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THEEEEEE big letdown . . . . I went down to Bluffers this morning for about 4 hours, thought of takin' a couple white buckets to carry all the stuff I wuzz gonna find . . . didn't even find enough coin to pay my parking . . . just another 3 cheap ear rings . . . . geeze . . . seems to be lots of those lost, lotsa those l'il fireworks wires stickin' up, ALMOST outta the sand . . . great for the barefoot season . . . 'nudder reason firewrks on public property should be banned, I was quite surprised at the meager pickin's there wuzz down there? Bottle caps, rusty nails, pull tabs, an ol' coin I've never heard of . . . Ontario 1867 on one side with the provincial coat of arms & says 'WHITE TRILLIUM' with a white trillium on the other? It was only about 2" into the loose sand . . couldn't have been there long? I guess I'll have to stick to parks with picnic area & playing fields . . . . . where ya got tough diggin' in the grass! I guess I musta had a classic case of beginner's luck . . . . maybe I'll have to cancel plans for fly-in salmon fishin' up in Labrador this summer . . . I'm thinkin' maybe this l'il venture ain't gonna be quite as lucrative as it first appeared . . . but . . . . it IS interesting! I'm not quite ready to get into it full time yet though!!

Anybody ever seen or heard of this coin? No denomination / value on it . . . might NOT even be an 'official' coin?

They let me out on the weekends, eh? That movie does look interesting . . . I'm just looking for sites now for tips on what to do IF ya do get lucky and find something of value?

The 'pinkie' ring has no stamp, but the 'birthstone' ring is 14 carat? Is THAT good? I'm not a jewellry typa guy, so I know little about the value of this stuff . . . but I'm sure gonna check it out. I don't know if I've just hit some 'beginner's luck,' but this just seemes TOO EASY? And, let's just suppose this 'pinkie' ring IS the real McCoy . .. . HOW DOES A PERSON LOSE SOMETHING LIKE THIS?

Well, I had a VERY good week of holidays . . . found a great carp spot, within a $6.00 drive from home (I'm learnin' to watch my gas guage these days) landed about 2 dozen carp in 6 days, biggest 24+ pounds, and most in the 12 to 15 pound range . . . met a few new friends, and just had a very relaxin' week. But . . . . I was lucky enough to run into a fellow fisherman who not only was familiar with metal detectors . . . . he actually had one with him. I was amazed at how simple these 'entry level' toys were . . . . and also even more amazed at how sensitive they are. He found a #14 hook, under 3" of sand on the riverbank!! He bought this nifty little device from Crappy Tire for $150.00. So o o o . . . . . upon arriving home Friday afternoon, I looked it up on the CTC site, pinpointed a store that showed it in stock. Upon arrival, I couldn't find ANY of the THREE models . . . spent 10 minutes hunting down somebody on the floor, only to be told they were sold out. He called a store about 15 minutes away . . was assured THEY had one . . . after 20 minutes finding help there, it was ascertained THEY DID NOT have it . . . they made a mistake . . . . but after a few choice words with the manager I was given the $200.00 model for the cheaper price. So o o o o this morning I hit the soccer field in the park down the street, and got started. First 10' . . . . . . BEEEEEEEEP!! PAYDIRT?? A pop can tab . . . oh well. In the next 15 minutes, ONE ear ring . . a toonie . . . some pennies . . several screw nails . . . then . . . . a strong signal down in the roots of the grass . . . after probing a bit with my only digging tool (a screwdriver) I hit SOMETHING hard . . . and out comes a ring!! after cleaning it a bit, it had some typa birthstone . . . blue? To make a long story short(er), I spent over an hour poking around an area about 200' X 200' . . . total haul, 5 (single) cheap looking ear rings, assorted nails, pop can tabs, $6.06 in change, a cheap birthstone ring, but . . . . . a VERY impressive (to me) looking 'pinkie' ring. Although it LOOKS like diamonds mounted in it, the ring is not as heavy as I'd imagine something like this SHOULD be? But . . . . NOW i got something to do while waiting along some riverbank or lake shore while waiting for Mr. Carp!! Can hardly wait to hit some beaches in the early morning, AFTER a hot crowded day. And there are DOZENS of parks locally. I think I'ma gonna LOVE my new 'TOY!'

See pics below . . . . is THAT what a diamond 'pinkie' ring should look like? GEEZE . . ... I HOPE!! It also was buried in the dead 'undergrass,' had to have been there a year or 2?

The hard unsoaked corn will NOT harm the carp . . . . . it is ground up BEFORE it ever gets close to the carp's stomach by the big molars in the carp's throat. This also happens to zebra mussels, snails . . . . anything hard . . . . the ground up shells are expelled out through the carp's gills, and the digestible stuff goes into the gullet. However, I do boil / soak my maize, as I generally add strawberry KoolAid mix, anise or garlic to flavour it . . . . it SEEMS to bring 'em in better?

You know the difference between an Irish wedding & an Irish funeral? . . . . One less drunk at the funeral!

EXCELLENT SITE . . .. another well worth having a look at too . . . . you'll be hauling out the biggies in no time! http://www.geocities.com/carpsava/content.html

Yet anudder 'STEALheader' gets hooked on the 'lowly' carp . . . . my hat's off to you for landing that one on light gear, even if it was a bit lethargic . . . . it STILL has a lotta power. If ya REALLY get into it, you might consider buying your maize (and other groundbaits) in bulk . . . . there's a few places near the GTA where you can buy the stuff a helluva lot cheaper than you'll get at your corner store. (#1) Rens Feeds . . . 4002 Trafalgar Rd. Mississauga (#2) Queensville Farm Supply, Queensville Ontario. (#3) Caesarea Farm Supplies, #7 Highway & County Road #57. (10 klicks east of Port Perry) For example . . . last year I was paying $8.50 for 40 kilos of maize . . . likely about $12.00 this year!) Good luck!

Decent fish . . . . as the water warms up they'll get into fighting mode more & more . . . I've been catchin' pretty good out east this week, the ones around 20 & over are still a bit lethargic, but the 10 - 15 pounder are in good form! Every year more & more people are discovering carp . . . . quite a change since I posted my first one about 5 years ago . . . . I hear gobies put up a helluva fight on light gear, eh? Then it REALLY gets interesting when a cormorant swallows yer hooked gobie! (Tryin' to start a new type of sport-fishin', eh?) Did you get the weird carp / goldfish in the lake, or in a trib? We used to often see, and even catch the odd koi at the old Lakeview plant. There was a really beautiful white koi that hung around there for a long time, then disappeared . . . . I wonder how he tasted?

Now . . . . . I've seen the movie . . . . . when's the book bein' released? That fish was about 16 - 18 pounds . . . and sure put up a great scrap! WAY Y Y Y Y Y TO GO!!

P. S.

Since when is a proper British lass a C & W fan??

WOW! That one's gotta be in the 20+ range! But . . . . do you know the drill when ya get your first one over 40? YA GOTTA FRENCH KISS 'IM, EH?

Must be great to have a WHOLE FAMILY who enjoy fishing! Is the wee one part of any of the teams . . . . I'd bet she'd love to contribute there!

AMAZING!?! Of 4 media outlets I managed to contact, it was kinda . . . "Ho . . Hum . . . ?" I guess why this particular incident 'jumped out' at me . . . . the flag is HUGE . . . . the pole is MASSIVE . . . . . it was put there to be seen . . . . . one more shot later today . . . . . I'll find out who the M. P. for the area is, and perhaps who is the city councillor and if the interest just isn't there, maybe the local branch of the Canadian Legion . . . . . SOMEBODY'S GOTTA GIVE A crap?, . . . . if nothing else, at least SMALL (but no less important) flags aren't quite so noticeable!

I wuzz waitin' in the bushes BESIDE the parkin' lot, and bushwhacked 'im as he tried to sneak past!!

I can hardly wait till you get one that size in warmer water . . . . you'll have a ball! Since it's a bit of a drive down to Hamilton to Fishing World, any of you Toronto or Scarboro carpers have a fave store that stocks ANY decent carp gear out here? I suspect our 'New Angler' will be on the hunt for some, as summer approaches.

As I approached Rouge Park, out near the extreme east end of Lawrence Avenue in West Hill, I spotted our Canadian flag merrily flapping in the breeze, atop a HUGE pole . . . . perhaps 30+ metres high . . . can be seen for miles! But . . . . . as I got closer, I could see shredded remnants of ANOTHER flag under our national symbol also fluttering around. Barely enough left of it to identify . . . . but the words 'WEST ROUGE' were readable. Some of those tatters though were NOT from the West Rouge flag, but from our own Canadian flag! If there ISN'T a law making it an offense to fly a frayed, tattered, decrepid-looking Canadian flag, there SURE AS HELL SHOULD BE. This tattered symbol of our country is flying only a kilometre away from where the brave and dedicated Canadian soldiers are being transported via our 'HIGHWAY OF HEROS" on their way to their final resting place, after giving the supreme sacrifice to defend our country. How much does a new flag cost . . . . and just who is responsible for this travistry? I know I'll be sending pics of this to several media outlets this afternoon . . . . watta damn shame to see this 'RAG' flapping in the breeze . . . am I over-reacting . . . . or do others feel the same way. Maybe SOMEONE else on the board MIGHT know who to approach to have this thing replaced?

WATTA WAY TO SHOW OUR PRIDE, EH?

I've been watchin' all of the other carp guys get their first, second . . . tenth carp of the year . . . . then the girls start to get 'em . . . . I HAD to do SOMETHING!! I'd been feeling pretty unwell (off work) for almost a week, but Friday I decided to go for a (short) drive . . . not much of a breeze in northeast Toronto, but when I hit Port Credit, it was whippin' outta the northeast at about 40+ klicks, I spotted a couple hardcore carpers all bundled up, sitting on the boardwalk . . not a line bump, so I moved a bit further east to Etobicoke Creek, somewhat sheltered there . . . but after 3 hours & not even a line bump, I gave it up. I checked a couple more spots on my way east . . . too windy . . . . and eventually ended up out at Rouge Park. Another 3 hours invested here, plus about 5 pounds of corn & groundbait . . . DEAD!! The ONLY thing I saw catching fish that day were these guys . . . . they were havin' a heyday with the small shad or alewife . . . but I DID see one nail about a 12" sucker . . . . down the hatch it went. Looks like he's 'FLASHIN' his pall here . . . likely just drying his wings!

But . . . . not to be discouraged, I headed back to the Rouge Saturday morning . . . got there about 09:00 . . . . several guys fishing . . . and I was told . . . "Ya shoulda bin heah an hour ago," and was showed shots of a couple in the 15 pound range. Again . . . about 6 hours this time . . . saw ONE l'il bitty carp (2 pounds) caught, and a medium sized catfish. This time I had a furious red-wing blackbird go after me every time I walked near my van . . . he and his mate were into some serious home building . . . stoooooopid bird flew at anybody walking past. Here he is givin' me proper hell, then quieting down once I walked away, waiting for his next victim!

After TWO unsucessful days, I figured I had a few more hours left in me, so I headed back a bit earlier today . . . it was about 7 degrees, with an east wind already starting to come up . . . . . brrrrrrrrrrrrrr! One of my fellow carpers had a good one on about 08:00, but the hook pulled out. It was nearly 09:00 when I heard my favourite tune start to play . . . beep . . beep . . BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP . . . . and line started to peel off my spool! CARP ON!! Although he had lotsa power, he wasn't into playing much . . . only took about 5 minutes to land him with the help of some newfound friends . . . . good way to start out a new carping year . . . just over 24 pounds! (Please excuse the gill hold . . . he slipped as I was posing!) Withing 10 minutes my friend, who was very new to carp fishing got one on. He had fairly light gear, so he sure got his money's worth out of a healthy 12+ pounder. He's now thoroughly hooked on carp . . . he's a board member . . . I asked him to post his first ever carp, which he handled like a pro!! I hope he does . . . I didn't even get his name though? Here's my 24 pounder. I stayed another hour, but it clouded right over, and the east wind was now about 35 klicks . . . so I packed 'er up. Water's still a little cold . . . another couple weeks & they'll liven up though!

The way things are going it appears it won't be long till your Civic or Corolla will cost $100.00 to fill! When I bought my Dodge Caravan new in 2004, to fill it from BONE DRY cost under $60 . . . . if I let 'er run dry today . . . . almost double . . . . my wages have increased by about 9%. I KNOW I'm gonna have to fish a lot closer to home this summer . . . maybe every other weekend. Anybody else feelin' the pinch? It must REALLY hurt to pull that V8 SUV, and boat up to the pumps these days. I'd had definite plans for a new van this fall . . . gonna get another year outta this one now! Ah h h h h . . . . . now I've had MY whine . . . . but I DON'T feel any better!

After rumours, stories, speculation & other innuendoes, a reasonable-sounding report is finally out, concerning last summer's carp die-off in the Kawarthas. For what it's worth . . . . . .

Fri, May 9, 2008

New virus fells fish. Carp safe to eat despite die-off

By JAMES NEELEY, SUN MEDIA

PETERBOROUGH -- A fish virus new to Ontario has been identified as one cause of the carp die-off that littered area lakes with 12,000 to 24,000 fish last summer. John Cooper, of the Lake Erie management unit for the ministry of natural resources, said extensive testing by the University of Guelph and federal fish health labs confirmed finding a new fish virus in Ontario -- the koi herpesvirus. The MNR previously identified a bacteria, columnaris, as the cause but now say the new virus also killed fish. The koi herpesvirus, first found in North America in 1999, was discovered in two fish collected from Scugog and Pigeon lakes last year, Cooper said.

It only affects carp, goldfish and koi, he said, and is not a danger to humans, "because it can't live in a body as warm as a human." Carp infected with koi herpesvirus are safe to eat and handle, he said. Last year's die-off also will not threaten carp counts for this season, Cooper said. "Carp are a prolific fish that can quickly bounce back from a die-off," he said. There is no evidence the 2007 carp die-off was caused by a contaminant spill, Cooper said. Trying to determine what caused last summer's carp kill took extensive testing, Cooper said, noting autopsies don't work on fish. "Once they are dead the natural process may mask the cause," he said. "We have to get the fish alive and transport to the lab as quickly as possible."

Sounds plausable to me . . . . I wonder how long they'd have taken to come up with a report had the die-off hit bass . . . . pickerel . . . . . muskies? Ah h h h h . . . . . there won't be much fishing pressure on ANYTHING more than about 100 klicks of the city this year . . . . nobody will be able to afford gas. Any provisions on any boats to deck 'em out with sails?

A Labrador fish retriever?

Here's a few more too . . . . http://baitnet.com/search.php?action=provincelist&province=ON&orderby=name&submit=List+all+shops+in+Ontario

Like a few people have commented . . . . "There's LIKELY 2 sides to this story" . . . but, it's just what the media pray for . . . . a poor downtrodden single mother VS GOLIATH (big business) and right or wrong, big business doesn't stand a chance!! But . . . . check back in a few weeks / months until this blows over and see if she's still working at Tim's? Publicly embarrass the boss? I don't like her chances of makin' retirement age, still at Timmies! Timmies must pay pretty good though . . . . a single mom supporting a family of 4 on what Timmie's pays? Hm m m m m??

I was teasing a goose & gander up at Scugog in the park when the fishin' was a bit slow a few years ago, making like I was going for their 2 or 3 day old goslings . . . the gander hissed several warnings, but when that didn't work, he flew right at me . . . I got whacked several times before I managed a fast retreat! Those wings actually hurt, eh! I've also seen them go after playful unleashed dogs that try to 'investigate' the family! They can certainly be VERY protective of their offspring!