fishinggeek

Nice one. I can never manage any luck. Any spoons cheaper than cleos that work? Also do you move around a lot, or stay in one spot? I'd imagine salmon move around a lot, so maybe I don't have to.

Looks of interesting perspectives. I like the low cost of ETF's as well, and other companies besides TD has some really cheap ones, like Vanguard or Barclay's. Unless you have the education, sophisticated tools, and scale (and I'm talking about many millions or billions of assets), personally I wouldn't try and beat the market with picking and choosing investments like stocks, mutual funds, or even real estate. These markets are usually zero sum games, and to make money, your counterparty has to lose money. And when you consider the counterparties are often large institutional investors like hedge funds that have expertise, I'd be afraid to ante up. That's just my personal opinion though. But I agree with Cliff. Read all the posts here, and take everything with a grain of salt. Find an advisor you trust and take their advice with a grain of salt too. Keep in mind how they are compensated. Some charge a flat fee, which may be high, but then there's no incentive for them to steer you in the wrong direction to increase their profits, like over-churning the portfolio, choosing investments with higher trailers for them, etc. Some might charge no fee, but keep pressuring you to buy expensive products like wrap funds, or pressure you to churn your portolio with short-term fixed incomes, or the latest stock tip. Everyone's an expert and your friend when you have money, so just be careful.

Please let us know when it's open. I'm sure all of us here at OFC will be loyal customers. I'm looking for a few things myself and would be happy to drop in for tackle.

Music, marketing, economics, super dad, and fishing? Does it ever end? Great song! What about a Dylan cover next?

I agree with you, Cliff. By reducing the intensity of competition through boycotts, the brands consumers choose more of will have more power to profit from rising prices or reducing servicing costs, both bad for the consumer. Unlike some people, I don't think there's much conspiring at the pumps, at least not at the gas station level. I'm not so sure about refiners, but I'm sure the average gas station owner is not as crooked as some may believe. But one way that might lower the price is through signalling. Right now, there are arbitrage scenarios all over the place, where one gas station is slightly cheaper than the others in the area. The problem is gas stations won't give you the price over the phone, nor is there any universal way to get the prices in a particular area. They make a bit of extra profits from this information asymmetry. If the regulators or some industry association demanded gas stations update their prices in real time on a website, then I'm sure we'd see some lowering in prices.

I had smoked sturgeon at a Jewish diner and loved it. I highly recommend it if you come across it on the menu or keep one and want to try your hand at smoking.

Thanks for the review! Maybe I'll get that spinning setup as a backup musky rod or whenever the woman wants to come with me. She refuses to learn a "new way of casting".

Good luck with whatever set up you choose! I hope musky fishing isn't becoming a snob sport. Why must people fish with the tackle that everyone else does? If it's legal and ethical, which I have no doubt a good spinning set up is, I have no qualms about it. And from JM's previous posts, it sure looks like he's a careful and effective fisherman, musky or otherwise. I've heard that in the fly fishing game, many "purists" think it's only acceptable to fish with dry flies, without any weight, without any indicators, etc. When I read some musky posts saying that people must fish with braid, without spinning gear, with certain brands of nets, etc., it sounds strangely familiar. I care about muskies like everyone else (though not more than any other species), but I fear some may be drawing the line between concern and elistism.

Here's my take on it. Gas stations are often independently owned, and there are many of them, so it is a highly competitive market. If one station owner decided to lock in the price at the level they paid for it, in other words, until the tank runs dry, the station owner absorbs all the short-term price risk. Now this wouldn't be a problem if every single gas station did this, but if only one out of many would adjust their prices down by just a bit whenever the gas spot price lowers, then we have an arbitrage situation because customers can get the same gas for a lower cost. This gas station owner would reap all the profits, so others would follow suit and stop locking in prices. The ones that don't over time will not survive because of the high level of competition. This is the reason why the suppliers in highly competitive markets must be "price takers".

And considering they regularly use heavy spinning outfits in saltwater for bigger, stronger fish like sailfish and tarpon, I'm sure proper spinning gear for muskie is fine. You might want to explore the striper or catfish spinning rods. Never used them, but maybe they'll do nicely.

I can't remember what I was looking for, but it was an article. The search brought me here.

I was using marshmallows, but I'll try those ear plugs. Heard they last a lot longer, but I'll have nothing to snack on!

Is that a sucker or a whitefish? My first guess was whitefish but I could very well be wrong.

Yes I agree and don't hire a guide, even if you can afford it. Much more satisfying (and cheaper) to do it on your own.

What everyone else said. But some people think they're actually trying to eat things like marshmallows. Not sure if they're trying to eat it or not, but marshmallow fishing is fun. Only tried it once though, but give it a shot if you want when the salmon are in the tributaries.

Oh yes, I've only used PayPal a few times, but would not hesitate to do it. I actually prefer it to paying direct, all other things being equal. In theory, it should be at least as safe, if not safer than buying with your credit card direct from the vendor. PayPal is a reputable company, and they're the only ones who see your account information. By paying through vendors that are less reputable, you may be exposing yourself to fraud or identity theft.

Let it ride is an expensive bet considering you'll never make any money by doing that. At the crazy interest rates credit cards charge, I always pay it in full by the due date. I think they're a great way to pay though because you get to defer your payment (which you can put in a savings account), you only transact once to pay it with your bank account which minimizes your fees, and you often get loyalty rewards like free gas or groceries. Good stuff in never carrying a balance, but why not let your money sit in a savings account to earn interest, then pay the card off on the due date? Each transaction you make on the card, put the same amount into a savings account. Pay it by the due date, and the interest you earned is gravy.

And since when is education and fun mutually exclusive? Didn't you go to UWO? Chickenhawk, school also isn't just about the books. Not only is it fun, but it can be really practical as well. Think about this: a lot of your friends will be in the same school and program. A lot will have similar career paths. School can really open up doors after you graduate. I know I have made some important connections at school that have helped me professionally, and I always try to reciprocate with past school friends who need help to. Kind of like Nancur's post on his new house (congrats), and how many on OFC generously offered appliances. You'll have a college network that might just come in handy when you're looking for that sweet job.

I say if you're young and the chances of you going to school afterwards is extremely high, then do what you want. If you're not young or you might not go back to school after your guiding, then go to school. Sure there are a lot of educated people with menial jobs, and there are a lot of "uneducated" people that are affluent, but on balance, education is an investment. Of course there are exceptions, but without question that, on average, education leads to not only better income, but a higher quality of life as one has more options. But I also agree with Lew, and that life's short, so have fun. Just make sure you get yourself sorted out eventually, and not too late in life.

I just don't cast light baits with baitcasting. For me, it's not worth the effort. Mind you, I'm only so-so with the baitcasting.

Thanks for all the great ideas. I know of none of them and I'm always concerned about theft.

Sorry, I was the one saying the selection is comparable. I should've worded it better. They comparable for the things I buy. I know both stores and catalogues inside out, and for the items I buy, they're comparable. My perspective's a bit selfish then, and I admit BPS has more distinct items than Le Baron, but those extra stuff are things I tend not to be interested in. I'm not sure that their high prices mean they have "integrity". The fishing retail business definitely has traits of an oligopoly, and I suspect BPS is playing a smart game of differentiating themselves with their big box/fish tank/etc experience, and using this to capture more of the consumer surplus. I am loyal to no store. I pick what I want, and find the best price. If I knowing pay more for the exact same item at one store, this goes against the "law of one price" and is inefficient to me. By knowing paying more for the exact same price, this implies some people might get some utility out of shopping at a particular store, for whatever reason, and are willing to pay for this utility. Like I said, I can get all the experience I want out of the fish tank, the decor, or whatever, without having to pay a cent. I'd buy my tackle in an alley if it was cheaper. Like most people, I work hard for my money, and I'd rather not leave any of it "on the table".

I agree kids in general are fine, even the so-called "at risk" ones. It seems that every generation "beats up" the kids in thinking they are in some way inferior or ill equiped. And I agree with your military comment. Maybe I missed something, but I didn't see anything in holdfast's post that would suggest otherwise. I thought they were just things kids should be aware of in general, no?

Interesting. Could fingerling pike may their way 10Km through swamp? I've heard of pike doing some crazy moving, even into the ocean I believe. I've also heard on this board how birds transport LMB eggs into small urban ponds. Maybe that's a possibility here as well.

Thanks for posting. I genuinely enjoy reading your candid and thought-provoking posts, and I must say this is probably the first one that comes to mind that I'm generally in agreement with, except maybe the last part. I like reading about other people's perspectives, and I'm really thankful our common thread here is fishing.