Scott Ferguson

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.

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.

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.

Norm, when those "creeky knees" finally give out and you have to do your fishing from a lawn chair, you might wish you had a few photos from the old days.

The swivel will not make the bait spin any more than it would with out it. Your line goes through one eye of the swivel and the point of the hook goes through the other.

Interesting. One problem I've had with the Parasite clips is the gap in the wire where the line passes through. The thin superlines I use slip through the gap and I've lost a few. No gap using the swivel. I'm going to give them a try.

If you brought all the guys who've ever caught a 10 pound smallie together you would only need a very small room to hold the meeting. It seems like the lakes in California that hold huge bass also have trout for the bass to feed on. Hey, Mike Clifford! maybe we should get the DNR to stock MORE trout in the rivers so our smallmouth will get huge too!

My first 20 was a river fish. From the St Lawrence, caught on Father's Day, June 15, 1969. I was 14 and got it on a fly rod, cork popper. Came from the corner of a small dock. We ate him. I didn't know enough then to hold the fish out at arms length toward the camera! (Or to put him back!!!)

This one's being held out but it is a certified 24 and a half inch, 9.83 pound smallie. http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/fishing...tory?id=2931118

Yeah, that's my grill. It's a Coleman "Road Trip" grill. The stand folds up and the whole thing goes in a zip up, soft sided carrying case with wheels. It's even got 3 different types of cooking surfaces, grill, griddle, or open type you can put a pan on. Uses the small propane bottles. I think I paid about $150 for it on sale. They have a cheaper version now too. www.coleman.com/coleman/ColemanCom/detail.asp?product_id=9941-768

As far as barbless hooks go, I know that the fish I've caught that swallowed the hook leave my hand in in much better shape when I use barbless hooks than when I don't pinch the barb. I've been looking up studies that compared mortality rates between barbed and barbless hooks and the results show almost no difference which really surprised me. I've also seen studies that show overall mortality of between 10% and 30% every year even if there is no angling pressure at all.

I'll be happy to take care of the cookout. I have a portable grill, and I'll get the food. I just need to know about how many people we need to feed.