Spiel

....That is excellent news Gary, I'm very pleased to hear it.

....Not me, I have 14 days off (as of last Thursday). Back to work January 3rd.

....Oh my oh my, another year closer to wiser. Happy B'day Bud, we'll talk later.

....Ho Ho oooooh, my aching back, hands and everything in between. Why can't things come assembled? Anyway Merry Christmas everyone.

....Back trolling is one of the top reasons I bought a big tiller!

....Ah so young grasshopper and much to learn. Observe the ways of the wise and ye shall become infantly wiser.

....Safe journey you two and have a wonderful holiday.

....Right back at you Sam.

....All humour aside (I loved the humour) Garry I'm sure the set back is only temporary, don't give up.

....Well if it's true then Happy B'day to you Roger.

....Dang you! I want one.

....I'd have to say the oddest fish I caught through the ice was in Owen Sound. It was hooked on a small silver spoon in 90 odd feet of water. It had some weight but not much spunk so I assumed it was a ling, not the intended target. As it approached the hole I could see sure enough it was a ling. Now that may not seem odd but you see this ling was dead and had both fillets removed! And yes it was hooked in the mouth....lol

....Where else would it be snowing?

....Also lots to see hee....http://globalflyfisher.com/ or perhaps a look at the real thing....http://www.troutnut.com/

....Well three of yous look rediculous! The other of course has that outfit in several different colours.

....Yep good looking hound you got there Art. Bring him along next June and I'll introduce him to my little girl Brook. Should be okay as Brook is currently recovering from spaying.

....What I love about yours and Bly's posts is your enthusiam for the sport and all things related. Though you both had a great year my wish is that next year is even better!

....Sheesh I hadn't even thought of that Farmer. Good point!

....Electric, never. Give me a good sharp fillet knife anytime. I don't mess with cutting off the rib cage then having to go back to remove it. A good knife lets me work around the ribs leaving them on the fish. A couple of quick slices and a some what duller knife for skinning and Bobs your Uncle.

.....Awe, suck it up northern boy....

....We have a Christmas skin?

December 06, 2007 Eric McGuinness] The Hamilton Spectator Cootes Paradise is carp-free for the first time in years, which means plants in the 250-hectare marsh will again have a chance to grow undisturbed. A decade-long effort to get rid of the destructive alien species ended successfully when a strong west wind and the low level of Lake Ontario combined to push all the water in Cootes -- and all the fish -- through the Desjardins Canal into the main body of Hamilton Harbour last week. Royal Botanical Gardens staff lifted a grate in the carp-exclusion fishway to let them out. With the grate back in place, the destructive carp can't return. Tys Theysmeyer, aquatic biologist for the RBG and leader of Project Paradise that aims at restoring a healthy ecosystem in the shallow Cootes wetland, is as excited as a kid opening presents on Christmas morning. "It's been a tremendous struggle to get them out of there. Next spring the marsh will be fantastically different," he said this week. "I want to enjoy winter, but I'm so looking forward, I can't wait for spring. Fragile aquatic plants will finally get a shot." Most carp and other fish that spawn in Cootes migrate to the deeper harbour in winter, but some have remained behind since the fishway went into operation in 1997. A population once as high as 70,000 adults was reduced about 1,000 in recent years, but high water levels let them overwinter and reproduce in the marsh -- until now. Carp are bottom feeders that uproot plants and stir sediment, making the water cloudy, which further hampers plant growth. Ben Porchuk, new head of conservation at the gardens, says their absence is key to restoring the lush vegetation that once covered Cootes. "It should give us a taste," he said. "I'm just salivating at the prospect of the richness that will come back." Theysmeyer started studying Cootes for the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans in 1994, gathering information for the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan, drafted to get the bay off the International Joint Commission's list of toxic hot spots on the Great Lakes. He was hired by the RBG in 1997, has worked since on Project Paradise and watched anxiously as a windstorm herded the last carp toward the Desjardins Canal last Wednesday. "The wind pushed out the last eight inches (20 centimetres) of water, leaving just wet mud across most of the marsh, but the last carp were extremely stubborn about leaving. The water was too muddy to see them beneath the surface, but at the same time too dirty for them to stay under, so they were porpoising up out of the water in front of the carp barrier in the hundreds. "We had removed one of the larger exclusion grates and were trying to herd them out. At sunset, when they were within 50 feet (15 metres) of the barrier, I put on my boots and tried to spook them. The water was rushing out and they were resisting, but they were all gone the next morning. "I'm sure there's the odd one left in a deeper pool, but we're basically carp-free. If there are a couple of little ones, they won't be able to reproduce." Theysmeyer said Cootes last drained empty in 1965 and before that in 1935.

....Please accept my sincerest condolences as well Gary.

....Think I said "BANG" smells like BBQ venison to me", and now it would seem congrats are in order. Good job Chris.