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Saturday, August 28, 2010

Tied Flies



And we do not mean a pesky little fly caught in the act of eating my sandwich, arrested and tied up for execution.



We mean Hand Tied Fishing Flies for catching Fish. For a number of years I spent time in Central and South America, then later all over Africa. There wasn't much to do out there, besides my work, so I gathered hairs to feathers and tied flies to pass the time away.



Later on, when living here in Florida, I found a couple of my Tupper-ware containers, to which contained all these insects I had tied many moons past.



Some, the hooks had rusted away and I had, Ha-Ha-Ha, barbed-less hooks on rather beautiful flies with an eye to tie but no hook. I put them aside until of late, as I pulled out my late father’s old Cortland center pin reel with its St. Regis Bamboo fly rod. Together, I was matched to catch fish, saltwater to freshwater.



Being older now and my fingers are not as limber, not to mention I can spot a pod of Tarpon at 200 yards away but cannot for the life of me see what I am writing without my glasses; hence, no more new flies.



Here are but a few more unnamed little guys you might like to see, that is if you too are into tied flies.




These others were tied while attending University at USF in Tampa; making them a bit newer:
















There are a bunch more, but I have not the time to show, I got to Fly.

"FISH ON!"

Friday, August 27, 2010

Red Bellied DEATH! Florida Piranah!



Who would believe an afternoon in the canoe, out on an urban canal might produce a Piranha when, sitting idly with your feet hanging over the boat as my son fished for catfish and I for lunker Bass but am catching turtles!



Roosevelt presented piranhas as vicious creatures in his 1914 book Through the Brazilian Wilderness, indicating that they are the most ferocious fish in the world. Even the most formidable fish, the sharks or the barracudas, usually attack things smaller than themselves. But the piranhas habitually attack things much larger than themselves. They will snap a finger off a hand incautiously trailed in the water; they mutilate swimmers—in every river town in Paraguay there are men who have been thus mutilated; they will rend and devour alive any wounded man or beast; for blood in the water excites them to madness. They will tear wounded wild fowl to pieces; and bite off the tails of big fish as they grow exhausted when fighting after being hooked. But the piranha is a short, deep-bodied fish, with a blunt face and a heavily undershot or projecting lower jaw which gapes widely. The razor-edged teeth are wedge-shaped like a shark’s, and the jaw muscles possess great power. The rabid, furious snaps drive the teeth through flesh and bone. The head with its short muzzle, staring malignant eyes, and gaping, cruelly armed jaws, is the embodiment of evil ferocity; and the actions of the fish exactly match its looks. I never witnessed an exhibition of such impotent, savage fury as was shown by the piranhas as they flapped on deck. When fresh from the water and thrown on the boards they uttered an extraordinary squealing sound.



As they flapped about they bit with vicious eagerness at whatever presented itself. One of them flapped into a cloth and seized it with a bulldog grip. Another grasped one of its fellows; another snapped at a piece of wood, and left the teeth-marks deep therein. They are the pests of the waters, and it is necessary to be exceedingly cautious about either swimming or wading where they are found. If cattle are driven into, or of their own accord enter, the water, they are commonly not molested; but if by chance some unusually big or ferocious specimen of these fearsome fishes does bite an animal—taking off part of an ear, or perhaps of a teat from the udder of a cow—the blood brings up every member of the ravenous throng which is anywhere near, and unless the attacked animal can immediately make its escape from the water it is devoured alive.



# ^ Through the Brazilian Wilderness, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1914, Online Bartlby Edition
# ^ "Can piranhas really strip a cow to the bone in under a minute?". HowStuffWorks. http://animals.howstuffworks.com/fish/piranha-eat-cows.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
# ^ "Rumble in the jungle with Amazon's killer piranha". Los Angeles Times. http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-os-piranha22nov22. Retrieved 2009-08-01.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Florida Bass Plan needs YOUR HELP!



The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is seeking to incorporate input from anglers and other stakeholders into a new long-term Black Bass Management Plan (2010-2030). This Plan is an evolving strategy that will clearly establish Florida as the “Bass Fishing Capital of the World.” To be added to the list to take the next survey and comment on the evolving black bass management plan, please
CAST HERE!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Chloe says Vote for Me!

Somebodies Face has to be on that baby food jar,why not my Granddaughter. You all be the judge and pop on over there and vote for Chloe. Hey, I'm prejudiced; I'm that beautiful little girls Poppy. A cameo to remember!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Sharks Gone By; Venice, Beach Florida

























Sharks Gone By; Venice, Beach Florida; an on going pictorial of sharks to cuda, rays to kings which have been caught at, under or on the Venice City Pier, also known as Sharky's on the Pier.

A restaurant located at the base of the pier and the beginning of Casperson Beach. They do not call it Sharky's just for kicks, From dusk until dawn the sharks feed on. "Anyone for a mid-night swim?"

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Spice...Like out of a movie...


27th Aug the Whole World is waiting for.............

Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky starting August. It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This will cultivate on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within 34.65M miles off earth. Be sure to watch the sky on Aug. 27 12:30 am. It will look like the earth has 2 moons.


The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.

The Full Moon is Wednesday August 25. Four of the 5 classic planets are visible together in the early evening sky. Mars Venus and Saturn form a triangle, with Mars and Venus closest on the 19th. Mercury is below these three. Comet Encke may be visible in binoculars near Mercury on the 19th.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

NOAA Reopens More than 5,000 Square Miles of Closed Gulf Fishing Area


Contact: Kim Amendola FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

727-551-5707 August 10, 2010



NOAA Reopens More than 5,000 Square Miles of Closed Gulf Fishing Area

No oil has been observed for 30 days in area to be re-opened for fishing



Today NOAA reopened 5,144 square miles of Gulf waters to commercial and recreational finfish fishing. The reopening was announced after consultation with FDA and under a re-opening protocol agreed to by NOAA, the FDA, and the Gulf states.



Since July 3, NOAA data have shown no oil in the area, and United States Coast Guard observers flying over the area in the last 30 days have also not observed any oil. Trajectory models show the area is at a low risk for future exposure to oil and, most importantly, fish caught in the area and tested by NOAA experts have shown no signs of contamination.



“Consumer safety is NOAA’s primary concern, which is why we developed rigorous safety standards in conjunction with the FDA and the Gulf states to ensure that seafood is safe in the reopened area,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “We are confident that Gulf fish from this area is safe to eat and pleased that recreational and commercial fisherman can fish these waters again.”



At its closest point, the area to be reopened is about 115 miles northeast of the Deepwater/BP wellhead.



From June 27 through July 20, NOAA sampled 153 finfish, including grouper, snapper, tuna and mahi mahi, from the area. Sensory and chemical testing of these finfish followed the methodology and procedures in the re-opening protocol, with sensory analysis finding no detectable oil or dispersant odors or flavors, and results of chemical analysis well below the levels of concern.



”We know how important it is to the culture and economy of this region to get back out on the water and be able to once again harvest the seafood that the Gulf is famous for,” said Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, commissioner of food and drugs. “But our top priority in the wake of this disaster must be the safety of the fish that makes it to market. We are confident that the proper processes have been followed, and that consumers can feel good once again serving their families seafood from these waters.”



NOAA will continue to take samples for testing from the newly re-opened area, and the agency has also implemented dockside sampling to test fish caught throughout the Gulf by commercial fishermen.



Fishing closures remain the first line of defense to prevent contaminated seafood from entering the marketplace. NOAA continues to work closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Gulf states to ensure seafood safety. NOAA and FDA are working together on broad-scale seafood sampling that includes sampling seafood from inside and outside the closure area, as well as dockside and market-based sampling.



The closed area now covers 52,395 miles, or 22 percent of the federal waters in the Gulf, down from 37 percent at its height. On July 22, NOAA reopened 26,388 square miles of Gulf waters off of the Florida Peninsula.



NOAA has a number of methods for the public to obtain information or be notified when there is a change to the closed area:



· Sign up to receive Southeast Fishery Bulletins by email at SERO.Communications.Comments@noaa.gov

· Call 1-800-627-NOAA (1-800-627-6622) to hear a recording of the current coordinates in English, Vietnamese, and Spanish

· Listen to NOAA Weather Radio for messages about the closure

· Receive text messages on your cell phone about changes to the closed area by texting fishing@gulf to 84469 (visit http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/558107 for more information)

· Follow us on Twitter: @usnoaagov to get a tweet when the closed area changes



NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Visit us at http://www.noaa.gov or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/usnoaagov.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Bass Beads


Want an old way to catch more fish, saltwater to fresh? Ever wondered just why there are beads on many of the rigs to lures you buy? Well this is a must read in catching more fish...BASS BEADS

Sunday, August 1, 2010

The Vanishing Oil Act!

The Vanishing Oil Act!
Now you see it, now you don’t, it’s been two weeks since BP put the cap on the Deepwater Horizon well that spewed over 100 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The oil that befouled the Gulf of Mexico for 86 days is vanishing from the surface, leaving those recently employed in helping sustain an income lost by the spill, with nothing to little to clean. Makes one wonder if David Copperfield - Magician/Illusionist was summoned by BP or one of its constituents. BP claims it collected 37 million gallons of that oil and burned up to about 10 million more, while some ended up as tar on coastal beaches and marshes. Oil sheens across bays and marshes apparently are of no conscience because little to no mention is given by the media or from the media contacts at BP Oil. That means the vast majority of this spill remains unaccounted statistically and all involved from the government stand point are that they are immersed in awe, as to be the scientists about the underwater plumes of oil or what damage has already been done to fish, their eggs, shellfish eggs and larvae. As in all magic to illusion tricks there is a method to the madness one has just watched as this floating mass of Armageddon becomes a vanishing oil act. The key to where it is,” out of sight, out of mind” and is that not what BP wanted all along to get out of the lime light and just maybe we will forget as the unseen plume of oil moves from one part of the ecosystem to another.
Remember the decision, to use dispersant? Through the massive usage and volumes of dispersant (Corexit) sprayed onto the floating Black Death, it now has transformed into an underwater curtain of crude beneath the waves. Nearly 2 million gallons of dispersant was used by BP, with little to no knowledge as to its long term effects on the environments, much less to the array of unanswered questions that surround the dispersant rapid breakdown on the oil droplets and their chronic toxicity to marine life or humans involved. Short term a true vanishing act, long term I hesitate to write what might be! It reminds me of cleaning up my dorm room when away at university and a hot date was on her way over, “Quick, sweep it under the rug” and who’s the wiser?

Oil, when combined with dispersant in the water column is more toxic to marine species than either oil or dispersant alone.
At a Senate hearing on June 15, 2010, EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson stated, “In the use of dispersant we are faced with environmental trade offs.” In fact, the use of dispersant does not represent a science-based, quantifiable “trade off” but rather amounts to a large-scale experiment on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem that runs contrary to a precautionary approach, an experiment where the costs may ultimately outweigh the benefits.


I mean, how harmful could it be? It was tested, the risked were evaluated for surface use in a laboratory setting and it worked just fine on the oil but what about species concerns? OH! No testing for that though and yet it was used; that is pathetic, self serving and thinking of how to save a buck, not a planet. BP knew that Corexit will have a lethal effect on all animals but the risks outweigh the means, as we all saw happen when they lost a wellhead, by cutting corners. Corexit mixed with large areas of crude oil droplets produces polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Hm…maybe that’s where the headaches are coming from and I wonder what comes next. Trusting BP in coordinating this clean up action is like handing over a book of matches to an arsonist and asking him to help put out the spreading wildfire we have. The vanishing oil act is like a play. Part one is over, it is refreshment time and part two is about to start. Are we ready and to what are we going to do? Call your Congressman, call the White house but do not just read about it in the paper or watch it on TV and say “OH that is so sad.” Be part of the solution, be an American and say Yes I Can! Our slogan of “The Freedom to Fish” will mean nothing if all our oceans are dead because we let them tell us what to do. Remember, it is “We The People” and that’s a lot of fish.

“FISHON!”