muddler

Althoght brief, BillM said a mouthful. Ditch fishing (i've done a lot of that) around Toronto is nothing like fishing the Notty or the Geen. Here's a few thing that might help. 1. Get a stream thermometer. I use 50F as my flip point. As the temperature rises to and past 50F I switch to large flies (buggers, clousers). As the temperature is lower than 50F I use roe/egg flies, pinkies and nymph type flies. 2. The colder the water (50F and less) the closer to the bottom I fish. Sometimes I have to hit them on the nose. 3. Fish structure. Even small mid stream boulder can hold f fish. Look forindicators that boulder are found below. I love to fish wood. 4. Use what everybody else is using IF IT'S WORKING. If not try something completely different. Don't get hung up on one kind of bait. You may have the shock of your life. 5. Move. Try different spots. Fish everything from frog water to rapids. You may find a location type that's hot for a couple of hours. Fish move. 6. When using larger flies (buggers/closers) try a swing and hold. Hold the line tight allowing the float and fly to straighten up below you. The fly will start to slowly rise in the current. Hang on! I've come close to loosing a thousand bucks of rod and reel a few times doing this. 7. Take a break and watch the water. Sometimes you'll see insect activity/ minnows being chased etc. An indicator where, and what to fish. 8. Use lighter tackle. Ontario rivers don't need anything over 8lb test. I use 10lb mainline and then use tippet material in diameters based on how clear the water is. 9. Chat with the guys that are catching fish. Watch them too. Pick up any subtle pointers you can. Sometimes the smallest differences can make a real big impact. I landed over 40 fish (about 10 years ago) on the Notty one day while all around the area I would see a fish or two caught on roe every hour. I was using a purple wooley bugger and I'll bet 80% of my strikes were on the swing as the fly was rising. Sometimes I could see the wake of a trout coming at my fly from 20 feet away. It was like watching a musky trach a surface plug. Heart pounding. 10. Set the hok if you float does anything unnatural. muddler

Before I send in any warranty card or registration for any item, I scan the completed card (both sides) and scan my reciepts. I store these on my computer. If an issue comes up I can fax from my computer to them via phone line and that usually solves any problems. The original documents are put into a large zip lock bag (keep everything together and then stored in my filing cabinet. Check for on line registration but some require the registration card anyway (some sort of number on it). Then I mail in the cards. If there is a problem later, I have copies of everything and I find that if I provide a pile of information to whoever is dealing with it I get a lot less hassle from them. I can print out my scanned copies and fax / mail them in. I am amazed with even large companies how often the paper work is lost. I'll just sent them another copy. I've only had a few battles with warranties and by quoting the terms (from copy of the documentation) and sending in copies of documents, I heve been very satisfied with the results. I do this for all my stuff-- tools, computers, fishing, bikes, cars, appliances, etc. I'll buy some things because they have a good warranty. Justa bit about computer warranties. If you bought a computer system already put together, it probably has a 1 year warranty that comes with it. Be aware that certain components inside like hard drives are warranteed by the manufacturer for 3 to 5 years and RAM may have a lifetime waranty. Some of these items only require a serial number to check of it is still under warranty on the company web site. Check all the fine print and you can save a pile of cash. muddler

I plan to live for ever. So far so good!

Fish northern exposed areas as they get the most sun ight and the water will be a bit warmer there. Find structure and you will find crappie. Boat dock, trees, rocks, sunken stuff, just about anything will attract crappies. The water around above water structure will be warmer and it also attract insects and minnows. I built my own spring crappie rod from a 6 weight 8 1/2 ft. fast action fly rod blank years ago. I use nothing but 4 lb test. I get very good casting distance that way. I like a small slip bobber and I use plastics ALL the time. I got tired of freezing hands with minnows. I use small 1-11/2 inch tubes and 11/2 - 2 inch twister tails. 1/16 oz ( or lighter) jig and tube heads. I experiment with colours. Crappie can be very colour sensitive. One day yellow is hot the next day red and chartuse is it. I can usually do as well if not better that minnow fisherman by just finding the right colour combo. I've often fished around a group of minnow fishermen and caught piles of crappie on some wierd (weird to me) colour while they were getting skunked. Bait colour is usually very important some(most) days. I've also had days when it didn't matter what you used. Everybody was catching some. There is no exact science to this. I just carry a pile of differnt colours. If some else is cating crappie on a pink plastic then I'll use pink. If minnows are hot then I'll use yellow or white. I prefer tube in still or light wind and twister tails in windy conditions. Using a slip bobber just bouyant enough to stay afloat I can experiment with depth until I find what works. 6 feet one day 2nd 2 feet the next is not uncommon. On calm days cast out to likely spot, let the tube setup sit there for a couple of minutes. If nothing happend then GENTLY move the bobbeer a couple of feet and wait again. Sometimes crappie will hit when the tube is falling. Pay attention to when and where you got your hit. Repeat the process and if it happens again you've hit on a system. Stick with it. If the bite suddenly stops, try a differnt colour or change the depth (usually shallower). Watch the depth that other are using to catch crappie. On a windy day I go with a jig and twister tail (all crappie size) and let the wind and waves do the work for me. You don't have to cross the crappie's eyes to set the hook. A gentle sweep to get out the slack works fine. There is NO sure thing that works ALL THE TIME. Be observent and experiment. You'll gain confidence and be sucessful each time you go out if the conditions are right. Muddler

Here's a pic. http://www.fishing-headquarters.com/articl...ip_bobbers.html muddler

Slip floats are great. You can set the depth to just about anything you want. We've still fished for lake trout in 100 feet of water using a slip float. They are great for keeping a bait at a precise depth. You can buy a little bobber stop that threads on your line. Push the bobber stop up or down the line to set the depth. Next thread on the slip float and then tie on a jig or a hook with enough split shot about a foot or two above the the hook. Bait up and cast the works out to your spot. The split shot will pull the line through the slip bobber until the bobber stop jams in the float. The float will noodle up. When you play a fish or reel in the float will slide down to the split shot. If you can't find a bobber stop you can just tie a 4 wrap uni knot of dacron or black nylon line onto your mono. It has to be a thick line (not super line or mono). Trim the ends with a clipper. Works as well as a bobber stop. If the hole is too big on the top of the bobber slide a little bead (dollar store) between the uni-knot and the float. I use slip bobbers almost exclusively when fishing for walleys with the kids. I have a rock and weed filled bottom at about 15 feet. Set the stopper about 12' feet and the kids have a blast. Good for fishing realy deep runs for steelhead too. Muddler

Here a prettty good Norton removal toll. It's free. http://www.freewarefiles.com/Norton-Remova...gram_15892.html muddler

Ok I'll trya a gain. http://s141.photobucket.com/albums/r66/jkt...nt=IMG_0590.jpg Anyway, -24 C this morning. Sunny a nd beautiful. 7 foot snow banks. I always remember this in July. muddler

Here's my place this morning muddler

Opps, got beat by musky man. muddler

Try AVG, it;s free at http://www.freewarefiles.com/AVG-AntiVirus...ogram_1007.html for antvirus. I like Ccleaner as it haas a lot of good features. http://www.freewarefiles.com/CCleaner_program_14447.html muddler

Here's me favourite. http://www.freewarefiles.com/Clickster_program_27789.html muddler

This is a true story. Verified by my buddy's daughter. I have a friend that has his black belt in Kung Fu. He a a big burly guy. He's as nice as can be, calm pleasant and easy going. His gorgeous 16 year old daughter was going on her first date. The door bell rang and his daughter answerrd the door. The date (a young man of about 18 years old) plants a friendly quick smooch on his daughter. The dad rushes to the door and grabs the young man and kisses him right on the lips (very passonionately I'm told) and then let the kid go and walks a way. He turns around and says to the kid, "Have a great time, but remember, what ever you do to my daughter, im going to do the same thing to you." "What time do you want her home, sir?", the date asked. "12 o'clock would be fine,", answered the father. "She'll be home by 11." the shaken date said. And she was home by 11. muddler

This will Not get rid of telemarketers but it will give you an edge of a few seconds and it will also give you a tactful way of dismissing the telemarketer. Let's say for the sake of arguement that your name is Joe Smith, and your wife (spouse) is Ann Smith and you have a cat named Tiger and a dog named Spot. You can have your phone number listed under any name you want. Normally it would be listed under "Smith, J." or something like that. So when the phone rings , you hear, "Hello, Mr. Smith" or "Mrs. Smith". But if you had a 2-5 second lead knowing who was calling you, wouldn't that be nice? All you have to do is call your phone provider and have your phone number listed under a different name like, Joseph, S. or Spot, J.S. or Tiger, J.S. When the caller asks for Mr. Joseph, or Mr. Tiger or Mrs. Spot, the jig is up. Before they can say another word, you know it's not a legitimate caller, because if it was you would hear, Mr.Smith, Joe, Ann or something like that. People who have your number (freinds, work, relatives) would would use a proper greeting. So you can legitimently answer, "sorry, there is no,MR. ______ here.". If they get pushy I just tell them I'm not interested, thank you. If I won something I just tell them to send it over. I'll be waiting. But the key is I'm a couple seconds ahead of them and ready. This is not illegal and costs you nothing. Wait till you get the preappoved credit card for a Mr. J.S. Spot. When I was doing my workshops for senior citizen, they all changed thier phone listings this way and they loved it. It will show up in the phone book under the phoney name too. muddler

I do what both the guys (BillM and OhioFisherman) do sort of. I take a damp towel and fold it 4 times and put the line through the middle fold. The moisture keeps the line from getting hot. If I need a little more tension I put another towel on top of the damp towel. I only replace the firt 50-75 yds of line. Get more bang for the buck that way. Muddler

Ask for a tracking number from to other guy. You can track a parcel using this number. Just Google USPS and click on tracking. USPS is pretty slow but it gets here. Muddler

I also have an Epson Perfection V500 Photo flatbed scanner. When I installed the software from Epson I did not get a warning about diabling AVG. But go to the tray icon in the lower right corner of desktop... right click on AVG Icon and then click on 'Exit' then ... press yes. That should disable AVG until you reboot. muddler

Here's alink that might help you out... http://www.fishhead.com/articles/ventsex.htm Muddler

“Ignorance can be fixed, stupid is forever.” … Don Wood Teachers are overpaid, under worked, cut and paste 101, blah, blah, blah…… I’ve heard it all. I work hard than anyone else so you should all be like me, blah, blah, blah…… Everybody is a slacker except for me, blah, blah, blah…… Get a real job, blah, blah, blah…… Those that can do, those who can’t, teach blah, blah, blah…… Maybe we should put it all into perspective that we all can understand. I own a ton of high end tackle. I have built my own rods for almost 40 years now. I tie my own flies (steelhead fishing), make my own lures, floats and rigs. I read just about everything I can find about fishing. I’m proud of my fishing skills and enjoy I fishing a lot. My ex-father-in-law(he’s a millionaire) gave me many lectures now how I wasted my money on fishing tackle. All I really needed was some string attached to a stick, a bent straight pin and a worm and I could catch all the fish I wanted. Heck that’s what he did as a kid. And why on earth I would put the fish back rather than keep all you can catch and eat it is beyond him. No wonder I’m not rich. I never complained about my finances, but he always did. To travel to a river just to get some insect samples and try and duplicate them on a hook, or to scout a river, why that’s just insane. Driving 2-3 hours at 3:00 am to go fishing well that’s nuts. And spending that kind of money for tackle, well he can buy a whole state of the art outfit for $14.99 (on sale this week at CTC). A boat, depth sounder, GPS, blah, blah, blah……. Don’t need all these knots and lines, a couple of shoe knots and a heavy line will pull out anything that swims, blah, blah, blah……Fishermen are all spoiled today, blah, blah, blah…… Fishing is all luck, no skill required, blah, blah, blah…… So I smile and go fishing anyway. You get the idea. It doesn’t matter what the issue is, a little (sometimes very little) knowledge can be a very dangerous thing. “Ignorance can be fixed, stupid is forever.” … Don Wood Muddler

Real nice. Thanks!! Muddler

Depends where you're loacted. Angling Specialties can do it. They have 3 loactions, Mississauga, Woodbridge, and Kennedy and Steeles. You may want to do it yourself. It's not that hard to do. Reel seat, Cork handle, Butt cap, epoxy, sand paper and about 30 minutes work. Muddler

I just happen to be watching KIRO news fron Seattle a couple of days ago. The mayor of Seattle has offered to take a 3% pay cut and hopes that it sets an example for the rest of his staff. Now that's the kind of thinking we should all have. In todays Sudbury Star the headline reads,"Elementary teachers pressured to accept new $700-M deal today". Sounds good for the teachers, but once you read a little further it reads, "However, it doesn't appear to resolve a key issue: the union's demand that the province commit to closing a $711-per-student funding gap between elementary and high schools." So waht's all this about? Take a walk around your local Elementary School or better yet volunteer a day a week for a while. You will be shocked by what you see. $711 X 30 students per class = $21338 for resources and materials per class per year. Tough to argue that! Muddler

Oh, yes ! The favourite teacher bashing has started. I agree that this is not a good time to be talking strike. The teachers should be setting an example in these hard times, but....... It's always funny to hear the half truths from someone looking from the outside in. I have friends in all kinds of jobs. One is a bricklayer. He lives ina very nice house (mortgage free) and has two very nice SUVs. He goes to Florida for the winter, has a boat down there. I know he makes a pile of money (he won't tell me how much). He has all kinds of investments. What an over paid job. So one day he asked me to help him out. So this is my big break, I can learn how to make some big money. Up at 5:00 am and at the job site by 6:00 am we worked until sundown that summer day till about 9:300 pm. Now I think he's under paid. I worked one day and I was sore for a week. He does this 6 (sometimes 7) days a week. I think he earns his money. Another buddy is a heavy machine operator. You the those big rigs for excavting that you see on highway construction. He works like a dog and makes a lot of cash. Has the winters of to do whatever he wants. Nice job huh? Is he over paid? I've a pile of stories like that, and I'm sure you do too. Just about every job looks that way until you get in there and sniff around. Now let's look at teachers. In 2005 (it was the only data I could find in a hurry) the average daycare per child in Ontario was $420 per month. At that rate a teacher with 30 students for 10 months would earn ....lemme see....... $420 X 30 X 10 = $126000 . I could handle that. Oh yes, they have to teach too. Teach to strict Provincial tests (EQAO) so that when the school gets rated, they get blamed if the their school doesn't preform to some expection that is set by someone else. If the school scores are high, well the students are really great. Teachers are required to be educators, guidance councillors, coaches, cirriculmn planners and report to each parent if there are any concerns. Teach discipline , values and deal with every issue from , bullying, gangs, drugs, nutrition, hygene and abuse often with little support from some of the parents of these kids that need the most help. They take courses to improve their teaching skills and to stay on track with new changes in education in thier OWN TIME DURING THE SUMMERS! They take work home to be marked and corrected on a daily basis (most people don't get to see that). They have to prepare lessons that will motivate the students to learn (try that some time) and they do not have a choice in the topic s that they teach. $96000 at year if you last 10 years and you are in the top category, most start with a lot less than that. I'm a retired teacher. I was at work at 7:00 am and usually left at 7:00 pm. Once we had children of our own I left work at 5:00 pm (still got there at 7:00 am) and I would work after the kids went to bed. Weekends, what weekends? I was marking most weekends, but I had the summers off and I was over paid. A neighbour of my used to give me the gears on how easy my job was, over paid, summers of until his son married a teacher. Then he changed his tune a little. When he retired he volunteered at the local school for 2 days a week. A month late he apologized to me. He asked, "How do you put up with all the crap every day, yet alone teach?" He was a very successful hard working Civil Engineer. Yes, it always looks good from where you're standing. I respect everyone's job and I don't knock what they are making. If it was that easy we'd all be doing that job. Teachers are the easiest group to complain about. Why not, free daycare and an education to boot at a bargain price. The "love of teaching" is gone. Thank Mr. Mike Harris for that. Standardize everything taught and process the kids like little sausages. It's very cost effective. Enough! Muddler

I bought a digital kitchen scale a couple of weeks ago at Canadian Tire for $10. I use it to weight all my plugs/lures. I think that the price went back to $20, even at that price it's a good scale to have a round the house. muddler

Yup, in a pinch you could use that setup to power a small appliance. Having said that, I would use it in an emergency. Most car/truck converters will only allow up to 200 watts or so. That's not a lot. My TV draws 385 watts. My desktop computer draws just over 600watts. So I could not power my TV nor computer with it. I bought a 1000watt gas powered generator on sale for $149 for this winter just incase. That's considered small up here in Northern Ontario. Most of my neighbours have generators of 3500 watts and up. Muddler.