JohnF

As someone else said, it's a man thing, going mano a mano against a 2 or 3 pound carnivore in his own natural element (I wade mostly), anticipating his every move (they're cunning little fellers for something with a brain the size of a pea), stalking him at risk of life and limb (we have a lot of slippery rocks where we fish) and finally being able to hold him high for the victory pic to prove to other manly men that I can actually best a creature of the wild 1/100 of my size. What's not to like? Besides, It's either carp, suckers or bass in my part of the province unless I wanna drive an hour or more (usually more) and I wouldn't trade one hour of quality creek time for a whole day of trolling for the denizens of the deep - been there, done that - seriously boring. Sure, it's fun when you finally hook into a big fella but the hang time sux. I'll take slipping and sliding over slippery rocks for hours any day over hours doing nothing in a boat - waiting. JF

You misunderstood me. I'm going thru my 6th teenhood now. My wife doesn't always understand either. JF

I used to use my company email addy in a newsgroup that was renowned for it's argumentative nature. It never occurred to me that my innocuous posts would draw anyone's ire, but they did. One of the posters from Florida pm'ed me asking if I thought it was wise to use my company's name in posts that the world could see. I replied "Ehh". He gave me a kind of lecture about how the real world operated (real world to him being the internet, which spoke volumes) but I decided that discretion being the better part of valour I should cease and desist dragging my company's good name throught the mud of that particular newsgroup. He must have been impressed as he availed hisself of my services when it came time to buy a property in Canada, even though it wasn't in my own back yard. That proves it pays to suck up. Sometimes I think we read too much into the power of the internet. That being said, we perhaps also give it too little weight. Does that make any sense at all? For those who get it, bless you and your offspring. JF

Edit = OOPS????? JF

Jeez. Seems to me welder's goggles might be more appropriate for having one of those monstro muskie lures comes zinging back at yer face. JF

So we'll have none of those shots of bass being as "excited" as some of our carp caught this spring? I can't help thinking of that old line "Is that a gun in yer pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" I suspect Beans' post was done in exactly the same vein as this one. It's giving us all a little laff. We know our wprld is rife with hypocrisy, and there's not much we can do but laff at some of it. Given all the do-gooder bleeding heart types around we sure ain't gonna fix it any time soon. I think we're all in agreement that immigrants should assimilate, fisherpersons should only photograph bass after the 4th Friday in June, and carp are all as horny as we were in our teens. Would that we should be as lucky. Oh wait ...... JF

I found the material at Fabricland here in Stratford for $2/meter. It's lighter than I'd like but fine for knives. At least it'll be easier to sew. I'd probably go to a scuba store for some weight belt material for a slightly heavier gauge. JF

Oh, that A stands for Awesome? JF

Isn't that "like a turd of hertles". JF

I live to serve. JF

I know, I know. What's it worth to you? JF

The fillet knife thread reminded me of a trick we learned while diving for making knife sheaths. Use nylon weave strapping material similar to seat belts or utility bag straps, double it over and sew up the sides. Put a loop on the back from the top down for a belt loop. You can get different thicknesses from stuff like seat belt material to the thick stiff stuff we used for weight belts. The webbing I use is 2" wide and when thick enough, it will clamp onto the knife to hold it even when I'm upside down in the water, so surely well enough to keep a belt knife or a fillet knife in. If you want to use it for pliers or scissors you put a second flap on the front with velcro sewn onto the two parts. If anybody wants to try it and needs more detail I can post pics of some of mine. JF

Admittedly I'm a Leafs fan, have been since I was a kid back in the 50's. They've had they're moments, good and bad. I'm optimistic that they're on the cusp of a breakout over the next few years. It may be modest and unassuming compared to say, the Boy Wonders in Pitt, or the Iron Men in Detroit, but it will give us something to cheer about besides a few fleeting moments of victory. When you've cheered for them for as many years as I have you learn to accept the crumbs that are tossed your way, and to rein in the emotions that younger fans allow to run wild. And like a loved but slightly backward child, you never give up hope that they'll make you proud again one day. This latest reincarnation that's abuilding offers hope of the real thing, not just another shell team. From the GM down to the rookies there's a better feel than I've had in years, and Burke's too crusty and experienced not to make some gains in the pre-season building that's going on. It may take a few years but we're gonna see some solid Leaf seasons yet. JF

We got a light shower here. Now it's clearing. Just made it even more humid. I stood outside barbecuing chicken thru the whole thing. My neigbour was cutting his lawn while it happened. I don't want a downpour. It'll just crap up the creeks here. They're too small to handle too much outflow. JF

Not exackly sure why you'd wanna cover them, but hey - to each his own. And Farrah got the attention of more than just you 70's kids. Us twenty-somethings took notice of her too, but from a purely critical point of view. We weren't allowed to have her poster on the bedroom wall. Whenever my then new wife caught me ogling Miss Farrah's pic (somewhere other than in our modest little apartment) I'd say something like "Dear, do you have any idea how much you ressemble her, whatever her name is?" And she'd say something unladylike in response, and usually hit me with something hard. I guess she cottoned onto the fact that she had very short red hair and freckles and had a water skiers shoulder development, but hey, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I can honestly say that today she looks a heckuva lot better than Farrah, no disrespect intended to either of them. I'm sure Farrah would forgive me after all those years of objectification by us slobs. Thanks for the memories, Farrah. I almost pulled the old joke there, but even I am capable of a modicum of respect for the dear departed. JF

I don't "get" Stern and friends. But then I don't "get" any of this reality tv. There's not much reality about it. Just a bunch of folks trying for their few seconds of fame by being offensive on tv. That seems to describe Stern as well. But I sure like the old music. Channel 6 is almost always on my car radio. Takes me back to the post-puberty years. JF

You don't have to defend yourself. Don't get sucked into her game. If she get too persistent just tell her to "Have another burger.". JF

Found some data: When a female enters the male's territory, a complex dance occurs, with the pair rubbing and biting each other. The actual act of spawning occurs in about 5 seconds, and is repeated for up to 2 hours. Females lay upwards of 2,000 eggs at each spawning (Smith, 1979). After spawning is complete, the female is chased off, and will occasionally mate again with another male. The eggs hatch in 4-6 days, and the fry remain in the nest for approximately two weeks before dispersing (Neves, 1975; Scott and Crossman, 1998). Breeding/spawning season Spawning typically occurs between March and May. Onset is based mainly on degree-days, when temperatures exceed 10°C (Shuter et al., 1980). In the extreme northern tail of its distribution, spawning may be delayed a month, and begin in April and run through June. Time to hatching 2 to 3 days Time to independence 2 weeks (average) Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female) 3 to 4 years Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male) 3 to 4 years Here's the source for smallmouths: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site...s_dolomieu.html Here are some other fish: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site...trarchidae.html It seems like a decent and relevant resource for us in Ontario. JF

Thanks JP. I'm just trying to get a handle on what stage of spawning we're at around here. I've been prowling the creeks a couple of times lately and haven't seen any sign of nests or pregnant females. Here's another question. Typically, how long do the parents sit guard the nests after the little ones get active, or do they? JF

I have no imagination, and John beat me to John, so I'm JohnF. Truth is I was afraid I'd forget who I was here and start answering my own posts. That could be embarrassing, especially if I got into an argument with me and lost. JF

I'm seeing a lot of little smb's swimming around in the river here. I'm talking groups of 3 or 4 all about 4" long. How old would these be? Any chance they're this year's crop? JF

No way. Colourfully wrapped bass boats are like Nascar to us cold water fishers. We all settle for tillers but secretly covet a 20' 250 horse ripsnortin' bassboat. At least give us the thrill vicariously. On that note a nice little addition to on-screen programming would be stereo boat sound while on plane, the nastier the better. I wanna feel the boat run across my tv room at 70mph. And include a little corner screen insert showing the gps speed reading when running the boat. JF

As already stated there's no need for a wire leader for bass, they have no teeth. But on the other hand if, like me, you get into bass pools that you know also hold pike you may want to use one occasionally. Also as stated , the bass don't seem to be line shy. I've caught 'em on red braid tied direct and with wire leaders and swivels clipped to the lure. In fact my PB smb was on a black leader and a white tube in clear fast water, kind of a flukey catch in fact. My only beef with leaders for bass has also already been covered - the little extra weight and stiffness may mess up the action of certain lures like rapala minnows. I say use 'em if you want, but check out how they mess with your different lures in some clear water before you actually fish with 'em. I check all mine out in my pool before they hit the river. Surprising how many track a little funny even when tied correctly and need a little adjustment. On that note I've also noticed that the speed of the retrieve affects how the lure tracks as well, so vary your speeds in the pool. JF

Got it on both the new cars and absolutely no problems. And I can't believe it's an antenna issue the way the car squirms around on the ground. Unless the non-auto antennas are directional which doesn't make sense if they can use omni-directional for cars. The only time I lose signal is under bridges or in my garage. JF

I agree. I think Burke will shake up the troops. He's just surly enuf to scare even some of those pampered swollen egos. I have a suspicion they'll be more inclined to produce for him. JF