Spiel

In less than 10 hours I'll be hunting for these beauties again. They should be in their familiar haunts only bigger than last year. Best o luck to all you trout nuts.

It's an easy fix Doug. First it's not epoxy tape, it's actually thread with a so called two part epoxy coating. You can remove all the old gunk and wind a new guide on, not hard to do with all the right stuff at hand or you can PM me.

I wish it were 11 going but it won't be happening this year.

ehg nailed it, that's definitely a Fallfish and of course the other is a nice little Brookie.

Tuna mercury levels vary by species 21/04/2010 cbc.ca/news Scientists with the American Museum of Natural History and New Jersey's Rutgers University found grocery store sushi tends to be yellowfin tuna, which has lower mercury levels than other species of tuna. "We found that mercury levels are linked to specific species," Jacob Lowenstein, a graduate student affiliated with the museum, said in a release. Restaurants and fish merchants are not required to identify species. "But species names and clearer labeling would allow consumers to exercise greater control over the level of mercury they imbibe," said Lowenstein. Their research was published on Wednesday in Biology Letters, a peer-reviewed journal. The study is based on sushi samples from 54 restaurants and 15 supermarkets in New York, New Jersey, and Colorado. Concerned about all levels Despite their findings about grocery store tuna, the researchers say their study shows that all species exceed or approach levels permissible by Canada, the EU, Japan, the U.S., and the World Health Organization. Mercury is a naturally occurring element and a serious health hazard. Chronic exposure can damage the brain, spinal cord, kidneys, liver and developing fetus. Exposure in the womb can lead to neuro-developmental problems in children. In general, mercury levels are significantly higher in lean fish because it has an affinity for muscle and not fatty tissue. That means higher levels in bluefin akami (sushi from lean, dark red tuna) and all bigeye tuna than in bluefin toro (sushi from fatty tuna) and yellowfin tuna akami. The researchers caution that there seem to be other factors involved. Although yellowfin tuna is very lean, it tends to have less mercury, likely because the fish are typically smaller than other tuna and are harvested at a younger age. In addition, yellowfin are tropical and don't need to eat as much as warm-blooded bigeye tuna and bluefin tuna to maintain their energy level. That could mean yellowfin tuna don't increase their level of toxins as quickly as other species. The study results are based on 100 samples, all of which were identified with DNA barcoding and tested for relative mercury content. "This is one of first applications of DNA barcodes in a non-academic setting-using this method in any human health context and not just for determining whether barcodes can quickly and accurately identify a species," Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis, a geneticist at the museum, said in a release.

Looks like some mighty fine craftsmanship.

Vinegar (5% acetic acid) will disolve away the egg shell in a matter weeks.

I'm pleased to hear you both had a great time and that you were able to find people to drink with TJ. Looks like a swell place to shake off the winter blues. I can see why you like this shot..... very cool! I think Dave is gonna have to get off that Subway diet, he's looks about a pound away from being washed out to sea.

Congratulations Brian and a big thanks to you Dave.

The question is how much time and money do you want to invest? Looks like a good boat, personally I'd just clean it up and add a sub floor and your good to go.

Well this is good news as I frequent FW and thus will finally get to meet you Roger.

I've tried to get my girl to just piss in the back of the boat where I could just wash it off into the bilge.....no dice. This year I'm gonna try bringing a small piece of astro turf (or something similar) to see if that'll work for her. She's young so maybe there's still hope. Like you though I'm sure the option of going without her (him) is not in question, it makes her (his) day.

If I remember correctly Canadave had two rods, a brown one and a black one.

Stellar. If and when I get caught up with rod building I'll have to try tying some of those, if I recall Irishfield was asking for some.

LOL.....I've seen that look from my little girl (gotsta peee dad!). Good job on the feed, tasty them crappie are!

What's todays date?

Good stuff Cliff and gang. We will be seeing pictures, right.

Dem's some nice bright looking steelies. This one appears to be a Longnose Sucker and would you believe I don't ever recall catching one in the western Ontario tribs but they're numerous in Georgian Bay and Lake Huron tribs. Up that way they're often referred to as Mullet, don't ask me why. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longnose_Sucker

I'm both impressed and flattered.I think they look awesome and I've no doubt the trout will too.

Zoom, Zoooooom.

I'm with Drifter, I'll have to win the lottery or build a mess of rods before I can afford that toy (tool). I am envious to say the least. Guess I'll just have to make my way down there (someday) and fondle it till I get my own.

Another month, another WR Fishing Geeks score 25.2-pound burbot to eclipse their own IGFA world record By Joel Shangle / espn.go.com Courtesy The Fishing Geeks, www.thefishinggeeks.net Another day, another world record for Sean Konrad. The Saskatchewan native already owned the IGFA record for rainbow trout, but this 25.2-pound burbot will add another entry to the IGFA record books for 'The Fishing Geeks.' RIVERHURST, SASKATCHEWAN, Canada — You get the feeling that Sean and Adam Konrad have the International Game Fish Association records division on their speed dial. The Canadian identical twins who have repeatedly re-written the IGFA world and line-class record book for rainbow trout in the last three years have added another all-tackle world mark to their resume: burbot. On March 27, Sean Konrad landed a 25.2-pound Lota lota, a freshwater relative of the common ling, on Lake Diefenbaker, the 106,000-acre reservoir in southwest Saskatchewan where he and his twin — the self-proclaimed "Fishing Geeks" — have established nearly a dozen IGFA records since 2007. Konrad already held the IGFA's recognized all-tackle burbot record with a 19.1-pounder he caught in March of 2008, but his new 25.2-pounder now surpasses a 22.8-pound burbot caught in 2004 on Lake Athapapuskow in neighboring Manitoba, a fish that had been recognized by the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame as the largest member of the species caught on a hook and line. "We really didn't consider our 19.1-pound IGFA record to be a true world record anyway, so, we just kept looking for this fish," Sean Konrad said. Konrad obliterated the IGFA all-tackle record for trout last September when he pulled a 48-pound rainbow out of Diefenbaker, a fish that eclipsed his brother's 43-pound, 10-ounce all-tackle record established in 2007. His burbot, which measured 41 inches with a 24-inch girth, was likely an egg-laden female in pre-spawn, which causes the species to go on an aggressive late-winter feeding binge. "They'll eat anything that moves when they're in a feeding mode," Konrad said. "All you really have to do is get bait in front of their face. If you can find a place with a lot of baitfish around and the burbot are all congregated and on the feed, it's a fun fishery. We'll catch 10 to 20 fish a night when they're feeding." Connecting with the record fish The Konrads and a friend fished Diefenbaker for most of the night before Sean's record hookup, catching three fish to 10 pounds before calling it quits at 2 a.m. and grabbing a nap in their trucks. They returned to the same area at 7 the next morning, and Konrad soaked a whole herring on the same Shimano Clarus rod and Abu-Garcia Cardinal reel that he caught his 48-pound rainbow on. It didn't take long for the first bite, which turned out to be a big one. "Adam and I always joke about setting the hook on a fish that feels like it's the bottom — well, that's what this fish felt like," Konrad said. "The first 10 to 20 seconds felt like I was snagged. It finally came up a little bit, went back down, and then really started to take line. "When it passed underneath the boat and I finally got a glimpse of it, I knew I was into a big burbot. When we finally managed to land the beast, we knew by the girth we had a chance for the 22-pound mark." The fish punched out at 25.2 on an IGFA-certified Chatillion scale. Konrad now awaits the IGFA's final certification of the world record, but has the big burbot frozen in the round until it's official. The Geeks' burbot history The Konrad brothers have fished Lake Diefenbaker for burbot since they were children, competing with their dad in ice-fishing derbies when the species was widely regarded as a trash fish. "No one knew how to clean and cook them, so they'd just throw them on the ice," Konrad said. "My dad really liked the way they tasted, so we'd always try to target them in the winter. DNR officers would go around and hand out pamphlets to show how to clean and fillet them, and people started to appreciate them for their meat. It's called 'poor man's lobster' for a reason." The Konrads had hooked burbot up to 15 pounds in previous winters, but local tackle-shop chatter in the past three years hinted that even bigger Lota lota lurked. Local divers had reported seeing monster-sized burbot, and internet chat threads about the "Monster of Diefenbaker" fueled the possibility that a world-record fish lived in this massive impoundment of the South Saskatchewan and Qu'Appelle Rivers. "We were hearing reports of giant that the spear fishermen would see, but they never get close enough to get it," Konrad said. "There was supposedly this huge burbot down there that was 10 times the size of a normal fish, but I thought we ended all that talk when I caught the 19-pounder. "I figured maybe that was the fish everybody was seeing, but some guys went down afterwards and said 'Nope, we saw it again', so I guess we've been fishing for this (25-pounder) for three years. I think we finally caught the monster fish everybody's talking about." Burbot are a freshwater member of the gadiform family (which includes most common codfish), and are sometimes mistakenly referred to as "eelpout." They're most prevalent above the 40th Parallel in North America and Europe and are a popular gamefish in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Diefenbaker is one of the most productive burbot fisheries in Saskatchewan.

Breaking down barriers for fish Project to ease creek passage should result in greater number, variety April 16, 2010 ERIC MCGUINNESS / www.thespec.com DUNDAS Rainbow trout and salmon that now can reach only the downstream edge of downtown Dundas may one day be able to swim all the way up Spencer Creek to Webster's Falls. Tys Theysmeyer of the Royal Botanical Gardens believes that will be possible once nine barriers to fish passage are removed. The first to go -- early this fall -- is a steel wall that acts like a fish fence across the creek under the bridge carrying Osler Drive over the fast-moving water. The project is significant because experts say it will increase the number and variety of fish in Hamilton Harbour and western Lake Ontario, and because the need was identified by a multi-agency committee set up to find ways to restore Spencer in the wake of the 2007 Biedermann Packaging fire. Hot, pesticide-laced firefighting water poured into the creek, temporarily wiping out fish, insects and other life downstream of the Head Street industrial zone. Most species have since returned to their former abundance. Art Timmerman, who works for Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, said yesterday a screening process ruled out the need for an environmental assessment of the Osler Drive work that will replace the vertical wall with a rocky ramp for less than $50,000. An assessment involving public consultation will soon begin to look at eight other dams, debris jams and artificial channels upstream of the old cotton-mill site at Osler Drive. Shari Faulkenham, ecologist for the Hamilton Conservation Authority, said the barrier there was created when the bridge was built in the mid-1960s with vertical concrete walls on either side of the 12-metre-wide channel. Two parallel rows of steel piling were planted across the creek bed -- no one involved now knows why -- stopping fish from swimming very far upstream from the Cootes Paradise marsh at the west end of the harbour. While trout and salmon are the most valued species, many others, including white sucker, are expected to take advantage. Faulkenham said: "Ultimately, we are aiming for passage of the weakest swimming species, which is typically white sucker in a system like Spencer Creek. This goal will allow most fish to navigate the barrier that are seeking their particular habitat niche to carry out all or part of their life cycles upstream." Faulkenham said trout and salmon will seek spawning sites. Providing access to all fish makes sure there are smaller fish to feed big ones, producing more fish overall

Nice hat Dave. Next time though perhaps you could treat?