danc

All the best to you and yours too Lew. May your 2007 be your best ever..

I've seen similar late season ice conditions many times and much further south than you're describing TG, so that is nothing unusual. I really don't know what to think about all of this. It does scare me. This is the planet earth that we're talking about. I hope that the naysayers are right.

Political influence is a big problem with this subject Gerritt. Not just on OFC, but also with the global debate that is, and will get bigger by the day. When I started this thread, I didn't intend for you all to see doom and gloom, although it may have seemed that way. I expected to read other opinions and arguments. It's really a great subject for debate.

Thanks Nauti. I apologize for not seeing this in your earlier post. I agree that everyone should see it. And good for your son. The healing all starts with yourself.

How far is Talladega from the ocean Glen? Seriously, over 100,000,000 people could have their homes displaced by the ocean. And most of them live in developing countries where just collecting your insurance money and moving inland isn't an option.

As many of us are wondering if there will be any ice on the lakes this winter, I watched a documentary called "An Inconvenient Truth" yesterday. Talk about an eye opener. Basically it is a slide show presentation hosted by former American VP Al Gore. Apparently Mr. Gore has been presenting these facts around the world for some time now. We all know about global warming. We all talk about it. But when you see the facts presented on progressive graphs and the animated results of the consequences, it is truly jaw dropping. This film is available now at your local video store. Have a look at it, and post your thoughts here.

Very nice Phil. Is that a Red Tailed Hawk? Love the moon in the second shot!!

Excellent post Fisherman.

Thanks all. Happy new year too. I wish you all your best year ever.

I've been bashing tin since '77. Hey Wayne. I just noticed on our website that we build aircraft hangars. Give us a call if you need one. Northwest Installations I'll be working on this thing on Jan. 2.

I buy a few new countdown Rapalas, a few jigs and some new line every year. Seriously.

Took this shot this afternoon. I dare ya!!!

I'll second that.

I'm not sure about hwy 11, but hwy 17, along the north shore of Superior has lots of trout rivers crossing it. Chances are you'll have them all to yourself too. It's also a more scenic drive than hwy 11.

Like most years, I didn't get out as often as I would have liked to. But I did have some great experiences along the way. Early in the season and quite by accident, I found myself doing my first ever guiding trip. This came about from a "friend of a friend" deal. And what a fantastic experience it was. I had two high profile businessmen in the boat with me for a day of Trout fishing. One guy was from South Carolina and the other was from Connecticut. A friend of mine had their two right hand men in his boat at the same time. The guys in my boat went 13 for 13 catching Steelhead, Salmon and a few Lake Trout. My buddy's boat landed 11 fish. Talk about happy clients! We had a blast that day. Fast forward to late August now. It's my prime time for Brook Trout fishing and I found some time to get out fishing. I did a 4 day trip with a good friend that produced some average Trout, and some decent Pike were accidentally hooked as well. I also found this on the beach by the boat launch. That's my size 11 shoe in the photo. The highlight of my year was not a certain fish that I caught. In fact I would have called it a success if I hadn't caught one fish all year. The highlight was meeting and spending quality time with some great OFC'ers. A couple of southern Ontario city boys, Spiel and TEP, made the long trek up north to spend a few days with Sis and I. Mahumba, whom I already knew quite well but never fished with before, also joined us. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this adventure. We caught some decent fish, including a coupe of personal bests. Sis and Spiel caught a few very pretty fish too. And I was happy to share this moment with Spiel. My best Brook Trout in a few years. 23 1/2 inches. Spiel and Jef were wonderful company. And I think that they had a good time as well. The smiles say it all. I'll be seeing more of them I'm sure. Grouse hunting was fantastic this fall too. There was more birds than I can recall for quite some time now. I still have several in the freezer for the winter. And I was fortunate enough to round a corner on a trail to see this guy standing there. I didn't practice my photography hobby as much as I would have liked to. Here's a couple of shots that I liked though. So, an early Happy New year to you all. I hope that your 2006 was at least as satisfying as mine and that your 2007 will be even better. Tight lines everyone!!

Don't forget the mosquito repellent...

I have two phones with two different numbers for $40.00 per month. I can't recall the exact contract details at the moment, but unless I'm out of town and making long distance calls, I never go over my minutes. I'm with Thunder Bay telephone, which I believe is one of two municipally owned telephone services in the country. It's a great asset to our city. Makes us a ton of money, and the service is great.

I've never had to work Christmas or new years day. I guess that my trade isn't an essential service. There has been times in the past when plant shut downs were scheduled on Xmas, but it was optional and I always passed. And I got lucky with work next week. They closed the shop until after new years and I have a UI claim going since last fall, so I'll be getting paid courtesy of of federal government. How sweet is that???

I had the PSA test done last August. It cost me $30.00 at my doctors office but I was told that I could get it done at our regional hospital at no cost. I don't know the details of how the free test works because I didn't go that route. By the ways guys, it's a simple blood test. No poking and prodding involved, unless they find reason to test further. I'm also scheduled for a colonoscopie next March. Yup. I'm at that age where I have to pay attention to these things. My sympathies to those of you that have lost friends and family to this terrible disease. May you have a peaceful and joyous Christmas.

That is so sad GCD. But at the same time, a heart warming story. She is such a sweet looking dog. As you probably know, I have two Borders. They are incredible dogs. Miss Bubba will adapt and she'll be just fine. Give her a treat from me please!!

Nice report and photos Tom. I'll bet that lots of the lakes were busy today around here. Have a great Christmas Tom....

You know, on second thought, this isn't a bad idea. So, I did go out and buy myself a present today. To me, from me. It's under the tree now. I just hope that I have the willpower to leave it there until Monday. Merry Christmas everyone. By the way, this is an actual unphotoshopped Crown Royal label. You can go to their web site and join the "Society of the Crown" for free. From there you can order 5 free customized labels per month.

Have a great one Roger!!

Yup. You're alone. Merry Christmas.

Roy..