dks

Great article, this should be a must read for all anglers! The best point in the article was using the analogy that leaving a fish out of the water is akin to holding one's breath after running a marathon. One big complaint I have is the way most (yes I said most) TV fishing hosts don't handle fish correctly. They leave the fish out of the water way too long while they are yakking at the camera. I always say to myself "put the damn fish back in the water!" That's my thoughts for now.

I wouldn't eat them since I recall reading somewhere that the contaminant levels in them were very high. Old turtles would have had a long time accumulating toxins.

Great video on cooking the Asian Carp. It's no surprise they taste good since they are raised in the east for food. Well done filleting technique too. I watched another video a couple of years ago and it made the filleting process tedious! I believe they are marketing Asian carp as Silverfin fish?

Why would anyone dump fish on shore to "feed" other animals? Fish stink when they rot on the shore. I would suggest you dump the fish in the water instead of sinking up the land. Keep it clean.

This is a good discussion that hopefully will enlighten some people who may not know that littering is wrong. Hard to believe, but, there are probably people that don't realize that littering is bad. As conscienscious anglers we must speak up when we observe people littering. So for those that don't know, don't LITTER!

According to Snopes, this is false and the email has been circulating since 2006. You need to remove the tick manually by tweezers.

I use barbless 100% of the time. I "caught" my head with a barbed hook when I first started fishing years ago, and couldn't get the damn thing out myself (at the back of my head). Since then, barbless all the way.

Thanks for fighting the good fight Ron. I'm curious as well, what did the "burning debris" turn out to be?

I used to think that canoeists and campers didn't litter as much, but, after seeing garbage at portage access points and picnic stops I've come to the conclusion that there is a segment of the population that either don't care or aren't aware that littering is unacceptable. There are litterers in every segment of society. Some more than others I'm sure. Best thing we can do is to point out to litterers that it is not acceptable. Speaking up will make a difference.

Best point you made was to minimize keeping a fish out of water. I'm always dismayed when I see a TV fishing host keep a fish out of the water and blab about the fish. I think all ethical fisherman should watch this video. Thank you for posting it.

I had my Fin Bore replaced several years ago when I kept having a similar problem. I believe it was "out of alignment" and I couldn't drill holes very well. They replaced the head and I've had no problems since.

I used to love the Sportsman's show....till Le Baron dropped out one year. Went to the Spring Fishing show a few times and wasn't too impressed. Lately I haven't been to either show for many years. Since Bass Pro Opened I think you can get competitive deals from either them or Le Barons. Other than seeing a few seminars I don't think either show is worth the admission. For pure bargins, Boxing day sales and regular sales will do the same.

If anyone is interested in seeing them play, I've got tickets for the Dec 2nd game against Oilers available. Posting is in the classified section.

I think fish feel pain. Just because they don't exhibit the symptons doesn't mean they aren't feeling pain. If you've ever had a toothache, arthritis, back pain, etc. there will be times when you are under pain, but, don't show it to the casual observer. Until they can start communicating with fish I find it unlikely that most animals (including fish) don't have some sense of pain.

I believe one should never stick a needle in the swim bladder of the fish. Logically if you create a hole in the bladder how will the fish be able to use the bladder again? I suspect the original practice started from misinformed anglers who thought popping a hole to relieve the pressure would be good. Bottom line, if you are fishing deep and are practicing catch and release then just take your time bringing up the fish. Unless fish have regenerative powers that can instantly heal a hole in thier swim bladder, fizzing is not a good idea.

Do you bring this stuff up after you drop it down the hole? If you don't I would suggest you use natural trees for structure. As far as I'm concerned it's just like throwing litter and garbage in the lake.

Overall, I could easily live without lead in fishing tackle. In the grand scheme of things it's a small difference that will benefit the water quality greatly. As mentioned earlier, imagine the tonnes of lead that must be lost in the water. Remember, they banned lead from food cans, paint, gasoline for a good reason. Keeping lead in fishing tackle is probably more from a manufacturing lobby effort than the average sport angler.

Ditto on the Bass Pro Lifetime socks! I originally purchased 3 pairs and now have 7 pairs. I've replaced 3 pairs in 4 years. I not only wear them ice fishing, but, I wear them pretty well all year long. By far the most comfortable socks I've ever had. I used to wear poly liners and socks when ice fishing, but, now I usually just wear the Bass Pro socks by themselves. Once you start wearing them you will find it very difficult to wear any other sock.

Adding a burlap bag to the river (which never decomposes) doesn't make sense to me. I know we want to catch fish, but, why trash the river just to improve a day's fishing?

While I was disappointed she didn't win, I was very proud that she lost gracefully. Unlike other athletes her team accepted defeat and showed true sportmanship in losing gracefully. She did herself and Canada proud.

I wouldn't have bought a float tube (used it twice),worm blower, knot tyer,LCD fish finder (Vexilar is better),cheap fishing vests,cheap waders,various tackle boxes, solo canoe,inflatable rubber dingy, electric motor, wooden tip ups, ice sleds,and a few other things that I can't think of right now. At least I helped the economy.

Nice picture Beans, now I'm definitely going tomorrow to Barrie. I think I'll still target lakers and whitefish though....unless it's slow then the perch better be careful.

Thanks for the feedback guys, maybe I'll have to give that area a try this week. Lots of parking at least and close to the ice. Beans, did you get the pike jigging or with bait?

I know that there is a warm water outflow by the Tiffen street boat launch, but, I've never seen anyone ice fishing in the general area of Kempenfelt Bay near the downtown area of Barrie. Looking at fishing maps, it looks like it drops down quickly. I know there are huts by Minet's point, but, I've never seen anyone fishing close to the north side of downtown shore. Any reason for this? Seems like good access and parking?