What you need to know about fishing

February 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

All across Ontario, otherwise sane people are dragging themselves out of bed at 3:30 a.m. on a Saturday. Lunches, raincoats, coolers and equipment are loaded and station-wagons and mini vans disappear into the pre-dawn darkness. What has come over these people? It’s fishing season! Whether you’re a life-long angler or you’ve never held a rod, tonight’s show will interesting. THE GRACEFUL LURE: If you’ve ever see the movie _A River Runs Through It_ you probably think fly fishing is only for those with incredible skill and grace.

 

But you’d be wrong. IAN JAMES has been fly fishing since he was a child in Scotland. Last month, producer KAREN PINKER watched James demonstrate that anyone, even his little four year-old friend WILLY, can enjoy this peaceful opportunity to commune with nature. FEMALE FISHERS: Fishing may seem like a man’s sport. But women are getting into the sport in huge numbers. Their motivation is much the same as a man’s: catching fish and the camaraderie that goes with it. The CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF ANGLERS AND HUNTERS recently announced a women-only fishing weekend at the Leslie Frost Resource Centre in Dorset, Ontario. The response overwhelmed the organizers: 120 women showed up to get together, share a few stories, and learn how to fish.

 

HI-TECH TACKLE: Most people go fishing with a pole and a worm. Not RON AGNEW, a fishing addict and manager of the store FISHING PLUS. Agnew uses the very latest in high technology – satellite navigation, computers, sonar – to help him catch his fish. Producer SALLY RITCHIE accompanied Agnew on a tour up the Humber River in his bass boat. Her mission? To find out all the secrets – and price tags – associated with high technology fishing. CHASING THE BIG ONE: Each May, about 6500 anglers transform the small town of Napanee into fishing central. The occasion? It’s NAPANEE ROD AND GUN CLUB annual walleye tournament. Whether they come for the fishing or for a crack at $40,000 worth of prizes, the turnout is enough to make the Walleye tournament one of North America’s most popular. Producer RICHARD MARTYN dropped by to talk with some of the participants.

 

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HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS

December 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

COSTUMES

*Our first concern for Halloween safety are accidents related to costumes. Costumes should be light colored. Consider using reflective
tape, a glow-in-the-dark bag, or a flashlight to make your child more visible to traffic.
*Costumes must also be flame-retardant, and short enough to avoid tripping.
*Masks must not interfere with breathing or sight. Non-toxic makeup (instead of a mask) would be safest.
* Plastic bags are a suffocation hazard. Never use plastic bags for any part of the costume even if holes are cut in the bag. Also, avoid using plastic bags to collect candy and treats.
*Costumes should either be warm enough, or allow for warm clothing underneath. Don’t let your child go out without being dressed for the weather. Insist on a warm jacket even if it’s not part of the costume. Accessories such as swords and knives must be made of a soft flexible material. Avoid sharp points, swords and knives should be rounded at the end.
*Avoid putting anything around your child’s neck that may be a strangulation hazard. Capes can be sewn to the back of a costume rather then tied around the neck. Also watch out for jewelry around the neck.

PUMPKINS
*Children should not be allowed to carry candles even if they are inside of a pumpkin. Use a flashlight inside of pumpkins instead of lit
candles. Avoid cutting accidents by prohibiting children from carving  the pumpkins. Have an adult carve the pumpkin after the child draws the face. Another option is to just let the children paint faces on the pumpkin.

TRICK OR TREATING
*Stick to your own neighborhood where the children are known and recognized.
*Children should be accompanied by a responsible adult during the day or night.
*Forbid your child from eating any treats until he or she gets home. If there is a poisoning or accident with the treats, you want them home when it happens. Feed your children a nice big meal before they go out so they a ren’t hungry on the trail. Consider a separate “safe” bag that you put your children’s favorite candies in before they go out. Tell the
children that they are only allowed to eat out of the special “safe” bag. Only use is method if you think your children will know the difference between their “safe” bag from home, and the collected treats bag. Be prepared for a poisoning. Have at least one bottle of “Syrup of Ipecac” for each of your children. “Syrup of Ipecac” is used to induce vomiting. It must only be used under the advice of a doctor or poison control agent. Look up the number of your local Poison Control Center before your children even go out. Have it handy in case of a poisoning.
*Check the treats for candy that may have been unwrapped. Don’t allow your child to eat any homemade foods unless you are positive of who made them. Some local hospitals will X-ray treats for razor blades and other sharp objects. Check with hospitals in your area for this service.
*If you find anything that is highly suspicious, bring it to the police. Check with your child to see if he or she remembers where it
came from.
*Remind children about traffic safety rules. Don’t allow them to walk in the street. If there are no sidewalks, they should avoid the block or walk on the grass.
*Warn children against going into poorly lighted areas.

ALTERNATIVES
*Consider throwing a Halloween party for your children and their friends instead of door to door “Trick or Treating”. *Consider non-food treats for children who come to your door. Safe party type favors or gift certificates are good ideas. Avoid any small
items that children may put in their mouths and swallow. If an item can pass throug h a toilet paper roll, it is too small!

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Trout Fishing Trips on the River Lark in Suffolk

December 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The river Lark is a tributary of the River Great Ouse and in it’s upper reaches there is some very good brown trout fishing to be had (one of the few rivers in East Anglia to offer trout fishing). I belong to the Lark Angling and Preservation Society which has the fishing rights to about 3 miles of the upper lark. It is stocked annually with brown trout and there is also a good head of wild fish.

The fishing is not for the faint hearted however as the fishing is difficult to access and the banks are overgrown for a lot of the river so you do need to be an accurate caster to catch fish but they come to the dry from early June to late August.

Although the river is not bursting with fish,  I fished it several times last year and only blanked once. One member caught 58 fish in the season. Most members practice catch and release although you are free to take fish if you want to.

The club accepts up to 20 members however this year we are looking for some new members to join. The fees are £100 per rod per year and you are allowed to take a guest for 2 days in a season.

If anyone is interested in joining please contact me and I would happy to send you details about the membership. I understand your sentiments however in the 9 times I fished the Lark last year I didn’t meet a single other fisherman (although did come across some travellers poaching the river near the public access).

At the moment the club has 15 members and it needs 20 to stay economically viable, they could ask the members to pay more however many are retired and do not have the extra money.

The club  which was established in 1897 allows people who would like to river fish for trout to do so in unspoiled countryside at a price they can afford. I believe given the size of the club water that it can easily accommodate up to 20 and that the sentiments of the club are commendable in this day and age.

I fish several chalk streams in Hampshire that cost in excess of 10 times the membership to the Lark many people simply cannot afford this and the fishing is no better (although chalk streams are easier to fish with their cut banks etc.). Indeed my trips to the Itchen are often spoilt by thoughtless dog owners as many sections have a public footpath on one side of the river.  This certainly doesn’t happen on the Lark although you do have to be a bit wary of livestock along some parts.

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Guided trips for trade

December 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I run a fly fishing only guide service on the north shore of Lake Superior and I am interested in trading my services with guides that can offer similar service in other parts of the world. I am interested in most types of fly fishing and species. I specialize in trophy brook trout fishing on the Nipigon River, home of the world record brook trout. The average brookie approaches five pounds on this river! I also guide on some of the best coaster brook trout rivers in the world along the Canadian north-shore of Superior. I recently had a thirty-fish day with two clients, all brookies between 18-22 inches. I offer hot meals, a limited number of flies, and can arrange accomodations and flights.

“Trout fishing trips- One must be a stickler for proper form. Use nothing but #4 blasting caps, or a hand grenade, if handy, or at a pool
well-lined with stone, one blast from a .44 magnum will bring a few stunned brookies quietly to the surface.”

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Footprints found, then later on, a good sighting

December 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In 1980, I moved to Castle Rock with one of my close relatives. The house was in town so it took a little bit more to get at where I loved to be. And that was out in the woods. My neighbor was my same age and shared the same interests as I. That entire summer we spent fishing, hiking, camping and off-roading in the Devils Head \ Rampart Range area. The closest town to there is Sedalia. I remember that we had tried to get into the area during early spring. We had no luck with a 2-wheel drive car. Around April I purchased a four-wheel drive. We got in a few weeks after that. I remember going in because there was snow still on the ground. When we got out of the jeep to our soon to be “new home away from home,” there were several tracks going through our camp sight. The odd thing about the tracks, and my first impressions were “what idiot took of his shoes to go hiking.”

The second odd thing, which I guess it should have given me, a clue is, (but it didn’t at the time) at least one and a half of my feet fit inside of each print in the snow. And third, we were the first ones into the immediate area that spring. No one should have been hiking through there. Anyway we had an enjoyable summer there. The last few Colorado fishing trips we took along with us a few girls who
also liked to fish.

On the last trip, Sunday afternoon September, the fish were not biting and the sun was starting to drop low on the horizon. The sun illuminated the hillside adjacent to where we were fishing. Since I was bored with the fishing, I went to relaxing on the tailgate of my jeep. Just laying there looking at the hillside. All of a sudden, two trees stepped out of the forest and out onto the rocks on the adjacent hillside above. These were no trees. These were no bears. These things were BIG. They were dark, swung their arms, and walked upright.

At first my buddy and I thought it was some kind of joke. Some jerks were trying to mess with us. We yelled out to them. We tried calling them names to piss them off. Nothing worked. However, when they disappeared around some big rocks, one of the girls swears she saw them heading down the hillside towards us. At that point it was pure pandemonium. We threw as much fishing and cook gear into the
jeep as we could. We still ended up leaving half of it there. That night, one of the girls brought over her Dad’s .38 snub nose revolver. We were going to go back for the rest of our gear and to look around for the walking trees.

Shortly after she left my house that night, my nosey relative found the revolver in my jeep. The relative called the police. I tried like hell to explain this one to the cops. The cops thought that we were up to no good that day. None of us did that sort of thing. That was a real kick bellow the belt coming from the cop. The other girl’s father was a County Sheriff, she was not allowed to hang out or fish with us again. Even though she saw the same things as the rest of us did. The girl that brought over the gun, she told her brother about what we saw. He told her that he had been at a large outdoor party in the area about a month prior. Everyone there was drinking. He said that when he went to relieve himself behind some bushes, he walked right into one of these creatures. He dismissed the whole event and blamed it on the alcohol he had consumed.

March 1981 rolled around. Day trips to the woods were kept restricted to a closer radius of home. Another Sunday my buddy and I were out exploring a site between Castle Rock and Franktown where an old dam once had been. Many years prior, the dam broke creating a huge cavern in the streambed that runs through. The caverns were neat for exploring.

The sun was starting to go down and it was getting cold. It was time to leave. We were clawing our way through thigh high snow on the North side of the cavernous streambed back to the car. About a half-mile away from the car we noticed a black object lying on a sand bar in the streambed. We clawed our way over to the upper ledge of the streambed. On the sand bar bellow was laying a head. A big decaying head lying on its side. It looked like an over grown human’s head with black shaggy hair on it. The eyes lips and nose were already gone. The head had massive square teeth running through out the upper and lower jaw. I have seen all kinds of skulls before. From both wild and domesticated animals alike. I have never seen another skull like this before or since. A human’s skull is the closest match to it that I’ve seen or can compare it to. To this day I wish I would have braved the cold and cold water, and waded out to
get that head.

Quite a few years after my experiences in Colorado, I have learned about the North American Bigfoot. Had I known about this in my youth, I might have been an indoor lover. I now have no real desire to go plundering through the woods as I used to do. Like I said at the beginning of this letter, do what you like with it. Think what you want to. Leave my name off of this. I’ve already put up with
more ridicule than one person should have too. My experiences were real and genuine. I now believe that Bigfoot was in my life more than I knew.

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A Trilogy of Sightings in Jefferson and Douglas Counties, Colorado

December 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

After looking this subject over the last few evenings and looking at a generic report submission form, I thought I would rather tell my story in an E-mail letter. First, I don’t really care what you do with this information. I just don’t want my name associated with it should you distribute or publish it. I tell some of my life’s events to only people I know and trust.

These stories begin in 1974.
I grew up in the State of Colorado. Most of my childhood and teenage years were spent outdoors. Small town(s) country boy. Fishing, camping, hiking and dirt biking was in for me like Nintendo is to kids these days. At that time I never heard of a North American Bigfoot. Sure, I heard of the Yeti, but he was on the other side of the world.

In 1974 my folks moved out of Denver to a small community in Indian Hills. Located west of the Denver foothills. That summer, my brothers, new dog, and I did a lot of hiking together. On one of our hikes (between Indian Hills and Kittridge located in Jefferson County), the dog, which was chained around my waist, took off for a large patch of heavy brush growing along side a small stream. The trail followed the small stream. Since I was attached to the dog by the chain, I had no other choice than to go where the dog was taking me. As the dog was lunging through the brush his chain somehow was caught in it and it slowed him down. The dog became so wrapped up in the brush that it finally stopped him before were able to make it through to the other side. I remember even though the dog was stopped, he was still pulling so hard he couldn’t even breathe. Only a few grunts came out of him while he was strangling himself. The
dog was determined to get through the brush and I now had enough slack in the chain to go through on my own, I just had to see what the hell the dog wanted.

As I pushed the last of the brush back so I could see through it I saw a large figure with long light brown hair. It was standing in the stream and water was dripping from the hair on its arms. What ever it was it scared me. It scared me so bad that when I was running out of the brush, I literally tore the dog out of the bushes with me. With super human strength and in a panic, I ordered my brothers to get up the nearest tree. Once all of us were up in the tree, we hoisted the dog up by his chain. That nearly killed him too but I was not taking
another spin through the brush. After being in the tree for quite a while, we came down. I have no idea which way the hairy thing went but it didn’t come out our way. Then, and to this day, I cannot remember what the thing’s face looked like. I know I saw it. I clearly remember seeing over the top of its head.

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South Florida Peacock Bass Fishing Trips Report for March 1997

December 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

March started with a band for the lucky 12 fishermen that booked with Sam’s Peacock Bass Guide Service.  They caught and released over three hundred Butterfly Peacock Bass in an eight hour trip.  They had an average weight of a little over two pounds, that’s over six hundred pounds of fish.  Talk about some tired and sore fishermen at the end of the day.
The next trip was a half day trip to film a television show for Telemundo.  It was a slow day with a catch of only twenty fish during the four hours on the water.  You have to remember they were filming a show, so they were looking for only quality fish, the 20 fish averaged over three pounds.  Watch for the show to air in April on Telemundo (an International Spanish speaking station).
Trip number three was another half day trip, the action started fast and furious with a fish being caught every ten minutes for both anglers, during the first hour.  Things started to slow down to only four or five fish and hour for the next three hours.  The final total was only forty Butterfly Peacock Bass, with an average weight of over three pounds. The Peacocks were especially strong, breaking two rods that were less than a year old.  We are happy to say both fish were landed.   Of course all these Peacocks were released to fight again another day.

On March 22nd Sam took out a client who had a single goal in mind…to set a line class world record for the Butterfly Peacock Bass.During the four hour trip they caught only nine Peacocks and didn’t set one line class world record, they ended up with two line class world records pending with the IFGA, by the time the boat was put on the trailer.    Stay tune for further updates as they become available.

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Best Albums 2000

December 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Logically, it sounds strange. Let me see how it might work. I am hungry, so I go to this “Amazon” restaurant and sit at a table. I am approached by a waiter.

Waiter: Good evening.
Par: Hi, could I see a menu please?
Waiter: There will be no need for that. Just tell me your likes and
dislikes, and I will bring you an excellent meal.
Par: I like petite women with perky nipples, fast cars, winning the lottery,
and Bjork songs. I hate heart attacks, being shit on by a bird, stepping
barefoot into wet dog crap, the slow car in front of me, water so cold that
your balls disappear, stupid people in high places, asshole waiters, and any
fart, that is not mine.
Waiter: Very good sir, I’ll be right back with your order.
30 minutes later.
Waiter: Here you are sir. Peanut butter salad with anchovies, escargot a la
mode, deep fried chicken neck, moldy bread, and fish gut pie.
Par: Like I said, I hate asshole waiters.
Par leaves and goes to Napster restaurant.

You see, I know what I like. I just don’t like what I know.

Doug loved to fish, but he never caught any. Then one day he brought his son, Eddie, along, but they still had no luck. They fished together for years, but never caught any fish. But on that fateful day, on there way to Lake Bjork, they came across the largest pile of crap that they had ever seen. This was no ordinary crap, as it was filled with holes, like  someone crapped a large pile of Swiss cheese. This turd intrigued them so much, that they brought it along for the Amazon fishing trip. Amazingly, they caught more fish than they could carry. Knowing that this was no coincidence, they continued bringing their lucky turd along on future fishing trips, and always caught their limit.
If you want to catch many fish, say this simple prayer: Please let me catch many fish. I ask this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Shit.

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Fully outfiited fishing trips!

December 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Hunting and Fishing Friends:  This is an opporunity that won’t hurt to look at!
Company name is International Outdoors Inc., based out of Springville, Tennessee. ” Simply stated, you join an Information service for a low, one time fee.  As a member you will receive virtually all the Info you would ever need to plan and execute a successful do-it-yourself excursion; from all state regulations, bulletins, draws, permits, ect. to info on areas, success rates, guide/outfitter ratings, swap trips, private lease and more.  This service alone is worth alot more than the subscription fee ($600), but THAT’S NOT ALL.
Any member who wishes to earn FREE BONUS HUNTING or FISHING TRIPS can do so simply by helping the Company expand its membership.  This can be accomplished by merely intoducing friends, groups, or family to the program.   Members work with established Chapter Teams and the company provides all support, form a comprehensive 16-page book detailing the entire program, to full schedule of national advertising, outdoor shows, seminra and personal advisors.”(quoted from International Outdoors, Inc. November Newsletter)  Many other services as well.  No sponsoring of new members is required to get paid by the company.  You can choose to take the FREE hunting/fishing trips or $3000 in cash once you cycle throug, which takes as long as a month(in my experiences) to as short as four days!

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Sea Sickness Remedies

December 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Some of my earliest memories are on boats off shore with my dad. Since that time, I have spent thousands of hours off shore. In that time, I have been sea sick twice. The first time was about age ten, but that was aggrevated by drugs the doctors had given me for another illness at the time. The second time was as an adult after I had swallowed a great deal of water in what was best described as a near drowning. Beyond that, I cannot ever remember anyone else in our family getting sea sick. I strongly believe that people who have spent a great deal of time off shore will almost never get sea sick. The same is not true of people who almost never go off shore. Our family has always owned several boats. As such, we have had many requests to take friends and relatives off shore for the day. It is extremely rare that they do not get sea sick–even on a very nice day. As a result of this, we have developed a general policy of never taking anyone off shore; unless we know that they have much off shore experience without getting sea sick.

We have also gone off shore on many chartered fishing and diving boats. When fishing, our experiences are about the same as on our own boat: most inexperienced people will get sea sick, and most experienced ones will not. For some reason or another, this does not seem to be true for the diving trips. Most people, regardless of their off shore experience level, will not get sea sick on dive boats. I suspect that this is primarily because of several factors: 1. All our off shore diving has been within sight of land. I suspect that the visual reference this provides helps people to prevent sea sickness. In contrast, almost all our off shore fishing trips have been far out of sight of land. 2. When fishing, we have generally had soft drinks, beer, chips, and other snacks on board. I suspect that these play a roll in determining when people will get sea sick. Generally, these things are not consumed on a boat prior to a dive. 3. When we go fishing, we have long commute times to the fishing grounds–of perhaps two hours each way. This is often a fairly rough ride. On the SCUBA trips, commute times are generally much shorter. 4. On diving trips, everyone’s mind is focused on the task at hand: preparing for the dive, doing the dive, and stowing equipment after the dive. On fishing trips, you have long periods of boredom. I strongly believe that a focused and occupied mind is less likely to get sea sick. 5. Generally, dive charters only run in fairly calm waters. In contrast, a fishing charter will run anyway, even when most the dive boats have cancelled for the day due to rough water. 6. SCUBA divers seem to be much more concerned about getting sea sick than do fishermen. Because of this, they tend to be more prepared. I have never had a fisherman aboard our boats that went through the trouble ahead of time to see his doctor and get some drugs to prevent sea sickness.

SCUBA divers do this all the time–perhaps it does some good. A friend of mine in Europe is a marine design engineer. He works for a ship building company. His job is to design ships so as to minimize the number of people who will get sea sick on them. He worked with me on the design of the boat we are currently building, so that I could minimize the chances of getting sea sick. He has FAX’ed me a massive amount of research data on the subject of sea sickness, much of it performed by the US Navy. It served to debunk many myths concerning sea sickness that I used to believe. One of the main lessons to be learned from it is that given the right conditions, anyone and everyone will get sea sick. Everyone’s resistance to getting sea sick is different, and tends to improve with experience. The test group that was most resistant to getting sea sick in the ship motion simulator were the Naval aviators; but even they would get sick and puck if the vertical accelerations were serious enough.

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