kickingfrog

A good reminder for very preventable events.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...cialTravel/home Central casting Fish in New York City? Most people only see them on a menu. But as Paul Smith discovers, Gotham's waters are a fine place to meet a blue up close Article Comments PAUL SMITH From Wednesday's Globe and Mail May 13, 2009 at 11:28 AM EDT Fly fishing. The phrase conjures an image of free-flowing rivers and virgin forests. Snow-capped mountains framing anglers in western hats as they rhythmically present dry flies to wild trout. It's known as the "quiet sport." Now, imagine fishing with the Manhattan skyline as the backdrop, in salty ocean spray and big-city air. Fly angling in salt water has exploded on the mainstream sports fishing scene, with fishermen travelling from Christmas Island to Australia in search of exotic species. And, yes, to New York too. In these waters, you might expect to find only unfortunate fellows in concrete shoes - but at the right time of year, there is great striped-bass fishing in the shadows of the Statue of Liberty. Since first reading about it, I've been imagining long days fighting bonito and skipjack followed by dinner and a Broadway show. I've fished around the globe, but New York City was also on my list of dream destinations. And then an opportunity came up: I was heading to Belize, and I would be stuck in Newark, N.J., overnight. Here was my chance, a day to see New York and sample the local fishing. Enlarge Image Paul Smith chasing prey around the Statue of Liberty. (CHRIS HESSERT) I ended up staying for two. As I left Newport Marina in Jersey City on the Sweet Pea, the skyscrapers of lower Manhattan came into view. The sun was just peeking above the horizon, reflecting off the skyline. The city that never sleeps sure looked sleepy from a distance. I could hear none of the honking of horns or rush-hour bustle unfolding across the Hudson River. An intoxicating fishy smell hung in the morning air; I was in a twilight zone between wilderness and urbanity, with my angling senses on full alert amid the densest concentration of humans in North America. "Looks like a great morning for fishing," Captain Chris Hessert shouted over the thumping diesel. I snapped photos as we cruised down the Hudson, past the tip of Manhattan and on toward Governors and Liberty islands. The iconic lady held her torch high against the brightening sky. For a century, this was the first glimpse of America for millions of immigrants. My New York experience was feeling surreal. Capt. Chris interrupted my introspection: "We'll try here for a bass on the way back." For him, it was all in a day's work. We continued on in the wake of huge cargo ships. Past Brooklyn's waterfront and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the bay opened up and an expanse of open ocean lay before us. Other small boats bobbed on the water with fishing rods pointed skyward: We were not alone. My fishing sixth sense awoke, having been suppressed by the endless brick, mortar and steel of the modern world. Now, we would fish. Past Coney Island, in the mouth of Rockaway Inlet, Capt. Chris spotted diving seabirds. We steamed toward them and, sure enough, flashes of silver-sided baitfish lit up the water's surface. Big patches of them; there would probably be bluefish feeding beneath. I cast a long line from the bow, just managing to drop my baitfish imitation of fur into the chaos of gorging and death. I stripped back line in short quick strokes, hoping to mimic an injured and vulnerable fish. Nothing. It's hardly ever that easy. But after 20 or 30 tries, my line went taut. Adrenalin coursed though my body, my first ever blue, and on a fly rod in the shadow of New York! The fish fought gallantly, and by the time it succumbed my arms were aching. Capt. Chris held my prize, taking care to avoid the blue's razor teeth as he removed my fly. This bluish-green torpedo of a fish is all predator, built for bursts of speed, from its broad forked tail to its lissome head. My blue was average in size, about five or six pounds. I admired my catch glistening in the morning sun before Capt. Chris released it, none the worse for its short encounter with humankind. Over the course of the morning, I hooked several more fish and soaked up all I could of the unfamiliar surroundings. Close to noon, we tried for a bass in front of the Statue of Liberty, but there were no takers. As tourists wandered around the Lady's feet, I smugly felt I was getting a real New York experience. And in a sense I was. New Yorkers always move about with purpose; absorbing the ambience is for outsiders. Later that evening, I dined on blackened salmon at Live Bait, a cozy theme restaurant right by the Flatiron Building. The guy at a nearby tackle shop, Urban Angler, had recommended it (after setting me up for some killer flies for my next destination). I asked the waiter about the fish mounts that lined the walls. Were any caught locally? The young waiter wasn't sure, but the man at the next table overheard and interjected: "That bluefin was taken two seasons ago, about half a mile off Coney Island." He was an angler, and anglers everywhere jump at the chance to chat fishing. He described an epic battle with a New York tuna. I told him about my passion for Atlantic salmon and my favourite river back home in Newfoundland. I sensed his wife was not impressed with the diversion to their dinner, so we exchanged e-mail addresses and left it at that. I finished my salmon while watching a never-ending stream of people and traffic on Fifth Avenue, and I chuckled to myself. My wife tells me I would find fish talk on the moon; New York City was a cinch. **** Pack your bags GETTING THERE Continental Airlines flies to Newark from several Canadian cities. Air Canada operates seven daily flights to Newark. WHERE TO STAY Courtyard Marriott Jersey City Newport 540 Washington Blvd.; (201) 626-6600. If you are going just for the fishing, this is a fine choice. It's just a five-minute walk from the Newport Marina. WHERE TO EAT Live Bait 14 East 23rd St., New York; 212-353-9100. WHERE TO FISH Manhattan Fly Newport Marina, Jersey City, N.J.; (917) 531-4783; http://www.manhattanfly.com. Charters from $576. WHEN TO GO There are bluefish around all year long. Striped bass show in May and June and from August to December. Bonito, false albacore and skipjack tuna are in season August through October; bluefin tuna run from September to December.

What up wit that? It is 9:22pm right now as I post this.

That's one way to always be right. I don't have a rooting interest, I was just hoping for some good hockey and maybe 3-4 overtimes. I don't think too many people would have predicted this after six pretty good games between these two teams. Two more games tomorrow.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...ertainment/home A cold case that's still cold From Wednesday's Globe and Mail May 12, 2009 at 4:11 PM EDT The identity of the so-called “Mad Trapper of the North” remains as much of a cold case now as it was more than 77 years ago when the notorious outlaw met his end in a shoot-out with RCMP officers and aboriginal deputies in the Canadian high Arctic. An Edmonton-based documentary filmmaking company, working with a team of forensic experts, had hoped to crack the mystery that is Albert Johnson. But as the upcoming documentary detailing their efforts shows, we still don't know who Albert Johnson really was (it's long been assumed that name was an alias) even as we know more about him than ever before. DNA and isotope testing of bone and teeth samples exhumed from Johnson's grave in Aklavik, NWT, in August, 2007, have yielded no matches with DNA samples provided by 12 families who were considered to have valid claims on Johnson as a relative, Hunt for the Mad Trapper will report May 21, in its world premiere on Discovery Channel. The producers will provide official notification to the families next week. However, as Carrie Gour, executive producer of the documentary and co-proprietor of Edmonton's Myth Merchant Films, said in an interview yesterday, Johnson's DNA samples – what she calls “the golden nugget” – are now stored permanently at the Bureau of Legal Dentistry at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. This means that whatever “new evidence that comes forward can be tested against what the BOLD lab has. “For a story that's almost 80 years old, the fact I still field about two enquiries a week from people claiming some familial connection [to Johnson] is pretty remarkable,” said Gour who, with her business partner, director Michael Jorgensen, has worked on the Johnson project for more than four years. Indeed, once Hunt for the Mad Trapper is broadcast, the hope is it may trigger a shock of recognition from a viewer who is a bona fide Johnson relative. “Is it still possible to know who [Albert Johnson] is? Yes. And is it possible . . . should there be a DNA match . . . would there be another [film]? The answer is, yeah,” Gour said with a laugh. “I think that would be the obvious bit of closure.” Until Gour received permission to exhume Johnson's grave two years ago, a first, claims as to who Johnson really was were based almost entirely on circumstantial evidence. Dozens of books, thousands of articles and at least one Hollywood film (1981's Death Hunt) have been produced both speculating on the desperado's true identity and chronicling the legendary, almost two-month manhunt that ended on Feb. 17, 1932, when Special Constable John Moses felled Johnson with a rifle shot through his pelvis. No personal identification was found on the body or in the remains of the log cabin Johnson built late in the summer of 1931 alongside the Rat River in the Mackenzie Delta region, nor did anyone come forward after the Mounties published haunting photographs of the dead man's emaciated face. The man known as Johnson first came to police attention when aboriginal trappers told officers they believed he was poaching their trap lines. The RCMP visited his cabin on three occasions, the second ending with Johnson seriously wounding an officer, the third a lengthy shoot-out culminating in the RCMP dynamiting Johnson's cabin. Johnson survived, however, and embarked on his 300-kilometre snowshoe trek across mountains and through blizzards. The manhunt, which saw Johnson kill one Mountie, made Canadian history not just for its duration, but because it was the first time two-way radios and surveillance aircraft were used by a posse. The science in Hunt for the Mad Trapper – which includes dramatic recreations of the famous manhunt as well as footage of the exhumation and subsequent tests – conclusively demonstrates that prior to arriving in the North, Johnson lived in Iowa, Indiana or Ohio; that he was in his mid-30s and he was “a man of means,” not only because he had $2,400 in U.S. and Canadian currency (more than $36,000 Canadian today) on him but because he'd had expensive, sophisticated dental work done. One absence in the documentary that may not go unremarked is that of Wilf (Wop) May, the legendary bush pilot who did aerial reconnaissance for the hunt. Gour said she and Jorgensen didn't mean to neglect or sleight May's accomplishment. But his story “has been told six ways from Sunday,” she said, “and we were keen to provide a perspective that was new,” namely showing the aboriginal involvement in the Johnson story. Hunt for the Mad Trapper airs May 21 at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel.

Do what just about everybody else does... anchor 5 feet from the boat that is catching all the fish. Seriously though, if you see a group of boats anchored that's a good place to start, just give 'em a bit of room. This time of year in the middle of the day I'd try drifting or trolling the same spots that produce at dusk and dawn. Jigs with minnows or worms are standard and a trailer hook is often used. Personally, I use a gulp alive and other scented plastics and don't feel that I get out fished at all. I use scented plastic worms on crawler harnesses as well. Harnesses are my first option when drifting. Good Luck

LOL! The add at the bottom of this page when I looked was something called Duck Duck date.

Greenings Bay is were my uncle's place is. Great fishing and sunsets.

Say Hi? Don't be surprised if you walk out of your house and find me sitting in the passenger seat of your ranger one morning.

When are you going?

Why does everyone quote that snippet of mine. I was not sure if we were talking about Ontario or Timbuck2 so I was just covering my six. I was also thinking of the situation of life jackets or seat belts ie an adult responsible for minors thats all. I am trying not to quote from the Ontario fishing regulations summery anymore, because most can't, won't or are unable to understand simple English.

Amazing stuff. That is a bit of a fixer upper in the 4th photo.

My opinion, which means squat, is that if they are minors (and they need a licence) probably. If is your boat and we're talking adults, probably not, although I believe all equipment used by someone breaking the regs can be confiscated. That's up to the CO's discretion. I understand how delicate something like this can be in a group of friends and/or family, but if it is your boat it could be your butt on the line. Good luck.

I am glad you guys are moving on, I was really getting tired of seeing photos of some of the most incredible Brook trout I have ever seen.

WGSF = Worlds Greatest Sport Fish = Rock Bass I wonder what you thought it stood for?

Do you need an identification so you know if it OOS or not? I say fox snake, but I'm not up on my herbs anymore. Nice work for the camera mount btw.

Soon we will be viewing photos of OOS Musky because it is not against the board rules, Ontario regs or unethical. I can't wait.

Nice job on the porch, now the pilsener pilferer will be able to drink bug free.

Its not necessarily a leader like a steel one that you would use for pike. For me I just have a spool of flouro that I take off however much I need, usually 18-24 inches. If I'm jigging for walleye I tie the flouro to a small swivel to join it to my main line and direct tie to the jig. You can also join the 2 lines directly to one an other if you are not worried about line twist. Great site for knots: http://www.animatedknots.com/indexfishing.php Some of the braids have a "how to" guide on their sites as well. I don't "store" them, just dispose of the used flouro when it has served its purpose and replace. You can get flouro leader material just about anywhere now a days. Important note: flouro leader material is different than flouro that is meant to be used as a main line. I am not a fan of flouro main line for anything. Serious musky or pike leaders are much different (I'll leave the details for someone who is better at it than me) but they can be stored in small plastic baggies or wrapped around an old line spool or similar item.

Clearly that is not possible.

The Ontario regs say you must release an OOS fish immediately. If you can justify taking a picture to a CO good on ya, you are still wrong however. If you get a fine, don't look to me for a sympathetic ear because you are breaking the regs, cut and dry. If you think the regs should be changed, do something constructive to that end. Provide some science, although you may need a bio for that. oh oh. The board would prefer you not post pictures OOS fish. If you post pics of OOS fish here you may expect some congratulations and some rhubarbs. Don't act surprised. A true sportsman not only follows the regulations but he/she will help set an example and educate others to help preserve and improve our resources for the future. Many people may come across this site and look to it for examples of acceptable or best practises, best way to hold a musky for example. Vertical, horizontal or in the water? None of the three are set out in the regs, that I am aware of, but we can help explain the merits of the better options and why. I still see people holding walleye and pike by the eyes (not here) before releasing them. Everyday that I learn more I realize how little I actually know. If you think that there is nothing else left to learn then I would like very much to have a beer with you because I have lots more to learn.

Arctic Lakers on peanuts? Who would have guessed? I like winter a lot, but mid May would be a bit much for me, glad you make the most of it.

Just like school, there is a bell curve to the spawn. Some are ahead of the pack, the bulk are right in the middle, and just like in life some bring up the rear. On top of that some just may not spawn at all, for various reasons, and will be reabsorbing their eggs.

I CALL BOW, I CALL BOW!!! Nice job Wayne. You're one crafty son of a gun.

Personally, I wouldn't use 20lb flouro with 50lb braid, or flouro at all with 10lb mono. That doesn't mean I'm right. I do use 8, 10 or 12lb flouro (18-30 inches long) when jigging for walleye with 15-20lb test braid. Sometimes I will use mono leader instead of flouro for this application. We are talking open water walleye fishing after all. Flouro is more dense and not as elastic as mono so it sinks more quickly and doesn't "give" as much. If I'm using 50-80lb braid for musky then my flouro leader would be of a similar or higher pound test, not lower. 2 cents worth?