Scott Ferguson

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It's a 5 MB hard drive from 1956! Compare that to a 4 GB flash drive that is that has 800 times the storage and is smaller than a pack of gum! See an article about it at http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/storage.asp

I don't think anyone has purchased anything from there in 5 years. The logo cafe press still has is the original one that has a very green smallie on it. I bought an ISA clock when we first signed on.

Just for clarification, Don has registered on the forums, but has not become a paid member of the ISA (yet).

www.illinoisfishandfeather.com/

When I was in Missouri this past spring, I was at a place called Dogwood Canyon which is owned by Bass Pro founder Johnnie Morris. The stream that runs through the canyon has been altered with man made wiers forming several pools to which rainbow trout have been stocked. At one of the pools, a 12 inch or so trout was swimming around with a 12 inch copperhead snake hanging out of it's mouth. Stock up on that Bohemian Cheneille!

#39 Man's Law

No angler shall discharge solid, fluid or gaseous bodily waste in the vicinty of another angler or the adjacent waterway there of...

I'm sorry, but these are supposed to be "Man Laws". If my wife was making a list, this would be on it. But Man Laws, no way.

I was at the doctor's today where they had a tour through the ol' back door. Just another thing to look forward to once you hit the big 50.

Good luck Norm, I hope you have a speedy recovery.

Sold out? The '07 Blowout was held over 7 months ago. The 2008 Blowout will be held Saturday, March 1, 2008 at the American Legion Hall on Butterfield Rd. in Elmhurst. Tickets will be $25, must be purchased in advance, and will go on sale around January 1.

On Golden Pond, The Great Outdoors

For fishing rivers, the pontoon is my favorite method. Extrememly stable, a great platform to fish from. When you want to stop and wade, you just stand up. On ponds and lakes, unless you like rowing, a trolling motor is a wise addition.

With the Mustang, the pontoon even deflated and taken apart along with all your gear, will it up pretty full. You also have to consider put-in and take-out on a river. You won't be able to row the pontoon upstream to get back to your car. If you fish with someone who also has a toon, you won't be able to get both of them in the Mustang for sure.

Ditch the pony car and get yourself a pickup!

I've been to Cabela's stores around the country and they are as nice and big as any other store you could find. The thing that most people assume when they hear Cabela's (or Bass Pro) is coming is that the store will carry everything you find in the catalogs or online. As you have seen, it ain't so.

Just a couple of years ago, we had no big outdoor stores now (including Northwest Indiana), there will be 3 Bass Pros, 2 Cabela's and about 5 Gander Mountains. None of them carry all of the things I'm looking for but I can get a lot more locally than I ever could before.

That's one of the drawbacks to high resolution cameras. A picture that is 4 X 6 at 300 dpi is over 16 X 25 at 72 dpi. That's bigger than the monitors most of us use. If you don't have a good photo editing program like Photoshop Elements to adjust the size, than I'd suggest using Tinypic.com for the photos like Don said. Very simple to use.

So where did Phil actually catch fish from?

I don't hold my breath when I fish with Don, but I try not to fish downwind of him anymore.

I enjoy taking photos of the fish with a rod, tackle pack, your waders under foot , driftwood or such on a grass bank or stone edge. It makes a nice photo for a wall photo.

Rick

Rick, do you mean laying the fish on the driftwood, grass or stone? It might change the composition of the photo, but it isn't doing the bass any good. The ground will remove the protective slime coat and leave the fish vulnerable to infection. It may be easier to get a shot that way when you are alone, but it should be avoided.

#40 Man's Law

No Man shall participate in the practice of Line dancing, Celtic step, Hip-hop and the Tango while listening to their MP3 player on the water.

I would ammend this to say; "No Man shall participate in the practice of Line dancing, Celtic step, Hip-hop and the Tango......EVER!!!

The software that comes on an Apple computer, iPhoto and iMovie both do slideshows to music very easily. iMove gives a lot more control and lets you add video clips, & titles. I just did one as a memorial to my nephew who passed away last week. You are right though, converting them to a format that can be used on a DVD or on YouTube does take quite awhile.

I'm no scientist, but it could be the result of catching a fish, then dragging it over the rocks and mud, thereby removing the slime coat. That's why we're always told how to carefully handle fish that we're going to release.

I found this on another website. I don't know what whirling disease is or if it is present in Illinois, but who knows what other exotic plant of parasite we might be spreading around?

Advice To Anglers Regarding Felt Soles on Wading Boots And Preventing The Spread of Disease And Invasive Species

Research responding to concerns regarding the spread of diseases and invasive species has shown that felts on the bottom of wading shoes and boots are major culprits in the transfer of such problems. Research by Gates (2007) concluded that felt material retained 100% of whirling disease spores in material testing; and in 2006, participants of a special American Fisheries Society meeting on the invasive algae Didymosphenia agreed that “felt-soled waders are one of the highest risk vectors in the spread of ‘didymo’ on a global scale.”

In light of these findings, Maryland Department of Natural Resources strongly urges anglers to eliminate the use of felt-soled boots and waders. For some areas, traditional rubber boots, or those with studded bottoms may provide as much traction as felts. For challenging areas, manufacturers are now offering ‘sticky-soled’ alternatives, with traction treads like those found on all weather tires. These sticky-soled rubber boots provide good traction, are non-absorptive and easy to clean. Guides and anglers have reported that the studded versions of these boots work as well as felts. They may take a little getting used to, but they don’t absorb water, are more lightweight and may, ultimately, make walking easier. These new boot materials effectively reduce the chance of spreading disease and invasive organisms. By removing dirt and debris from these new types of footwear with a scrub brush, you can effectively prevent transmission of these agents from one area to another. Please consider helping Maryland DNR protect the resources of the State by trying out alternatives to felt bottom waders.

Literature Cited

Gates, K.K. 2007. Myxospore Detection in Soil and Angler Movement in Southwest Montana: Implications for Whirling Disease Transport. Montana State University Master’s Thesis

Western Division American Fisheries Society. 2006. Special Session on Didymosphenia geminata

John, I assume you've visited the National Rivers website www.nors.org

In Illinois, the navigable rivers definition seems to have been made by the Corps of Engineers. If a river is not on their list, than the rights belong to the deed holders of the property the water runs over.

Right or wrong, any changes to the status quo would have to go through the court system. Who among us has the time or money to go that route?

As suggested by the NORS web site, education may be the best (only?) option we have to increase stream access in our states.

I know guys who think the black helicopters are following them, but you're the only one I know who really does!

I actually had a picture of some guy in a kayak on a river somewhere as the cover photo but at the last minute I changed my mind and forgot to change the note on the inside to say pontoon instead of kayak. At this point, few of our members would not recognize the Incredible Mr. Limpet as the man on the cover.

He says it was 22 inches long. The 9.83 pound fish that was caught was 24.5 inches and was a LOT fatter than this one. Just another fish story.

Yesterday my wife and I attended an outdoor concert "Rockin' the Troops" put on by "Operation Support Our Troops" which was headlined by Gary Sinise (CSI New York, Forest Gump) and his Lt. Dan Band, and comedian, Dennis Miller. Because my wife Crystal put together the program for the event as a donation, we were given VIP tickets and backstage passes where we got to meet (very briefly) Gary Sinise and Dennis Miller.

My wife Crystal and Gary Sinise

During the soundcheck, I was allowed on the stage where I took pictures.

Dennis Miller had just come from the Cubs game where he sang Take Me Out to the Ballgame. He was running late, stood backstage for a couple of minutes, and did about a 10 minute, very funny set. After, he signed a few autographs and left pretty quickly.

Both Gary and Dennis donated their time to a worthy cause. I was told nearly $150,000 was raised to help armed forces veterans and their families. Thanks to Mother Nature, and the cancelling of the planting on the Fox River, I was able to attend.

Also at the show was Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, Sammy Davis (no, not that one). Something interesting here is that in the movie Forest Gump, where Gary Sinise played Lt Dan, There is footage of Tom Hanks getting the Congessional Medal of Honor from Lyndon Johnson. The original footage used in the movie was actually Sammy Davis getting the medal with Tom Hank's head used instead.