bigugli

Sometimes Ma Nature's show is as enjoyable as the fishing and then some. Only one tiny teeny problem. I was so busy watching the birds I missed twice as many fish as I caught

Doesn't that feel oh so much better Some nice bass. I'm sure that young fellow was grinnin ear to ear.

It's too beautiful a day to be sitting in the house, so I got a ride down to the pond for a few hours of relaxation. Over the past week and some, perch have been up into various inlets and ponds from L Ontario. Provides for 3-4 weeks of shallow water perch fishing. I had the whole area all to myself again with bright sunshine and a gentle offshore breeze. Being there quiet and content, it is wonderful to see such a diversity of birds and fowl that are making a comeback. Saw my first wood duck, locally in years, a little green heron, 2 pairs of kingfisher, but they were not close enough for a pic. Two blue herons came in to feed on the schools of minnows, and were totally oblivious to my presence. They were followed shortly after by the family. They weren't more than 10 feet away. Almost forgot, I did do some fishing. Lots of perch and a couple of crappie. Was in such a rush to get supper started, forgot to take a pic until after they were carved. Kept enough for dinner.

With the size limits, as with slot sizes, you must transport the fish whole, gutted.

Dalrymple is one of those easy lakes to fish. Sometimes the pike are a nuisance. Fish there a few times a year. A lot less boat traffic. Have not seen any problems with the fishery there. Lake Dalrymple Resort has some fair priced cottages to stay at. 705-833-2400

And you've been in the doghouse for how long now?

Great bit of inventiveness there.

One hour of chores, followed by a one hour storm break; repear, repeat, repeat. Sure was tough keeping the BBQ lit.

Maybe he likes to blow his own horn? Welcome

Waiting for ice out used to drive us nuts. That's no longer a problem living down in the banana belt. There is always open water somewhere.

Nothing like keeping busy, is there? Great report.

It's not sitting immersed in water so Maple will be fine. 2 coats of spar sealer and a few more of spar varnish should be just fine

TSC store?

Yum! Yum!

How so? I would think quickly beached on wet sand is preferable to being tangled up in a net or put up on dry ground. Minimum handling

So the odds are about equal to getting killed on your way to and from work. That's it! No more work for me

Having my honey do list caught up by 11, I got the warden to drop me off at the pond for some more relaxation. Sunny skies, birds a chirpin, a cool breeze and lots of fish. I started off tossing a float out on my ultralite, hoping for some perch. Figured that would give me time to set up a bottom rig on the uglystick.. That little task ended up taking over 20 minutes. 4 cookie cutter cats in that space of time all 1-2 lb size. Finally got the heavier rod rigged and line out with cut bait to catch some more kitties It was a great afternoon. Fish biting every 10-15 minutes. The place all to myself except for the birds, and a few came to visit. The blackbird was oblivious to me sitting there. This heron just kept getting closer and closer. Don't have the greatest zoom so the pics are a bit blurry. Big fish of the day was another fat carp. They seem to like the cut bait at the moment. I don't often hear of lamprey striking carp, but the big hole on this carp's belly sure looks like it. Just another wonderful afternoon.

Curious George is worse than me for going swimmin and scaring the fishies

The current vessel registration system has a lot of problems. 1) An archaic records system. 2) There is no way to track a small vessel's ownership history. 3) Up til recently you could sell your boat, and the next owner would keep the numbers on the boat. Nobody would have a clue. At least now you have to have a copy of the registration with you. 4) There is no way of knowing how many registered vessels are still afloat. Won't try to discuss seaworthiness. Vessel registration in Canada is, at best, outdated, more like trying to manage a sampan fleet in the South China Sea. It really is no different than ensuring ownership of your car is up to date. Lets look at the simplest value from an updated registry. A boat is reported adrift on L Ontario and the authorities retrieve the boat. What is next? Did the boat break free from a mooring? Are the occupants floating out in the middle of the lake? Was it stolen? Having current and accessible registration information will eliminate some of the guess work. How many times have the coast guard, and air/sea rescue gone out on a search and found out, much later, that the boat they found had merely gone adrift. I know of a few occasions where the boys have flown out in some hellish conditions for a false alarm.

So far, I'd have to say percher has you all beat, hands down. Just wait til "Gramps" teaches her to fish.

This is such a good point FNA. For ten years I worked in hospital admin in TO. To us summer is "Transplant Season". That's because the best donors are the result of DWI fatalities. I will not go into the medical details for it, as I'm sure it would offend many. I can tell you that the transplant teams worked every long weekend, and that was over 20 years ago when Dr Cooper was perfecting the double lung transplant

We just get the seatbelt blitz 3-4 times a year. 2 officers standing in the middle of the road peering into each vehicle as it slows. Last inspection blitz was 8 years back and it was a good one. They pulled 60 something vehicles off the road in one weekend. Some of the better impounds were a number of expired plates, lack of insurance, 2 drivers under suspension, along with all the usual mechanicalreasons for pulling plates. The MTO does all the commercial inspections as we have the 2 chicken coops here. I do remember when the safety blitz was a regular occurrence spring and fall. The one uncle was a police auxiliary. He spent every April and late October doing inspections around the GTA. Then there was the Xmas safety blitz (before ride existed).

If they have not yet been effective in enforcing the .08 limit, how can they possibly think this will be more effective? Like so many elements in the HTA, CC of C, etc.., today, enforcement is laughable. Any one remember the old safety spot checks? An officer would actually give your car a once over. Check your lights, signals, and such. There is no deterrent effect anymore. Simple truth, if we catch you we'll stick it to you, but we don't have the resources. MADD has such influence because they have learnt how to effectively lobby. There isn't a single politician out there that does not get needled on a regular basis. The OFAH and the outdoors sporting community could gain a lot from similar tactics.

It's not the water that's the worry, it's the rocks and logs and concrete I keep landing on. At least the water don't hurt Seriously, yes I could wear a PFD, and yes I could wear a safety bonnet, and yes I could use a cane, and yes I should also carry a portable chair. Or, I could follow one Dr's advice and find a safer hobby like needlepoint or tiddlywinks I'm still not as bad as Bill Dance

Been a little off the mark again lately, so I only decided on rolling myself out that evening when the son offered to drive.