Who could resist a "Kiss My Bass" shirt from Fishboy? For the man who's "true" love has fins and a tail. Makes a great Valentine's Day present! Order early for best selection!
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Valentine's Day Gifts For Fishermen
Who could resist a "Kiss My Bass" shirt from Fishboy? For the man who's "true" love has fins and a tail. Makes a great Valentine's Day present! Order early for best selection!
Sometimes Two Mouths Are Better Than One
Hey, check out this trout - it has two mouths!
No one from Clarence Olberding’s family ever made it to Harvard University but now his two-mouthed rainbow trout will get the chance. James Lee, a teaching assistant in the ichthyology department at Harvard University, called Olberding Thursday morning about his unusual catch and asked if he would donate it to the prestigious university. Related story: A fish with two mouths?
“He said he was studying fish jaws as part of an ichthyology study and would like to have the fish head,” Olberding said.
Lee couldn’t be reached for comment.
Olberding caught the fish while ice fishing at Holmes Lake last Saturday. The trout has a normal mouth and another non-functional mouth just below it.
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission fisheries officials speculate that the rare deformity may be the result of a genetic mutation.
Olberding, 57, plans to smoke the meaty part of the trout and eat it. But the head will be sent off to Harvard sometime next week in a frozen jell pack.
The two-mouthed trout has gotten a lot of attention on the Internet and from media nationwide. Olberding also has received calls from Florida and California, where he told his fish story on a live radio talk show.
“I wish I would have kept it intact and had it mounted but I think it’s going to the right place,” he said.
Fishing captain could get 20 years for lobster offenses
USA. Fishing captain could get 20 years for lobster offenses
Wednesday, 21 December 2005
Coastguard News
A North Dartmouth man who was the captain of two New Bedford-based fishing vessels has pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act - the federal wildlife trafficking statute, making false statements to Coast Guard officials and obstruction of justice in connection with a four-year-long conspiracy of commanding his crew members to remove the eggs of female lobsters so that they could be sold in port.
United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan; Andrew Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Enforcement Division of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service, Office of Law Enforcement; Captain Mark Landry, Chief of Law Enforcement, First Coast Guard District; and James Hanlon, Acting Director of the Massachusetts Environmental Police, announced today that Jose Silva, age 50, of North Dartmouth, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge George A. O'Toole to an Indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, two counts of violating the Lacey Act, one count of making a false statement to Coast Guard boarding officers, and one count of obstruction of justice.
At the plea hearing the prosecutor told the Court that, had the case proceeded to trial, the evidence would have proven that over a four-year period, Silva, as the captain of the New Bedford-based fishing vessels Lutador and Lutador II, commanded his crew to remove the eggs of thousands of female lobsters and "v-notched" female lobsters. Federal and state law prohibit the taking of female egg-bearing lobsters as a way of protecting the viability of the lobster fishery. Federal law requires that fisherman who catch female lobsters return them to the sea. Lobster fisherman customarily cut a v-shaped notch in the tales of female lobsters so that other fishermen who later catch the same lobsters will know that they are females capable of bearing eggs. Federal law also prohibits the taking of v-notched lobsters.
Silva knew that catching egg-bearing and v-notched lobsters was illegal, yet during numerous voyages over a four-year period, he instructed his crew to retain egg-bearing and v- notched lobsters, "scrub" or "wash" off their eggs with a hose, and store them on board for eventual sale in port. Silva later instructed his crew that they should tell no one about the practice, and directed them to store the lobsters in hidden compartments in the vessel's fish hold so that the Coast Guard would not discover them.
On March 7, 2004, the Coast Guard boarded the Lutador II near Quick's Hole, Massachusetts as it was returning to New Bedford. During the boarding, Silva told the Coast Guard that there were no lobsters in the vessel's fish hold, when in fact he knew there were hundreds. After the Coast Guard discovered the lobsters during the course of their inspection, Silva, submitted to the Coast Guard an inventory of his catch on which he knowingly understated the amount of lobster on board. He later told crew members to tell the Coast Guard that the crew removed lobster eggs during the trip without Silva's knowledge. In connection with this last trip, SILVA paid an administrative fine to the National Marine Fisheries Service's Office of Law Enforcement.
Judge O'Toole scheduled sentencing for March 22, 2006. Silva faces up to 5 years' imprisonment for each count, except the obstruction of justice count, for which he would face a maximum of 20 years' imprisonment. Each of the counts also carry a potential fine of $250,000 and 3 years supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Northeast Enforcement Division of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service, Office of Law Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Massachusetts Environmental Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Mitchell in Sullivan's Economic Crimes Unit.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 21 December 2005 )
Wednesday, 21 December 2005
Coastguard News
A North Dartmouth man who was the captain of two New Bedford-based fishing vessels has pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act - the federal wildlife trafficking statute, making false statements to Coast Guard officials and obstruction of justice in connection with a four-year-long conspiracy of commanding his crew members to remove the eggs of female lobsters so that they could be sold in port.
United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan; Andrew Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Enforcement Division of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service, Office of Law Enforcement; Captain Mark Landry, Chief of Law Enforcement, First Coast Guard District; and James Hanlon, Acting Director of the Massachusetts Environmental Police, announced today that Jose Silva, age 50, of North Dartmouth, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge George A. O'Toole to an Indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, two counts of violating the Lacey Act, one count of making a false statement to Coast Guard boarding officers, and one count of obstruction of justice.
At the plea hearing the prosecutor told the Court that, had the case proceeded to trial, the evidence would have proven that over a four-year period, Silva, as the captain of the New Bedford-based fishing vessels Lutador and Lutador II, commanded his crew to remove the eggs of thousands of female lobsters and "v-notched" female lobsters. Federal and state law prohibit the taking of female egg-bearing lobsters as a way of protecting the viability of the lobster fishery. Federal law requires that fisherman who catch female lobsters return them to the sea. Lobster fisherman customarily cut a v-shaped notch in the tales of female lobsters so that other fishermen who later catch the same lobsters will know that they are females capable of bearing eggs. Federal law also prohibits the taking of v-notched lobsters.
Silva knew that catching egg-bearing and v-notched lobsters was illegal, yet during numerous voyages over a four-year period, he instructed his crew to retain egg-bearing and v- notched lobsters, "scrub" or "wash" off their eggs with a hose, and store them on board for eventual sale in port. Silva later instructed his crew that they should tell no one about the practice, and directed them to store the lobsters in hidden compartments in the vessel's fish hold so that the Coast Guard would not discover them.
On March 7, 2004, the Coast Guard boarded the Lutador II near Quick's Hole, Massachusetts as it was returning to New Bedford. During the boarding, Silva told the Coast Guard that there were no lobsters in the vessel's fish hold, when in fact he knew there were hundreds. After the Coast Guard discovered the lobsters during the course of their inspection, Silva, submitted to the Coast Guard an inventory of his catch on which he knowingly understated the amount of lobster on board. He later told crew members to tell the Coast Guard that the crew removed lobster eggs during the trip without Silva's knowledge. In connection with this last trip, SILVA paid an administrative fine to the National Marine Fisheries Service's Office of Law Enforcement.
Judge O'Toole scheduled sentencing for March 22, 2006. Silva faces up to 5 years' imprisonment for each count, except the obstruction of justice count, for which he would face a maximum of 20 years' imprisonment. Each of the counts also carry a potential fine of $250,000 and 3 years supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Northeast Enforcement Division of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service, Office of Law Enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Massachusetts Environmental Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Mitchell in Sullivan's Economic Crimes Unit.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 21 December 2005 )
Bratz Dolls - Raising The Slut Generation
Any parent who buys into this entire line of sleaze dolls should have their heads examine. What values are you trying to pass on to the next generation? The values of MTV and music videos? Shame on you for not standing up to the marketing machine that has created this disgusting line of dolls.
Previous generations have had to contend with the Barbie line and its impossible body shape and ever increasing emphaise our outer beauty. The Bratz line takes us even farther down the sewer with the shallow, sexy-bomb personas of the Bratz girls. If they marketed them as stripper dolls it might actually be closer to the truth then simply bratty girls. Which by the way actually used to be a trait people would discourage rather than celebrate in the form of a plaything. Maybe that is the relationship, plaything toy for future playthings?
After the "Lil'" Bratz line whats next? Sleezy toys for your toddler?
Time warp to 16 or probably more likely 13 when your teenager wants to go to school dressed like one of these these slutty dolls. Simply sick.
Previous generations have had to contend with the Barbie line and its impossible body shape and ever increasing emphaise our outer beauty. The Bratz line takes us even farther down the sewer with the shallow, sexy-bomb personas of the Bratz girls. If they marketed them as stripper dolls it might actually be closer to the truth then simply bratty girls. Which by the way actually used to be a trait people would discourage rather than celebrate in the form of a plaything. Maybe that is the relationship, plaything toy for future playthings?
After the "Lil'" Bratz line whats next? Sleezy toys for your toddler?
Time warp to 16 or probably more likely 13 when your teenager wants to go to school dressed like one of these these slutty dolls. Simply sick.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Those who don't ice fish have another think coming
By Ron Schara, Star Tribune
People who don't go ice fishing think they're not missing much.
They also think that staring at a hole in the ice can't be much fun for very long. But what do they know?
Sure, holes in the ice look pretty much the same, it's true. But people who don't ice fish also don't realize what devoted winter anglers think about when there's nothing happening in the ice hole, which is often the case.
People who don't ice fish tend to be wrong about a lot of things. For example, ice fishing is much more exciting than it appears. Sure, there are a few dull moments, but "Monday Night Football" has 'em, too.
Watching a still bobber gets old but so do most Tom Cruise movies.
Believe it or not, there are actually memorable moments in the sport of ice fishing.
You don't hear about 'em much because, unlike summer vacations where folks take a bunch of photographs of themselves acting foolish or holding up big fish, wintertime anglers aren't big on spending a week in an ice shack or taking snapshots of the fellas with their empty bottle of blackberry brandy.
Nevertheless, the memorable moments are for real.
My brother, Robert, still remembers the night his friend's pickup truck headed for the bottom of Lake Koronis with him in it. Thank goodness, Robert and his buddy both escaped unharmed.
Three months later, they also were reunited with the pickup. It was a little soggy but otherwise salvageable. They found the truck, thanks to one of those Aqua-Vu underwater cameras. Crappies were swimming around in the truck bed, Robert said.
He won't forget.
People who don't go ice fishing probably don't realize that fish are actually caught.
It's easy to make fun of winter anglers because of their reputation for having all-night parties in their ice shacks until everybody falls asleep with their Sorel boots still on.
The truth is, ice fishing has nothing to do with being a party animal.
It's really about catching something. Or trying.
Truly, there's a magic moment when one's bobber begins to sink. What fish awaits? What size? Such is the joy of angling, and it transcends all seasons.
I shall never forget a long sled dog ride into the BWCAW to reach Knife Lake within a snowball's toss of Dorothy Molter's historic island. We drilled a few holes and sunk a few cutbaits for lake trout and pinched small flags on lines and waited. Within mere minutes, a line and flag began to move into the hole like a ribbon snake. Fish on.
For two hours the line flags moved, and lake trout soon flopped on the ice.
When winter fishing follows the script, it's a memory.
Some ice anglers seem to have a sixth sense about where to drill the hole. A fella named Ivan Burandt has that talent. He's a Mille Lacs guide, winter or summer. One winter day, we tagged along with our television cameras as Ivan searched for a walleye bite. It was the middle of the day. Ivan dropped a jigging spoon, tipped with the head of a fathead minnow.
Thunk. Fish on. More memories.
The fraternity of ice anglers also has a winter guru, of sorts. He's a Minnesota fella by the name of Dave Genz. They say he's Mr. Ice Fisherman. And he is. He's invented a bunch of winter fishing stuff, Clam houses and the like. He's concocted lures, ice rods, you name it. It's a business now for Genz, but it wasn't always that way.
He got into ice fishing to start with because he ... well, loves it.
People who don't ice fish don't understand loving it.
One of my fondest memories is about an ice fisherman whose name I don't know. One day I noticed him, sitting alone on a 5-gallon bucket in the vastness of the Mille Lacs icescape. He was wrapped in a coonskin coat and, near as I could tell, he hadn't moved from his bucket for hours.
I couldn't stand it. How can any sane man sit still for that long, I wondered. Minutes later, I wandered over to the fella. He didn't look up until I was almost staring into the same ice hole that he was. I popped the question: How can you sit here so long?
"Well," he said, pausing. "as I look in the hole, I imagine I'm staring at a giant martini and my bobber's the olive."
People who don't ice fish probably don't like martinis.
People who don't go ice fishing think they're not missing much.
They also think that staring at a hole in the ice can't be much fun for very long. But what do they know?
Sure, holes in the ice look pretty much the same, it's true. But people who don't ice fish also don't realize what devoted winter anglers think about when there's nothing happening in the ice hole, which is often the case.
People who don't ice fish tend to be wrong about a lot of things. For example, ice fishing is much more exciting than it appears. Sure, there are a few dull moments, but "Monday Night Football" has 'em, too.
Watching a still bobber gets old but so do most Tom Cruise movies.
Believe it or not, there are actually memorable moments in the sport of ice fishing.
You don't hear about 'em much because, unlike summer vacations where folks take a bunch of photographs of themselves acting foolish or holding up big fish, wintertime anglers aren't big on spending a week in an ice shack or taking snapshots of the fellas with their empty bottle of blackberry brandy.
Nevertheless, the memorable moments are for real.
My brother, Robert, still remembers the night his friend's pickup truck headed for the bottom of Lake Koronis with him in it. Thank goodness, Robert and his buddy both escaped unharmed.
Three months later, they also were reunited with the pickup. It was a little soggy but otherwise salvageable. They found the truck, thanks to one of those Aqua-Vu underwater cameras. Crappies were swimming around in the truck bed, Robert said.
He won't forget.
People who don't go ice fishing probably don't realize that fish are actually caught.
It's easy to make fun of winter anglers because of their reputation for having all-night parties in their ice shacks until everybody falls asleep with their Sorel boots still on.
The truth is, ice fishing has nothing to do with being a party animal.
It's really about catching something. Or trying.
Truly, there's a magic moment when one's bobber begins to sink. What fish awaits? What size? Such is the joy of angling, and it transcends all seasons.
I shall never forget a long sled dog ride into the BWCAW to reach Knife Lake within a snowball's toss of Dorothy Molter's historic island. We drilled a few holes and sunk a few cutbaits for lake trout and pinched small flags on lines and waited. Within mere minutes, a line and flag began to move into the hole like a ribbon snake. Fish on.
For two hours the line flags moved, and lake trout soon flopped on the ice.
When winter fishing follows the script, it's a memory.
Some ice anglers seem to have a sixth sense about where to drill the hole. A fella named Ivan Burandt has that talent. He's a Mille Lacs guide, winter or summer. One winter day, we tagged along with our television cameras as Ivan searched for a walleye bite. It was the middle of the day. Ivan dropped a jigging spoon, tipped with the head of a fathead minnow.
Thunk. Fish on. More memories.
The fraternity of ice anglers also has a winter guru, of sorts. He's a Minnesota fella by the name of Dave Genz. They say he's Mr. Ice Fisherman. And he is. He's invented a bunch of winter fishing stuff, Clam houses and the like. He's concocted lures, ice rods, you name it. It's a business now for Genz, but it wasn't always that way.
He got into ice fishing to start with because he ... well, loves it.
People who don't ice fish don't understand loving it.
One of my fondest memories is about an ice fisherman whose name I don't know. One day I noticed him, sitting alone on a 5-gallon bucket in the vastness of the Mille Lacs icescape. He was wrapped in a coonskin coat and, near as I could tell, he hadn't moved from his bucket for hours.
I couldn't stand it. How can any sane man sit still for that long, I wondered. Minutes later, I wandered over to the fella. He didn't look up until I was almost staring into the same ice hole that he was. I popped the question: How can you sit here so long?
"Well," he said, pausing. "as I look in the hole, I imagine I'm staring at a giant martini and my bobber's the olive."
People who don't ice fish probably don't like martinis.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Frankenfish Are Coming!
Snakeheads prey on native species. They've been spotted at Philly.
By Christian Berg
Of The Morning Call
''Frankenfish'' are swimming in the Delaware River.
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission officials have confirmed what they long suspected: northern snakeheads — aggressive, predatory fish imported from Asia — are in the river and probably growing in number.
''This is certainly not a shocking discovery,'' said agency spokesman Dan Tredinnick, noting that snakeheads first showed up in Meadow Lake at Philadelphia's FDR Park in July 2004.
''We said from the get-go that we fully expected they would be seen in the Schuylkill and the Delaware, given the nature of that lake, which has tidal influence and is almost directly connected to the river system.''
Snakeheads first showed up in a Maryland pond in 2002. They were dubbed Frankenfish because of their voracious appetite, menacing looks and ability to travel short distances over land by using their fins as legs. They can live out of water for several days.
Now that snakeheads are in the Delaware, officials say they could eventually spread throughout the drainage, possibly even swimming upstream to the Lehigh Valley and taking a left turn into the Lehigh River at Easton.
Blaine Mengel Jr., a professional bass-fishing guide from Bethlehem who makes much of his living on the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, said Friday he isn't particularly worried about the snakehead threat.
''At this point, I don't lose any sleep over it,'' he said. ''Until I see them coming up this far, or hear of other anglers catching them, then I'll get a little concerned about it.''
Fisheries biologists say the snakehead, which has a hearty appetite and can reproduce quickly, could displace native species or disrupt the aquatic ecosystem. Exotic species can bring parasites and diseases or cause genetic pollution of closely related species, according to the commission.
The Delaware is renowned among anglers for excellent populations of smallmouth bass, striped bass, walleyes, catfish, shad, various panfish and other species.
''Snakeheads are a relatively new phenomenon in this country, so there isn't a whole lot of long-term documentation as to what their impact is,'' Tredinnick said. ''There is a delicate balance in the ecosystem between predators, prey and habitat.''
Tredinnick said a New Jersey man fishing off a pier near the Philadelphia Navy Yard caught an 8-inch, adult snakehead in September. The fisherman kept it in his freezer until October, when he mailed it to the commission. Its identity was confirmed last week.
The snakehead caught in the Delaware is the first confirmed specimen outside Meadow Lake. However, Tredinnick said officials assume there are more and that snakeheads are already well established in the river.
''In a waterway as large as the Delaware River, there's really nothing pro-active that can be done in terms of going after them,'' Tredinnick said. ''We consider our role at this point one of monitoring.''
He said anglers who catch snakeheads should kill the fish and notify the agency.
''If you catch one, what we would like you to do is euthanize it and dispose of it properly,'' Tredinnick said. ''If you want to eat it, eat it. If you want to throw it in a trash can, throw it in a trash can. What we don't want people doing is returning them to the water.''
Possession of a live snakehead is illegal in Pennsylvania and punishable by a $100 fine or up to 20 days in jail. Earlier this year, Rep. Doug Reichley, R-Lehigh, sponsored legislation that would make the penalties even stiffer by increasing snakehead possession from a summary offense to a third-degree misdemeanor.
Reichley said his measure was developed to highlight the seriousness of the snakehead issue. His legislation, House Bill 1320, was adopted by the House 195-0 on Oct. 17 and is being considered by the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee.
Snakeheads exist in at least eight other states — New York, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, Massachusetts, Florida and California. A related species, the giant snakehead, has been found in Wisconsin's Rock River.
Commission officials say they have no idea how northern snakeheads got into Meadow Lake, but it is likely they were released into it.
Nearly 17,000 snakeheads, worth nearly $86,000, were imported into the United States between 1997 and 2000, either as aquarium fish or as a delicacy served in Asian restaurants, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
After regulations were changed in 2002 to ban the fish as ''injurious wildlife,'' officials believe that restaurateurs and others simply dumped them in local waters to avoid penalties.
By Christian Berg
Of The Morning Call
''Frankenfish'' are swimming in the Delaware River.
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission officials have confirmed what they long suspected: northern snakeheads — aggressive, predatory fish imported from Asia — are in the river and probably growing in number.
''This is certainly not a shocking discovery,'' said agency spokesman Dan Tredinnick, noting that snakeheads first showed up in Meadow Lake at Philadelphia's FDR Park in July 2004.
''We said from the get-go that we fully expected they would be seen in the Schuylkill and the Delaware, given the nature of that lake, which has tidal influence and is almost directly connected to the river system.''
Snakeheads first showed up in a Maryland pond in 2002. They were dubbed Frankenfish because of their voracious appetite, menacing looks and ability to travel short distances over land by using their fins as legs. They can live out of water for several days.
Now that snakeheads are in the Delaware, officials say they could eventually spread throughout the drainage, possibly even swimming upstream to the Lehigh Valley and taking a left turn into the Lehigh River at Easton.
Blaine Mengel Jr., a professional bass-fishing guide from Bethlehem who makes much of his living on the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, said Friday he isn't particularly worried about the snakehead threat.
''At this point, I don't lose any sleep over it,'' he said. ''Until I see them coming up this far, or hear of other anglers catching them, then I'll get a little concerned about it.''
Fisheries biologists say the snakehead, which has a hearty appetite and can reproduce quickly, could displace native species or disrupt the aquatic ecosystem. Exotic species can bring parasites and diseases or cause genetic pollution of closely related species, according to the commission.
The Delaware is renowned among anglers for excellent populations of smallmouth bass, striped bass, walleyes, catfish, shad, various panfish and other species.
''Snakeheads are a relatively new phenomenon in this country, so there isn't a whole lot of long-term documentation as to what their impact is,'' Tredinnick said. ''There is a delicate balance in the ecosystem between predators, prey and habitat.''
Tredinnick said a New Jersey man fishing off a pier near the Philadelphia Navy Yard caught an 8-inch, adult snakehead in September. The fisherman kept it in his freezer until October, when he mailed it to the commission. Its identity was confirmed last week.
The snakehead caught in the Delaware is the first confirmed specimen outside Meadow Lake. However, Tredinnick said officials assume there are more and that snakeheads are already well established in the river.
''In a waterway as large as the Delaware River, there's really nothing pro-active that can be done in terms of going after them,'' Tredinnick said. ''We consider our role at this point one of monitoring.''
He said anglers who catch snakeheads should kill the fish and notify the agency.
''If you catch one, what we would like you to do is euthanize it and dispose of it properly,'' Tredinnick said. ''If you want to eat it, eat it. If you want to throw it in a trash can, throw it in a trash can. What we don't want people doing is returning them to the water.''
Possession of a live snakehead is illegal in Pennsylvania and punishable by a $100 fine or up to 20 days in jail. Earlier this year, Rep. Doug Reichley, R-Lehigh, sponsored legislation that would make the penalties even stiffer by increasing snakehead possession from a summary offense to a third-degree misdemeanor.
Reichley said his measure was developed to highlight the seriousness of the snakehead issue. His legislation, House Bill 1320, was adopted by the House 195-0 on Oct. 17 and is being considered by the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee.
Snakeheads exist in at least eight other states — New York, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, Massachusetts, Florida and California. A related species, the giant snakehead, has been found in Wisconsin's Rock River.
Commission officials say they have no idea how northern snakeheads got into Meadow Lake, but it is likely they were released into it.
Nearly 17,000 snakeheads, worth nearly $86,000, were imported into the United States between 1997 and 2000, either as aquarium fish or as a delicacy served in Asian restaurants, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
After regulations were changed in 2002 to ban the fish as ''injurious wildlife,'' officials believe that restaurateurs and others simply dumped them in local waters to avoid penalties.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Poinsettias Are Dumb
Poinsettias are dumb. At least here in Maine.
You know the joke about selling refrigerators to Eskimos? I don't know about that but what I do know is that buying Christmas Poinsettias here in Maine is really dumb. Tropical plants and cold Maine winters just don't mix. But that doesn't mean you won't see plenty of suckers walking out of the supermarket with one of these little red and green botanical wonders tucked under their arm.
Oh the Christmas joy on their faces as they walk through the automatic doors into a blast of freezing cold winter wind. Of course the poinsettia instantly dies and by the time the purchaser gets home all they have left is a stick in a fancy gold foil wrapped pot. But next year they'll be at it again, swooning over the short lived red and green glory.
You know the joke about selling refrigerators to Eskimos? I don't know about that but what I do know is that buying Christmas Poinsettias here in Maine is really dumb. Tropical plants and cold Maine winters just don't mix. But that doesn't mean you won't see plenty of suckers walking out of the supermarket with one of these little red and green botanical wonders tucked under their arm.
Oh the Christmas joy on their faces as they walk through the automatic doors into a blast of freezing cold winter wind. Of course the poinsettia instantly dies and by the time the purchaser gets home all they have left is a stick in a fancy gold foil wrapped pot. But next year they'll be at it again, swooning over the short lived red and green glory.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Fishboy Goes Hollywood
Fishboy in the movies! Check out this cool movie "Stripers at Raccoon Lake"
on tips, tricks and tactics for catching one of Indiana's premier game fish, the striper! Featuring Mark "Willie" Williams, International Game and Fish Association, Certified Captain of Inland Lake Fishing Charters.
The movie provides an in depth discussion on umbrella rigs, east coast techniques, mega bait strategies, parachute jigs used on Indiana Lakes to catch trophy striper.
Best of all, check out Fishboy's Fishoglyph Hat featured through out the movie!
The movie runs 23 minutes and you can watch it right online. Click here to see the movie.
Thanks Willie!
on tips, tricks and tactics for catching one of Indiana's premier game fish, the striper! Featuring Mark "Willie" Williams, International Game and Fish Association, Certified Captain of Inland Lake Fishing Charters.
The movie provides an in depth discussion on umbrella rigs, east coast techniques, mega bait strategies, parachute jigs used on Indiana Lakes to catch trophy striper.
Best of all, check out Fishboy's Fishoglyph Hat featured through out the movie!
The movie runs 23 minutes and you can watch it right online. Click here to see the movie.
Thanks Willie!
Coastal Snow Effect In Seal Cove
Today in Seal Cove, Maine its snowing like crazy. Nice fluffy, cold stuff unlike the heavy wet stuff we got a few days ago. Funny thing is that the weathermen and gals all predicted 0% of percip. for today. Chalk that up to coastal effect I suppose.
Good thing I added that cinderblock to the back of the Fishmobile. That plus the added weight of Christmas packages going out to good little fishermen and women around the country.
Despite the weather trips to the tiny post office here in Seal Cove is almost always eventful. Besides catching up on some local news and weather with post master Donna, the one point four mile trip back from the post office always seems to have some unique driving feature. In the summer its often a tourist stopped dead in the middle of the state highway looking at a map. It is a state highway even if it appears to be a quite country lane with it terrible paving that hasn't been fixed in 27 years.
A few days ago during the last snow storm I had to dodge two snowmobiles screaming down the road. So much for letting the kids out of school early. Today I had old guy backing out of his driveway right into the highway without looking. I saw it coming so I stop dead in the road. He finally looks over and sees me and then pulls back into his driveway. Then I got to see this monster, jacked up, four wheel drive pick up truck (you know almost monster truck type?) do a nice 180 trying to turn on to Cape Road. As they say, four wheel drive does nothing about ice. Ayuh, its just the beginning of the winter season.
Good thing I added that cinderblock to the back of the Fishmobile. That plus the added weight of Christmas packages going out to good little fishermen and women around the country.
Despite the weather trips to the tiny post office here in Seal Cove is almost always eventful. Besides catching up on some local news and weather with post master Donna, the one point four mile trip back from the post office always seems to have some unique driving feature. In the summer its often a tourist stopped dead in the middle of the state highway looking at a map. It is a state highway even if it appears to be a quite country lane with it terrible paving that hasn't been fixed in 27 years.
A few days ago during the last snow storm I had to dodge two snowmobiles screaming down the road. So much for letting the kids out of school early. Today I had old guy backing out of his driveway right into the highway without looking. I saw it coming so I stop dead in the road. He finally looks over and sees me and then pulls back into his driveway. Then I got to see this monster, jacked up, four wheel drive pick up truck (you know almost monster truck type?) do a nice 180 trying to turn on to Cape Road. As they say, four wheel drive does nothing about ice. Ayuh, its just the beginning of the winter season.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Naked Fish - the DVD
Now here is one I can relate to, my 1st grader asked for a fish for Christmas and Dad is really getting into the whole hobby aspect after finding a great deal on a 46 gallon bow front aquarium at Walmart. That said, setting up the tank is going to be expensive with all the equipment need such as filters, heaters, decorations, food, supplies etc. Plus the maintainence. But since Dad works from home and he could use a little company when the little tyke is off at school. Besides my son's other pets are three hermit crabs and they are well shall we say kind of boring since they don't move around much during the day and they close up as soon as you walk in the room.
Anyway this DVD could put to use that honky giant flat screen tv you got for Christmas when you aren't watching "Naked Fishing With the Alluring Babes".
NAKED FISH
Studio
Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment
Technical Details
Screen: Enhanced Widescreen Letterbox
Sound: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel, Dolby Digital Stereo, Digital Theater Systems (akin to 5.1)
DVD Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard, Alternate Wide Screen
Full Synopsis
Have you always wanted an aquarium but aren't interested in the mess, expense, and high maintenance of having a fish tank? If your answer is yes, Naked Fish could be just the DVD for you. Naked Fish offers long-playing views, transferred to disc with Superbit technology, of five different aquarium scenes which allow you to enjoy the relaxation of watching tropical fish without the fuss. Two different soundtracks of appropriate audio accompaniment are included to add to the realistic effect. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Product Features
Five unique tanks include: Classic, predator, shark, living reef, nautilus Three music tracks: Soothing sounds from the water music of George Frideric Handel, playful tunes from the water music of George Frideric Handel, and a "natural aquarium" option Full and widescreen presentations ROM - screensavers and more
OTHER AQUARIUM DVDS
Aquaria: The Complete Collection - Disc 1 (1999)
Studio
D3
Technical Details
Screen: 4:3 Full Screen, Enhanced Widescreen Letterbox
Sound: Digital Theater Systems (akin to 5.1), 5 full-range channels. Includes 3 front speakers, 2 surround channels for rear speakers, & 1 low-frequency effects (LFE) channel.
Language
English
Full Synopsis
This collection of "virtual aquarium" videos gets a glossy presentation for its release on DVD. Aquaria: The Complete Aquarium Collection features two separate transfers -- a full-screen version at the aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and a letterboxed transfer at the aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (which has also been enhanced for anamorphic playback on 16 x 9 monitors). Viewers have a choice of playback in Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1 audio and can select one of four soundtracks (a bubbling aquarium, ocean sounds, or one of two musical options). The DVDs also include a selection of five types of aquariums, information on the species of fish represented, and screen savers which can be downloaded to home computers with DVD-ROM drives. ~ Mark Deming,
Marine Aquarium the DVD (2003)
Studio
Serene Screen
Language
English
Full Synopsis
Marine Aquarium: The DVD offers the ultimate in virtual screen aquariums. Whether viewers want to enhance their home or office environment, this release will add a soothing atmosphere. Marine Aquarium collects 120 minutes of calming digital video footage of 21 exotic types of fish and includes animated bubbles with sound. ~ Dana Rowader, All Movie Guide
Beautiful Aquarium (2003)
Studio
Delta
Technical Details
Sound: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel
DVD Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard
Language
English
Full Synopsis
This program presents footage of exotic fish swimming in an undersea coral reef, set to relaxing music. When played on a home television this program is mean to simulate the appearance of a large fish tank. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
Anyway this DVD could put to use that honky giant flat screen tv you got for Christmas when you aren't watching "Naked Fishing With the Alluring Babes".
NAKED FISH
Studio
Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment
Technical Details
Screen: Enhanced Widescreen Letterbox
Sound: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel, Dolby Digital Stereo, Digital Theater Systems (akin to 5.1)
DVD Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard, Alternate Wide Screen
Full Synopsis
Have you always wanted an aquarium but aren't interested in the mess, expense, and high maintenance of having a fish tank? If your answer is yes, Naked Fish could be just the DVD for you. Naked Fish offers long-playing views, transferred to disc with Superbit technology, of five different aquarium scenes which allow you to enjoy the relaxation of watching tropical fish without the fuss. Two different soundtracks of appropriate audio accompaniment are included to add to the realistic effect. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Product Features
Five unique tanks include: Classic, predator, shark, living reef, nautilus Three music tracks: Soothing sounds from the water music of George Frideric Handel, playful tunes from the water music of George Frideric Handel, and a "natural aquarium" option Full and widescreen presentations ROM - screensavers and more
OTHER AQUARIUM DVDS
Aquaria: The Complete Collection - Disc 1 (1999)
Studio
D3
Technical Details
Screen: 4:3 Full Screen, Enhanced Widescreen Letterbox
Sound: Digital Theater Systems (akin to 5.1), 5 full-range channels. Includes 3 front speakers, 2 surround channels for rear speakers, & 1 low-frequency effects (LFE) channel.
Language
English
Full Synopsis
This collection of "virtual aquarium" videos gets a glossy presentation for its release on DVD. Aquaria: The Complete Aquarium Collection features two separate transfers -- a full-screen version at the aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and a letterboxed transfer at the aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (which has also been enhanced for anamorphic playback on 16 x 9 monitors). Viewers have a choice of playback in Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1 audio and can select one of four soundtracks (a bubbling aquarium, ocean sounds, or one of two musical options). The DVDs also include a selection of five types of aquariums, information on the species of fish represented, and screen savers which can be downloaded to home computers with DVD-ROM drives. ~ Mark Deming,
Marine Aquarium the DVD (2003)
Studio
Serene Screen
Language
English
Full Synopsis
Marine Aquarium: The DVD offers the ultimate in virtual screen aquariums. Whether viewers want to enhance their home or office environment, this release will add a soothing atmosphere. Marine Aquarium collects 120 minutes of calming digital video footage of 21 exotic types of fish and includes animated bubbles with sound. ~ Dana Rowader, All Movie Guide
Beautiful Aquarium (2003)
Studio
Delta
Technical Details
Sound: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel
DVD Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard
Language
English
Full Synopsis
This program presents footage of exotic fish swimming in an undersea coral reef, set to relaxing music. When played on a home television this program is mean to simulate the appearance of a large fish tank. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
Naked Fishing with the Alluring Babes
Has anyone seen this movie? I don't know. It looks to me that fishing with "alluring babes" might be quite a distraction. When I go fishing I want to fish, when I'm not fishing, I tend to other primal needs. I'll have to see if I can get this at Blockbuster some one has to review this, its just too intrigueing. 30 minutes? Hmmm, I wonder.
Description for Naked Fishing With the Alluring Babes VHS
--What could be better than a boatload of beautiful women baring it all? All of the above, plus practical fishing tips for novice anglers!
Release Info:
--Color Film
--RunTime: 30 Min.
--Original Language: English
MPAA Rating:
--Unrated
Description for Naked Fishing With the Alluring Babes VHS
--What could be better than a boatload of beautiful women baring it all? All of the above, plus practical fishing tips for novice anglers!
Release Info:
--Color Film
--RunTime: 30 Min.
--Original Language: English
MPAA Rating:
--Unrated
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