JohnF

I don't know about the rest of you but I'd prefer to have a fishing discussion area and a general discussion area. Then one can choose to read fishing threads, non-fishing threads, or both. Has anyone else ever suggested this?

I've spent some time in a non-fishing forum with members of long standing where the mods can move an off topic thread to another section if it takes on a life of it's own but is worth preserving. That way the majority only have to monitor one section but can follow a thread they like if it gets moved. Otherwise they just monitor the main section. It stands to reason that folks who become familiar with one another may want to branch out in their discussions.

I suppose the other concern is whether bandwidth and storage are an issue here?

JF

...and you'll know what to get her for Christmas, Birthdays, Valentine's Day...all those special days.

A filet knife and cleaning board?

JF

what the...

Don't go there.

JF

I've seen some locals catching what I believe were Bonefish on the lagoon side of Cancun, but never anything on the Ocean side. They were targeting the mangrove overhangs with small plugs.

 

Craig

I've seen them in there spear fishing from canoes/kayaks. I asked a local about it and he said you wouldn't catch him swimming in the mangroves because of the crocs. I think they catch some kind of snapper in the mangroves. That lagoon is pretty shallow judging by the silt plume we set up from the dive boats. It might be the kind of flats area favoured by bonefish etc. I understand there are some inshore saltwater species targeted down at the Punta Nizuc end where the channel goes out to the sea but I can't see what goes on down there from our resort.

JF

Just wondering..

 

When driving a car with an auto transmission, do any of you ever use the other gears like 3, 2, 1? I was told to always drive it in D or overdrive, if so equiped. Putting the car in the lower gears is a risk, so I was told.

 

Any opinions to the contrary?

Probably only shift manually if you want to do a little street racing and think you've got a better feel than the transmission for power band. With many (or all) of the newer vehicles the computer does a better job than most drivers of handling adverse road conditions. Some vehicles have full manual over ride so you can get the sporty shift feel or get better feel for slippery conditions, if you have that knack. For the most part I just go with the final drive selection for my driving. My SUV has an override setting for situations like hauling a trailer up the ramp but it's definitely not recommended for cruising. My wife's car has a transmission selector for sporty driving or sedate driving but I don't think I've ever used the S setting other than to try it out. It just makes more noise anyhow. Now with the heightened awareness of street racing I doubt I'll be using it again.

JF

Ahh, the venerable Whale Shark... the largest fish in the world!

You shoulda seen the reaction from the folks on the beach that day. They generally aren't cruising in that area in January and I'm pretty sure they don't normally come that close to the beach. It wasn't a big one, probably not much more than 25'. A few of my friends have been lucky enough to be in the water when they encountered one.

JF

not sure about january, but i caught several off the beach one night this past june. nothing real big, about 6 lbs was the biggest, but still had alot of fun. i used calamari that i got from walmart up near market 28.

jason

Don't remember seeing any of those fish on the reefs. Lots of grouper though. They're everywhere, and a lot of Stingrays, Angels, Morays, Barracuda, etc. Probably different fish hang around on the flats. We sit on the balcony with our coffee and watch the charters go out in the morning. I imagine there's a fair amount of seasickness on those charters. It's a fun ride for little boats. Some days I can't wait to get off the dive boat and under water. It's nice and smooth down below but I've floated in troughs 10 to 12' top to bottom waiting for the boat to pick us up, and that was only a half mile or so offshore.

JF

I suppose a few cold nights may cause the imminent migration to begin.

Are imminents in season now?

JF

Please tell me your telling fish stories!!

 

Please provide a picture of your 52" pike

 

Gerritt.

Dunno about 52" but I've heard of and seen some sizeable pike taken out of the south end of the lake. A firend of mine who goes out regularly says it's common to see folks from Toronto out there on the weekend hunting pike.

JF

Isn't that the stuff they warn about when eating Barracuda?

JF

i used to live in stmarys and always fished wildwood and in stmarys by the dam and by the legion. in wildwood is awsome fishing my biggest pike from there is 52 inches and in stmarys there is the odd trout ive caught 2 small ones about 10 years ago

I grew up across the river from the Legion and that's where we caught mudpuppies and mink (both nasty spiteful critters), but no trout.

No doubt the river is cleaner than it was back in the 50's though. In those days one didn't wanna catch the kind of trout we saw. Perhaps for old times sake we need to try out Trout Creek again.

JF

Our son had it done in London a few years ago (Lazik I believe). He figgered if it was good enuf for Tiger Woods it was good enuf for him. Unfortunately his game didn't improve to Tiger's level. Matt's eyes weren't bad before the procedure but glasses are a nuisance for a golf pro.

I've asked him several times if he was still happy with it and he says absolutely and he never had a hint of a problem.

When we were first researching it for him we were told by everyone to beware the cheap offerings.

JF

I see the occasional stalwart tending his gear out on the beach in Cancun each year although I've never seen anything caught. Anyone here one of those folks? If so I'll say hello in January as I wander in the sand.

I'm curious to know what they're expecting to catch. I know what's out on the reefs off the point and down by Punta Nizuc from diving there but the only fishy looking thing I've seen close to the beach in between was a whale shark that cruised by a few years ago.

JF

As for the Thames by St. Mary's if you can find any holes deep enough you absolutely can catch some decent smallies and pike, this year however I walked about 3 miles of the river a couple of times and only caught one 1/4 lb smallie because there was NO WATER in the river.

Early in Bass season we were catching lots of smallies down by the conveyor and just below Science Hill but those spots haven't even been productive recently. At least the water below the dam isn't as green and icky looking as everything up above the dam. I guess the carp everywhere are supposed to make up for the absent bass.

JF

there were trout in that creek back then right?

 

Thats way before my time. its all pike in there now, and some largemouth.

Rumour has it a few of the largemouths have slipped through the dam and taken up residence in White's Hole. I grew up on Trout Creek down in St.Marys in the 50's & 60's and I never caught one trout in it. I remember my dad saying they used to walk out to that part of the creek (what's now below the dam) to fish when they were kids but he never said what they caught except for one huge Snapping Turtle. Truth is there wasn't much alive in Trout Creek but rock bass (small), shiners, sunfish (small), turtles, mink, mudpuppies and carp. There were bass and pike above the dam on the Thames, and a lot of Snappers. Below the dam there were plenty of carp and big suckers although Hardy White's Hole was always good for a bass or two. We still wade the Thames above and below St.Marys - lotsa smallies and a few pike below the dam. The other end of Wildwood is great for fair-sized pike, as, I'm told, is the creek below the dam.

JF

This was before the lake was originally filled about 40 years ago. It may provide an insight into the lake bottom in the dam area. Most likely it has silted up some over the years.

 

 

Best Wishes: Rick

Interesting. I helped build that road as a summer job while I was in school.

JF

Well Bill were are those pictures ?

They were carpet fishing????

JF

Mebbe you should get yerself one of those fighting chairs to keep him safe in the Crestliner.

Congratulations to all of you. Some folks will tell you the first born is the most powerful experience for Dad, but the only difference with the second is the doctor doesn't make you sit down cuz you look like yer gonna pass out. 32 years later I can still recall going around in a daze for hours after our first arrived. Part of it I think was fear that I wasn't nearly ready to be a Dad and part was excitement about all the great things we were gonna share. Next thing I knew they were asking for the car keys, but we had great times along the way. It all goes by too darned fast, so don't miss any of it.

Again, congratulations Pop,

JF

I have about an inch of snow so far, anyone else wake up to the white stuff?

 

Pam

Bleah!!!!! My dive buddy Rudy is slipping. He usually lets us know when the white stuff hits yer town. He knows we hate the idea that it's coming.

Sheesh. I was actually wondering whether or not I needed to bother with my waders when I go out to the creek on the weekend or if the old shoes would suffice. Now you've made me feel cold. It has to be the waders.

JF

Jocelyn at Angling Outfitters in woodstock has a good selection, and cheaper too.

The new store in Stratford has 'em too. I stopped in to check this morning. Apparently they're not all that easy to find in some areas. They sure do look like my Rapalas. Is there some difference in the action? I have a few (I think) in the box of stuff I picked up used but I haven't got 'em wet yet.

JF

Here is how we fix the Leafs. We feed them the same breakfast Tucker eats everyday. Nails and rebar!

But cut him off from chewing the ice cubes. They induce brain freeze at less than opportune moments, and that leads to penalty kills, and we know where those lead.

Toronto needs to trade some bulk for some speed. The Sundin line looks good if Blake is okay to play. The new goalie looks promising but can't do it all alone back there. A couple of defensive d's would be nice. Offensive dee is great but not when you're on defense most of the time because you're being outskated, outsmarted and outnumbered. As much as I like the grit from guys like McCabe and Tucker (and I liked Domi even better) I'm afraid they're too costly with their giveaways and penalties and the Leafs would do better with a couple of different players with better hands, better judgement and consistent awareness.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a long time Leafs fan, even when they're losing. I can't help getting my hopes up going into the end of the regular season every year, hoping against hope that they pull off some miracle on ice, knowing no rabbit will be coming out of any hat. I stick with the playoffs to the bitter end but it's never the same once the Leafs have gone golfing.

YMMV

JF

That's a very cute salmon right behind him, or did you mean "here's a few pics of my son with the salmon ... and the gf."?

JF

Thanks. Tomorrow we'll head up Elora way and work south. I don't expect to get in much fishing with her along anyway. This is more a chance to scout out likely entry places and promising looking venues. I'll take some gear just in case but I won't be too disappointed if I don't get into the water. The thing I forgot to mention is that she thinks we should canoe the length of the Grand next summer doing it in stages. She says she'll drive the canoe if I want to fish along the route. But I'm also looking for spots for me to get out by myself later. Exploring is always fun.

I'm also hoping to get my son to join me on some of these runs. He actually got a license this year and borrowed some of my gear so he could wet a line when he was on vacation near Huntsville. As long as he has no house reno projects ongoing, no music gigs, no dates and no golf games or lessons scheduled he might join me. Given that he's a handsome young golf professional who plays in a band and owns his own house (dubbed by his buddies as the ultimate bachelor pad) the odds of finding times when he has none of the above scheduled are slim to nil, but a father can only hope.

Thanks again for the headsup on the soupy conditions.

JF

... together tomorrow. If you can believe it, my non-fisherperson wife has actually suggested that we take off in the car and explore the Grand River for possible fishing spots for me to try. She even printed off maps. We're only 30 minutes or so from KW or Paris so it's a reasonable drive for a morning or evening run for me.

I'm getting a little tired of the same old scenery on the Thames between Stratford and London and would like to see some new riverbanks. That's not to say the smallies aren't fun and plentiful around home but I think they all know me by name now. They don't even squirm when I stick my thumb in their little mouths any more. Familiarity breeds contempt, and I think those boys are getting just a little too familiar.

Suggestions of spots to check out are welcome ( I keep secrets well) and access points with parking. C&R suits me best, and barbless hooks.

I'm also open to meeting up with any of the members here who want to show me around new territory. I'm into wading, wet or dry. My work hours are very flexible so mid-week stuff is fine. I'd like to add some new species to my card. In my two summers of fishing around home I've been limited to a variety of bass (sm, lm, & rock), with the occasional small pike. We have lotsa carp but I haven't bothered with them yet although I'm tempted.

No flyfishing yet although I've got some gear. That'll be next year's learning curve.

I know this should go in the other section but I was so impressed with my wife's offer that I wanted to brag about her to all of you.

JF

Her big goal is to get products of her own design into her store. The challenge comes in finding companies that can give her quotes on molds and production costs. She managed to get one quote from a company, and two others didn't respond. She does not have patents on her designs which makes me nervous for her, but she is unable to come up with the required monies for the patents.

 

I would also appreciate any thoughts on expanding her market...right now she's focusing on those using wheel chairs, I've suggested seniors and advertising in publications geered to them, any other ideas? Inexpensive advertising?

 

All your thoughts and help is much appreciated.

Well, it's Sunday morning & the coffee cup is full, so here it is from my perspective. Hope this helps.

I read a few responses already posted and they have covered some of the important things nicely.

As for getting her own ideas into production. Since she evidently hasn't the financial resources to do this, perhaps she needs to look for a sponsor to get involved as an investor/partner - she provides the ideas, the partner provides the finances and perhaps some business acumen. If the ideas are truly marketable a share is better than nothing for her, and sufferers stand to benefit from her ideas. The idea of mailing a copy of the proposal to herself might help to protect her ideas from theft by anyone she involves in this search for investors but I wouldn't assume it will protect her in a race to the patent office if someone else happens to come up with the same idea coincidentally. At least she could show a paper trail from her to certain recipients and claim some kind of intellectual property or inventor rights later - I'm not sure of the proper terminology.

If on the other hand her ideas are simple enough for unskilled assembly/production she might consider taking them to a local handicapped adult workplace. We have these in our area. Local businesses ask for help with simple chores like potato peeling for restaurants to envelope stuffing and unsophisticated assembly and packaging projects. This would again likely require some infusion of capital for the materials and packaging so I go back to the idea of a sponsor/partner. A patent lawyer would be able to answer this one but it seems to me that going into production with a simple design would establish some kind of basis for claiming concept rights should someone else try to steal the design later.

Our friend from Ohio makes a good point about looking to the MS groups (as well as Arthritis and other specific support groups that have to deal with physical disabilities0. They might be good folks to get involved in promoting the web site with something as simple as links on personal websites and group support sites (she could get a banner or logo designed and offer it for downloading), as well as perhaps steering her to potential investors willing to help patent, produce, & promote worthwhile products. I know from family experience that the support infrastructures for MS and Arthritis victims are strong and viable locally so it's reasonable to assume that they function as well in a larger context, nationally or even internationally.

There, my coffee cup is empty. All of this has probably already occurred to her or been suggested, but sometimes it helps to see it reiterated or worded a little differently. Hope it helps.

JF