Photoz

Uh oh! T'anks a lot for the preview . . . . I gotta go for the same procedure in 3 weeks! I just had the pleasure of a colonoscopy last month . . . . . now THIS is what I have to look forward to? I had a 'stent' put in last week, because the stone (very small) had stuck & blocked the kidney completely . . . . but after reviewing the C T scan it was decided this thing posed too much of a risk to the kidney to let it find its own way out . . . . . so out it comes! But . . . . it would appear from your report there is almost no recovery time required, you're back to 'normal' by the next day? Although this will likely all be laid out for me at pre-op Wednesday, at least I know what it's really gonna be like now!! T'anks for the 'heads up!' (I didn't realize I was gonna get 'wiped out' again . . . . that gunk don't taste so bad when you put it in the freezer till it gets REAL cold, eh?) I'll be posting some shots of another fun treatment later this month . . . . I have to put up with 30 to 40 sessions (5 days a week, 2 hours a day) in a hyperbaric chamber as soon as they get me a spot. It's a pain when ya gets old, parts wear out, and you're outta warranty, eh? I had a tour of the place yesterday . . . . that chamber looks just like one of those diving bells . . . . not a whole lot of 'wiggle room' in it!

P. S.

Doncha just luv those cute l'il kimonas that letcha show your butt off? Wish they'd invest in some my size, made by Omar, the tent-maker!

I used 12 pound VANISH on my carp rod & reel, and found it was well named, because of line twists & break-offs (had the consistency of piano wire) it 'VANISHED' within a week from my reel. I next went to 15 pound P-LINE . . . . and still use it, casts well, and other than having it cut off by zebra mussels, never had a carp (or salmon) break it in a straight tug-of-war yet! What I prefer over ALL others . . . . ANDELINE, pretty hard to come by, very inexpensive, and a touch thicker that other lines of equal strength, but excellent right from 4 pound to 20 pound! I got the P-LINE for just under $25.00 (330 yards) taxes in, but the ANDE runs about $15.00 . . . . . for 900+ yards!

I long to have the 'good ol' daze' back, where you could take unrestricted pictures, trade info openly, and share everything. But . . . . the 'net & it's countless info sites got too popular . . . . you show a photo of a nice fish, and where you got it . . . . literally within HOURS it was 'elbow to elbow' as the great unwashed couch potatoes decended in hordes, trampling everything, leaving garbage, and not returning a single fish, not even a minnow, to the water. A good example . . . . the park over by the causeway on Scugog used to be a great place for families to fish . . .. . you could even get a few pickerel, bass, carp, perch and other small panfish from shore. The last 2 years, I never saw ANYTHING caught near shore within casting distance . . . . most of the shoreline was taken over by people who strung lines out from shore several hundred feet, to anchored buoys, and with multiple hooks . . . . you get 10 people doing this, 50' apart, nobody else can fish, and they get everything that swims! Just one more family shore spot fished into oblivion! I hesitate to even post a fishing picture now, no matter how well disguised it is, (and if I must go to great lengths to disguise it . . . why bother?) for fear somebody recognizes it, and reveals it on another board with NO restrictions, and even GPS waypoints are allowed! I think it's a great idea if you must take the time to register, AND contribute, BEFORE getting access to ANY info! The actual fishing related threads with good pics are getting fewer & fewer, soon there will be NO shots of fish being caught . . . . if they post 'em at all, it'll be when they get 'em home, and it'll be done in the back yard! This is progress?

I don't know if you are aware that over at Woodbine & #7 there's Lebarons, likely the best stocked tackle shop east of #400 Highway. (Best prices too, and since BPS opened, service has improved noticeably here!) South one light, east side of Woodbine, beside the big Costco store.

WOW! Talk about takin' to a sport fast . . . . and it just goes to show why carp fishin' is within reach of all of us, you don't need fancy equipment, and if ya can't get the little 'necessities,' improvise. If you're givin' out lessons, I wanna be first in the line-up. Ya know what I got today . . . . A LOUSY LINE BUMP!! No swans, no geese, not even a stoooooopid duck!! I might give up fishin,' and start doin' needlepoint! Hey Roy . . . . I think we need a special carp fishin' section . . . . I suspect there just might be a lotta carping threads & pics this year! YAY Y Y Y Y Y Y FOR CARP!!

Just a little unsolicited advice on bait . . . . . 'chumming' PROPERLY with canned corn is attrociously expensive . . . . you can buy a 40 kilo bag of maize (cattle corn) for under $10.00 at any farm feed store on the perimiter of the GTA. I know that's a lotta maize, but if several of you who live fairly close together split a bag . . . $3.00 will getcha about 14 kilos each, as as opposed to 3 cans of corn. Besides, the ONLY thing that takes this hard corn is carp, you 'chum' with nice soft canned corn, the little panfish will have a feast. I boil mine about 15 minutes, then let it sit for a couple days, to soak. You WILL need to learn to tie up a hair rig, and buy a small device (bait needle) to thread your corn on with. Plus, you SHOULD buy a good sling shot to get your corn out with . . . I THINK Canadian Tire may keep 'em . . .. buy one from a tackle store, 2X the price! A very good Canadian carping site to visit is: http://www.geocities.com/carpsava/content.html . . . a fellow carper (Stephen Westbury) runs the site. Lotsa interesting links. And there are a lotta smaller tackle stores who stock some carp related items, but if you're close to Hamilton, Fishing World is your best bet . . . . Mike knows his carp! Now, I'm off to get skunked . . . . AGAIN!

. . . . . and just to think, a mere 5 years ago I used to almost get either laughed, or ridiculed right off the board for posting my carp-fishing exploits! My . . . . how things have changed, eh?

B T W . . . GREAT shots . . . . I haven't decided where I'm gonna get skunked tomorrow yet . . . conditions (off shore wind, high barometer, bright sunlight = crystal clear water) aren't the greatest for the shallow bays and creek mouths where they're now coming in to! They get VERY finicky when it's like that.

If it's not one thing invading our waters, it's another!! Zebra mussels, gobies, fleas that gum up your line, to mention the better known ones, now the Asian carp, which aren't even a decent gamefish because of what they eat . . . . feeding mostly on algea & plankton, (how do you bait a hook with algea or plankton?) thus eliminating a lot of the food that the smaller life forms that sustain the larger fish in the food chain live on. But putting an electric fence up to keep them out is somewhat similar to poisoning a stretch of river to erradicate all the Lake Simcoe gobies . . . . which will work, if you get all the Lake Simcoe gobies enticed into the poisoned waters? Unfortunately, they're coming, if they aren't already here! On a brighter note though . . . . I kinda like the idea of a smart a $ $ jet-skier getting to wear one across their mug while harassing boaters, shore anglers & swimmers while wide open?

And the lowly carp gains 2 more fans, and a little more respect . . . . . way to go!! But . . . . the water is still cold, and they are somewhat lethargic yet . . . .. just wait till you get a 25 pounder in water around 50F to 60F. Once we have landed a big carp, most of us start to target 'em more & more! But . . . . making a 'hair rig' . . . . . then putting corn in a roe bag . . . . first time I've ever heard of this? But, it certainly seemed to work!

A muskie of equal size to a big carp will put on an aerobatic show than no carp will ever hope to match . . . . . but, pound for pound, I'd put my money on the carp for brute strength & pulling power!

Not sure if there's a slot size on 'em or not. Definitely way y y y y y too big for my roast pan . . . . but it would likely fit a nice plump bread-fed mallard or black duck!

Although I'll take carp over ALL other fish, a good sized sheepshead can give you a good scrap, as can the larger channel cats. I've found the carp in the 12 to 20 pound range put up the best fight, I've caught a few over 30, they make a few half-hearted runs of maybe 50+', and in they come. I've burned my thumb using it for a brake on my spool trying to slow 15 pounders down! But, for $100.00+ you can get a rod, reel, line and some hooks, swivels and egg sinkers, drop by any grocery store and pick up a can of corn, drive to almost ANY larger body of water (or connecting trib) and start catching carp . . . anywhere from 5 to 40+ pounds! Or you can spend a small fortune on all the lastest carp gizmos . . . . . and have about the same chance! Whistling salmon I call 'em! (Play it right, ya might even catch a swan!)

It used to be nice quite a few years ago to have 'wild' Canada geese come right up to you for hand-outs, but in the last 10 years they have been constantly multiplying, and even breathing a word about 'culling' them gets the tree huggers up in arms. Then came the swans . . . . it was also great to have a huge magnificant bird approach you for a handout, but it was quite rare in the 90's to see more than scattered pairs. Now they are becoming just like the geese . . . . I counted 23 of them in one small bay at the mouth of the Credit Saturday!! And if you think geese and ducks leave a helluva mess in our parks, wait till you step in a pile a swan leaves!! As for hunting 'em, I'm not quite ready for that . . . . yet, although there are a quite a few states in the U. S. where they are hunted and eaten. I suppose they would be similar to geese? But . . . . if I thought I was eating goose, I'd likely enjoy it, but tell me it's swan, R R R R R R A L P H!! Hopefully SOME wildlife oriented organization will call attention to these things becoming the pests geese are . . . . and nip it inna bud . . . . the way the swan population is exploding, we'll be REALLY cursing them in the very near future!

Well, first time out yesterday for carp this year, and I wasn't disappointed, all went the way it usually goes first time out . . . . SKUNKED!! But a word of caution to ANYBODY fishing where swans congregate! Ducks & geese will make a wide berth around fishing line, swans not only swim right into it, they actually will grab it in their beaks and bite (???) it. I noticed one coming, and there was enough clearance for him to swim under the line, so I didn't move it . . . . . all of a sudden this dopey bird stretches his neck, reaches up and grabs the line, and starts pulling and twisting it!! In the few seconds it took me to grab the rod & lift it, he'd wrapped it around the underside of his beak. Well, he ain't gonna break, or 'chew' 50 pound Power Pro, I can't simply cut my line & leave him attached to 50' of line and a hook and sinker (a sure death sentence) so, I had to drag it over to the boardwalk where another carper dropped my big salmon net over it. We managed to cut the line on both sides of the beak, then get the stuff he'd wrapped around his beak THREE times, off. He looked big enough to keep, but since he wouldn't likely fit in my roast pan, I released him! But . . . . . the moral of this story . . . . be VERY VERY careful where there are swans, I was very lucky to have been able to undo what this one did, but, if it had of been light mono line, and the line broke, I have no idea how this bird could have been rescued!! There are now some areas where these huge beautiful looking birds are so plentiful, they are fast becoming pests just as much as the geese and ducks. They just automatically go to people, because people feed 'em, regardless of the signage . . . . anybody ever seen one of these 'do-gooders' get tagged for feeding the geese, ducks & swans? Anyhooooooooo . . . . again, BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL FISHING NEAR THESE BIRDS, pests or not, they don't deserve to die wrapped in our fishing line!!

Although I SELECTIVELY keep quite a few fish for my table, there is one instance I vehemently disagree with playing 'catch & release' once your limit has been attained. That is, bringing lakers & whities (and in some instances) and perch up out of deep water, and releasing them with blown air bladders! I generally ice-fish these species, and dig a 'live-well in the ice, where I will put these fish, to see if they're fit to release. Although I do not catch a lot of either (IF I get my limit I quit) I have found about 4 out of 5 whities, and about 2 out of 5 lakers have blown air bladders, ESPECIALLY those caught below 40' of water. I have seen posts from boaters in the spring who report seeing 'quite a few' whities floating in an area where there are a lotta boats, and people catchin' and releasing these fish. I believe I take home (kill) less in a year than some who go out and catch & release a half dozen or more every trip . . . . MY 'keepers' are NOT wasted. The ONLY fish I go after, with the sole purpose of catching & releasing is carp, they are VERY tough, but I STILL handle them carefully . . . . and highly doubt ANY of my released carp have any harm done. Although the IDEA of catch & release is excellent, my own personal belief is that there are many of these game fish handled improperly, perhaps the intentions were good, but the stress of the fight, then being out of water, flopping around on the ground or bottom of a boat while getting a few great pictures, then uncerimoniously kicking, or just throwing the fish back, is a death sentence, just as sure as taking it home for my frying pan! I COULD be way y y y y out to lunch on my opinion here, but I'm writing mostly from what I've personally experienced, and seen with my own eyes, and a wealth of experience & opinions I've seen expressed by others, on THIS board (and others) with much more experience than I?

It doesn't look like an ideal weekend to gove the ol' carp gear a good work-out, and I still GOTTA get out to Queensville to pick up my bait . . .. all 500+ pounds of it!! MY carp will be well fed! Saturday MIGHT be a decent day to try Port Credit . . . . or even Etobicoke Creek . . . . ANYPLACE there are carp? Anybody catchin' any down around Hammie Harbour yet? Is the parkette at Inland waters still blocked off?

Fishing PIKE in Division 8? Isn't season closed for 2 or more weeks yet? OUCH!

Ah h h h . . . . . watta beautiful sight!! After readin' your, and Nauti's carping adventures I went out and bought new batteries for my buzzers, gonna tie up the lines on my reels tonight . . . . . gotta drag what groundbait I have left outta storage . . . . I just put the trout rods away . . . . I want some REAL fish.

But . . . . headin' for Beaverton EARLY tomorrow, the suckers should in in . . . . these guys are a lotta fun on light rods & line . . . . a 5 pound sucker can really move it . . . very good scrappers!! Hopefully Harry's in Keswick is open at 05:00 . . . . the only place I know up that way with squirms opened that early! Then . . . . . CARP HO O O O O O until August!!

Mitch Finney is one of the best guys out there, but he must have at least 5000 square kilometers to patrol . . . . . pretty tough to be EVERY place there is illegal activity going on at the same time . . . . and these poachers KNOW this. Being a hero, and brazenly taking photographs of the illegal fishing could, in some instances, get your camera rammed up where the sun don't shine . . . . . why do you think C. O.'s are armed? Unfortunately a call to the 'tips' line, no matter how good the description, won't do much . . . . unless you have it expertly written up, with photos, and are prepared to spend a few days sitting around a courtroom (for about $9.75 a day, witness fee) it'a a bit of a waste of time. Sorry to rain on your parade, but . . . . . that's just the way it is!

Nope . . . . a BURBOT is a LING, or FRESHWATER COD . .. . side by each the BOWFIN (dogfish) and BURBOT, b'y . . . . two very different fish, eh?

Amazing . . . . . the word must be gettin' around . . . I fished out east in about 6 different spots in the last week, saw very little garbage strewn about . . . . one spot (along a fence) that used to have a garbage bag hanging to collect it all, had 2 coffee cups left. Along came 3 guys, all with large coffees . . . . I automatically bristled . . . . thought . . . "Uh oh?" After about an hour, they take their empties, AND the other 2 that were jammed against the fence, and away they went . . . a great sight to behold indeed. What I STILL see a lot of . ... cigarette butts . . . yeah . . . . small, but garbage, nonetheless, and they're EVERYWHERE! Can smokers be trained?

I've caught 'mooneye' down in front of the dam in Caledonia . . . small, silver, flat-ish typa fish . . . . a lot like a rock bass in shape, not as fat, more like a crappie in thickness. The ones I caught were 6" to 9" and they must be edible . . . . I saw quite a few in white buckets . . . . I THINK I may have caught some goldeye too . . . very similar in size & shape, but yellow eyes. I'd never seen either, or even heard of 'em before. This was just after pickerel opening a few years ago.

I FOUND IT!!! Isn't 'GOOGLE' a wonderful thing? I somehow was under the impression the MNR Fishing Regulations and The Fish & Game Act were intermingled . . . . . as in one & the same (it's TERRIBLE to be good looking, with a great personality, but not too swift, eh?) but it was as simple as just punching in 'Ontario Fish & Game Act,' and letting GOOGLE do the work. Although I'd seen quotes before, this is the first chance I'd had to actually read some of it. It makes VERY interesting reading . . . . and it amazes me how much power these C. O.'s have, and can use, at their discression, if ya cross 'em! Not much left to chance in these rules! Thanks for the responses . . . . and sorry I wasn't a bit more clear on what I was actually looking for . . . . . as I wasn't sure myself!

I'm sure there's gotta be a passage in the Game & Fish Act that actually spells it out . . . . just can't find it. I found this on the MNR site, which pretty much pertains to what Wayne said about charging trespassers. Unfortunately the l'il stream in question is not navigable . . . . hell, ya can walk across it in spots with ankle boots and not get a wet foot. PRIVATE PROPERTY signs in plain view!

TWO HUNTERS FINED $1,600 FOR TRESPASSING

KENORA - Two Kenora hunters have been fined $800 each for trespassing on private property while deer hunting.

Kirby Funk, 41, and Charles Gilbertson, 52, pleaded guilty under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. Funk's rifle will be returned when his fine is paid. A deer shot by Funk was forfeited to the Crown and donated to charity.

The court was told that on November 16, 2006, Funk and Gilbertson were hunting in the area of the hydro line west of Olson Road and south of Oldford Road area in Pellatt Township. Funk shot a deer on private property that had been clearly marked no hunting and no trespassing.

The property owner and Funk both called Ministry of Natural Resources to report the incident. Kenora district conservation officers investigated the incident, seized the deer, Funk's rifle and later laid charges against the two men.

Justice of the Peace Joe Morrison heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice, Kenora, on March 20, 2007.[/size]

The ministry reminds the public that they must always obtain a landowner's permission before going on to private property for any reason.

M m m m m m . . . . . nope . . . . the C.O. implied there was a regulation in the Fish & Game Act that specifically mentions 'Fishing On Private Property?' I'm almost sure there is such a law . . . . perhaps I misunderstood what he said? If it was NOT covered (trespassing) by the fishing & hunting bylaws, I highly doubt you'd find MNR employees enforcing it. I read the MNR site regularly, and I KNOW people get charged for hunting on private property . . . . and I'm pretty certain it IS in the regs . . . I guess the best way to get a correct answer would be to call the MNR? Just thought someone might be able to point this out in the fishing regs?