bigreddog

Mississauga here. Thunderstorms are moving through here as well now. Thunder, lightning, rain, small hail so far -- but at least it hasn't been a soaker yet.

I remember going to Japango almost every week years ago with my wife. Always a wonderful experience, small and intimate, and of course, the food! Sadly, it's been a long time since I've been. I'll have to rectify that sometime soon.

The Angling Specialties location at Hwy 7 and Keele in Concord carries some of the nicer Daiwa rods, as does Gagnon Sports in Oshawa, if I recall correctly. I am no expert on blanks, but I've heard that GLX still has the edge on sensitivity over the top St. Croix blanks. St. Croix seems to have better customer support in the area, but again, it's only what I've heard. GLoomis has also announced they're quitting the blanks biz this year, so that may be a factor too. Cheers.

It probably didn't have anything to do with CAA. The caller is just using the company name as "plausible cover" for a scam. Similar to, if not the same as this one: http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-905-218-0759 Ignore the first few entries. Seems to be an attempt to seed the thread with false claims to legitimize what they're doing. For the most part, the Do Not Call list has helped. But there are a few firms who have leveraged the list as a cheap source of numbers for their call list. I have no idea why so many people want to clean the ducts of my home...

If you can fit your fishing gear in it, it's perfect.

The new stradic CI4 that was just announced at ICAST is a replacement for the lightweight Magnesium-bodied version of the Stradic, not the standard FI. It's certainly sharp-looking, but it's going to cost more than the standard FI, which I doubt will go away anytime soon. I have a few of the Stradic FI's. Most of them perform well, but one of my 1000-sized reels has a bail that doesn't open or close freely, even after getting some work done on it. Despite that, I like my 1000-sized reels a lot. My 2500-sized reels work very well (although the bail arm doesn't seem to work quite as well as the previous FH version, with some occasional stickiness). It's something I can feel even when I close the bail manually, which is usually the case. Still, I think overall, I wouldn't have a problem recommending the reel to anybody else who was considering a reel in that price range. As an aside, LeBaron is currently offering 15% off on all Shimano rods and reels. I don't know how long the sale is on for (it says 3 days, but not which three), but it was in effect yesterday when I dropped by the store.

On a more serious note, it might be worthwhile to have a conversation about all the good that many anglers and hunters are responsible for. Getting out there means that we see what's happening with the environment, with the animals and plants, and their populations. It also means that if we want to keep hunting and angling, we have a vested interest in making sure that the environment stays or is restored to the best condition possible. There are a lot of interest groups out there (trout unlimited, ducks unlimited, credit river anglers association, OFAH) that are not only interested in just hunting and fishing, but are actively engaged in restoring and improving habitat for the very creatures they hunt and fish for, and the ecosystems they are a part of. Tree planting, stream rehabilitation, actively lobbying private organizations and government agencies to change their development plans for the good of our precious natural resources are just a few of those activities. Ultimately, the goal is to create sustainable resources that are healthy enough to prosper even while supporting hunting and fishing activities. This is in contrast to some of the more militant animal rights "activists," who are more focused on labeling and judgingothers, rather than rolling up their sleeves and doing something constructive to improve the world. You can ask your colleague when the last time she planted a tree was. (Of course, it's even better if you're actually involved with a group or in some of those activities yourself.)

Wading with light tackle is definitely my favourite way to fish. It gets you away from the crowds and forces you to stick to the basics -- a rod, a handful of lures, and maybe a lunch or snack to keep you on the water for a few hours. What could be better than that? For creeks and rivers with rocky bottoms, don't forget to bring crayfish imitations in plastic or plug form. They drive the smallmouths nuts.

Felt does provide superior traction on slippery rocks. However, it's starting to fall out of favour with travelling fly anglers because of felt's ability to pick up and transfer invasive plant species from one body of water to another, such as didymo or "rock snot algae." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didymosphenia_geminata One alternative is to use aquastealth rubber, which is supposedly a nice, soft rubber that gives decent traction in wet environments. It doesn't beat felt in terms of traction and it's typically found only on higher end wading shoes (i.e. expensive), but you won't be moving any algae from one waterbody to another if you give it a good rinse. Plus, it's more versatile if you need to hike to get to your wading destination. A less expensive option would be to use a standard rubber sole, but with metal or carbide cleats screwed in. Still not quite as good as felt, but it's a good 4-season solution, since it gives you grip on ice. It's a bit noisy (crunch!) and clumsy when hiking, but it does a good enough job of giving you grip on wet rocks.

Sorry I can't help you, but my family and some friends are planning to go up in early July. Would love to hear how it worked out for you.

I think you lost me at "still sufficiently in control of our impulses and our faculties"...

Note that on that particular page, the regulations are dated 2004-5. Ontario MNR regulations have been updated since then.

It is the same for the Upper Credit: Definition of hook: Reference: MNR - License Information and Fishing Regulations

I'm not familiar with the area, but if you study the google map link above in satellite view, there's clearly a trail that follows the shoreline, which leads back into the subdivision and exits onto Coulcliff Blvd. To me, it looks like it's publicly accessible, which would suggest that you could try fishing from there. Best thing to do, however, is to phone ahead and ask: Canterbury Common Golf Club is the club situated there.

Great find! Silly question: What's the difference between marine charts and lake maps? Thanks.

I think OFC member Snidley also sells lures from Evergreen and Jackall as well. Check the classifieds: 23 Lucky craft, 7 MegaBass plus 48 other Japanese fishinglures for sale I've never dealt with him myself, but I'm sure there are many other OFC'ers who can vouch for him.

Gagnon's Sports also carries St. Croix. I've had Angling Specialties (Mississauga) order for me in the past with good results.

Yes. Regardless of license type (sport or conservation), you can keep 1 over 18.1 inches. The rest of your keep must be 18.1 inches or less.

The soles are typically not thick or rigid enough to be used without a pair of shoes underneath. Also, wading shoes are not designed to keep water out, but to drain relatively quickly after being submerged. The NEOS overshoes aren't designed for this. I'd imagine that once the shoes start taking on water, it wouldn't drain properly until you took them off. You could try the hip wader (River Trekker) version, but they don't have the metal cleats nor would you have the flexibility to wade as deep as you could with waist- or chest-high waders. Hope that helps.

I've had a pair of NEOS overshoes for years, and although I haven't used them much in the past, they are handy when I have. I see that NEOS also makes hip wader versions now, which might be interesting as a backup or as an addition to the "emergency fishing kit" I keep in my car. Cheers.

Any luck finding this specific item? I've been looking for a couple of these myself without much success.

I really like my LL Bean Rapid River wading jacket, which was made from Gore-TEX XCR. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be in LL Bean's catalog any longer. LL Bean does, however, carry the Emerger wading jacket, still waterproof and breathable, which at US$79-89 sounds like a steal. Other jackets worth considering: - Orvis Tailwaters XT, currently on sale for $199 (vs $298) on the Orvis website - William Joseph Squal, for $198.72, available in limited sizes (i.e. nothing that fits me) at LeBaron is a nice-looking low-profile option

Simms has their "Dry Creek" water-resistant chest pack. They probably could have made it waterproof like some of their other bags, but a roll-top closure would make it completely unusable out on the water. http://www.simmsfishing.com/site/dry_creek...st_pack_08.html BPS used to sell them. I am not sure if that is still the case. Wilson's Fly Shop (downtown T.O.) or Gagnon Sports (Oshawa) might have stock. As with all things Simms, it'll probably be expensive. Another option would be not to wade so deep. Just cast farther. Cheers

It doesn't have to be airborne -- it could be as simple as anglers not properly flushing their livewells and transferring contaminated water between bodies of water.

It was no problem for me. I've ordered fillet knives twice from the US with no hassle..