Jonny

My apologies if you've already heard this one. I haven't been around much lately. Couldn't pass it up, though... thought it was a gem...

I wonder how he figured that his own holes weren't going to do the same thing! Some people sure are strange.

Chessy, can you provide some links to additional information? I don't agree with private or "membership only" access to public land, so would agree with you, depending on the background.

This is something that people find hard to understand, for some reason. The other mind-set that seems to be difficult to break is that businesses operate with their workers' interests as a significant consideration. Businesses are first and foremost about making money and providing their owners and management with a good return. Workers are often treated as a necessary evil.

The problem is one of the MNR'S attitude. They really don't want people in the bush and on the lakes. Seriously, you've got to believe that, and it all becomes clear. They want people in tight, manageable no-elbow-room areas. They employ only a small number of C.O.'s, and they don't want to hire any more. They crowd people into a limited number of accessible lakes instead of allowing the fishing pressure to diversify. They hate snowmobiles and ATV's because they can't regulate their use. They rip out perfectly good bridges and berm roads instead of posting "use at your own risk" signs. They plan logging roads to avoid lakes rather than go near them. They ignore the high demand for outdoor access from Northern residents. They regard outfitters as allies because outfitters push for sealing off large areas from public use. It all fits a perfectly understandable pattern.

Don't tell your fishing buddies, Cliff. They'll drill you an extra hole, flop you down on the ice and put a coat over your head. You'll be demoted to "Scout".

Sadly, my principles take a back seat to my budget when shopping. I know it's a tough go for local small-business retailers, but I only have so much discretionary income, so if I can find something cheaper at Walmart or on eBay, that's where I'll buy it. Even Walmart has its competition for price on certain things. Latest example - an SVGA cable for hooking my laptop to the TV. Walmart price - $25. EBay price - $3 (including shipping). All I have to do is be patient and wait for the mail. For the $22 that stays in my pocket, I can do that. For me, a local retailer has to sell stuff I can't easily get (or have shipped from) somewhere else. Or he has to provide value-added service or warranty. I just can't afford to go any other way, unless the difference is negligible.

When I was a kid we always built a fire on the ice to keep warm. We never had an ice hut. It has been illegal to build a fire directly on the ice for at least 25 years now. You can have a fire barrel (which we have done) or you can build a fire on a nearby shore so you can go and get warm from time to time, but you can't build one on the ice. Good story, Randy. Satisfaction doesn't have to be immediate, as long as you do achieve it.

Thanks for the heads up, Doc. I registered and left this input:

Thanks, Randy. See you there! Looking forward to it too. Thanks for the organizing effort, Nipfisher. Would be a shame not to take advantage.

If someone was fishing right beside my hut and using it as a windbreak, and I showed up, I wouldn't mind that they had taken advantage of the cover. But I would expect them to do what I would do if the positions were reversed --- pull up and move off a little piece. No I don't own the lake where my hut is, but I do have permission (and a license no.) that says I can set my hut up on the lake. It took me a lot of effort to get it to the spot I picked and maintain it there. If we're too close together, I can't move (without a helluva lot of trouble) but they can. Seems like common sense and common courtesy to me. I don't want a stranger's lines within about 30 to 40 ft of mine, and I wouldn't encroach on anyone else that way either. Now if the guys did the right thing and moved (or maybe just even offered to move) I'd probably invite them in a little later for hot coffee and to get warm.

Is that foul language or something? I went to one of their stores (in Hamburg, Pennsylvania) and it was a real palace, but good deals were hard to find. http://picasaweb.google.com/hjtoby/CabelaSOutdoorsStoreHamburgPAUSA#

What's really sad is when you have a crew of friends on the ice and you're fighting over the last beer.

Thanks, TC. Hard to say what the hell happens some times. Real life has a way of taking you in directions, you know. One factor I guess was my frustration with the water level in Nipissing this year. I couldn't get either of my boats into the water off my shore. Good bunch of guys here, so it's a pleasure to check in again.

I'd just like to add that if you have a vehicle or a sled parked next to your hut, it seems to me you'd better pull the ignition key while fishing. Depending on "officer discretion" if you've had a couple you might get slapped with a vehicular offense, and that means losing your driver's license and all the other nasty stuff.

Never seen a fight on the ice, but know of one --- involving my parents! Just to set the scene, my Mom's a small slender woman about 5'2", Dad a wiry build about 5'9". They were in their 50's at the time. Well Mom and Dad were ice fishing near Iron Island and this loud-mouthed slob of a guy (drunk) set himself up real close. He made some rude comments about my mother and Dad told him to shut up. He tackled my Dad to the ice and started to pound on him. Started, I say, because he didn't get very far before my Mom cold-cocked him with the steel handle of the ice spud. His buddies picked him up and took him somewhere else. True story.

Thanks for the PM invite, Nip! Sounds great. Old Harv and I will drive out to the spot with a truck if we can make it. (Snow conditions are good for a vehicle so far, I gather.) Chances look very good, so count us in barring a message to the contrary. We've got an Eskimo Quickfish portable, a gas auger, and all the gear necessary to set up comfy.

Hush money. And remember... VOTE FOR DALTON. I wonder if there's HST on that cheque? There will be on damn near everything else.

When does the NFL start?

VSO Image Resizer works fine on Windows Vista Home Basic and Home Premium. Just search it. It has a little nag pop-up but it's free and works great for singles or batch re-sizing. The Windows "powertoys" resizer works great on my older computer with Windows XP but doesn't work with Vista. New versions of Windows ALWAYS have to screw up some tried-and-true features. Microsoft doesn't seem to give a damn about that.

North Bay Yacht (Beach) Club... http://www.nugget.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2597150

An outboard motor is a piece of recreational equipment. There's always a premium on fixing those. If you treat your equipment well, and with a bit of luck, you can run an outboard for decades without a major repair. If you buy a used outboard, you're paying a lot less, but you're also taking a chance on how well the motor was treated by the previous owner. A lot of expensive things can eventually go wrong without proper maintenance and storage. Old motors aren't any cheaper to fix than newer ones. What the motor is worth in good running condition has no bearing on what it costs to fix it when something goes wrong. The best insurance policy for an old motor? A 2 or 3 HP kicker to get you back to the dock or the landing. I've gone through the financial hit of fixing an old motor. It's part of the price of admission, I figure.

That's a very interesting thought. Sure would be worth trying. As for the water level affecting the fishing, I personally don't believe that can be the case. The fish will be feeding as they always do, just maybe not in some of the "traditional" places. What does a pickerel care if the water is 2 feet down when there are still plenty of places where it can find its preferred depth.

I would prefer that they check the snow accumulation during the winter and adjust the draw-down accordingly. The level falls during the whole of the time the ice is on the lake. When they can see, part way through the winter, that even with a March storm or two the run-off will be way less than normal, they should be adjusting the draw-down accordingly.

Sorry, I just don't see how that's possible. The water level here on the north shore has not moved in weeks. I watch it every day and have certain level indicators that I watch closely. If anything the water has dropped a tiny amount in the last week.