camillj

Cant find the pic .. but I seem to remember TJ sporting one that read .... Women want me - Fish Fear me !

Yep I agree ... and where I fish its two lakers limit ... I do normally keep them as a) I like to eat them and they tend more often than not to be bleeders In any case its more than once I have switched tactics/locations/lakes after only a few minutes because the limit has been reached .. not complaining though becuase there have been days without even a nibble ... in any case there are ALWAYS alternatives and going home isnt normally my first choice ... I use it as an excuse to go scouting places I havent been and try for other species within my limit. Just to be clear, I was not criticizing ... merely making a suggestion about alternative ways to enjoy the sport and still be conservation minded. And just for the record, besides having a little over 40 years experience, I studied marine biology - so I know just a little about the species. Lakers take a long time in most lakes to grow to harvest size and definitely DO suffer from being caught at great depths ... I am not saying they all die ... but for me at least I dont fish for the ones I dont intend on keeping.

Sweet !

Its a problem with Lakers ... thats why I normally stop fishing for them after I have my limit ... their survival rate through the ice (especially from depths over 40 ft) is questionable ... and they do tend to be bleeders. Bottom line ... (for me at least) after two fish go to a perch, walleye, pike, area or scout out a splake or brookie lake ... but even C&R 17 lakers is certainly not helping the population much.

Wow .. great speck ! Now those tracks are definitely worth following ! I agree .. it looks like a sled dog more than a wolf

er ... ummmm ... look at my post count .... I agree ... ummm .. no .. I mean ... bite me ! Truth is the most important word in our URL is community ... If I put the time in to post a story and some pics ... I expect a few of the old boys (gals) club ... you know who you are .... to chime in and pat me on the back ... thats just the way it works ... and more importantly its why it works ...

Good stuff .. I am 2 years today !!!! Cold turkey .. no nicorettes no patches ... just no smokes ... You can do it ... one day at a time ... just dont light up the next one and you'll be fine !

Sweet ! Thanks for sharing

wow .. theres a half hour of my life I ll never get back

... have a look at the contact us page ... they are in Arkansas ... totally different operation.

Thanks

Just wonderin if any of you Easterners would be so kind as to PM me the latest water reports .... hard/soft mucky/ginny ... thinking of taking a drive out that way tomorrow midday ... even if just to go for a little chrome walk ....

Fabulous ... I was so busy enjoying the sun on Lake Joe I completely forgot how ideal the conditions would be for a little bush-wacking into some backwater ... ahh well ... maybe next week

mmmmmm .... muskie burgers !

Jeepers Cliff, sorry to hear - sounds like a nasty bug - glad you are back and on the mend.

Pretty quick late at night ... Lew you just have to get up earlier

I love spinning reels .. and I almost NEVER suffer from line twist. 1) DO NOT turn the reel handle when the line is being pulled out on a loose drag... I dont know how may times I have seen someone with a loose drag reeling like crazy and doing nothing but putting nasty twists into the line ... 2) DO NOT troll with a Mepps (or other spinner)... period .... no matter how good you think your swivel is... your line needs a chance to unravel every cast ... this will ruin your line permanently within half an hour of trolling and even when you 'unravel' it the line will be weaker and more prone to twisting again. 3) if you are jigging with a bait that tends to spin, give it a rest every few minutes so it gets a chance to unravel (either at the surface - preferably) or let it hang idle and it will slowly untwist I personally prefer freehanding (from a spool) on hardwater because the ice and slush doesnt let the line run as freely as it should to prevent twist. 4) Take care that your lure is running properly (a spinning rapala is almost as bad as a spinning mepps for line twist)

My second anniversary is March the 4th ... at 10:24 am ... and according to my computer I have saved almost $8,500 and have NOT added 21,600 butts to the environment ... but whos keeping track

Cliff, The unfortunately reality is that yuo always pay a lot more than you get in the coins and stamps world ... I been collecting for about 40 years (and I couldnt ever get what I paid). Much of the stuff that dealers will buy they pay literally pennies on the dollar for. Ebay is slightly better (my rule of thumb is I never pay more than 10% of catalog value - and most of what I buy is from reputable dealers - so you can imagine what they pay for their wares) Having said that, there is a very reputable (and long in the tooth fellow who I bought one of my first stamp albums from about 35 years ago) - his store is called House of Stamps and it is at Square One (Hwy 10 and Burnhamthorpe) You will probably get some enjoyment trying to find the 'replica' of your stuff and watching to see what is offered for and more importantly what people are prepared to pay. There is a reason dealers advertise their best stuff on EBAY... just remember to set a reserve if you don't want to run the risk of it getting 'scooped' Feel free to PM me (or give me a call if you want to chat more about it) Jon.

Nice report and pretty specks ! Thanks for sharing.

Very sorry to hear that Lew, my deepest condolences.

A few little things you may be reallly glad you have when you need them most ... A whistle (reallllly hard to yell from freezing water - should be worn at all times.) A 50' rope (1/4 inch nylon) - keep it near you ... and have a loop already tied at both ends... Ice picks (wear them around your neck) Ice Cleats A big box of Kitty Litter (for the trunk of your car) A small plastic sled (to drag you gear around) Binoculars (so you can see how the guys wayyyyy up the lake are doing) A flashlight (When it gets dark its really important that the skidoos can see you) - I like the headlamp because it keeps your hands free while you're walking and lasts for hours even in the cold Clip on bells - so you can hear a hit on the line you are not looking at Octopus hooks Split shot Minnows electrical tape glow-sticks (which can be taped to the end of your rod so you can 'see' a strike after dark... they last for hours Lantern,fuel,mantles if you're out after dark ... and it'll help keep you warm Spare socks and mitts (I put a pair in the plastic bag with my lines) .. alot more fun than freezing all day when you step into slush Something to sit on (there's a reason folks use the white buckets) ... me I just sit on my cooler most of the time

Holdfast, That sounds like a plan that will work for you. It may not be the MOST exciting way to play, but it sounds like the way that will allow you to sleep at night .. and it sounds to me like a very reasonable strategy ... if you want to 'play' why not mess around in a 'trial' account ... then you can keep track of what mighta-coulda-woulda been ....and maybe you'll kick yourself or maybe you'll thank your lucky stars ... truth is nobody knows ... I can guarantee you that there will be alot of money made and alot of money lost by people taking their chances over the next little while ... and frankly despite what many will tell you, if you are generally conservative (and it sounds like you are) ... this is a reallllllllly good time to stay that way. The good news is you are in extremely good company as a very large majority of the soon-hoping-to-retire crowd have had to reassess their plans and goals...and conservative thinking of those long in the tooth is looking like a very sound strategy. The better news is that the sun will rise again tomorrow morning and good things will happen ... the key is making sure you have the will and the strength to participate when you see it happening the way you would feel comfortable participating. And dont let anyone tell you otherwise. Besides, NEVER forget .. its all really only numbers on pieces of paper ... and there lots of ways to find your peace without staring day and night at those numbers...and there are lots of ways to help yourself and others that are not directly related to the almighty dollar.

Quick ... someone get that GPS tracking device on his car

insulating the battery is a big plus too ... cold and batteries dont go well together ... they run down double speed in the cold....