New addition to “Magazines and Forums”

Posted by Greybeard on Dec 8th, 2009 in Fishing, News and weather, Shootist | Comments Off

 Michigan’s “Hooks and Bullets” magazine, online.

First Ice! and, Is the end in sight?

Posted by Greybeard on Dec 8th, 2009 in Fishing, Local, News and weather, Political, Shootist | Comments Off

Sometime after midnite of Dec. 7th,  the Au Gres River froze solid.   I’m going to call this one “First Ice”,  because it’s now 2:30 PM,  and the ice is still solid.

And on a sadder note:  I received an email today pointing to,

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-45&tab=summary

HR 45 Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sales Act of 2009

Apparently confirmed:

VERIFIED – TRUE by snopes.com

http://www.snopes.com/politics/guns/blairholt.asp

I’ve since had some indication that this information,  SNOPES INCLUDED,   isn’t 100% correct.

But, if this all plays out as this email indicates is planned,  it will with out a doubt,  be the beginning of the End of Life as we know it, here in these United States.  Talk about over crowded prisons, Loss of freedoms, Lack of understanding and respect for the Constitution?  Is this how freedom in the USA  will end? 

Almost, only counts–

Posted by Greybeard on Dec 6th, 2009 in Fishing, News and weather | Comments Off

In horse shoes and hand grenades.   On this morning of Dec. 6th,  the river was frozen across, about a 100 yards downriver and frozen a little harder up town (Au Gres),  downriver of the US-23 bridge.   But–  here in our section it was still wide open.    Given, it was all just a skim of ice,  and is mostly gone now.   It doesn’t really count as “first ice”.   The low last night was 25 degrees,  and the high today 38.  Full ice get’s closer daily,  and we’ve still got a couple of weeks until the first day of winter.

Global Warming Skeptic

Posted by Greybeard on Dec 4th, 2009 in News and weather, Political | Comments Off

This is good.

Should I be a Global Warming Skeptic

Fishing lure review

Posted by Greybeard on Dec 3rd, 2009 in Fishing | Comments Off

  click photo to increase size 

I had a “Bass Pro Shops” gift card to use,  so I ordered a few of their “Double Take” lures.  I had never used them before, and in case you haven’t seen them:  They are a double hard bodied lure,  looking much like two lures.   The front lure is similar to a “floating minnow,  but has no connecting point,  just a thin tube running through it’s center.  The rear lure is a sinking lure,  with traditional attachment on it’s nose.  Note:  the front lure has one treble hook,  and the rear has two treble hooks.   You thread your line through the first (larger) lure,  then tie it to the attachment point on the second (smaller) lure,  leaving the first as a sliding lure.

When cast,  the two lures fly out as if connected,  but when they hit the water,  the rear lure starts sinking.  A short retrieve, momentarily takes the first lure under water,  and brings the second up to closely tail the first, imitating a wounded minnow, when you stop the retrieve and the second minnow flutters downward again.

The river is pretty much devoid of predator fish right now,  so I didn’t expect to get any bites,  and didn’t.   I thought the injured minnow action was pretty impressive,  but on steady straight retrieve,  neither lure has a lot of action.   Minnow one stays on the surface leaving a small bow wake,  and minnow two,  depth depending on retrieve speed,  follows under water, a foot or more behind and below the first.   I’d like to see a little more action from one or both of the lures,  but a real test will come when the Bass, Pike, and Walley return to hunt.   The combined lenght of the two lures is about 6.5 inches when hanging from a line.