muddler

Thanks Bob. muddler

I agree with Dr. Salvelinus. He's pretty accurate. The Toronto media is also at fault here. They NEVER stop trying to fix a Toronto team. Virtually every sports team in Toronto gets way too much negative press. They (the press) always want to air lift a star to Toronto to "fix" the team. I read some of that in this thread too. What do you think the other teams are trying to do to improve thier teams? Give away their star player for nothing? The only way to get better is through the draft and gamble on your picks, then fill in some specialty spots (like a defensive specialist) later. Pressure to improve right away is the Leafs major downfall. Edmonton is doing it right. They are rebuilding and it will pay off in a couple years. It takes time for a team to jell and improve. In Toronto you always have a promise of a winner with the Leafs every fall. We know what happens every year. Edmonto beat Toronto 5-0 today by the way. They must be doing something right. Until the Toronto fans and media accept that it will take time to improve (assuming that the other teams aren't) nothing much will change. They will sell out the games and the die heart Toronto fans will keep cheering. The sweater and stuff will sell by the millions and the owners will make a lot of money. The media will all have those instant solutions and always someone to blame. I lived in Toronto for 33 years and I have heard this every year. The Leafs just don't have the horses to run this race to the finish line. Accept it. Build for 5 years down the road. Look for a positive chage in the years to come not in the days to come. then they'll produce a winner and not a whiner. muddler (Boston Fan)

We knew the prices of just about everything at the local grocery store. We used to look for pop bottles and returned them for a refund (2 cents for the little ones and 5 for the big ones). Bought mt Mitchelle 300 (7.95) that way when I was 10. Saturday matinee was 10 cents. Allowance was for the rich families. We found out that shovelling driveways in the winter and cutting lawns (push mower) in the summer was the way to make money. Selling scrap copper to the scrap yard also produced some cash. Most of the cash went into the family jar(that's where my parents kept the family spending money) but I usually keep 25 cents or so for myself if things were going well in our family for my fishing stuff. As a teenager, school was our social network. Neighbourhood friends were your summer group. We walked everywhere until we could get a bike. Got my first bike when I was 16. Same year I got my drivers license. Drove a tractor in the fall on weekend working with a local farmer from the age of 12 until I was 18. Got paid in produce, meat and sometimes even a little cash. I never asked how much I was going to get , I was happy to have a job. You got paid what the farmer could afford. If I tuned up dad's truck and paid for all the gas I could use it all summer. Did the tune ups myself and it cost $5 or less to fill her up every 2 weeks. I did a lot of fishhing with that old red truck. Field and Stream, Outdoor Life and Sports Afield were the pipline to new fishing techniques. We used to read all the adds at the back of the magazines and we'd sent out a pile of requests . Herter's was the only one that sent a catalogue. I couldn't wait to get my shipment of 8lb test mono (25 lb was the lightest we could get here, then) and the package of No 6 Aberdeen hooks. I still Have my spool of K-58(that was the brand name) 8lb test and the hook box from the aberdeen hooks. The metal reel seat and handle grips and extra guide. I was going to rebuild the 3 piece 8 1/2 ft fly rod into a spinning rod, much to the contrary opion of all my friends. I just read Al Linders article in a magazine called "Fishing Facts" on how to fish for pickerel(walley) using this ultra light gear. Chaged my fishing ever since. Learned about about structure fishing and rod building the hard way. Been building ever since. I only buy a rod as a loner ... it has to be real cheap and on sale. We knew the price of every lure and box of hooks, good deals didn't last too long and we waited for sales in the off seasons. The local library was our information highway. Hunting and fishing books were reserved and you couldn't take them out. Had to read them in the library. we used to hang out at the local tackle store to listen to the "old" guys and pick up pointers. "Secrets" were very hard to pick up. None of this , "What gear can I get for $500 so I can go fishing for XXXXX this weekend. Oh, yeah, where do I go and how do I do it.". Skills were honed after years of practise . We got skunked a lot back then. Red Fisher Show was the only fishing show available. I got my first limit of fish ever when I was 17 after 10 years of fishing every weekend and every day in the summer. Rods were wrapped in a towel and in the back seat so that they didn't rattle. They lasted longer that way. I still have that first rod I built ove 40 years ago. You took care of your stuff back then. No warranties. Never let a reel touch the ground, the sand would wreck the gears. They cost too much anyway. I mean 3.95 for a reel? 7.95 for a Mitchelle...wow. Worms were 25 cents a dozen. Way too expensive. Picked my own after ever rain fall, still do after 40+ years. Minnows...caught my own. Never bought minnows yet. Took years to get it all right. These were secrets shared only with the closest of friends. Bought my 12ft tinny when I was 16 for $100 (my life savings), I got lucky and landed a job at the local A&P and bought a 4hp Merc at 17 for $120 and The local Sears was closing down and I got a rusted trailer for $50 the next year. I still have the same fishing outfit and use it every summer. Life was good. Always put a little away for fishing no matter what. Still do. muddler

Floating Jigs should work. As to "it's too deep for slip floats", I've fished lake trout in 120 feet of water with a slip float. I fish a small lake with splake in it using a slip float in about 40 feet of water with excellent results. The stopper (or stopper knot) is reeled right onto the spool and the you just cast out. Feed the slack out until the float cocks and you're set. muddler

I've fished this same spot from shore for over 50 years. No complaints here. The fishing is always good and it is close to home. Less than a 5 minute drive. At this time of the year (fall) I usually catch my biggest fish. A couple 34 inchers every fall. All fish are catch at dusk or later at night. No competition here as most people here do not fish at night. Last night was very strange. It was cold and dark by 7:00 pm. The fishin got very slow and casting to my usual spots stoppped producing. My buddy and i were shooting the breeze and I just let my minnow dangle in the water no more than a foot from shore and about a foot of water. I felt a small weight and bang a 10 inch walleye. Let that go. Dropped the dead minnow back to the same spot and bang, a nice 15 incher. WE only had 4 minnows left but it didn't make a difference. Dead or alive , a foot or so from the shore and we were catching fish. I tried casting jigs and grub and then small rapalas (both usually produce) and nothing. Hook on a mushed up minnow and hold it in front of you a couple of feet from shore and wham a, another one. The biggest one was about 28 inches long and the smallest was about 6 inches long. All in all we landed 11 walleye and lost a bunch. Never seen anything like it in my life. We shined a flashlight into the water but didn't see a thing. One of the weirdest days I ever had. I'm gonna try it again to night (it's raining pretty hard right now) if it stops raining. muddler

I still use an "Old Pal" plastic minnow pail. The outside pail is long gone but the inside minnow bucker is still working well after 25 years. Any ploastic pail will do for the outter pail. I tried the Fabrill but the lid kept falling off, lost too many minnows that way. I use a minnow bucket when shore fishing and leave the minnow bucket in the water. I've looked around for anther "old Pal" bucket and I was lucky enough to fine one at a garage sale. muddler

Well now, there is no real quick fix for what you want. It does take time. Here are a few things that you can do to improve your odds in catching fish consistently. 1. Choose a spot that will improve your odds of catching a fish. Not all water contains fish. If you have a boat look for structure that might contain feeding fish. If you fish from shore look for areas that will support forage. If you fish a river look for habitat that is protected from overhead predators. There are a lot more types of areas to look for, but that will get you started. 2. Present all your offerings as naturally as possible. Most fish around heavily fished waters have seem a ton of baits so use the lightest line that you can and the lightest terminal tackle(hooks) you can get away with. 8 lb mono is plenty to handle most fishing situations. Present your offering as naturally. You're going to loose some tackle, that's part of the game. 3. Watch the other fishermen and talk to them. There is NO one answer to all questions. It takes time to learn what works for you. 4. Try live bait (worms, minnows, leeches) on a slip bobber. 5. Learn how use a jig and grub. I've caught just about everything on that. 6. Make sure your tackle is workining properly. Fill the spinning reel to 1/8 inch of the spool lip. Batcasters shoul be filled the same. Practice casting in the yard. Accurate casting is sometimes very imprtant. 7. Use good knots for your tackkle. Palomar, Orvis knots are the best I've used. Uni knot to uni knot for attaching mainline to running line. Orvis tippet knot for attaching floro leader to mainline. Except for the uni knot, these are the strongest knots I found...ever. 8. Above all else, enjoy the company you are with. Be it your fishing partner, the natural events happening around you, the nature of things. Eventually the 'catching' will become secondary. More often than not, the fish caught is a bonus to a great day in the outdoors. Share what you learn with others. muddler

Back in the late 60's and early 70's Al Linder and a magazine called "Fishing Facts" promoted "worm blowing" to lift a worm slightly off the bottom using a "Lindy rig". My loacal CTC store had a discount bin with a few worm blowers in it resently. I've used them many years ago but after stabbing myself a few times I gave it up. Slip bobbers , light florocarbon leaders and smaller hooks are just as effective if not better for fishing WORMS. Properly rigged and presented I can drift a worm much easier with a slip bobber at any depth that I coud using a Lindy type rig. I also get a lot few snags that way too. muddler

To change the file extention on any file (VOB included) gor to http://www.fileinfo.com/help/windows-show-extensions.html and follow the instructions. You then should be able to change the vob extention to mpg by simply editing it. As for Format Factory, I am very surprised that it didn't work for you. I have have used it for a long time and converted hundreds of files for editing . I used UIlead Movie maker and it will edit .avi files , so I convert my vob files to that first then export them back to mpg files. Better luck next time. muddler

Format Factory. It's free and converts just about anything to anything. http://www.pcfreetime.com/download.html muddler

There is a 50+ year old flooded creek about 5 minutes from my house. It is about 100 feet wide where the road cut across it. The water in the middle where the small bridge crosses it is about 6-8 feet deep. Although this creek connects to a larger river system about a mile or two away, the current can flow in eaither direction because of the two dams tha control the water flow of the main river. This is a popular minnow gathering spot and a kids fishing hole. Small bass and hammer handle pike are commonly caught here. I take my kids ther in the summer and we have a lot of fun. But about half an hour before dark and on to the midnight hour the walleye fishing can be fantastic especially in September and October. Last September I landed 11 30+ inch walleye and averaged 6 fish per 2 hour outing. I averaged 6-8 fish per trip with many in the 20+ inch range. All were caught using a 1/4 oz jig and a grub. This one of those amazing spots that most people just drive past without a second thought. After 52 years of fishing here, the night bite is the only ay to go. muddler

PhotRazor. The defau;t settings are perfect for embedding pictures in an email. Simple and easy to use. Free too. http://www.stormdance.net/software/photorazor/software%20overview.htm muddler

Gary. Gary and I grew up together and we've been good friends for over 50 years. Both of us are avid fishermen. Gary and I have gone fishing together about a dozen times. Each and every time we both got skunked. Of the thousands of other times that I've been out alone or with a group (gary excluded)I've always caught something or at worst broke off a couple. Something about fishing with Gary just dosen't do it. Here's an example. There's a little lake about 10 minutes from my house loaded with largemouth bass. Some pushing 7 pounds. The lake is shallow with only weed mats as structure. I fished this lake in my boat for 3 weeks and the bite was hot. Everything worked. Plastics, surface baits (calm water) crank bait, spinner baits, you name it, they all caught fish. Some days certain baits worked better then others. So Gary and I get on the lake at dawn. Nothing! Not even a sniff. We gave up at supper time. Next day I go out again and got a mess of fish. This happened EVERY time Gary and I went fishing. Nothing. Gary and I are good freinds but we just NEVER fish togeher, period. muddler

I don't know what happened there (above post). I used a solution of 1/3 liquid dish soap and 2/3 warm water. I sprayed it into every opening I think the ants were using. Seems to have stopped them. Later ( acouple of days) it was easy to clean up any soapy residue. I plug all the holes with 5 minute epoxy mixed with saw dust after a couple of days of spraying.. Pressure treated wood will NOT stop them. They'll eat that too. I keep an old dish soap bottle filled with this mixture and take a tour looking for stray ants and saw dust. Hope this helps. muddler

Opps, I'm not sure what happened in the previous post. Google CCleaner. Run it and it will delete all you tempoary Internet files and cookies if you want. Just uncheck the things you don't want deleted. I just delete everything in the CCleaner list. muddler

One more.

Some good advice aleady. The one piece of advice that I like to pass on to all new steelheaders (assuming the fish are there) is , present your offering as NATURALLY as possible. That means: 1. Carefully wading as NOT to spook the fish. Disturb the water as little as possible and you get more hits. 2. The clearer and slower the flow the lighter the tackle: ie leader and hook size, even bait size. Don't fall in love with a dollar size roe bag and a 2/0 hook because it works in the rapids 5 years ago. 3. Experiment. If no one is getting hits on roe then try flies, plastic/real worms. Change colour. be different. If everyone is catching them on a white cricket, then use that. 4. Use enough weight so that you 'tick' the streambed every so often. Adjust weight and depth for every situation. 5. Trot your offering. Have the bait preceed your float. 6. Get that bait right up against the wood. risk loosing a bit of tackle. If they are in the system, they'll be some in the wood. 7. Fish all kinds of water. Fast runs, slow frog water, boulders, wood and under-cut banks. cast well above your target and drift to your spot. Any water that affords protection from above (you can't see the bottom) will probably hold fish. 8. Get a thermometer. You'll learn it's magic real quick. A good fly fisherman check water temperature regularly. 9. If the bobber does anything unusual(stops, move side ways, goes down), set the hook. Firmly witha gentle sweep is all you need. 10. Use the lightest float you can and still effectively present your bait naturally. Use steelhead floats. Stay away from those with the wire spring in the end. Before the internet, steelheading was a well kept secret in Ontario. Information was difficult to get. Now there is a ton of stuff available. Read and research, will answer a lot of questions. Soon you will get the "feel" for it and it will become much easier to catch one of these great fish. muddler.

I Love this new setup! muddler

Gotta agree with Billy Bob. Use a a small cross lock for body baits and since I normally use 6 or 8lb for my jigs I go with the Orvis Knot. muddler

I often just take some jigs and twister tails. 1/4 and 3/8 oz. will cover most situations. 3 and 4 inch curly tails in white and yellow work well. The local dollar store has plactic coated craft wire. I use that as a leader. The dark gold works well. Just thread it through the jig eye and wrap the tag end around the wire about 6 times . Use a lighter to fuse the palstic together. Trim with a finger nail clipper. Cut about 16 inches of wire and then repeat using a small swivel. Easy and simple. I make up a dozen of these rigs and let my daughter (9 years old) fire them all over the place. She catches a lot of pike. Cheap too, if she loooses the rig. Sometimes we get a bonus walleye and bass are not unexpected. I bought 100 packs of twister tails years ago, and still have lots left. Same with jigs, I used to by them by the 25 or 100 pack. I figure it cost me less than 25 cents per lure. I am sure that ther eare lots of better lures out there but I can't afford to loose half a dozen $10 lures every outing with my kids (almost every day in the summer). We still catch a pile of pike. My 2 cents. muddler

When I first bought my 12 footer 40+ years ago, I built a simple but functional casting deck. I used 3/8 plywood strips that I had lying around. First I cut the strips (about 18" wide each is what I had) so that they would go from the front of the front seat to the back of the middle seat. I other words the front and and middle seat would be covered. I screwed two pieces of 2X4 to the bottom of the strips so that it would just fit between the two seats. Then I filled the middle gap with what ever I had. I nailed some carpeting (rose coloured) that someone was trowing away. Screwed my marker bouys and holder in the middle near the middle seat. A 1X2 runs across the deck facing me at the back. I notched this so tha I can lean my rod on the deck without scratching it. From the deck to the front of the boat (bow) is left open ans a small carpet protects the bottom of the boat from the anchor. All my gear is up on the deck. Extra paddles slide under the middle seat and hidden by the deck, as is the emergency gear. Gas tank is under the deck too. I had to extend the gas line hose to reach the motor. The only thin that is at the back of the boat is the net (if I need it). The deck comes out easily and weighs about 30 pounds. Cleaning under it is easy and if someone come out with me I just store it in the garage. It snaps in and out like a charm. It is heavy enough that it will not fly off, It is also low enough in the boat that the wind won't affect it. I can light up a ThermalTake and put it on a dish on the deck for late evening fishing. This is my go to boat for small lakes around here. I can launch it in just about any lake as long as I can get the trailer tires within a foot or so of the water. It's light enough for one person to easily put in and take out. The casting deck is great for fly fishing as the fly line isn't jammed anywhere. Great for surface fishing too. The rest of the time I sit in the back seat. Worked for me for 40+ years. Repalced the carpet once about 15 years ago. I should mention that it is a very stable boat. It is quite deep for a 12 footer. I get offers for it every year. No thanks I'll keep it. muddler

I would use an ultra light underspin on a spinning rod (6ft ultra light). Works like a spincast but with a lever/trigger under the index finger. Casts similarly to a spinning reel without the hasle for little ones. Each of my kids started on that and have moved to spinning gear now (8,10 years old). My daughter landed a 10lb+ steelhead on her outfit in the Rouge river when she was 4 years old. Debarb the hooks on all little one tackle. Accidents do happen. muddler