Photoz

That IS one nice rod & reel Beansie, and comes from the best carper I know . . . . . when he e-mails me & says "Head for the Kawarthas . . they're hitting," I know if I just drop EVERYTHING and head out, I'm gonna catch fish. I've picked up a lotta useful l'il tips in the last few years from this member (whom I won't name, as he'd be embarrassed by the attention) and every bit of advice offered, HAS WORKED!! The 'Gran Flanders' of the carping set! But . . . . I constantly see members helping out other members of this board, seems to go with the territory. Sure feels good to know people like this!

Sorry guys . . . . I wasn't in a great fishin' mood today . . . . a few things hangin' over my head these days, kinda takes the wind outta my sails! Just good to get out & put a line in the water!

GO FOR IT!! (I like MY job. it's the work I can't stand!)

EXCELLENT READ!! Will likely educate a lotta people today. I never realized that a private individual, or company, could dam up a waterway, cover THEIR property to a depth of several feet, with water, from a public stream, or river, but still retain the ownership of the land, UNDER that water, literally claiming ownership of the water too? ONE QUESTION . . . WHO or WHAT is continuously referred to all the way through the article as 'WHAT'S HIS NAME??"

If the line was spiraling off your reel, it MIGHT have been over-filled . . . occasionally they do this at bait shops . . . keeping your line snug will help, if you let it go slack, and there's a bit of breeze, you'll end up with a 'bird's nest! My 'rule of thumb' . . . I generally fill the reel to within 1/4" of the lip, or a smidgeon less. Some lines are worse than others for peeling off your reel, I've found the BIG GAME to be pretty good but I gotta keep a good eye on the P-LINE for peeling. The tension won't help it stay on the reel . . . I generally set mine, then a steady pull on the line, it should be tight enough that it takes SOME pressure to pull the line out . . . . then, when you get a fish on, if it's taking line out away to fast, reach around and tighten slightly, ONE ckick at a time, until the fish has to 'work' to pull line out. As long as the fish can take line off your reel, he can't break it!

As for putting ripe chicken livers in a satchel, in the original 'cheap plastic container' this definately NOT the way to go. DOUBLE BAG it in GOOD ziplock bags . . . . WHEW W W W W W . . . . I can just imagine what your knapsack must smell like! Next outing, hook up the knapsack, cast IT out . . . the ol' cats should swim right in!! As for bugs . . . ('skeeters?') a bit of your fave bug spray on exposed areas, and a bit sprayed on clothing will help. Otherwise . . . . sounded like a fairly normal fishing trip? Just keep tryin', you'll do okay!

Ah h h h h . . . . . . I was wonderin' about the do-it-yourself kits . . . I suppose the ONLY safe way is to write it all over again, and take it directly to a lawyer, rather than pay for a kit, THEN pay again for a lawyer. And from what I can tell, a GOOD para-legal charges lawyer scale fees anyway? Perhaps the lawyer likes to fish, and could buy a nice carp rod for a few hundered bucks!

I've on 3 occasions had work done at L & G Autobody at 4656 Yonge Street, which is a couple blocks north of #401, twice for teeny dings picked up in parking lots, not only was the car fixed to perfection from the small dings, it was ALSO washed & waxed, and 1 $9500.00 job done (red light runner broadsided me) PERFECTLY! Paint perfect, drove it another 65000 klicks without any problems, not even uneven tire wear!! I carry their card in my wallet, right beside Bill's Towing! But . . . . they AIN'T cheap!! Here ya DO get what ya pay for though.

Sorry guys, the carp gear and all 4 Stradics are spoken for. But . . . . . I MIGHT consider auctioning 'em off to the highest bidder . . . . to be delivered AFTER my demise? There are several good ideas brought up . . . which I will check out. Perhaps a lawyer might not be a bad idea after all . . . . . you're right SNOIL . . . . I hardly blinked an eye buying some pretty expensive fishing gear, so I suppose I'd better check a few lawyers, (a few hundred doesn't look all THAT bad, by comparison?) then paralegals, then have a boo at some of the do it yourself stuff. And yes, the Power Of Attorney is NOT to be forgotten either. Why wasn't I nicer to Kirk . . . . ?

A few years ago I decided it was time to make out a relatively simple will . . . . I don't have a lot, a couple insurance policies, a good vehicle and a lot of personal (and useful) stuff too. It took about a page & a half, then I trotted it out to a lawyer who was highly recommended, figuring all it needed was a signature and any GLARING legal errors pointed out, 15 minutes max? I ended up with 5 pages that said the same thing as I'd said in 1 1/2 pages that I barely understood . . . . and a bill for $500.00 + tax!!

Things have changed, I WAS going to just make some changes, but decided it needed to be re-written, IN PLAIN, SIMPLE language, so it could be understood by poor working-class peasants like myself. I've been told I can simply write this up, then go to a notary and have it made legal? Has anyone else out there just done a simple will, with only TWO beneficiaries, without the aid of a lawyer? Lawyer jokes aside, I don't think this guy actually overcharged me . . . . he was in the business of dealing with large estates, and treated my hard earned pennies like the hundreds of thousands in wills he deals with every day . . . . massive overkill. Perhaps it's not even worth a lawyer's time to handle the small stuff?

I think I've seen information on EVERY other subject on this board . . . but never wills? Anybody have some advice? First . . . exactly what is a notary, and where do ya find one? T'anks.

WOW!! And the MASSIVE tail . . .. I can just imagine the power that one had swimmin' away! Corn & hair rig?

AW W W W W W W . . . . c'mon Roy . . . . be nice, eh?

Hard to believe, but I'm happy to be goin' back . . . I got awful sick of not bein' able to do much . .. . couldn't even fish properly. Although the incision area (right along the belt line) is still quite tender, as long as I keep my mail satchels under 20 pounds, and go easy, I SHOULD be fine. That's gonna be tough . .. 10 pounds of mail . . . . 10 pounds of doggie treats! If I hadn't had the OFC board to keep caught up, I'da had one of those shirts with the wrap-around sleeves to wear! My carp fishin' bud (from jolly ol' over 'ome) hits the shores of 'the colonies' August 1 . . . says it's been a tad dampish over there lately. Now . . .. I get to see if they were able to run the office without me for nearly 3 weeks .... musta been tough!

P. S.

Remember how he started his '05 holiday over here? O O O O U C H!!

Likely one o' them thar killer Asian carp, sizin' you up . . . . . gettin' ready to jump up and lay his tail alongside your head . . . . . lucky to escape with your life! Is that stretch of water anywhere near Sarnia . . . . heh . . . heh?

Perhaps you didn't read my concerns closely enough? My beef was with the carelessly written story, which scares the c r a p outta most of us. If we keep seeing false reports of these things (crying 'wolf') soon nobody will pay any attention.

P. S.

Exactly what are YOU doing to stop these fish? I live in Toronto . . . where can I head 'em off? Seriously, I suspect you and I are kinda powerless to do much?

GRASS CARP, EH? Turn off the panic alarms, go back to normal living . . . fishing is NOT doomed after all? But . . . . this just shows what might be a small insignificant news non-story can do, when it's published, WITHOUT thoroughly checking facts! After while, instead of sheer panic, when one of these stories surfaces, people will just shrug their shoulders & say . .. . "S o o o o??" Just one 'down' side of the monster called the 'INTERNET!' The best way on this planet to spread panic and angst, instantly. The newspaper obviously didn't ask for much confirmation, the reporter needed a story to keep circulation levels up, the guy who caught the carp HAD TO have known what he had, and if not, there are MILLIONS of sources as close as his fingertips that COULD have identified this fish . . . even I can identify a common carp, a grass carp & an Asian carp . . . . howcum a 4th generation commercial fishing V P couldn't? Like I said . . . . . . a slow news day . . . . and a story that caught a few people's attention! My bet is we'll be hearing a lot more in the near future about the 'Asian carp caught in Lake Erie . . . . must be true, 'I SAW IT ON THE INTERNET!!?"

'NUDDER OL' WIVE'S TALE . . .. fish hooks, stuck in fish, DO NOT DISOLVE! By using either needle nose pliers, or tweezers, the barb can be bent down or broken of on some of your better (Nash) carp hooks. And about 99% of the time, when a hair rig is used, the hook catches the carp in the inside of the lip. There MIGHT be enough acid in a fish's digestive system to eventually disolve an INGESTED hook, but inside or around the mouth . . . . NOPE! I actually recall someone putting a link on thid board to results where a study was done on fish (in fish tanks . . . hatcheries, I presume) with imbedded hooks in their mouths . . . even after 6 months only SOME of the hooks had started to rust, and were a few cases where the flesh started to grow around the hook, but NOT ONE 'DISOLVED!'

Yup . . . . it IS a real test of skill bringing in a good sized carp on light gear!! With the water being so clear, the 6 pound line sure helps. Good healthy lookin' fish . . . . . Grand River?

THE SKY IS FALLING IN!!!! THE SKY IS FALLING IN!!!!

Because of the vague way in which this fish's decription has been published, I suspect it just may have been a slow news day!! The fisherman who caught this 'mystery fish' (Tim Purdy) lays claim to being a 'fourth generation' commercial fisherman, and the V P of a large commercial fishing operation, but cannot even identify what species of carp he's caught?? Even being an avid fisherman for the common carp, I've seen enough photos of Asian carp, and seen enough common carp, that even I could tell the difference 50' away. Reminds me of the hysteria generated by the mere mention of zebra mussels a few years ago . . . they may have made an impact, but life goes on, then it was the hysteria at the mention of gobies . . . . ESPECIALLY when it was first documented they were in Lake Simcoe ( does ANYBODY think they just stopped up at Pefferlaw, and were afraid to enter the lake) but NOW the reaction is . . . . 'HO . . HUM when gobies & Lake Simcoe are mentioned in the same sentence?' I DO NOT like the thought of Asian carp hitting our waters, but I'm not making any plans on moving up to Moose Factory to get away from them! As for the Ministry, hell, they cannot even, in almost 2 months 'investigating,' give any definitive answer concerning what's killing the carp in the Kawarthas, now they CANNOT EVEN SAY WHETHER THEY HAVE A COMMON CARP, OR AN ASIAN CARP handed to them? Comon guys & gals . . . . it's NOT time to go in panic mode on a "MAYBE WE HAVE THIS, MAYBE WE DON'T" headline in a small-town paper?

Several times this morning I've lost posts because I keep gettin' either 'PAGE NOT AVAILABLE,' or "PAGE EXPIRED?' I'm not doing ANYTHING DIFFERENT . . . . wazzup ?

I just wasted 20 minutes doing a post concerning this thread . . 'PAGE NOT AVAILABLE?' Then 'PAGE EXPIRED?' Even though I 'copied' my info, after several tries, the whole post disappeared? Anybody else having problems posting?

Hm m m m m m . . . kinda strange lookin' carp?

Although I've never fished exclusively for channel cats, I've talked to quite a few who have. To the best of my knowledge, about a #4 or #2 hook (some use trebles) tossed out right where we were fishing, with a generous helping of chicken liver attached, either as it gets dark, or in the 'wee hours,' SHOULD get you a cat or 2. About 3 years ago a guy showed me some of his bait, TRIPLE BAGGED in Ziploc bags in his trunk . . . he claimed when he opened 'em up, buzzards started to circle!! Ew w w w w w w . . . . I swear I could smell 'em through those 3 bags, they LOOKED putrid enough to make ya gag! Perhaps some of you channel cat fanciers might correct me on this if I'm wrong . . . . may y y b e he was yankin' my chain a bit??

Yeah h h h h h . . . . . but ya gotta leave 'em in the hot sun a few days to get ripe. Toss a hook fulla ripe chicken liver, even the cormorants leave!! PUI I I I I I I!!

Well, there WERE carp on the move this morning, but I only had one sharp hit, and a couple nudges. But I ALSO had the company of a lovely lady, and her VERY friendly, but well behaved puppy-dog, so it was an enjoyable morning. Unfortunately my incision hadn't mended as much as I'd thought, and after several hours standing around, it was starting to get kinda painful. We did take a quick drive to Fishing World, where I pointed out a few small necessities for carp, without breaking the bank, and suggested a Shimano Sedona 4000 for a good all around reel, that will handle almost anything. Her present reel had only one setting for tension . . . . LOOSE!! She had a decent fish on, which was peeling out line pretty quick . . . I reached over and tried to tighten the drag a bit, but at this point it dragged her 10 pound mono over some zebra mussels . . . . bye-bye fishie! But, for someone who'd never cast ANYTHING before, within a couple tries, she was able to plunk down the bait 100+' out!! Accuracy needs a bit of work, but she's REALLY hyped up to go. Anybody else shore-fishing down Hammie Harbour way, get in touch with Carpe Diem and give her a hand . . . . IF I'm healed a bit more by Sunday, I MIGHT give it anudder go . . . . but I don't mend quite as fast these days, eh?

Doesn't my lovely description of the scenic Hammie Harbour tug at your heart strings Jen . . . . . does it not bring a wee tear the the l'il peepers? I'da hung around to watch the sunset, but me eyes wuzz waterin too much from the aroma! Ya shoulda took a quick buzz over . . . . only 3 of us there!