Photoz

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! THAT is ONE thing that'll get you shot at sunrise . . . . inviting swans over to swim into your line and become entangled!! I had the bad luck of catching a swan at Port Credit earlier this year, it took THREE of us to hold it still and cut my line up to let it go. It cost me about 100' of 50 pound Power Pro, coulda cost the swan his life! He was just cruising (with about 20 others,) in the little bay where we fish, looking for hand-outs . . . . not HIS fault!! Ever try reeling in a 35 pound, struggling bird that could hit you hard enough with a 4' wing to break a finger or wrist, without hurting it? They're a gorgeous bird, but geese, ducks & swans and fishin' DO NOT WORK! When the swans come around, I toss a few rocks near 'em, if they don't get the message, I have little choice, I pack it up and leave! I, as an angler, see them as a pest, but have no wish to harm them, they're just trying to eat to live.

Looks like some decent bass there . . . . did you find the weeds any worse than usual? Rice is obviously part of the Kawarthas . . . . but this is about the only lake in that vicinity that doesn't appear to have had a carp die-off? See and live, or dead carp?

You MIGHT get some info on this site, but I highly doubt it . . . . worth a look at least? http://www.ocoa.ca/Pages_MNRnews/index.htm

Any of you Hamilton lads been over around Inland or Eastport lately? A p. m. on how it's been would be appreciated, if possible? I'm gonna give Inland a shot early Wednesday morning, if anybody's around. I'd like to try Eastport, but not ready to climb over those big rocks down to the water to release a fish quite yet. Hopefully I don't get ANYTHING over 10 pounds . . . . or I might need a hand getting 'er in!

Although I know nothing about that type of equipment, I suspect Vistek ( http://www.vistek.ca/ ) in the Queen & River area might be able to help. They have mostly high-end professionally oriented equipment, if they DON'T carry it, they can get it, or tell you where it can be had.

Hey y y y y . . . . . people DO pay big bucks for live carp, you can buy 'em at many fish markets in the city, or most areas with heavy Asian populations. I brought a couple to an East European customer of mine from Scugog a few years ago . . . . he gave me a chunk, done on a charcoal barbie . . . very much like bass!! Many times I've been asked by people I'm fishing near, if they could have my carp . . . . as long as I'm sure it's for their table, no problem.

I've been keenly watchin' for ANY more reports on this situation. It's well past the 4 - 5 weeks it was gonna take the Ministry to report back on test results . . . . . to date . . . . noodnik?? Any more dead ones turning up? Anyone fishin' 'em? Anyone catchin' 'em in their usual spots? Even though it's ONLY CARP, they bring in B I I I G tourist bucks from Britain & Europe . . . . . it's strange that there's been NO 'official' news release at all? Is it a carp only disease? How will several thousand big, dead, rotting carp affect the drinking water? Swimming? Any news I've missed, checking local papers through 'GOOGLE,' I'd appreciate an update on.

I MIGHT be in good enough shape to hit Hammie Harbour to test the water for carp Wednesday . . . . . for shore fishing down there, in the EARLY morning (before daylight) what would be considered a good bait to nail a few sheepshead? Should a worm on a Mepps or Panther Martin work? Worm hung under a float? Glow-in-the-dark Cleo? I often see them feeding along the shore as I wait for Mr. Carp in the early morning, but this time I'll take a couple spare rods, so I don't have to change the riggin' on my carp rod! I've caught a few at the mouth of the Credit on Cleos, but this was draggin' 'em through deeper water?

Hey y y y y Rich . . . . . it's your lucky day, even though you're not a fish, this DOESN'T have to stop you. They can be bought, canned, from most food stores specializing in Russian or Eastern European fare!! Kinda expensive I believe . . . . enjoy!! (Heh . . heh!)

I've found when they're taking boilies, pineapple are the way to go, with strawberry being a close second. As for deep-hooking . . . since I stated using a hair rig a few years ago, I've NEVER even got a carp in the throat!! Nor have a seen on with the hook on the hair rig further than mid-mouth. A $10.00 set of Rapala tweezers should solve the hook removal nicely . . . . they can be used to break the barb off the hook (if you use Nash hooks) or bend it against the shaft on others. As long as you keep the line tight, you won't miss many on barbless. You should have a boilie drill with the bait needle too, makes it MUCH easier to get bait needle through! As for Fishing World . . . best guys I've ever dealt with . . . second to none!

Uh h h h . . . . . just curious . . . . what does an 'observer' observe? Although interested, not sure if I'd be healthy enough in 2 weeks?

EXACTLY what I woulda done!! Regardless of WHERE I had driven to, it's well worth NOT getting dinged for at least $175.00, and risking getting gear lifted. The minute I discovered I had no license with me, I'd VERY quickly leave my spot, and as inobtrusively as possible!! Even though the C. O. who is around the east tribs is well known to many of us 'regulars,' and once you've been checked . . . . usually early in the year, he doesn't ASK to see your license again if he knows you, if some day another C. O. shows, you're in DEEP DOO-DOO!!

Other than the garbage throwers, my next pet peeve are the guy(s) on another boards (ONE, especially) who are ALWAYS bragging about catching & releasing (outta 70+' of water) 20 or more whitefish & a few trout, then have the nerve to berate me for taking a trout, my 2 whitefish or a couple dozen perch home to eat. But . . . . more and more, others are speaking up about seeing 'floaters,' (that the C & R guys proudly released with blown bladders) near where the crowds are fishing. I hate seeing good edible fish turned into seafgull fodder even more than I hate seein' 'em caught illegally!!

One peeve I have yet to see mentioned . . . and my bet is, SOME of you are guilty of such . . . . . without ever giving it a thought! DISCARDING CIGARETTE BUTTS!! About a month ago, I was fishing the Ganny, on the west side parking lot, just south of the footbridge. VERY slow day . . . I'm bored . . . area only had a couple coffee cups and bait containers laying around . . . . . AHA!! CIGARETTE BUTTS . . . . LOTSA CIGARETTE BUTTS, from Saturday & Sunday's fishin' crowds!! So, I took a plastic container outta the garbage, and walked about a 200' stretch of riverbank, up to 20' back of the water . . . . . . ONE HUNDRED & SEVENTY SEVEN discarded butts!! When ya look along ANY well-fished shoreline, it's the same . . . . are cigarette butts NOT considered garbage? (And shore anglers are NOT the only guilty ones, I see plenty of boaters flickin' their butts overboard without another thought?) Any comments on THIS??

The way I heard it . . . . guy #3 was a postal worker whose disability benefits has just been approved . . . . glad they found somebody else to pick on!!

Musta hit GRUMPY . . . . no o o o o . . . . . that's you . . . . . hm m m m m m??

The only pain I experienced that has been worse, were bowel blockages caused by build-ups of scar tissue after losing over half my bowel to cancer. Over a period of 4 years I was hospitalized 17 (I kept track) times, until they had to do a second operation 2 years ago, which fixed it for good! All I can say is I had the BEST medical staff in the world (North York General Hospital) looking out for me. There was a notation on my chart, when I came in (or was brought in) that got me into a cot and hooked up to demerol within minutes of arrival, in emerge! We may b i t c h about our medical system at times (and rightfully so) but over-all, I should be dead now . . . . and BECAUSE of the excellent care (with exception of a few l'il 'blips' I can still tell my fishing stories, AND DEFEND MY CARP!! (When needed . . heh . . . heh . . . heh!)

P. S. / M. B.

Your description of the pain is VERY accurate!!

They tried a stent first, to bypass the stone, and buy me some time, it was completely blocking ureter below the left kidney, threatening to destroy it. They couldn't get stent past it. Tried the laser, a few days later . . . . it had literally buried itself in the ureter. . . couldn't get a good shot at it, wouldn't dislodge either. Last choice, 12 cm incision, then cut into the ureter, and drag the l'il sucker out! There is now a stent in there, I go back in 2 weeks for another C T scan, and the stent should come out about the end of August. I had to wear TWO bags for a week . . one to drain the cathater, one to drain the abdomen. This is stone #6, in 30 years, first one that wouldn't leave voluntarily! The good news . . . peeled off 22 pounds in 10 days . . . . but I WOULD NOT recommend the method for personal weight loss! The stone is 10 mm, by the way! T'anks Mo . . . gotta get ready for the salmon next!

P. S.

I shoulda saved 'em, I'd have had enough to make a neat necklace by now!!

I hope ya get's a muskie, one inch, for each year of your age . . . . . geeze . . . . . he'd be taller'n YOU!! Have a GR R R R E A T one!!

Below is a small photo of one of man's most feared enemies, bar NONE! It won't likely kill you, just make you WISH you were dead!!

Last spring I woke up in sheer agony in the middle of the night . . . to the point the pain made me throw up! I made it outta bed, crawled across the floor, and spent the next couple hours, chin on my knees, on my bathroom floor, moaning in pain, barely able to move!! The cause . . . . a teeny l'il rock, about a centimetre long, shaped like a boomerang, otherwise known as one of the worst forms of torture there is to men . . . . a KIDNEY STONE!!! After a few more bouts, emergency department visits, X-rays & a C T scan, it was determined this thing had blocked my kidney, and was NOT about to move, as it had become firmly embedded. Finally, a week ago, after SEVERAL failed attempts to remove this thing, out came the knife. I'm getting around . . . slowly . . . . can't even fight a small rock bass, and won't likely be back in full fishing form till mid-August!! Meanwhile, I AM following all your posts and pics . . . . keep 'em coming . . . . ALMOST as good as being there!!

Andeline has a PINK line . . . . and can BARELY seen by the human eye in the water. Good line . . . . very INexpensive . . . . when you can find it.

This MIGHT be off-topic, slightly, but I think I'd like to see an expose on dentists done by Mr. Moore . . . . now THERE'S an industry where you can get treated as a second (or THIRD) class citizen, and get the bum's rush out the door if you're not insured & have no money in this great country of ours!! After my last check-up, I got a bill for X-rays & cleaning, plus repairing a SMALL chip off a front tooth (didn't even require freezing, took 15 - 20 minutes) for SEVEN HUNDRED & FORTY DOLLARS. I have insurance (Post Office), but I STILL had to pay nearly $200.00!! So o o o . . . . what does a guy . . . or single Mom (NOT on welfare) do if their kids need dental work, and they're not insured? As EVERYBODY knows, bad teeth may not KILL you, but they sure can make life H E L L !! And just TRY to get work done if they think you can't pay . .. GOOD LUCK!!

Ah h h h h . . . . . . our resident photojournalist / fisherperson is back! Looks like a gr r r r r e a t spot, even if the fish weren't co-operating. But I don't understand one thing . . . . why wear the waders? Those leaches are great bait . . . . all you have to do is get a few people to stand in the water for a little while . . . . then come out and pick the leaches off? Ready-made leach catchers?

WOW!! Looks like the sky's on fire!! I'm amazed at the amount of people fishing . . . . are there no other spots in the vicinity with good access . . . . or is the fishin' just THAT good? The ONLY time crowds are seen up here like that are when the salmon come in . . . . most decent shore spots with good access have been fished out of EVERYTHING . . . . even gobies are hard to come by! The silver one you're holding . . . . silver bass? Similar to rock bass? Edible? Although I keep perch from the cold water (ice fishing) I rarely keep any, especially perch or bass when the water is warm, because of the tendency to get quite a few riddled with worms . . . . . ever run into this down in your area? How many species can be caught from that spot . . . . or is it mostly perch? It's very tempting to take a cruise down there . . . . let's see . . . if I'm lucky . . . . 5 pounds of perch fillets . . . . $60.00 for gas . . . . . naw w w w w . . . . . Joe's Fish Market is the better deal . . . about $5.99 a pound . . . . . .

When conjuring up 'FACTS' you could at least get your information correct . . . . get someone to read this too ya! Yeah . . . . I'd say I got you pretty well pegged!

HISTORY OF CARP IN THE UNITED STATES

Prior to 1900, most native fish were viewed as vital food resources. Fish designated as sport fish today were harvested commercially and shipped by rail to the cities. The results were gravely declining stocks of river and lake fish at a time the U.S. population was greatly expanding. In 1871, Ulysses S. Grant and Congress ordered the formation of the U.S. Fish Commission to oversee the nation's fisheries interests. By 1877 the studies of European fish farming techniques indicated the carp would contribute to the strength of the nation.

By 1874, the commission after long study issued a report entitled, "Fishes Especially worthy of Cultivation." It went on to say that no other species except the carp promises so great a return in limited waters. Cited were advantages over such fish as black bass, trout, grayling and others "because it is a vegetable feeder, and although not disdaining animal matters can live on vegetation alone and can attain large weight kept in small ponds and tanks."

In 1876, the commission enumerated other good qualities such as high fecundity (a count of ripe eggs in the female fish), adaptability to artificial propagation, hardiness of growth, adaptability to environmental conditions unfavorable to equally palatable species, rapid growth, harmlessness in relation to fish of other species, ability to populate waters to it's greatest extent and fine table qualities. By 1877, citing the above reasons and adding, 'there is no reason why time should be lost with less proved fishes," the commission, convinced of the value of carp, imported 345 fishes of scaled, mirror and leather carp from German aqua culturists. On May 26th, they were placed in the Druid Hill Park ponds in Baltimore, Maryland. The ponds proved inadequate and some were transferred to the Babcock lakes on the monument lot in Washington, D.C. the following year.

So did they somehow escape from these confines to populate nearly everywhere? No. Now state governments get involved. Records indicate about 6,203 fingerlings were produced in the Babcock lakes in 1879. These were shipped to 273 applicants in 24 states. About 6,000 fingerlings were produced in the Druid Hill ponds that year and were stocked primarily in Maryland. One year later, 31,332 carp were shipped to 1,374 applicants. In 1882, carp production increased to 143,696 fish and distributed in small lots to 7,000 applicants. In 1883, about 260,000 carp were sent to 9,872 applicants in 298 of 301 congressional districts and to 1,478 counties. During the years 1879 to 1896, the U.S. Fish Commission distributed 2.4 million carp, some of which were sent to Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Mexico. By 1897, the Commission discontinued the stocking because carp had been distributed nearly everywhere and many states assumed the task of propagation and stocking of carp.

. . . . . . . and when ya go for a l'il c h i t-chat, have a small voice activated tape recorder in a pocket. Test it BEFORE you use it, be certain it clearly picks up voices. I have an excellent l'il Sony . . 'bout $55.00. (It IS legal to record YOUR voice, unfortunate for them if their voice gets on the tape too!) Then, based on what you have on tape, put it all in writing, as taped . . . and DO NOT disclose you have them on tape, until it becomes necessary . . . like catching them in an outright contradiction! Just remember . . . a conversation is not worth the breath it takes to discuss the matter . . . the second you're out the door, there is no proof ('he said . . . she said') of anything. All oral discussions should be taped, all communications . . . LEAVE A PAPER TRAIL!! Good luck!