Headhunter

I'd heard a rumour that Wayne is going to fill in the lake as there are no fish in it anyway! Strap some wheels on the Lund and your good to go! Sure would make the ice road un-necessary! HH

Wow, congrats Emil! Seems like OFC is getting bigger every day! HH

AWESOME! Congrats! HH

Well, I'll chime in here... I have been working with VOIP here at the office for the better part of a year. As a person who's lively-hood relies on the phone, I can say that this technology is still in it's infancy and is not nearly as reliable as the good old fashioned land line. Here are just a few of my beefs; - echo's echo's echo's - Many times I can hear my own voice, far more than that of the person I'm TRYING to talk to -dead calls - I dial out the number and NOTHING happens... I hang up, dial the same number and the person at the other end asks me why I didn't answer them the first time I called... they got the call on their end, I got static -the net goes down - virus etc... the phone doesn't work! -if your ISP is having problems, then you are hit and miss as to whether or not you have a functional phone -you require a technical person to administer the system - read Geek here! The pluses - nice fancy lookin phone on my desk... make a good anchor for a canoe -yes it is more cost effective... if it allows you to do your work... I really haven't sat down to try and figure out exactly how much it's problems have cost me! I have no love lost for Ma Bell/Emily... but I also refuse to jump on an un-proven technology platform... sorry Ted! The phone is my main tool at work, and I can't afford to have it not available to me 100% of the time. HH

Happy B-Day Bernie! I'm really lookin forward to meeting you in a few weeks! Have a great day! HH

Black Cat gum... I remember as a kid, blowing bubbles and having it blow up all over my face and sticking like a trailer hook! Mom would just shake her head! -concert tickets for a big show, $6.95 -stuff yourself at "Rotten Ronnies" and have change from $5.00 -taping a penny to the arm of the turntable so it tracks correctly -8 track tapes! thanks for the memories! HH

In the price range you are lookin at, consider Rotel. You can probably pick up a pre-amp and power amp for the price you are budgeted for, http://www.audioreview.com/cat/amplificati...33_1583crx.aspx You won't be able to stay in the same room as those Vega's with this amp. Vegas are extremely efficient speakers, meaning, you don't need a ton of power to drive them. Without going into the Bryston line (out of your budget) or tube amps, for the same reason, check out Rotel, you'll like what you hear! HH

I have an old copy of National Lampoon that has an article about dog fishing in America... absolutely hysterical! HH

I've always had good service at BBPS... I only go when Roger is working! HH

The Holy Grail of Spam! Man: You sit here, dear. Wife: All right. Man: Morning! Waitress: Morning! Man: Well, what've you got? Waitress: Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam; Vikings: Spam spam spam spam... Waitress: ...spam spam spam egg and spam; spam spam spam spam spam spam baked beans spam spam spam... Vikings: Spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Waitress: ...or Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam. Wife: Have you got anything without spam? Waitress: Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it. Wife: I don't want ANY spam! Man: Why can't she have egg bacon spam and sausage? Wife: THAT'S got spam in it! Man: Hasn't got as much spam in it as spam egg sausage and spam, has it? Vikings: Spam spam spam spam... (Crescendo through next few lines...) Wife: Could you do the egg bacon spam and sausage without the spam then? Waitress: Urgghh! Wife: What do you mean 'Urgghh'? I don't like spam! Vikings: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam! Waitress: Shut up! Vikings: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam! Waitress: Shut up! (Vikings stop) Bloody Vikings! You can't have egg bacon spam and sausage without the spam. Wife: I don't like spam! Man: Sshh, dear, don't cause a fuss. I'll have your spam. I love it. I'm having spam spam spam spam spam spam spam beaked beans spam spam spam and spam! Vikings: Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam! Waitress: Shut up!! Baked beans are off. Man: Well could I have her spam instead of the baked beans then? Waitress: You mean spam spam spam spam spam spam... (but it is too late and the Vikings drown her words) Vikings: (Singing elaborately...) Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam! Spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam. Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Spam spam spam spam! HH

Last year the sausages were awesome... so I 2nd the sausage thing! HH

Don't forget the 1% drop in GST! Adds up pretty quick when you start talkin in the thousands! HH

Pikehunter... he suggested that the number of people that attended the show was down, but also that the people he met and spoke with were kicking tires and had not really putting themselves in a buying frame of mind. He also suggested that the economy at that time had many folks seriously considering all of the costs associated with buying a new boat, fuel, insurance etc. and could they justify the expense with an un-certain economic future. I'll see if I can garner more info from him and update you when I learn more. HH

The Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club is only a small part of the entire MLSE conglomerate... a very profitable part, but still a small percentage. MLSE has been valued at 1.3 billion dollars, in the big picture the team is only the public face of the corporation. Unless and until that changes, nothing will change for the team's fortunes. Sadly, this discussion has been going on now for the last three groups of owners, Ballard, Stavros and now Teachers Pension Plan, TD and the other share holders. Each of these ownership groups have reaped the financial benefits that the Maple Leaf logo commands, with little or no concern for the team's performance or it's fans. Want an example; 20 games this season being broadcast on their Leaf TV channel, all in the name of money. I wonder how many games will be broadcast free next year and so on? The "body" that is the Toronto Maple Leafs is diseased. It has only one focus, huge profits and returns on investment. I'm not suggesting that they should be a money losing entity, but I am suggesting that there is no will to win, as winning is not a determining factor with regard to profits. To put a fishing spin on this: if you were fishing a lake and catching all the fish you desired and someone came up to you and said, try using this bait, you'll catch as many as you already are catching, where's the motivation to change? I have nothing but highest respect for Sundin and what he has accomplished playing for this group of sports misfits. Actually I feel badly for the guy... that being said, there is no one on the team that I would keep and there is no one that I would hesitate to trade. That includes the suits up stairs. HH

i have a good buddy who has worked the boat show, as a sales man, for the last 4 years. Last year, sales of new boats was down at least 75% at the show. He won't be there this year as the expectation for this years sales is again, very low. I suspect that this show could be in some trouble if this trend continues. If you are going, have fun, drool away and good luck. HH

Thanks for your post... I lost my Dad back in October and your post brought back so many memories of the man who taught me the value of fishing, the outdoors and so many other things. I suspect the pain of the loss will continue to diminish over time, but the memories will stay forever. Thanks for posting your thoughts, I for one really appreciate it! HH

I was out of the office for two full weeks during the Xmas holidays. After sparking up my computer at work, I found 956 messages in my in box. About 35 were real messages. I hope they set a real example for this dude... but alas, I doubt it! HH

My wife just sent me that link... pretty funny, unfortunately sarcastically true! LOL

Lew, you have been given great advice by everyone so far! Terry is also very correct with regard to the difference spring fishing vs fall fishing at the Q. I would stay with Gerritts advice re the rod and reel combo, but would consider a different planner board for spring fishing and or getting the "tattle system" upgrade for your Offshore board. We use a very small planner board in the spring (the name escapes me right now doh!) and 3/8th oz cranks. The smaller boards available at BPS work great, but a tattle system on your Offshore board will do the same thing for you. I hope this helps? HH

Hey Bill, that sucks! I won't even leave an empty cigarette pack on the seat of the car! I figure, if they can't see it, they'll go elsewhere. Hope it works out for yah and your right, too much skum in the world these days. I've got a buddy makin a pretty good living installing boomeranges in cars these days... annoys me to no end that we even have to consider such things to protect our own property. HH

Very sad indeed... what I found very mind boggling, is that on the news last night, they were showing the rescue/search efforts and the rescuers we saying that people were still heading out onto the ice and a number of people were in their huts fishing away! Common sense has become a very limited commodity these days! HH

I was out on Saturday out of Keswick... the bite there died around the same time, so we decided to move out to deeper water and found them there. We started out in 15 ft, first thing in the morning and moved out about two hundred yards at a time, looking for the schools. They were there, just not a much as first light. Ended up in 30 -35 ft by mid afternoon and the bite was steady but not overwhelming. I believe that's the key to Cook's. Start shallow and work your way out to deeper water as the day progresses. HH

Truly sad to read this... my prayers go out to Big Chevy and Lady Walleye at this time. HH

The day after his wife disappeared in a kayaking accident in Ingonish, a man answered his door to find two grim-faced Mounties. "We're sorry sir, but we have some information about your wife," said one Mountie. "Tell me! Did you find her?" the husband shouted. The Mounties looked at each other. One said, "We have some bad news, some good news, and some really great news. Which do you want to hear first?" Fearing the worst, the ashen husband said, "Give me the bad news first." The Mountie said, "I'm sorry to tell you, sir, but this morning we found your wife's body in the bay." "Oh my God!" exclaimed the husband. Swallowing hard, he asked, "What's the> good news?" The Mountie continued, "When we pulled her up, she had 12 twenty-five pound snow crabs and 6 good-size lobsters clinging to her." Stunned, the husband demanded, "If that's the good news, what's the great news?" The Mountie said, "We're going to pull her up again tomorrow."

Terry, I think Dano was just testing Wayne's bilg pump! HH