that you have to buy. Harv and Doug and Cookslav, please drop me a line after you get back and we'll compare how we did. Thanks, Gerrit. Good luck on the 9th, Mike. Superb rainbow postings you've made. Your website looks pretty cool, too. If you adventurers want some "real" Ontario adventure, we can paddle across Mazinaw Lake and I'll take you four pitches up Bon Echo for some pretty rad exposure straight over the lake 300' below. Thanks Trophymuskie and Sinker, and Smokey, Jerseydog and Grimace. A few people just got confused when I was putting the thing together, and the links didn't yet work. This despite the "under construction" caveats everywhere. Sheesh. Thanks to everyone else who took the time to read and post. Much appreciated! We're heading up on Sunday, can't wait! Woo-hoo! Cheers and beers, Pete

Sorry for the tardiness of my reply, mates. Busy busy busy. Thanks for the encouragement, eh? It is an Actuarial Fact, Golfisher, that each day spent fishing increases your life expectancy by at least one day. But then you already knew that ....