JohnF

There are definitely pros and cons to it, but if sensible ground rules are established at the outset it can be a nice inexpensive way to have a getaway spot. The alternative is always renting or laying out a lot more money and paying all the expenses yourself. Then you have to become a landlord and these days that can be a bigger headache than a partnership. Better the devil you know and all that ... And if it goes to hell in a handcart have an opt-out solution already agreed upon. The simplest is probably a shotgun buyout. JF

Take lots. I didn't and it got kinda thirsty out. Something about Garry's place makes beer evaporate. JF

Ahhhh! What do you know? JF

We had a hard rain this morning. Dunno if it was enough to muddy up the creek though. I'll head out and have a look later and let you know. if you wanna come down we can go exploring. If we don't see any bass we can check out the carp. If that doesn't work we can head down to the bottom end of Wildwood or back a few miles towards home for you and see if the pike are biting. I've gotta work till midday on Saturday but then I'm clear. I've tried very realistic looking worms (no scent though) but not real worms. That's about all that's left to try. Before this morning's rain the Thames was getting pretty clear, although silty from the flooding. JF

Same thing I'm finding around here. Lots of healthy looking minnows but no smallmouths. As someone else said, they've perhaps just relocated. We're in the process of exploring the areas we'd previously written off as non-productive, just in case. JF

Sounds to me like he's talking about creating their own private partnership, not a legally constituted timeshare. Other than the inherent problems of determining who gets what time of the year, and the risk that someone may not pull their share of the load when it comes to maintenance issues, I see nothing wrong with the concept. I might suggest doing something like the condo & timeshare corps do and collect a regular maintenance fee from each user to be retained in a secure account (all partners must sign withdrawals) with a formal accounting provided each year. This could be used then for unexpected maintenance issues instead of imposing a big hit on the partners when the issue arises. We have a number of weeks in a very good timeshare down in Mexico. We spend the month of January there for peanuts. It's a great concept if properly handled. JF

One wonders if Big Cliff's feeling the loss of his balls yet? JF

As a relatively recent returnee myself, after a hiatus of about 50 years, let me humbly add a few observations: Listen carefully to the folks who advise using braid. Get them to explain the advantages you get for the insignificant extra cost. I had it put on at the local shop from a bulk spool for $11 and with the amount I fish I'll probably change it out of boredom before it really needs to be changed. I think you've already addressed the issue of a decent rod for your specific applications pretty well Make a point of spending time with some knowledgeable fisherpersons. Not just avid fishers, but someone who has really thought about the process and made themselves informed. I learned more about baitcasting and bass/muskie fishing in a day on Garry2r's bassboat than in my own 2 years of fumbling and reading here, and from Bill Parker who spent a day showing me the basics of flycasting. Take advantage of the great resource we have here on OFC. If you don't already, read the equipment threads. They provide a load of insight and a wealth of experience. What I like is that the system seems to have it's own builtin Bull filter. The bad advice somehow gets highlighted, nicely, so you don't go galloping down the wrong road. And get out fishing with some of these OFC folks. It adds an entirely new dimension to the pleasure of it all, at least for me, and evidently for many others. Not only do you get some pretty good insider info, you have the fun of exploring new water with a guide, trying new gear, targeting new species with some experience at hand, trying new fishing styles (fly, baitcaster, wading, float, kayak, canoe, big lake trolling, floating platform, etc) without tying up a lot of money in something you might not even enjoy. The biggest bonus though is meeting new folks with a common interest, sometimes even forming lasting friendships. That doesn't mean every person you meet here has to become a near and dear friend, but it seems to me a man can never have too many friends. Just my two cents worth of pontification JF

Cliff. My first pair were those rubber units from CTC. I think they were on sale for $50 or $60, with boot feet. There's no comparison, honestly. Those are constricting and very hot. I thought it might just be my portly frame but my buddy got a pair as well and he has the very same problems. He's a scrawny little mite. We both have trouble climbing up some of the riverbanks we have to contend with because there's not enuf flexibility (in us OR the waders). I actually forget I'm wearing waders with these new ones. The others keep sending out reminders. JF

I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable mine are. They aren't as trim (formfitting) as neo but they sure feel good. There's no binding at all with them, no matter how deep you squat. That's nice when you're climbing out of a creek or up a hill to the road. JF

I picked up a pair of the Hodgman sockfoot breathable waders in the States a few months ago. They were too good a deal to pass up. My cousin had a coupon for the Dick's Sports store and they were on sale to boot so I think I paid something like $40 net for them. Then I got the felt soled boots on sale for $40 or $50. I didn't want neoprene. I know from using a neoprene drysuit for diving that I don't like the way they feel and they're hot in the summer. For cold water my shell drysuit was fine down to temps only a degree or so above freezing for dives of 45 minutes or so. The trick was to wear the proper undergarment. I really like the flexibility of my new waders and they're quite comfortable temperature-wise in warm weather, even when you're standing in very shallow water. We often climb out of the creek and jump in the car to drive a few miles to another spot. I don't have to take off the waders. I wouldn't want to spend too much time out of the water in a pair of neoprenes. The boots have lots of support and the felt is excellent for walking on the river rocks we get into. I haven't had the stuff long enough to know how well it will stand up. I'm careful to remove the insole and set them up in a well-ventilated spot as soon as I get home. The other nice thing about the breathable fabric versus the neoprene is that the neoprene tends to hold more water and takes a long time to dry. If you ever have problems with the sockfeet take the waders to a good dive shop. They can replace 'em. JF

I wish mine looked like that at 62. JF

Bring 'em on. What's with the pink spots on the big boy? JF

And since Garry2Rs showed me how to use a Palomar knot I've had no problems with tying braid, and it's a very easy knot to tie. JF

Opinions are split 50/50 on that. When I got my first baitcaster I followed the recommendation to go with braid. It made sense at the time. In fact I had no tangles so bad I lost any line and in retrospect I wish I had gone with the braid from the gitgo. I thought the stretchy feel of the mono was even more pronounced with the baitcaster than the spinning reels for some reason. I actually think now that it would have been easier learning to cast with braid now that I've switched to it. BTW, I have Superbraid on my reel now. It feels great. JF

Join the club. I've been out 4 times on my little piece of river and been skunked, at least by the usually dependable bass. We hauled in a few hammerhandles the other night, but even the rock bass are laughing at us. It's getting pretty discouraging to tell the truth. These are spots that will always give up at least one or two smallmouths. We've decided that the flooding right around bass opener weekend must have traumatized the bass or something. Doesn't seem to have bothered the pike though. I've thrown every kind of lure I own and twitched and jerked it every whichaway but nada. Rob says he's never had a shutout like this before on the river. On the kid front - my son is about to turn 32 and I'm still trying to get him out fishing. I guess I'll just have to wait for grandkids or borrow someone else's. JF

Nursery school? JF

Those were the days, my friend. I drove mostly sporty cars but apparently I had a pretty good feel with a clutch so some of the guys used to appoint me designated driver with their muscle cars for match races. The best of both worlds for me. All the fun with no investment. Surprising how much easier it was to power shift someone else's money. I particularly liked the feel of those chevy 4 ways. Chrysler's weren't any fun at all. JF

I think you've pretty well hit the nail on the head. Fishermen are like anyone else, well - perhaps we tend to lie a bit more than average - and we do let ourselves fall victim to paradigms. If there were fish in a certain spot last year, then it'll be good again this year. Some of us recognize that fish tend to move around slightly for whatever reasons seem to matter to them. For example, one particular area where I fish most of the time there are now no pike that I can see, yet I clearly remember seeing and catching pike there as a kid decades ago. Others have confirmed that memory so I know I'm not imagining it. To some who can't imagine simply moving to a new spot to try for pike, that might well be interpreted as a pike decline, even general decimation of the species. To me that just means the pike have a new locus, not that the pike population has declined. In fact, I was told just yesterday of a particular area where the pike are so numerous they've become a nuisance and the locals slit their throats before throwing them back, like gobies. I'm not interested in starting a rant about ethics etc, just mentioning an example. There are a number of factors that have to be considered. Fishing pressure - has there been a renewed interest in fishing of late? Weather patterns - has our changing climate somehow affected the fish behaviours? Conservation Authority activities - have all the new water controls altered fish habits? Environmental Issues - have we crudded up our waterways so thoroughly that we've genetically altered the fish in them? Cottage developments - have we disrupted the ecology of certain areas by developing areas for human habitation? Seems reasonable to me that any or all of these could lead to changes in fish behaviour, possibly to a change in fish population as well. Probably only a well-planned province-wide fish census run by some organization like the MNR will really produce a factual analysis, and given how overtaxed the MNR resources appear to be, I'm not sure they can even be depended on for more than the odd localized survey. So I doubt we'll know for a certainty any time in the near future whether fish stocks are generally in decline or not. Probably the best answers will come from folks just like us who might pool their respective observations and come up with a reasonable consensus. Another benefit of a board like this, not to revive that discussion either. JF

Bet you didn't really care how much gas cost. JF

Check the backbone on the $20 rod. I've got some cheap rods and they're fun to cast with once you figger out the timing, but they're not great for getting a good hookset. JF

That'll help. JF

That just sounds wrong. JF

Nope. Got the letter the other day. The wording is typically convoluted. I'm still not sure if my corporate cell plan still includes the free incoming texts or not. If not I suspect we'll all be shopping for another provider, or coming up with some alternative to the texting. It's only a minor inconvenience to do without. JF

Punk! JF