Fishnwire

Hey Leechman, have you tested any of these? I hate to mention this again but the placement of your eyelete (to which you attach your line) is not in the same place as on a traditional spook. I could be wrong, but I have a feeling the offset angle (around 45 degrees) is important to the proper action of the bait. Maybe I'm making too big a deal of this, but I see the amazing work you're putting in and I hate to think you're missing a crucial design element.

I found this vid on Youtube. I think its awesome and that kid would be welcome in my boat anytime. I've seen better handling techniques, but everything ended well. I just really enjoyed watching it and I hope some of you will too.

Simply deming them an essential service and taking away their right to strike is not the answer. Look at the police union in Toronto. They're not allowed to go on strike, but I lived down south for years and every time their contract came up they made huge gains. If anyone questioned it, they were reminded how the police were an "essential service" and as such, worthy of whatever raises, extra days off and perqs they were asking for. Not having access to a service you're used to sucks and I don't blame you for being mad. I'm not sure what the answer is but what you're suggesting won't work to your advantage in the long run. IMO anyway.

If you figure it out...let me know. I'm experiencing the same thing. North of Sudbury it gets really hard to consistantly catch bass (smallies) by the end of September, at least on the Vermillion river and back lakes that I fish. I guess they just shut down when it gets cold, but considering they don't really start to hit good until the season opens near July, that seems like a long time to go without eating very much. I can see fish on the finder in certain spots, but they just don't want whatever I offer them. It's frustrating when you're fishing a body of water you know is loaded with big bass, but I don't have the solution. The minimal success I have in the late fall has usually been the result of trolling medium to deep diving (15-25 FOW) fat-bodied crank baits in 20-30 FOW, but I've experienced a lot of dead time in the boat doing it. It has occured to me that maybe I just don't know how to fish very well. I'm sure some of you guys from down south who experience the best bass fishing of the year right now are thinking that. Anyone who wants to come up here and show me what I'm doing wrong is more than welcome to PM me. I'm serious.

I'm sure some of you guys use those weighted hooks for (sort of) Texas-rigging plastics like worms and lizards. I used them a lot this summer and I really like them. Your bait hangs and falls just perfectly if rigged right (which is easy) and you can achieve different rates of fall and running depths because they come in various weights. Here's what I'm talking about if you're not sure. All the ones I've seen for sale have the natural colour lead. I decided I'd paint a few and see if it makes any difference one way or another. I thought black or brown would be a good choice because I tend to use dark and crawfish coloured plastics. The addition of the paint may make the lead stand out a little less. I'm going to do some in red too, because I have lots of red paint. What do you guys think? Should I bother? (I'm going to anyway...I'm bored) and what strategy would be better...attempting to camouflage the lead so it doesn't stand out or adding colour to act as an attractant?

The conservative is primarily concerned that he himself pay less taxes and in unconcerned about the welfare of people outside his socio-economic class. That's the very definition of selfish. Besides, aren't the NDPers taxpayers too? If they are prepared to share an equal (or in some case, greater) burden of the financial cost of dealing with social problems...how are they "selfish." I'm off to camp for a couple days so you'll have to finish this conversation without me.

Another way to look at it is that the NDPers are unselfishly concerned with the welfare of the homeless guy and the conservative is only interested in getting to exploit a source of cheap labour so he can avoid doing any real work himself. Its funny because its true.

Well, summer's over and winter is on it's way. I've decided to go into camp tomorrow and close it down for the year. I'll be up this winter on the sleds, but I like to take all my canned goods and anything else I don't want freezing out. Also I have to take my motors home and winterize the big generator. There's a few other odds and ends to clear up aswell. I hate this job so much...it's not that the job itself is hard or a pain in the neck...its just what it represents. I don't even want to think about how many weeks it will be between now and the next time I'll be throwing top-waters for chunky smallies. I wish I could hibernate until the 4th weekend in June. I keep thinking about a particular late morning this past August when I stopped fishing in the middle of a really hot bite because I was hungry and wanted to go back to camp to chow down. What a waste! I'd starve myself for a week if it meant I could be back there right now. Ice fishing is fun...but let's face it, it doesn't compare to the heart pounding action of a really good top-water bite under a shinning sun. I feel like a crack addict facing months of rehab.

I just signed up for a satelite TV from Bell. One of the main reasons I did so was to get WFN, and I never would have been interested if I hadn't read OFNers talking about the service and seen the ads for shows right here on this site. In at least this one instance, an OFC sponsor effectively reached their target market. Hopefully that testimonal will give the admins leverage to double their add fees. Anyway, the reason for the post is this. I've got a 5900 PVR but from what I can tell, it is not possible to watch one show while recording another. Is this correct? Even VCRs from the 80's could do that. I went through the manual and I noticed you can record one show while watching a recording of another show but there was no mention of recording one show while watching a live program on another channel. I tried doing so but if I'm recording and attempt to switch channels it says "This function can only be carried out in live mode, Switch now?" And if I do switch, the recording stops. It seems unlikely that the technology to allow watching one show while recording another does not exist...what were they thinking?

You don't know that...it looked pretty healthy to me. That fish might have easily had a spawn or two left in it. Besides, even if it was about to die, it would probably have prefered old age to being air drowned. Since I didn't catch the fish, I have no say in what the person who did catch it does with it, but I know what I would have done. The guy didn't break the law and is entitled to keep the fish if he wants. That's fine, but don't make excuses or act like he did anyone any favours by doing so.

I explain to people who are about to get into my boat what the catch and release policy is. If they don't like it, they can stay on the dock...and they're not allowed to fish off of that either. There is at least one guy who thought I wasn't serious about enforcement and he hasn't been invited back since. I guess if a professional guide did that it wouldn't be very good for business.

Not only do I remember seeing them (and hearing that opening song) on regular TV but I remember the spoofs of them on SCTV.

The more that I think about it...it's possible they found their way out there on their own. I suppose I'd have no way of knowing if they did or not. I guess I shouldn't assume the worst, but like I mentioned, there have been other occasions (completely unrelated) over the years when I made a report or complaint and didn't get any response. I guess a burnt out trailer is nothing to be too worried about, so maybe I shouldn't even care. I can't expect that they would notify me of their progress...I guess I was in a bad mood when I ranted.

If I was you I'd just wait till January first to but a license. They'll give you a paper copy that is valid until you get the card in the mail, as others have explained. This means you won't be able to legally fish between your birthday and the 1st of Jan. If that's a problem, buy a one year conservation license ($14) on your birthday...it'll only be valid until 2010 but that's the only way you can cover your butt legally. I wonder if a CO would let you slide you got caught fishing without a license between your birthday and the first...it's only six days. At $14 for a conservationist license it's probably not worth finding out.

Sounds to me like the cop was hoping to fill his own freezer. I know lots of guys who have claimed the meat from a road kill they were involved in...I have to admit I'm not sure how they did it, but if there is harvestable meat, someone usually gets it if they want it. It's not like anyone is going to purposefully hit a dear with their car...its not worth it.

E-mail sent.

Mustad makes a line of trebles that are quite good and reasonably priced. If I was sponsored by Gamakatsu I'd probably use those...but having to replace the hooks on a "poopload" of baits will get expense fast if you go for top of the line. If you're in a position to not mind spending the money, I've never been disappointed with Gamakatsu. Otherwise, give these a look. I bought a bunch last year and used them all summer. There's nothing wrong with them. They're pretty cheap so you might suspect they're crappy but like I say, they're not bad at all. You must be fairly proficient with a hook file by now Roy...you can get them (and keep them) just as sharp as more expensive hooks with a little attention on your part.

If the trailer is stolen, then whomever it was stolen from almost certainly already reported it. If you were missing a trailer and had reported that to the police, and then you found out the police had received a tip about a destroyed trailer in the bush but had not investigated the matter...how would you feel? Why are people always so eager to make excuses and give the benefit of doubt to the cops? Maybe they're busy, maybe they're waiting to receive a complaint, maybe they're whatever...maybe they just didn't feel like doing anything about it because they don't like work. I'm not saying that's the case, but why do so many people automatically feel that whatever actions (or lack there of) that the police take...it MUST be for a good reason. Aren't they human beings and fallible just like the rest of us? My wife's nephew was one of the most spoiled, laziest, stupidest (not to mention prejudiced) kids you could ever hope to meet and he became an RCMP officer last year. They may have a good training program, but they didn't have a lot to start with when it came to this guy. The day he graduated from the academy and became a cop I realized that these men and women are far from super-heroes. They are average (and in some cases, less than average) people who are just as capable of screwing up royally as you and me. Sorry for the rant, but like I say...I'm always surprised just how many people are eager to wipe the rear-ends of law enforcement.

The snow and ice are coming. If you're like me, you've started thinking about the hard water, and maybe doing so is getting you a little "hard". I was going through a card of pics I took last winter and thought I'd post a couple. Looking at them has got me stoked a little bit and I was hoping to spread the fever. Check 'em out. Here's what the road into camp looked like a couple of weeks ago. It's all melted now, but at the time it really got my winter motor running. Between where this road ends and the camp there's a little over 3 km of quad trail with about a million boulders on it. I need a good foot and a half of snow to cover them up before we can get the snow machines in. We've got the quads for now, but there's usually 2-4 weeks while the creeks freeze between when you can use the bikes and when you can use the sleds. I call that "wife time". She gets the same attention in the spring while I'm waiting for the reverse to happen. I know what you're thinking...I spoil her. Here's a few of pics I took last winter up river from the camp...Its coming, boys! Here's what I look at when I'm fishing for crappie on the french. I put two rods down 4-8 feet apart and watch one while I jig the other. I go back and forth between the two but find I often get a hit on the rod I just stopped jigging on. They seem to know which rod I'm further away from. This is the sight we all love to see, a tip up with it's flag tripped. I called my father-in-law to take it and in the time it took him to get there I took this pic. I won't lie to you...he missed it. This is me with a little jack. I hope he's bigger now. Here's another small pike I got at the same spot. There's also a pic of me letting him. I was alone and that's the camera strap in the way. I never claimed to be any good at taking pics. Finally here's a pic of me with a decent pike I got on the French River two years ago. It used to be my profile pic because I borrowed that hat off my buddy and think its super-cool. Can you blame me? Well I hope that got some of you in the mood for the stiff stuff. This year I'm going to modify my tip ups by using egg sinkers instead of split shots for weight ( they'll fall to the bottom and allow free spoll with no resistance when a fish strikes) and I'm also going to try much smaller trebles than I've been using. Check out the article on tip-ups in this year's In-Fisherman ice fishing special. That's what I'm talking about.

Another poster was asking about losing tip-ups down the hole when a fish hits. It got me thinking of a little technique I've been using for a few years to keep my jigging rods from going down the hole. I take a couple of 14 inch 1x1's in my pail along with my rods, but sometimes I forget them and just use whatever sticks I can find on the shoreline. Whenever I'm not jigging and I want to set the rod down on the ice I place the stick across the hole, perpenticular to the rod so that the line falls on the opposite side of the stick to the rod. See the crude picture below... The simple way is works is that it effectively cuts the size the area the rod can go down by half or more and also the rod is likely to get hung up somehow on the wood as it's going down the hole. I haven't lost a rod since I've been doing it and lost two before I started. It's so simple and works so well I would think someone would have come up with it long ago and that it would be standard practice. It's one of the few decent ideas I've ever had...too bad you can't patent a 1x1.

Alright. That made me laugh.

Probably not for a week or more. My sister and bro-in-law are in town from Texas with my niece. I don't think I'll go in until they head home. I might whip out there just to have a look around in a day or two.

Around the end of August I noticed that a little hunt camp was set up on the road into my camp. It consisted of an old Winnebago (1970's) and a brand new camper trailer. They were located in a little clearing right next to the road, way the heck in there. It was a couple weeks early for moose season, but some guys set their camps up a week or two early so that everything is ready for the hunt. The thing is that I got a funny vibe from the whole set up. I can't even put my finger on why, but I just thought something was fishy with these guys from day one. I never saw any people there but I could usually see that activity had taken place...they would leave stuff laying around the sight, like a gas can or a table and there were empty water bottles and stuff laying around. While the road is not part of my property, I have the only camp at the end of it. There are a couple of locals that sometimes go in there but I know most of them, and this little set up somehow didn't belong there. A little over a week ago I was heading into camp and I notice that the Winnebago is gone. I thought it was odd that they'd leave the brand new camper trailer and take out the ancient motorhome first, but that's what they did. Two days later I'm coming out and when I get to the strange camp I see that the brand new camper is burned right to the ground. I got off my quad and had a quick look around, but the term "crime scene" came to mind, so I touched nothing. When I got back to town, I called the cops to report it. I spoke with some receptionist who took down all the info. I told her I suspected something illegal was going on there. They were there right at weed harvest time or could have been poachers. For all I know the place was a drug lab and its toxic. At the very least, common sense suggests that the trailer is almost certainly stolen. I gave her as best a description I could as to where it was located, but these roads don't have names or appear on any map. She told me an officer would contact me and I might be asked to escort him up there to investigate. Well it's been over a week and I've heard nothing. It's possible they figured out where the place is based on my description, but I highly doubt it. The thing is that you would think they would be obligated to go out there and do some form of investigation. How do they know there's nothing of interest there unless they actually go there? I wonder how often public complaints and reports are simply ignored, because this is the third time in my life I reported something suspicious or made a complaint to the police and in each instance, absolutely nothing came about as a result. They took down the info I gave them and then did nothing, fully dropping the matter every time. I guess the next time I see something that I think the authorities would want to know about, I'll just mind my own business and not waste my time. The thing is that I'd feel better if they would come out and look things over, but what can I do? The old saying "Boy, do I feel safe." comes to mind. If anyone wants the location of a secluded bush road where the cops refuse to go to that would be perfect for any number of illegal activeties, I know just the spot.

Post it and let us decide how believable it is.

I just lost a 10 year old male orange tabby a couple months back. Went through the same exact thing as you. It sucks, no doubt about it. An Ofner (I wish I could remember who) said something that really made a lot of sense to me back then. Having to take your pet into the vet to be put down is a heart-wrenching thing to do, but is really the final act of kindness that you can do for the little fur-ball. I'm sure you spoiled your cat and gave him a good life. If he was anything like mine, his last few days were one of the few times in his life when he experienced pain or even discomfort of any kind...they have it pretty good. My wife and I just brought home a three year old male grey tabby from Pet Save about 10 days ago. He still spends most of his time in a closet but has started to explore the apartment a little bit and is quite affectionate if you approach him slowly so he doesn't bolt. The thing is that despite how you feel right now, and even though you can never replace a pet, the time may come when you're ready to let another little pain in the butt into your home and your life.