What is Happening These Days?

I've been reading a number of article on the Internet lately. Some are very well written, informative, controversial, funny even. Some are none of these things but they are opinions made in a free country. (Well here in Canada and the US). As long as an article is written with the proper motivation and respect any subject can be discussed. Hate, racism and the like are not taboo if it is discussed openly with decency and respect. Most of the items to which I been reading fit this criteria but I have found a few that didn't. I just stopped reading them when they crossed the line with me. Some don't deserve a response. What really bothers me though is the hate filled personal attacks that people post to the authors that they don't agree with. Some of these posts are very threatening. I'm not opposed to criticism if the argument is valid, based on facts or even opposing opinion. The posts I've come across lately are disturbing. For example, it isn't OK to threaten an author of an article or call them hateful names because he doesn't feel fishing tournaments are good for the sport or the fisheries they are held on. The author of the article had valid scientific evidence, expert opinion and a well written piece that should be respected. (Now there is a difference here in regards to respect and agreement). Certain individuals feel that by threatening writers or intimidating them, they win the argument. Nobody says that we always must agree on things but give people their freedom to legitimately state their point of view. Goethe said, "There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity."

As far back a Walton, anglers have prided themselves as being gentlemen and women. It was our love for our sport that gives us common ground. So if a 'rough, live bait angler' ever ran into a 'gentle flyfisher' in an English countryside pub, they would swap stories, maybe jibe one-another or even try to convince the other that their way is the best way to fish. No fights, no threats or name calling. Perhaps a few pints would be shared. Walton's time was no less violent than ours but I think that people were more responsible for their actions and behaviors. They didn't hide behind an anonymous posting on a blog or website. They were adult enough to face each-other and behave accordingly. The internet has weakened our abilities to be wise, confident and even witty. Eric Hoffer said, "Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength." We have become dumb brutes who bark obscenities and think we are incapable of being wrong.

On a positive note...We can change this. Perhaps if we could get out to a pub where other anglers may frequent. Maybe we could research more about a controversial subject, (not just from Wikopedia either), before spouting off. Perhap if we can stop and see the value of other people we can see the importance of their ideas. Finally, we could just shut our mouths sometimes, read about and ponder a subject, then, as the stoic philosophers did, record our thought in our own journals. By doing so we never offend and we can be confident in what we believe with dignity and courage.

(Read Marcus Aurelius) . Thanks for reading my latest rant. Please leave a nice response or don't leave anything at all. Jackfish

Almost Spring and Other Musings

March has been terrific here on the shores of Rainy Lake. The temperatures have been warm, not much wind and mostly rain instead of snow. So Far. March can be a terror as the weather patterns change. Things get very unstable and unpredictable. I often have clients ask me when the ice will go out on Rainy? I don't dare to guess basing my predictions upon the March weather. It could dump two feet of snow, or drop to 30 below tomorrow. Yet with the mild temps. and nice weather one can't help start to prepare for spring. And spring fishing. Get your reels oiled up and the line changed out now. Check the eyes on your rods, look for line cutting nicks or missing parts. Sand the cork handles, it makes an older rod look new again and helps your grip. Organize your tackles and toss out some of the old rusty stuff that accumulates and takes up space in the tackle box. Replace a few of your favorite baits and perhaps pick up some new potential secret weapons for spring. Tackle shopping is just about as much fun as fishing itself. A new fishing lure has to catch us before it catches a fish.

What are some of my favorite baits and techniques for spring. I won't say much but here are a few tips. If you want to fish for big spring post spawn pike find baits that can be thrown into the deepest weeds in shallow water. Big Plastic minnow baits rigged weedlessly are great. Pick up some Spoons, weedless models or replace the treble hooks with a single hook. Throwing buoyant brightly colored minnow or stick baits can really turn on post spawn pike. They can be presented quickly, dead sticked, twitched or as a topwater bait. Smallies eat them up too.

Finally, give your favorite fishing guide a call. Just talk to them, it will make their day and perhaps convince you just how important that fishing trip you've been putting off really is. Screw the economy and your backstabbing, cheapskate boss, take back part of your life and get out on the water! If we let the media and corporations run everything, we would never leave the house.

Fishing Friends

One of the greatest hazards of being a fishing guide is becoming friends with your clients. It's terrific to make good and new friends but it is tough when bad things happen to them. I often think of my fishing friends, the stories they share with me, some funny some very sad. I guess a fishing guide is like a good bartender, people want to talk to them but unlike a bartender you get to catch fish instead of a DUI.
When I get an E-mail or a phone call from a fishing friend and the news is bad, it really bothers me. I feel helpless and I can only send my best wishes. If someone is out fishing with me, no matter what is happening in a persons life, the fishing and the outdoors always puts life back into perspective. When a friend is sick and in hospital, a fishing guide is so incredibly useless. Well maybe not. As long as we have made memories of a terrific time on the lake, catching smallies or pike in a secluded bay, away from the daily grind, perhaps a fishing guide has provided a friend in trouble with an outlet in their memories. I can only hope so.
I had a client who was 98 years old the first time a took him fishing. He was a wonderful mischievous fellow. A fishing guide gets picked on a lot but I've never had the ,"what fer" , from anyone like this guy. We became instant friends. He being almost 100 didn't make a difference, when I got a phone call that he passed away, (he was 101, he celebrated his 100th on the top of the Golden Gate Bridge!) my heart sank at the news. I had only known him for a few hours really, the time we fished together, yet it hit me as hard as if we had been friends for his whole 100 years.
So folks, take care of yourselves and each other. Me and Rainy Lake will take care of you when you come up again next season.
Get well Gary, I will remember you in my prayers.

Now that the Holidays are Over

Now that the holidays are over we can all get back to our lives. The holidays are great but they sure put a crimp in your life. All the obligations, gatherings, eating, and money spending is getting ridiculous really. But it does motivate us to make changes in our lives. When you see the Visa bill, the piles of waste that is produced and how much fat has accumulated around your already bloated midsection, any normal person sees that changes are needed. It's all so overindulgent. Now I'm not being a Scrooge, the act of sharing and giving is the stuff of the holidays. But are we giving to who really needs it? Are we giving to make the our world a better place. Are we supporting the arts or just Walmart.
Wouldn't it be great to give our loved ones things that they can use for their whole lives? Consider giving Gym memberships, art classes, cooking lesson, music lessons, money toward a higher education, maybe even a book that instruct people how to plant and maintain a garden, a fishing trip with someone who can teach how to become better angler, (sorry for the shameless plug), or books... good books that can be passed around and shared.
Last night my wife and I went so see a Soul and Blues band at our local theater. Presentations are put on by a local group calling themselves "Tour De Fort". They bring in acts from around Canada. The yearly membership to see these acts is incredibly cheap. $110.00 gets you into at least 10 shows. One concert in the city can cost much more that that. I am sure other communities around Canada do the same thing but how many people know about it or support it. What a terrific gift to give for next year. You would be supporting the arts, give a gift that gives for months, you support community and the artist themselves but most of all you give the music and the stories it tells. The band "Paramedic" was great. Instead of selling their records between sets or after the show, they gave them away for a donation that goes to Oxfam. In a world full of greed and lust for fame, I was impressed by this gesture. Way to go guys and you did Curtis Mayfield proud.

Football

I've been thinking about the NFL football games I watched this week. Here is an observation, perhaps you have made it also. What happened to the winning spirit of it all. The Indianapolis Colts had a perfect season going, yet they let it go, opting to rest their best players then losing to a team that isn't in their league. The Vikings wanted to bench their star quarterback in a 7-6 game, disrupting the whole chemistry of the team. What's with the Saints? The Giants? It seems like football has become a game of posturing instead of the game I admired since I first understood what a first down was. Football was a game of pride, guts and respect. I give Brett Favre credit for staying in the game and fighting for his place in it, even in a losing cause. (What the hell happened to the front line and did the receivers get cold fingers or something, Catch the damn ball!) Perhaps a good chewing out was in order for the whole team, not benching your best chance at winning. I am sure the best coaches of the past 50 years would have torn these guys a new one for the way they performed.
The bright spots are the teams who continue to dig through adversity and give it their all even in near impossible circumstances. The Steelers continue to fight, the Chargers haven't let up, the Packer are becoming a real threat, the Cowboys (who I thought were dead ducks have show a lot of pride), the Patriots have improved and even the Cardinals, the Bengals and the out of the playoffs Panthers deserve respect.
I go to NFL games. Tickets cost a lot. I drive 5 to 6 hours and spend a small fortune on hotels to attend a game. If a team mailed in a game, like the Vikings did last week, and I had taken vacation, travelled, shelled out for food and lodging, I would likely never go to another game...ever. Hockey is bred into me and it wouldn't take much more to convince me that that is where my extra bucks should go.
Many of my childhood heroes were football players. They had heart and pride. They carried themselves with dignity even though they weren't perfect. Lets get back to the days of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Walter Payton, Emitt Smith, Roger Craig, Mike Singletary, Brett Favre, Tony Dorsett, Franko Harris, Fran Tarkington, I am sure you guys could name a lot more. So get the rag out of your asses and play ball the way it is supposed to be played!
Thanks for reading my rant.

Now That Christmas Is Over

Now that Christmas is over I can start to reorganize my fishing gear. I find it to be a relaxing activity and one that opens my eyes for new fishing opportunities. I often find lures that would work in different places or in new presentations. The rusty hooks or damaged baits can be cleared out. I remember the terrific days on the water catching smallmouth bass on a battered and bent top water lure that will need repairs.
I found a spinner, made by an old friend, the last one he gave me, (and it is one of my favorite pike baits). My friend is gone now. He's fishing the big Mississippi in the sky. I'll be putting that spinner in a special place for now on. Perhaps I'll try to recreate the design myself.
If you get time, spend a little time reorganizing your tackle, there is much more to it than you think.

It Been a While!

It's been a long while since I last posted a blog. I had the feeling that nobody read them or gave a rats ass. People rarely get away from the TV or have enough of an attention span to read blogs. Yet a blogger should write because they want to, and why care if anyone reads it or not... or likes what you have to say.

My sister has been diligent about her blogging and I enjoy that. It give me a insight into what she has been doing and some of her thoughts without me being too intrusive. She is an artist living in Vancouver, Canada. Check out her blog and terrific artwork at lindsayjoyhamilton.com.

As for fishing. I had a great fishing season in 2009. My clients and I caught lots of fish all season long. The much colder than normal temperatures changed things substantially but we figured it out. I was truly impressed by the size and numbers of walleye we boated. We had days where we found 28 to 32 inch walleye in numbers feeding along a rocky shore or weedline. It was my best walleye fishing season to date.

I am concerned about the pike in the north arm of Rainy Lake. There are a number of issues that could be effecting the northerns there. Over fishing close to the border, (people who once feared venturing into the north arm are now using and depending upon GPS, a dangerous practice for the fish and fishermen), increased walleye population and competition for the crashing smelt schools, and netting. For the first time in years I found many long skinny pike in the north arm. Normally the fish are very robust, often very heavy for their length. I hope that the conditions change for the sake of the northern pike in the north arm. On the up side the size and number of giant pike caught in the south arm was way up for us this past season. There are some monsters lurking in the dark waters of the south arm, they just are more spread out and are often in deeper waters.

Smallmouth fishing was challenging. Due to the unseasonal weather the usual food sources were not there. As with the pike the reduced smelt stocks forced smallies to eat other less nutritious things. Mayflies didn't show up until late July. So the smallies relied heavily on leaches and crawfish. (It was incredible how many pike were eating crawfish and bullheads). These are not traditional feeding patterns on the north arm of Rainy so it took a little time to make the proper adjustments but when we did fishing was fantastic. I found four baits excelled 1. black or brown maribou or hair jigs. 2. dress these jigs with a Gulp Leach. 3. Lucky Strike Ragetails rigged on a wiggle jigs were deadly deep along sandy weedlines and rock piles. 4. Topwater poppers around emerged weeds or wherever we found some sort of insect life. Of course jerkbaits and flukes produced as always but they weren't as productive.

Finally, I hope all of you are having a great holiday season. I won't comment on the economy or the job situation...there is too much negative media coverage and nothing deserves that much attention if we have little control over it. Well, maybe... buy local, buy north american and don't frequent Walmart often. Most of all, be thankful for what we do have.

Seasons Greetings and look for more regular blogs from me. Remember to make your 2010 fishing plans early.

I almost forgot, a reading list!

Choke By Chuck Palahaniuk- Palahaniuk is on of my favorite writers.

Gomorrah By Robert Saviano- A look into the problem of organized crime in the Napoli and Campania regions of Italy.

Through Black Spruce By Joseph Boyden- Boyden in my favorite Canadian author. This is the companion to Borden's first book, Three Day Road. Read Three Day Road first if you can.