JohnF

Afraid of being slapped?????? JF

Try calling your local MP's office. Sometimes they can offer suggestions to expedite these things. JF

Ya got my vote. I really don't care if they had any intention of coming back for it. They'd had more than enough "fun" abusing it for too long already and had abdicated any further claims in my mind. So screw 'em and their rights. Of course I'm pretty much just C&R. My fishing buddy OTOH usually keeps at least one of the fish we get for a meal. He breaks their necks immediately when caught, strings the carcass (on long grass or a twig if necessary) and leaves it in flowing water till he's done fishing, then cleans and gets the meat into a cooler bag asap back at the car. If he's releasing his catch he treats them like babies. He's appalled at the idea of live fish being strung up. When he first started taking me out to the rivers he railed about this. To him hunting for meat is natural, but there's no justification for cruelty to dumb critters that can't defend themselves against us. He even hates live wells but then he's never been a deep water fisherman. He's been a wader and kayak guy for over 50 years. If he wasn't such a luddite and used a computer for amusement and edification like the rest of us he'd be on here commending you too. I agree that we have to respect the rights of others to their catch, but we also have to be true to our own convictions. SOMMVOT (Some others' mileage may vary on this) JF

I would think that if there are a number of you all staying there that they'd better not make any waves about whatever arrangements you want to make, within reason. In fact, methinks they'd be wise to ante up here with some kind of very acceptable solution. YMMV. If in their apparent ignorance of what "service industry" means they feel compelled to give any argument about y'all making yer own arrangements, ask them if there's some misunderstanding about the words "service industry" and "Hospitality services" and "Better Business Bureau". If they laugh that one off, ask if "word of mouth" and "several thousand members" rings any bells. They might recognize this as an IQ test for business operators. JF

If Life was a person, he would be one twisty weird bugger. Sadly, we all have the headstones as proof. But then there's hardly ever a good time for good folks to die. JF

There's always the danger that knowing a trout was looking up yer butt might induce a little sphincter clampage. I saw these seats in the Fishing Store in Stratford. They worry me. Visions of a barbed hook in the cheek come to mind. JF

Nah. A female would go for his wallet. 8) So who's the gigantic guy being attacked? JF

Is there duty on shipments of fishing gear out of the states? I seem to recollect someone saying there was no duty for fishing gear, but if so there will likely be brokerage fees as well. I got caught on this with some dive gear a few years ago. Turned what looked like a great deal into a not so good one in the end. JF

Now that is what I call one impressive report. Congratulations on all fronts. JF

Nah. It just tells you if you made a wrong turn along the road. JF

Yes! You do! It was on special at BassPro for $29.99 wasn't it? JF

It occurs to me that this part of the post comes off like some kind of bragging. It wasn't meant to sound that way. Truth is most of those setups were purchased very very cheap (and feel like it) or I got 'em used somehow. Fiddling with mechanical things is a hobby of mine. It's fun trying to make a cheap reel work something like decently and then to match that reel with a cheap rod to get a somewhere near decently balanced setup. One of my favourite combos is a $9.95 reel bought from a bin at Dick's Sports mounted on a $10 rod found in a clearance sale at Gander Mountain. A little fiddling with the reel to make the drag work better and voila - a pretty nifty & very light rig for peanuts. It's kinda light in the action but great fun for Bass and panfish. JF

I'm probably the saddest guy you've ever seen whenever I break (or drown) one of my toys, but hey, it's a great excuse to buy a new one. You're talking to a guy who took up fishing last summer, has caught nothing but little bitty river Bass and short skinny Pike (and a few weeny critters that don't qualify as real gamefish) and I already have 14 reels hanging on my den wall, and at least one rod for each of 'em. On the floor there are two largish tackle boxes (full), so don't get to thinking I'm inclined to be fearful of acquiring new toys. If you asked my wife you'd see something like this - Actually, now that I think about it, I have several more rods and reels loaned out that I forgot about. I even have a big ole trolling rod and monster level winder reel hanging there and I haven't been near a boat for anything but diving in the last 6 or 8 years. I really should find a better home for it so it can get some fresh air and exercise and not just whither away here in my landlocked basement. Someday I may get a boat and then I can get it back and put it to use myself. Any volunteers? Perhaps it will cadge some invites for me on it's residence vessel. I'm familiar with drowning camera gear from my diving. Mebbe I'm more cautious than most because of that. I keep a neck lanyard on my cameras when I'm fishing now and just tuck the camera into the bib pocket inside my waders. That's why I want a slimmer cam. The ones I have are kinda bulky for carrying there. JF

And the amount of line on the spool? JF

I'm looking too. I have several cameras now but I want something compact enough to carry when fishing, economical to buy and operate, and with decent lens components and reasonable optical zoom, resolution & processing speed. I'm a Canon fan because of the lenses they use in the slightly higher end cams (dunno if they use 'em in the little bitty models as well), but my family members have convinced me that Fuji and Panasonic are doing good things too, although the Panasonic fan has admitted that he'd go Fuji if he got to do a rerun. For this camera my non-negotiable terms are AA batteries and SD card (great deals available these days and most new laptops have readers built in) and a price of less than $200 Water resistant would be a plus, or the option of a reasonably priced case (not likely) but for the price I'll pay I'm willing to take my chances with dunking it. The same features will be available a year from now for less than $100. JF

Sheesh. Glad to know it was the fish.

Maybe they're only counting those fishing trips with the guys. JF

Jeez. You buy big beers. JF

I've often thought that the smart way to maintain a house cat would be to have it stuffed. No more feeding, no more litter box, no more hairballs, dead mice and birds dropped at yer feet. When you go away no special arrangements needed, just dust old Kitty off when ya get home. If you want the sound effects have the taxidermist implant a little audio device (preferably not under the tail) that would offer up intermittent purring sounds triggered by a motion sensor device. I've never found cats to be all that personable anyway so why put up with any aggravation from them? You could kill two birds with one stone (no pun intended) if you were to keep Kitty handy to your tying bench and just clip the odd pinch of fur for the ties at hand. Admittedly Kitty might get a little bald looking over time but hey, it would make for easier dusting. JF

Imagine how the bass feel once they get that vile stuff in their mouths. It's not like they can just go and brush their teeth to get rid of it. I have visions of some poor little unhooked bass scootin' for the nearest gravel to gargle with sand. JF

Whew! Just opened my first pack. They are foul. Sure hope they smell better to the bass than they do to me. Now I'm going to wash my hands. Yuck. JF

I remember my tropicals would sometimes get into the stream of water falling from the spillway on the filter. They'd tip their little faces upward and swim for all they worth, going nowhere, but they just kept at it. I wondered if it was because the O2 was down in the tank or if they just got a rush from the O2 that was being added to the water by the splash aeration. Mebbe the suckers are just experiencing an O2 high. JF

I've been reading this thread with mixed feelings. I've witnessed close friends' and relatives' demises and know how hard it is for folks to put themselves close to those who are "bound for glory". I've seen very caring people who just couldn't bring themselves to go face to face with the condemned. They didn't know how to handle it, so they didn't. For that I heartily commend you guys. I know how hard it is. I've been there, and I know how tempting it is to just walk away and ignore them, taking the easy road. On the other hand think about your friend's bravery, or fortitude, commitment, love, whatever it's called, for not letting his infirmity get in the way of working with you guys to give him what may well be his last hurrah. Too often those who are sick become so immersed in their own problems that they take their friends' support for granted. So my hat's off to Kareem too. He's proved what a trooper he is, and what a good friend by his own actions. You're a good lot in my book, all three of you. Would that everyone dealt with these kinds of circumstances with the same poise. JF

I think I saw yer dog the other day - 400 pounds with 3 testicles. Nice puppy. JF

We've been experimenting with single strands of picture hanging wire. Unravel the individual pieces of the twisted wire. Select the one that catches yer fancy. Make it as long as you can handle on the cast. Bend a clean edged loop on the line end and twist it securely around itself making certain the cut end of the wire is facing the lure or bait and has no burrs. On the lure end wind it till secure, then make sure you bend the wire end toward the lure. This stuff is fairly malleable and can be bent directly onto the lure eye. It sounds hokey but it works fine. If done right there are no catchy places for the weeds to get a grip. If you can't find the right kind of wire, let me know and I'll ask my artist fishing buddy what the wire is. I only know he said it was picture hanging wire and it works. If tied/wound carefully there are no sharp edges to catch the weeds and the pike can't bite thru it. JF