dp3200

I don't think the extra cost would make it any better than a square back canoe with a 2 horse motor.... you could find that sort of setup for about $1000 used, and you can transport it on the roof of a car. Put the money you save in the bank for when you're ready to go for the real deal!

The same way that millions of other wages are determined. Pay whatever it takes to get enough qualified teachers. If salaries were too high you would have more teachers than jobs, and if they were too low there wouldn't be enough teachers to go around. I know someone that was making $150K as a IT project manager back in the dot com boom because the industry exploded and there weren't enough people with experience to go around. The ridiculous salaries caused a huge flood of people to get into computers, and now he can't even seem to find a job that he wants. Does anyone want to go into computers now? Not really...at least it's nowhere near as attractive as it was a decade ago. The supply-demand relationship balanced out at about $100K for what he does, and he doesn't go on strike about it. I'm not saying teachers are overworked, overpaid or otherwise - I'm saying that people earn what they are worth until a union gets involved.

I believe the issue that most people have is with teachers striking if they don't get what they want when everyone else understands that if you want more, you should just work harder, become more qualified, choose another profession, etc. Some examples that are offered seem to make it pretty obvious that there is a lot of room for teachers to do so if they wish, but they don't. At least that is my issue with it. It has nothing to do with "Envy". There is a serious problem with the sense of entitlement that some people have - if you don't get what you want, you find another job or you suck it up. If teaching was an unfair profession, nobody would do it. The fact that people do it and they don't go find something better is because what they are getting is fair. I don't care if teachers work 5, 40 or 100 hours a week. I just think that they should be paid based on what the market for their skills and outputs determine, and not what some over-powered union demands.

I have an idea. Instead of striking, why don't people go get a job that gives them what they are "worth". Oh - that's right - they aren't actually worth it. To me striking is equivalent to sulking like a child that doesn't get what they want. Whatever happened to working harder to better your situation? There are all kinds of people that are way better off than teachers and they have never had to strike for it. They just do something that society values more. I'm sorry, but it doesn't take much education to become a teacher. They are lucky to make what they do, because there are thousand of people with equivalent education less the ONE year of teachers college that can't get a job in their field at all. I have a sibling with MORE education than teachers and she works as a waitress. And doesn't cry about it. If teachers wanted to make more money, they should have studied a bit harder and applied to Law, Business, or Medical school.

People tend to think that exercise is to burn calories. Really, exercise doesn't burn up many calories, the real benefit is that it increases your metabolism. Rather than trying to burn calories, don't eat them to begin with. People try to diet by counting calories, but it's most important to eat good calories. "Good" calories tend to be whole foods - Don't eat refined food. When you eat refined foods, they are broken down quickly by your body, which causes your blood sugar to spike. This in turn causes your insulin levels to spike and store this sugar energy in your cells. Insulin also encourages fat storage in the body. Things made from white flour, or things containing refined sugar are the obvious examples of these types of foods. When you eat close to the grain, your body burns the energy more slowly and you don't get these spike in your blood sugar levels. Whole grain foods, veggies, fish, chicken, eggs, etc are the types of simple foods that are good for you. JDMLS mentions eating oatmeal, which also falls into the "close to the grain" category. These whole foods do have fat and carbs in them, but fat and carbs are good for you if they are the right kind. Having a good understanding of what is bad for you and why will make your diet easier to follow and probably more successful. Over-complicate it and it will probably be short-lived.

I'm an economist. And yes, it is pretty depressing lately...

When I did my MBA we had a lawyer as a guest speaker that was talking about this very issue. In short, don't say anything. Just verify that he worked there. What good can come of it? If you say anything that is the least bit speculative and he doesn't get the job, you're toast. It sounds like a situation where you have nothing to gain and everything to lose. Your silence will speak volumes for his potential employer.

If you are going to ship it, I can't urge you enough to use a company that comes recommended by someone you trust. I have had 2 awful experiences. I also have a friend who has had an awful experience. Don't just go with the cheapest place!

I think it helps to start out when you're young. Kids tend to explore a lot more things...this gives a good groundwork for success. As you get older you mature in your fishing practices and learn a lot more technical skills, which are also important. I read a book not long ago called "Outliers: The Story of Success", where the author (Gladwell) researched just what it was that made successful people the way they are. In every case it is a combination of talent, luck and hard work. For example, he talks about the 10 thousand hour rule. Basically, he argues that anyone who has ever truly mastered something has put in a solid 10 thousand hours of work to get there. Yes, Mozart was composing before he had 10 thousand hours, but it wasn't until he reached 10 thousand hours that his work became refined... it even took him 10 thousand hours to develop mastery. His earlier stuff was impressive for his age, but not "the best". The same goes for everything else. Raw talent + hard work. No question about it.

Congrats!

I know I will take some heat for saying this, but doesn't anyone else think that Les Stroud is a complete joke? I laugh through most of the show at what this guy does. "It's critical that I don't get wet or I will freeze" - 10 minutes later, he is fully clothed and knee deep in the water. "I can't eat the dogs meat because I need them to get out of here" - 10 minutes later, what is he doing? Eating the meat. Nothing he ever tries works. Hunting, fishing, building a raft. It fails virtually every time all the while he is lecturing you how to do this stuff... All he seems to do is sit by the fire and starve for the week. Well, SOMETIMES the week.. most of the time he doesn't even last that long! Man vs. wild may be staged and more "hollywood" but at least he shares real valuable survival tips. Survivorman truly does not appear to have any idea what he is doing. And before anyone says something - no - I do not think I am some survival superhero or something. I am not saying I could do a better job. I just think that Survivorman should be hosted by someone who can actually....survive.

Not anymore Marcus - I don't want to diminish the importance of quality equipment, but until you get some real experience fishing and learning what you need, I would recommend going to BPS and getting a $50 reel. I used a cheap fly combo for about 7 years before going out and buying my first quality combo - and I grew up on the Ganny fishing salmon and steelhead all the time. Until you get some experience and learn what you need, you will probably end up dropping a lot of cash on the wrong gear. With respect to your question about the drag, I don't think it's important. I prefer to palm the spool as you would with a centrepin, even though my reels all have drag systems. I suspect you have probably made up your mind though, so good luck.

Isn't that ironic? Why the hell do you need the roe when you are snagging the fish anyways? Whenever I see that I am deeply puzzled.

Usually if you just cast down stream at a 45 degree angle and let it sweep across, it's the best way to work the water. I notice a lot of guys that are just starting out cast upstream and let it drift toward them. Don't do that. I would use at least a 7wt. rod and the appropriate line. Weight forward line is probably best if you're just starting out. Try some larger wet flies. Size 8 wooly buggers, some rabbit fur patterns, etc. Black, pink, purple and olive are good colors. Egg patterns and nymphs are also good this time of year. You shouldn't have trouble finding popular steelhead flies at any tackle shop. If you end up liking fly fishing, tying flies is easy but it requires a bit of an investment up front. I find a lot of people on this board float fish, but I'm just learning that right now. Look behind you before you cast

I've heard that if you spray Pam on it works, but I have yet to try it. Would be super convenient if it actually did work. I use vaseline also but I've been meaning to try the Pam.

In about 15 minutes, we can make that 0 large kings! Thanks for letting me know!

What are peoples thoughts on neoprene vs. breathable for waders? Based on the reports, it looks like breathables are preferred, but what about in the winter? Is a pair of fleece pants enough under breathables to keep warm? Personally I have always used neoprenes. I never fish in the summer months and I've always found 5mm of neoprene nice in the cold waters of the eastern tribs. Now that mine are leaking I've been considering a pair of breathables. My main concern with them is a)keeping warm and durability. I know there is a big price difference between the two, but I buy a pair every 10 years, so I'm not too worried about $200 for breathables instead of the $100 for neoprenes.

"prebiotic" products everywhere. Not discussing the potential health benefits, how many people that buy the products do you think actually know what prebiotic means? On the topic of fishing, people who think that you need the best of every piece of gear imaginable before you can even wet a line. I hate that "you can't be a fisherman unless you have 85 fishing rods" attitude. Not beating up on people that want/have lots of gear, I just hate the attitude that it's necessary. It discourages people.

The only expensive rod that I own is my fly rod. I notice the difference between it and my old rod after a day of casting. I don't catch more fish, it's just more enjoyable to use. I think having the right type of rod is more important than anything. For example, I have an 11 foot noodle rod for fishing in small creeks, and a 14 footer for the pier. That makes a huge difference.

I think the death of the big 3 will be fantastic for our progress. I went to university, did a BA and an MBA, and graduated making barely more than a line worker. When I finished highschool, lots of my friends talked about university like it was for suckers.... why would they go, when their dad/uncle/mom/whatever can get them in at GM making 75K and having no student loan? Unions are a disincentive for people to better themselves. They protect people who otherwise have no skills that would make them competitive. I am not speaking out against the middle class. I am part of it. I come from a GM neighborhood. But seriously - no skills, no education, nothing. And they are in the top 1% of earners in the world? Why should an 'average' worker be better off than 99% of the world's population? Who in their right mind actually thinks it's sustainable? I'm not even going to start on the management... the garbage car - ridiculous union combination is just deadly in this case. At the end of the day for our economy to survive, let alone thrive, we need to move on from 'average' industries. Manufacturing jobs are not something that the leading economies of tomorrow will be relying on.

A lot of materials you buy seem to be cured in some way. Having said that, I have used materials from a few different creatures that were hunted by friends and it seemed to work fine. You obviously only get the natural colors, but aside from that I didn't notice much of a difference. That was of course until I found a piece of deer that a buddy gave me that had been sitting with some of my old gear for about 5 years. It smelled awful, but for all I know that could happen with store-bought materials after 5 years as well.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Agreed. I would not eat ANY salmon this time of year...they aren't eating when they spawn, so the tissue breaks down and is awful. A few years back, my uncle caught a 35 pounder and when he picked it up his hand went right into the stomach! It was nasty... Anyways, that's probably why the meat looks worse than the video and gets beaten up when you take out the bones. Smaller ones caught in the lake should be nicer for eating...

I have noticed that there are quite a few people on this board with good knowledge of carp fishing. I was thinking of giving it a try this weekend, but I am unsure where to best find them at this time of year. I always see them in shallow water during the summer, but what about in the colder weather? Is a shallow river still the best place to find them? I was thinking of checking out a small trib off of rice lake... I saw a disgusting number of dead ones this summer, but later in the year there still seemed to be lots of them swimming around. I'm sure that on Monday I'll have all kinds of newbie carp fishing issues to report.

There are 3 things that I would suggest are the WORST investments right now: 1) Real estate - not as good as people think, and we have a bubble of our own bursting here in Canada. This is a terrible investment right now. 2) Commodities 3) Short selling is incredibly risky in a volatile market like this. What if you short something that rebounds? You can get yourself into some major trouble here. As non-cool as it sounds, put your money in a high interest savings account and wait for a market reaction to this bailout. Once things start looking better (might be soon, could be as much as a year...I'm betting on 6 months), put your money in an ETF that tracks a major index and you will do well. Amateur investors can rarely beat the index. I actually haven't lost much money through this whole thing by holding Procter & Gamble (PG), Colgate-Palmolive (CL) and even things like BRK.B. My only losses are in the devaluation of the dollar, but don't get me started. Or tuck your money into your mattress and start cleaning your guns.