Archive for the ‘Sports And Fitness’ Category
Late Season Monster Northern Pike Fishing
Stephen Long asked:
Feeling the sweet brisk fall breeze being out in the open waters is what every man dreams of. The first cast, the first fish, the first smell of landing that gigantic northern pike. Feeling the line torpedo off like a cannon shooting a cannonball while your hanging on for dear life, as you get the first glimpse of the monster Northern Pike that inhaled your bait. Have you ever felt these extravagant feelings or if you have and you would like to know and understand more, than this is for you.
Location….Location…Location…
You need to find a lake that has and is known for big pike fishing. There is nothing quite like the lakes of Northern and central Manitoba because they are abundant with trophy pike. Once you arrive to the lake, the next question is where do you start? I’m sure you’ve heard of the rule…. 80% of the fish are caught in 20% of the water, and this rule especially applies here. In late fall the cabbage weeds have established full growth and as fall and winter approach the pike are looking for a large meal that will sustain them for the grueling winters that this portion of the globe has.
When you spot a good cabbage weed bed, work the outer edges of the weeds. Approach the weeds slowly so you don’t scare off the large pike. After you have fished the outer weed edges, start working the center and then the backside of the weed bed.
If you are catching the smaller pike, although it’s fun, it usually is not a good sign of finding the giant northern pike there. If the smaller ones are around, that means they are in no immediate danger of being eaten by larger fish, therefore the likelihood of a big pike being around is not very good. Giant Northern Pike are very territorial and usually hold in the “prime real estate” of the weeds. Prime cabbage real estate can be defined as transitional edges of the weed beds such as drop offs or rocky terrains adjacent to the weeds, which sometimes can be inside void areas as well.
As the fishing season progresses, the key for catching larger northern pike is to use larger fishing lures. No lure is too large. I have had many twelve inch fishing lures swallowed all the way down. Large buck tails or jerk baits usually have the best result.
One of the most exciting things to see is seeing a giant northern swimming right after your bait, but seeing the bite also can be one of the biggest downfalls. The most common downfall fishermen run into is trying to set the hook before they feel the bite. Ninety percent of the time if you set the hook and you don’t feel the bite; you’ll not hook the fish. Always feel the fish before you pull.
The best sign of a good cabbage weed bed is when you have set the hook on a monster pike and you see numerous weeds getting sawed off with your line. That is when you know that you may have hooked a trophy fish of a lifetime.
Feeling the sweet brisk fall breeze being out in the open waters is what every man dreams of. The first cast, the first fish, the first smell of landing that gigantic northern pike. Feeling the line torpedo off like a cannon shooting a cannonball while your hanging on for dear life, as you get the first glimpse of the monster Northern Pike that inhaled your bait. Have you ever felt these extravagant feelings or if you have and you would like to know and understand more, than this is for you.
Location….Location…Location…
You need to find a lake that has and is known for big pike fishing. There is nothing quite like the lakes of Northern and central Manitoba because they are abundant with trophy pike. Once you arrive to the lake, the next question is where do you start? I’m sure you’ve heard of the rule…. 80% of the fish are caught in 20% of the water, and this rule especially applies here. In late fall the cabbage weeds have established full growth and as fall and winter approach the pike are looking for a large meal that will sustain them for the grueling winters that this portion of the globe has.
When you spot a good cabbage weed bed, work the outer edges of the weeds. Approach the weeds slowly so you don’t scare off the large pike. After you have fished the outer weed edges, start working the center and then the backside of the weed bed.
If you are catching the smaller pike, although it’s fun, it usually is not a good sign of finding the giant northern pike there. If the smaller ones are around, that means they are in no immediate danger of being eaten by larger fish, therefore the likelihood of a big pike being around is not very good. Giant Northern Pike are very territorial and usually hold in the “prime real estate” of the weeds. Prime cabbage real estate can be defined as transitional edges of the weed beds such as drop offs or rocky terrains adjacent to the weeds, which sometimes can be inside void areas as well.
As the fishing season progresses, the key for catching larger northern pike is to use larger fishing lures. No lure is too large. I have had many twelve inch fishing lures swallowed all the way down. Large buck tails or jerk baits usually have the best result.
One of the most exciting things to see is seeing a giant northern swimming right after your bait, but seeing the bite also can be one of the biggest downfalls. The most common downfall fishermen run into is trying to set the hook before they feel the bite. Ninety percent of the time if you set the hook and you don’t feel the bite; you’ll not hook the fish. Always feel the fish before you pull.
The best sign of a good cabbage weed bed is when you have set the hook on a monster pike and you see numerous weeds getting sawed off with your line. That is when you know that you may have hooked a trophy fish of a lifetime.
RV Lifestyles: Staying Safe On Remote Campsites
Bill Revill asked:
Considering several shocking occurrences in the Australian outback over recent years, it’s hardly surprising that many people are easily put off the idea of camping in remote areas because of what they see in the media. With crime seemingly on the increase, the comparative safety of bricks and mortar becomes ever more comforting.
Right or wrong, this perception of potential danger out in the lonely places can be difficult to shake loose, particularly for anyone with limited outdoor experience. Realistically, then, is there anything we can do to make isolated campsites more user friendly — at least from a security standpoint?
The answer is a resounding ‘Yes’, but before tackling the question in detail, perhaps we should make some attempt to regain our lost perspective.
Quite simply, crime and cities go together like fleas and dogs. That’s not to say there’s no threat at all in country areas, but the level of crime out there is way, way down on big-city rates. After all, as any seasoned crim knows, pickings in the bush are paltry compared with the unlimited prospects of the big smoke. Result is, we’re a lot safer, by and large, the further we travel beyond suburbia.
Understandably, though, many travellers still prefer to stay within their comfort zone by limiting their stopovers to tourist parks, campgrounds, or other ’safe’ areas where like-minded company abounds. Despite the apparent wisdom of this approach, is that really all you want from your travels? Don’t you thereby place limits on your outdoor experiences, not to mention your overall enjoyment?
Some campers apparently believe so. In order to bolster family confidence, their strategy is to start out in tourist parks or commercial campgrounds, eventually move on to national and state parks, then some time later, find a private Shangri-La somewhere further out.
Perhaps more importantly — and regardless of where you camp — your choice of outdoor lifestyle predetermines, to some degree, your inherent level of security. Sleeping in a tent, for example, rarely develops a sense of protection to equal that of a caravan; and even caravans, it might be argued, don’t offer the all-round safety of a motorhome. Obviously then, decisions regarding your outdoor accommodation may indirectly impact long-term enjoyment.
That being the case, a small to medium caravan, motorhome or campervan would seem a reasonable compromise amongst the camping trifecta of security, site accessibility, and outdoor lifestyle.
Indeed, the ‘hard-wall’ RV options have the additional advantage that external ‘interference’ would be instantly detected by the occupants, making intrusion during the night, for instance, highly improbable. Of course, extra safety is easily installed in the form of security screens on doors and windows, and additional internal padbolts.
Incidentally, evidence suggests a trend whereby travellers happily inscribe their names on an external wall of their RV. As welcoming as this might be, it could be unwise, given the possibility of ‘undesirables’ calling your name from outside, prompting you or the kids to open the door to somebody presumed to be a friend.
The same might be said for our natural inclination to help strangers along a backcountry roadside. Unfortunately, the old ‘help-each-other-out’ principle requires more careful consideration these days.
But getting back to the real issue: For travellers who eventually hope to move beyond the crowds and the costs of commercial parks and campgrounds, it comes down to how best to utilise out-of-the-way campsites where gut feel dictates that extra caution is warranted. And in most of those situations the number one rule is ‘Privacy = Security’. Generally speaking, anyway.
First, select a site far enough from nearby activity and passing traffic — or well hidden by trees and bush — so as not to invite unnecessary attention. Maybe it goes without saying, but anything within about five kilometers of a town or ten kilometers of a pub is best avoided.
Remember, too, that it’s a good idea to choose your overnight stopping place while there’s still an hour or so of daylight. Locate a spot well back from the highway, preferably along a sidetrack so your camp is not obvious to passing motorists.
Choosing a spot before dark also allows time to sus out the surrounding area (houses? farms? fences? alternative exit?), and to take a good look around. Obvious signs of partying, reckless driving, or excessive pollution should prompt the decision to move on.
Yet another benefit of setting up in daylight is that cooking and other chores can be got out of the way early, meaning less need for lighting and stumbling about the site after sunset. Even so, it doesn’t hurt to keep one eye (and one ear) on passing traffic. Slowing or returning vehicles should get your antennae twitching.
Invariably, in these sorts of impromptu overnight camps, RV travellers choose to remain in ‘departure mode’. No awning, no camp chairs, no gear stored beneath the RV, no stabiliser jacks — and generally facing toward the ‘exit’. Next day, if feeling more relaxed about the site, a longer stopover might be considered.
Once camp is set up and the sun goes down, the most obvious announcements of your presence are a campfire and various types of camp lighting. Keep in mind that if you can see passing headlights, it’s likely that your camplight and fire are visible to them. However, if your fire is small, set low in a trench away from the ‘highway side’ of your camp (screened by van or vehicle), all should be fine. For reassurance, walk out to the road and look back toward camp.
Similarly, try to minimise camp lighting, and keep RV curtains and blinds completely drawn. And although an effective flashlight is essential for bush travel, light beams flashing through trees is an instant giveaway.
Most commonly, though, traffic all but ceases come nightfall and you’ll have the area to yourself. In the unlikely event that someone does pull in, remain calm. Be friendly — helpful if necessary — but it’s best not to encourage them with invites to ’share a beer by the fire’. More than likely, it will be just another Pilgrim seeking the security of fellow travellers.
Before retiring for the night, it’s wise to walk around your outfit to check the fire is out, the car locked, and no gear has been left lying about.
Assuming everything pans out and you settle in for a few days, chances are it will become necessary to drive to the nearest town for supplies. If so, leave the campsite looking like the occupants aren’t far away: camp chairs set up, coffee mugs on the table, some laundry hanging on a line. Of course the caravan should be locked, with curtains drawn, and anything of value secure inside or taken with you. It’s not a bad idea to leave a radio playing inside the van, either.
Not surprisingly, it’s during the night when nervous campers experience their greatest concerns. Fortunately, the best deterrents against would-be troublemakers are also the simplest: light and sound. As security professionals tell us, when intruders feel compromised, their knee-jerk reaction is to get out of there — fast. Off down the road to find an easier target!
One way to achieve this is to rig up some form of lighting that can be switched on from your bed, and a 12-volt floodlight or two does the job. By the way, outside lighting is more useful (and your own movements less obvious) if internal lights remain switched off while you are peering out into the darkness.
In addition to outside lighting, you might consider some sort of noise making device. Compact personal alarms available from electronic shops (Dick Smith, Tandy) are inexpensive and effective. Mind you, it is embarrassing when you finally storm out of the RV, lights blazing, sirens wailing, to be confronted by a cheeky possum! Chances are that’s all it will ever be.
On the other hand, if you prefer to take campsite security even more seriously, here are a few more possibilities to consider:
Dogs: The best all-round security service a traveller can get, but they come at a cost in both money and upkeep. And many tourist parks — plus all national parks — don’t allow them.
Alarm indicator lights: Those tiny, flashing red lights, usually fitted inside a car to indicate there’s an alarm active (even if there isn’t) can be fitted anywhere 12-volt power is available. Make them just visible without being too obvious.
Strobe lights: The greatest value in a flashing blue strobe light is the universal recognition — among good guys and bad — that an intrusion has occurred. From that viewpoint these can be more effective than basic security lighting.
Timers: A light, randomly activated during the night by a 24 hour x 15 minute timer, may suggest that a restless camper resides within. Anyone watching your camp would become frustrated enough to seek easier spoils.
Alarms and sirens: Several types are available, variously activated by trip wires, infrared sensors or internal switches. They take a bit of setting up, are prone to accidental initiation, and are, generally speaking, gross over-kill. All the same, if that’s what it takes to put family fears to rest, visit those electronic stores again.
Communications: In outback areas, mobile phone networks are rarely within range, so for emergency communication consider a satellite phone or HF radio. For most campers, though, the $2000-plus price tags are difficult to justify. AM/SSB and UHF sets, although less expensive, rely on a trucker or farmer being within three or four kilometers. Nevertheless, from the outside, hearing the occupants put out a ‘distress call’ would be reason enough to move on.
Firearms: From a legal viewpoint — and keeping individual firearm training and competence in mind — this is definitely an issue for cautious, personal evaluation. Without doubt, any weapon in the hands of the inexperienced, or someone overtaken by panic, soon becomes more danger than protection. And should the weapon fall into the hands of the intruder, an extremely awkward scenario could be the outcome! Your call.
As mentioned earlier, human dangers in isolated areas are so rare as to be almost non-existent. But that said, it doesn’t hurt to be realistic. A healthy dose of controlled paranoia, backed up by thoughtful preparation, not only improves your level of safety, it also helps the family feel more at ease while enjoying real bush solitude.
Considering several shocking occurrences in the Australian outback over recent years, it’s hardly surprising that many people are easily put off the idea of camping in remote areas because of what they see in the media. With crime seemingly on the increase, the comparative safety of bricks and mortar becomes ever more comforting.
Right or wrong, this perception of potential danger out in the lonely places can be difficult to shake loose, particularly for anyone with limited outdoor experience. Realistically, then, is there anything we can do to make isolated campsites more user friendly — at least from a security standpoint?
The answer is a resounding ‘Yes’, but before tackling the question in detail, perhaps we should make some attempt to regain our lost perspective.
Quite simply, crime and cities go together like fleas and dogs. That’s not to say there’s no threat at all in country areas, but the level of crime out there is way, way down on big-city rates. After all, as any seasoned crim knows, pickings in the bush are paltry compared with the unlimited prospects of the big smoke. Result is, we’re a lot safer, by and large, the further we travel beyond suburbia.
Understandably, though, many travellers still prefer to stay within their comfort zone by limiting their stopovers to tourist parks, campgrounds, or other ’safe’ areas where like-minded company abounds. Despite the apparent wisdom of this approach, is that really all you want from your travels? Don’t you thereby place limits on your outdoor experiences, not to mention your overall enjoyment?
Some campers apparently believe so. In order to bolster family confidence, their strategy is to start out in tourist parks or commercial campgrounds, eventually move on to national and state parks, then some time later, find a private Shangri-La somewhere further out.
Perhaps more importantly — and regardless of where you camp — your choice of outdoor lifestyle predetermines, to some degree, your inherent level of security. Sleeping in a tent, for example, rarely develops a sense of protection to equal that of a caravan; and even caravans, it might be argued, don’t offer the all-round safety of a motorhome. Obviously then, decisions regarding your outdoor accommodation may indirectly impact long-term enjoyment.
That being the case, a small to medium caravan, motorhome or campervan would seem a reasonable compromise amongst the camping trifecta of security, site accessibility, and outdoor lifestyle.
Indeed, the ‘hard-wall’ RV options have the additional advantage that external ‘interference’ would be instantly detected by the occupants, making intrusion during the night, for instance, highly improbable. Of course, extra safety is easily installed in the form of security screens on doors and windows, and additional internal padbolts.
Incidentally, evidence suggests a trend whereby travellers happily inscribe their names on an external wall of their RV. As welcoming as this might be, it could be unwise, given the possibility of ‘undesirables’ calling your name from outside, prompting you or the kids to open the door to somebody presumed to be a friend.
The same might be said for our natural inclination to help strangers along a backcountry roadside. Unfortunately, the old ‘help-each-other-out’ principle requires more careful consideration these days.
But getting back to the real issue: For travellers who eventually hope to move beyond the crowds and the costs of commercial parks and campgrounds, it comes down to how best to utilise out-of-the-way campsites where gut feel dictates that extra caution is warranted. And in most of those situations the number one rule is ‘Privacy = Security’. Generally speaking, anyway.
First, select a site far enough from nearby activity and passing traffic — or well hidden by trees and bush — so as not to invite unnecessary attention. Maybe it goes without saying, but anything within about five kilometers of a town or ten kilometers of a pub is best avoided.
Remember, too, that it’s a good idea to choose your overnight stopping place while there’s still an hour or so of daylight. Locate a spot well back from the highway, preferably along a sidetrack so your camp is not obvious to passing motorists.
Choosing a spot before dark also allows time to sus out the surrounding area (houses? farms? fences? alternative exit?), and to take a good look around. Obvious signs of partying, reckless driving, or excessive pollution should prompt the decision to move on.
Yet another benefit of setting up in daylight is that cooking and other chores can be got out of the way early, meaning less need for lighting and stumbling about the site after sunset. Even so, it doesn’t hurt to keep one eye (and one ear) on passing traffic. Slowing or returning vehicles should get your antennae twitching.
Invariably, in these sorts of impromptu overnight camps, RV travellers choose to remain in ‘departure mode’. No awning, no camp chairs, no gear stored beneath the RV, no stabiliser jacks — and generally facing toward the ‘exit’. Next day, if feeling more relaxed about the site, a longer stopover might be considered.
Once camp is set up and the sun goes down, the most obvious announcements of your presence are a campfire and various types of camp lighting. Keep in mind that if you can see passing headlights, it’s likely that your camplight and fire are visible to them. However, if your fire is small, set low in a trench away from the ‘highway side’ of your camp (screened by van or vehicle), all should be fine. For reassurance, walk out to the road and look back toward camp.
Similarly, try to minimise camp lighting, and keep RV curtains and blinds completely drawn. And although an effective flashlight is essential for bush travel, light beams flashing through trees is an instant giveaway.
Most commonly, though, traffic all but ceases come nightfall and you’ll have the area to yourself. In the unlikely event that someone does pull in, remain calm. Be friendly — helpful if necessary — but it’s best not to encourage them with invites to ’share a beer by the fire’. More than likely, it will be just another Pilgrim seeking the security of fellow travellers.
Before retiring for the night, it’s wise to walk around your outfit to check the fire is out, the car locked, and no gear has been left lying about.
Assuming everything pans out and you settle in for a few days, chances are it will become necessary to drive to the nearest town for supplies. If so, leave the campsite looking like the occupants aren’t far away: camp chairs set up, coffee mugs on the table, some laundry hanging on a line. Of course the caravan should be locked, with curtains drawn, and anything of value secure inside or taken with you. It’s not a bad idea to leave a radio playing inside the van, either.
Not surprisingly, it’s during the night when nervous campers experience their greatest concerns. Fortunately, the best deterrents against would-be troublemakers are also the simplest: light and sound. As security professionals tell us, when intruders feel compromised, their knee-jerk reaction is to get out of there — fast. Off down the road to find an easier target!
One way to achieve this is to rig up some form of lighting that can be switched on from your bed, and a 12-volt floodlight or two does the job. By the way, outside lighting is more useful (and your own movements less obvious) if internal lights remain switched off while you are peering out into the darkness.
In addition to outside lighting, you might consider some sort of noise making device. Compact personal alarms available from electronic shops (Dick Smith, Tandy) are inexpensive and effective. Mind you, it is embarrassing when you finally storm out of the RV, lights blazing, sirens wailing, to be confronted by a cheeky possum! Chances are that’s all it will ever be.
On the other hand, if you prefer to take campsite security even more seriously, here are a few more possibilities to consider:
Dogs: The best all-round security service a traveller can get, but they come at a cost in both money and upkeep. And many tourist parks — plus all national parks — don’t allow them.
Alarm indicator lights: Those tiny, flashing red lights, usually fitted inside a car to indicate there’s an alarm active (even if there isn’t) can be fitted anywhere 12-volt power is available. Make them just visible without being too obvious.
Strobe lights: The greatest value in a flashing blue strobe light is the universal recognition — among good guys and bad — that an intrusion has occurred. From that viewpoint these can be more effective than basic security lighting.
Timers: A light, randomly activated during the night by a 24 hour x 15 minute timer, may suggest that a restless camper resides within. Anyone watching your camp would become frustrated enough to seek easier spoils.
Alarms and sirens: Several types are available, variously activated by trip wires, infrared sensors or internal switches. They take a bit of setting up, are prone to accidental initiation, and are, generally speaking, gross over-kill. All the same, if that’s what it takes to put family fears to rest, visit those electronic stores again.
Communications: In outback areas, mobile phone networks are rarely within range, so for emergency communication consider a satellite phone or HF radio. For most campers, though, the $2000-plus price tags are difficult to justify. AM/SSB and UHF sets, although less expensive, rely on a trucker or farmer being within three or four kilometers. Nevertheless, from the outside, hearing the occupants put out a ‘distress call’ would be reason enough to move on.
Firearms: From a legal viewpoint — and keeping individual firearm training and competence in mind — this is definitely an issue for cautious, personal evaluation. Without doubt, any weapon in the hands of the inexperienced, or someone overtaken by panic, soon becomes more danger than protection. And should the weapon fall into the hands of the intruder, an extremely awkward scenario could be the outcome! Your call.
As mentioned earlier, human dangers in isolated areas are so rare as to be almost non-existent. But that said, it doesn’t hurt to be realistic. A healthy dose of controlled paranoia, backed up by thoughtful preparation, not only improves your level of safety, it also helps the family feel more at ease while enjoying real bush solitude.
Lotto Lie #2
Darrel Dolph asked:
This is the second article in the Lotto Lies series. This article is about a single word; the word Random. The word ‘Random’ is so misunderstood and misused, that I consider its meaning to be a Lottery Secret. So, read on and all will be revealed.
Lotto Lie #2 – The lottery is a random game of chance.
Random
What does this sentence mean? Let’s break it down. The words ‘game of chance’ refers to the fact that probabilities are involved. People all over the world play games of chance every day. Professional gamblers do too, and are quite good at it. Professional gamblers are successful because they thoroughly understand the game and they are experts at applying the laws of probability.
There are some who believe that the phrase ‘game of chance’ is simple code for ‘you’re going to lose’. But, Professional Gamblers know that it means ‘Opportunity’. This is true for all games of chance, including the Lottery. Yes, you can improve your chances of winning the lottery.
The definition of the word random is, “a process of selection in which each item of a set has an equal probability of being chosen.” If it were actually possible to implement this definition in the real world then:
? In Black Jack, it would be impossible for a player to improve his chances of winning by card counting.
? In Poker, it would be impossible for a player to decide how much to bet.
? In the Stock Market, it would be impossible for an investor to make any money.
The word ‘random’ doesn’t fit well in the real world because it is a theoretical mathematical tool. It cannot be realized or achieved in any game, on Earth, in our Solar System, in our Galaxy nor the Universe. This should be intuitively obvious. How can anyone claim to be able to randomly select numbers from a finite list? Shortly after the process begins, trends and patterns begin to emerge. The mathematicians respond by saying, “Well, you haven’t run enough trials.”
Let’s flip a coin.
Case in point: A coin is flipped 100 times. The results are 65 Heads and 35 Tails; an obvious trend here. So, the mathematician says, “You have to run more trials. And, eventually the results will be equal.” So, the coin is flipped 10,000 times and, lo and behold; 5008 Heads and 4992 Tails. For all intents and purposes, the occurrences of Heads and Tails are equal and the mathematician happily sends us on our way knowing that he has proven the game is random.
But it wasn’t very random after 100 trials. It was somewhat more random after 1,000 trials. It looks pretty random after 10,000 trials. You see, random is not an absolute; its applicability changes based upon situation and circumstance. There are degrees of randomness. To further make my point, follow this real world example.
Blackjack
Prior to thirty years ago, the common belief was that if you went to a Casino to play Black Jack, you would lose. After all, it was a random game of chance and the odds were in favor of the Casino. But, after some MIT wiz-kids figured out how to play properly, the bottom line at the Casinos turned red and started leaking like a sieve.
So, how did the casinos respond? They took action to make the game MORE RANDOM. Automatic shufflers were installed. Cards were dealt from a boot. Two decks of cards were used; then multiple decks. Profiling was used to identify card counters and ban them from the casino. In other words, as long as you don’t know what you are doing, you are welcome to play Black Jack in a casino. But, the key to this discussion are the words ‘MORE RANDOM’. If it was already a random game of chance, how could it made MORE RANDOM?
Stock Market
Yet another example is the Stock Market. A few years ago, the common belief was that stock prices were a random game of chance. This idea was formally put forth in 1973 in a book by Burton Malkiel called ‘A Random Walk Down Wall Street’. Malkiel’s premise was that the profits earned from carefully selecting five stocks based upon a detailed analysis of their past performance would fare no better than five randomly selected stocks.
The general public seemed to accept this point of view for many years and left stock market investing to the professionals. Today, however, from the top Wall Street investment firms down to the individual investor, no one is taking a random walk. Stock analysis software abounds. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent each year on computer analysis of past stock prices with the overall goal of predicting tomorrow’s prices. In fact, today, to invest in the stock market without thoroughly analyzing the stock’s past performance would be considered amateurish, naive and foolhardy. So, what’s the secret to successful stock market investing? If you invest intelligently, study the past performance of each stock and apply a basic understanding of probability you can gain an advantage.
Random Abuse
So, what’s up with the word random? Why all the confusion? As with most words, over use and misuse of the word tends to dilute its meaning. Over the years, scientists, mathematicians and engineers have misused the word random by automatically applying it to any observation or analysis that was too complex to describe with simple mathematical formulas. In almost knee jerk fashion, anything they didn’t understand and couldn’t explain must be random.
For example, the paths followed by two colliding gas molecules are easily predicted; not random. But, predicting the paths of trillions of gas molecules is rather daunting. So, for many years, the vibrations of gas molecules was said to be a random process only because of the shear vastness of the problem and our inability to analyze it. But, today, scientists understand that it is not random.
The same is true of the Random Walk theory. It remained a valid theory only as long as the problem remained too complex to analyze. Also, winning at Black Jack or Texas Holdem is no longer considered pure luck. So, one by one, the validity of so called random games of chance is being challenged.
Over the last forty years, state sponsored lotteries have trumpeted the random draw theory; everyone has the same chance to win and nobody has an advantage. If this were true, why have the lotteries been trying to make their random games of chance, MORE RANDOM? Isn’t random, random?
The answer is NO. In fact, in recent years, the concept of lottery randomness has been challenged and, like the casinos, the lotteries have responded with various actions. First, any possible mechanical advantage due to lotto ball design was addressed. The lotto ball was made more uniform. The numbers were no longer painted on the lotto balls because this unbalanced the ball. Air blower design was improved and motor speed was regulated to insure air speed did not vary with power fluctuations. Multiple machines were used and selected at random for each drawing. This has had the effect of making the lotteries appear more random. You see, random doesn’t mean that trends do not exist; it simply means that trends are hard to identify.
Computers Ride a White Horse
Thank goodness for computers. Without them, the universe would be more mysterious. The Random Walk theory would still be the accepted norm. Vibrating molecules would be considered a random process. Black Jack would still be considered a random game of chance and most people wouldn’t even know what Texas Holdem is. The myth that lotteries are random games of chance would still be generally accepted as fact.
So, if you’re going to play the lottery like a pro, you will need a computer and the Best Lottery Software that provides what you need when you ask for it; like a genie. Well, the best genie isn’t in a bottle; she’s on your computer. Her name is LONA?.
Look for the third article in the Lotto Lies series; “Winning Lotto Strategies – The Lottery is a fair game. The odds of winning the lottery are the same for everybody.”
This is the second article in the Lotto Lies series. This article is about a single word; the word Random. The word ‘Random’ is so misunderstood and misused, that I consider its meaning to be a Lottery Secret. So, read on and all will be revealed.
Lotto Lie #2 – The lottery is a random game of chance.
Random
What does this sentence mean? Let’s break it down. The words ‘game of chance’ refers to the fact that probabilities are involved. People all over the world play games of chance every day. Professional gamblers do too, and are quite good at it. Professional gamblers are successful because they thoroughly understand the game and they are experts at applying the laws of probability.
There are some who believe that the phrase ‘game of chance’ is simple code for ‘you’re going to lose’. But, Professional Gamblers know that it means ‘Opportunity’. This is true for all games of chance, including the Lottery. Yes, you can improve your chances of winning the lottery.
The definition of the word random is, “a process of selection in which each item of a set has an equal probability of being chosen.” If it were actually possible to implement this definition in the real world then:
? In Black Jack, it would be impossible for a player to improve his chances of winning by card counting.
? In Poker, it would be impossible for a player to decide how much to bet.
? In the Stock Market, it would be impossible for an investor to make any money.
The word ‘random’ doesn’t fit well in the real world because it is a theoretical mathematical tool. It cannot be realized or achieved in any game, on Earth, in our Solar System, in our Galaxy nor the Universe. This should be intuitively obvious. How can anyone claim to be able to randomly select numbers from a finite list? Shortly after the process begins, trends and patterns begin to emerge. The mathematicians respond by saying, “Well, you haven’t run enough trials.”
Let’s flip a coin.
Case in point: A coin is flipped 100 times. The results are 65 Heads and 35 Tails; an obvious trend here. So, the mathematician says, “You have to run more trials. And, eventually the results will be equal.” So, the coin is flipped 10,000 times and, lo and behold; 5008 Heads and 4992 Tails. For all intents and purposes, the occurrences of Heads and Tails are equal and the mathematician happily sends us on our way knowing that he has proven the game is random.
But it wasn’t very random after 100 trials. It was somewhat more random after 1,000 trials. It looks pretty random after 10,000 trials. You see, random is not an absolute; its applicability changes based upon situation and circumstance. There are degrees of randomness. To further make my point, follow this real world example.
Blackjack
Prior to thirty years ago, the common belief was that if you went to a Casino to play Black Jack, you would lose. After all, it was a random game of chance and the odds were in favor of the Casino. But, after some MIT wiz-kids figured out how to play properly, the bottom line at the Casinos turned red and started leaking like a sieve.
So, how did the casinos respond? They took action to make the game MORE RANDOM. Automatic shufflers were installed. Cards were dealt from a boot. Two decks of cards were used; then multiple decks. Profiling was used to identify card counters and ban them from the casino. In other words, as long as you don’t know what you are doing, you are welcome to play Black Jack in a casino. But, the key to this discussion are the words ‘MORE RANDOM’. If it was already a random game of chance, how could it made MORE RANDOM?
Stock Market
Yet another example is the Stock Market. A few years ago, the common belief was that stock prices were a random game of chance. This idea was formally put forth in 1973 in a book by Burton Malkiel called ‘A Random Walk Down Wall Street’. Malkiel’s premise was that the profits earned from carefully selecting five stocks based upon a detailed analysis of their past performance would fare no better than five randomly selected stocks.
The general public seemed to accept this point of view for many years and left stock market investing to the professionals. Today, however, from the top Wall Street investment firms down to the individual investor, no one is taking a random walk. Stock analysis software abounds. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent each year on computer analysis of past stock prices with the overall goal of predicting tomorrow’s prices. In fact, today, to invest in the stock market without thoroughly analyzing the stock’s past performance would be considered amateurish, naive and foolhardy. So, what’s the secret to successful stock market investing? If you invest intelligently, study the past performance of each stock and apply a basic understanding of probability you can gain an advantage.
Random Abuse
So, what’s up with the word random? Why all the confusion? As with most words, over use and misuse of the word tends to dilute its meaning. Over the years, scientists, mathematicians and engineers have misused the word random by automatically applying it to any observation or analysis that was too complex to describe with simple mathematical formulas. In almost knee jerk fashion, anything they didn’t understand and couldn’t explain must be random.
For example, the paths followed by two colliding gas molecules are easily predicted; not random. But, predicting the paths of trillions of gas molecules is rather daunting. So, for many years, the vibrations of gas molecules was said to be a random process only because of the shear vastness of the problem and our inability to analyze it. But, today, scientists understand that it is not random.
The same is true of the Random Walk theory. It remained a valid theory only as long as the problem remained too complex to analyze. Also, winning at Black Jack or Texas Holdem is no longer considered pure luck. So, one by one, the validity of so called random games of chance is being challenged.
Over the last forty years, state sponsored lotteries have trumpeted the random draw theory; everyone has the same chance to win and nobody has an advantage. If this were true, why have the lotteries been trying to make their random games of chance, MORE RANDOM? Isn’t random, random?
The answer is NO. In fact, in recent years, the concept of lottery randomness has been challenged and, like the casinos, the lotteries have responded with various actions. First, any possible mechanical advantage due to lotto ball design was addressed. The lotto ball was made more uniform. The numbers were no longer painted on the lotto balls because this unbalanced the ball. Air blower design was improved and motor speed was regulated to insure air speed did not vary with power fluctuations. Multiple machines were used and selected at random for each drawing. This has had the effect of making the lotteries appear more random. You see, random doesn’t mean that trends do not exist; it simply means that trends are hard to identify.
Computers Ride a White Horse
Thank goodness for computers. Without them, the universe would be more mysterious. The Random Walk theory would still be the accepted norm. Vibrating molecules would be considered a random process. Black Jack would still be considered a random game of chance and most people wouldn’t even know what Texas Holdem is. The myth that lotteries are random games of chance would still be generally accepted as fact.
So, if you’re going to play the lottery like a pro, you will need a computer and the Best Lottery Software that provides what you need when you ask for it; like a genie. Well, the best genie isn’t in a bottle; she’s on your computer. Her name is LONA?.
Look for the third article in the Lotto Lies series; “Winning Lotto Strategies – The Lottery is a fair game. The odds of winning the lottery are the same for everybody.”
How To Write An Authentic Martial Arts Fight Scene
G.D. Baum asked:
Most fight scenes rely heavily upon the vague, and somewhat inaccurate, public perceptions of how martial artists would utilize their skills in a real fight. That is an unfortunate limitation, because the most interesting aspect of the martial arts is what goes on inside the mind of the fighter. That is where the most compelling part of the story truly lies. It’s what needs to be told.
Authenticity is the Polestar
Authenticity is the polestar. An author must always know the subject, and if the subject is the martial arts, that means keeping a few basics in mind. First, there is no such thing as one martial art. Instead, there is an amalgam of thousands of both popular and obscure fighting arts worldwide.
We may be familiar with the term, Karate, which had its birthplace in Okinawa. But how many of us realize that there are dozens of distinct styles of Karate, each with its own rankings, requirements and principles? How many of us are familiar with the South American discipline of Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art, which can be traced to Africa; or Krav Maga, the modern Israeli martial art; or the more than 1500 various styles of the Chinese martial art called, Kung Fu?
Hence, the first question an author describing a martial arts encounter must answer is what style does her protagonist practice? The next is this: how would that style fare in a real fight; with adrenaline fueling the encounter and panic setting in? The authenticity of a real fight is that it is savage, bloody and frayed at the edges. Unlike the crisp, well-executed forms and drills of typical martial arts training, a physical confrontation is hard to control. Breaking boards is fine, but they don’t hit back. An opponent does.
In short, write about the chaos of a real fight. Bring the reader into what makes a fight something to avoid. Show the dark underbelly of the encounter.
For example, here is a fight scene from my novel, Point and Shoot, in which the protagonist uses an Okinawan style of Karate called, Shaolin Kempo, which relies on the interpretation of the five shaolin animals (tiger, crane, leopard, snake and dragon) for its basic moves:
I ducked under the second swing and snapped myself into the tiger mindset. The other four animal styles of our Shaolin Kempo Karate system, the snake, the leopard, the crane and the dragon, often utilized a block or parry before moving in for a strike. The tiger was the only one whose nature did not significantly involve defense. This animal was at the top of the food chain, the strongest and deadliest in the Kingdom. It went in one direction, always forward, toward the prey. All offense.
No holding back.
I formed my hands as if I were gripping imaginary tennis balls and launched myself at him. I dug my fingers into the bicep of the swinging arm and ripped at the muscle, while striking the forearm on the same side, straight in with the heel of my palm, the “paw” as it were. It was a thousand year old battle protocol from the great Kung Fu masters: first, attack the arm that attacks you.
The bat fell to the ground.
Next, press the advantage decisively. I ripped into his face with the middle and forefingers of my right hand, raking along his nose and mouth. With the other hand, I struck his neck and dug my fingers in, grabbing the windpipe. The technique called for me to pull it out, lacerating his throat and killing him. But there were other options. I pushed rather than pulled, momentarily closing the windpipe against itself, cutting off his air.
Then, I sped things up. Kempo Hands.
I had once timed myself at six strikes per second, and if anything, at that moment, it felt even faster. A double palm heel blow to both ears, ripping downward along the cheek and collapsing onto his throat; stepping under and inside his flailing arms to shoot an elbow upward into his abdomen, taking his center; rolling into a palm heel strike to the groin; and back into a rising elbow to the underside of his chin; arcing down into another palm heel onto the bridge of his nose. There were no wind ups, no wasted motion; each movement was designed to roll naturally into the next.
His body jerked from one direction to the other, in rhythm to the apposite lines of each attack. The primary strategy of Kempo Karate was to strike an aggressor in opposing directions, so he could not muster his composure sufficiently to counter-attack. It also forced the aggressor’s body to lurch into the next stroke head on. The strokes would roll into one another and create a tumbling effect. To an outside observer, it would appear to be one simultaneous tornado of movement, of blinding speed, a blur too fast for the eye to follow.
Blood splattered from his nose and mouth. His eyes closed and he made a gurgling sound, flailing his arms impotently as he flew backward.
But my mind-set was the tiger, an animal that kept going when it saw blood. The next move in this particular combination would have gotten him on the ground and “smashed” both hands into his throat. The smashing tiger. A finishing blow to the throat, for insurance.
Instead, I took another step forward and chambered both my hands, palm forward, elbows bent: the left one at shoulder level; the right, at my hip. I shouted a Kiai, the warrior yell, and launched a double palm heel strike, imagining both my palms penetrating through his body. I made contact with his bladder and the underside of his cheekbone. They were both prime acupuncture points; but just as the meridians could be used for healing, the pathways could also be blocked.
His head whipped around, and he collapsed, lying on his back, bleeding from the various facial lacerations and coughing in fits.
*** *
The entire fight had taken less than five seconds; when done right, they usually did. I paused and reached into my back pocket, taking out some tissues, pressing them against his facial cuts. He lay there, quietly, allowing me to work on him. I had seen this before when I was a cop, the defeated male. Docile and compliant.
It occurred to me that this was how a deer might look after being taken down by an actual tiger. Completely shocked and overwhelmed by the ferocity of the attack, waiting for the neck bite that would end it all.
He coughed a few times, but was finally able to breathe again without laboring. I turned him on his side so he could spit out the blood. I wiped it away and found that there were only two places I had actually broken the skin. One was the juncture of his upper and lower lip and the other, his nose. After a few moments of pressure, they both stopped bleeding.
I helped him up and left him standing there, crouching with his hands on his thighs, I searched for my gun in the grass. I found it about twenty feet away. I opened the chamber out of habit to be sure it was still fully loaded and rejoined him. He lumbered his way to the door, ignoring me.
I noted that the baseball bat had landed on the ground behind him. I kicked it into the street.
He dabbed at his face and looked to see if there was anymore blood. “You fight like a girl,” he said.
The Author Must Inhabit The Mind of the Fighter
It is important that the author learn what it is like not only to throw a punch, but to take one, as well. Most of us have not been in an actual fight (at least as adults), yet we write about them with impunity. I am not advocating that a brawl take place at the next writer’s convention, but certainly, there is something to be said for an author going to the local marital arts school and learning the basics of controlled sparring.
If you are afraid to try that, use that fear in your story. Emotional content is a powerful tool for a writer. Your characters should be afraid to fight on some level. The way they deal with that fear, either by denying it; using it to bolster their awareness; or allowing it to overtake them in a fit of panic, will establish the realism of your fight scene.
Perhaps your central character is so angry that he sets aside the fear. Perhaps your character is protecting a loved one so she ignores her slight stature and lack of real training and proceeds to overcome a larger opponent. The actual punching and kicking should be secondary. You must guide the reader into inhabiting your character’s feelings and motivations about the hostile encounter.
You Need Not Describe Every Grunt
We all know the standard refrain for new writers: show don’t tell. In a fight scene, the author can “tell” the reader a great deal about his characters by simply “showing” how they fight. In this scene from my book, Point and Shoot, I wanted to paint a portrait of how an older man named, Grandfather, would overcome two younger, stronger ones, whom I call White Shirt and Pony Tail, by utilizing the internal aspects of the martial arts.
“Management. We had a complaint from one of the other guests about noise.”
“We’re leaving,” he replied. “Give us ten minutes to clean up.”
“I can’t hear you, sir.”
White Shirt leaned into the door. “I said we’re leaving.”
Suddenly the door exploded off its hinges, smashing directly into him. He arced across the room.
I had so rarely seen Grandfather let loose to maximum effect in these last years. When he did, it looked nothing like what Bette and I would do, none of those solid and crisp Kempo Karate combinations he had taught me so long ago, drawn from the basic system. His movements were now hidden and obscure.
And unstoppable.
He calmly stepped inside the room. Pony Tail leveled his gun, taking aim from the other side. Grandfather ran his hand in a large arc from head to waist. It looked like he was fanning the air. Pony Tail shouted in pain and fell backward, dropping the gun.
Grandfather approached him without haste. Pony Tail righted himself and scrambled to pick up the gun again.
Still far away from him, Grandfather clapped his hands together, and twisted his palms outward. The younger man smashed against the far wall, caught in a wave of energy. That gave Grandfather the time he needed to reach him. He placed his fingers gently on Pony Tail’s gun hand. The weapon immediately dropped to the floor once more. Then he lightly tapped the center of Pony Tail’s chest. The younger man collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
By now, White Shirt had pulled himself back together. He had his gun aimed.
Without touching him, Grandfather made a short, blunt movement which I did not recognize. White Shirt grimaced and dropped the gun, holding his hands to his temples. There was another blunt movement, this one emanating from a twist in Grandfather’s hip, something akin to a bump and grind.
White Shirt also collapsed to the ground.
Conclusion
Fight scenes should be viewed as opportunities to develop characterization and introduce emotional content to the story. To do so, the author must present a both physically and mentally authentic description of the encounter. Now, go out there and have your characters kick some ass.
Most fight scenes rely heavily upon the vague, and somewhat inaccurate, public perceptions of how martial artists would utilize their skills in a real fight. That is an unfortunate limitation, because the most interesting aspect of the martial arts is what goes on inside the mind of the fighter. That is where the most compelling part of the story truly lies. It’s what needs to be told.
Authenticity is the Polestar
Authenticity is the polestar. An author must always know the subject, and if the subject is the martial arts, that means keeping a few basics in mind. First, there is no such thing as one martial art. Instead, there is an amalgam of thousands of both popular and obscure fighting arts worldwide.
We may be familiar with the term, Karate, which had its birthplace in Okinawa. But how many of us realize that there are dozens of distinct styles of Karate, each with its own rankings, requirements and principles? How many of us are familiar with the South American discipline of Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art, which can be traced to Africa; or Krav Maga, the modern Israeli martial art; or the more than 1500 various styles of the Chinese martial art called, Kung Fu?
Hence, the first question an author describing a martial arts encounter must answer is what style does her protagonist practice? The next is this: how would that style fare in a real fight; with adrenaline fueling the encounter and panic setting in? The authenticity of a real fight is that it is savage, bloody and frayed at the edges. Unlike the crisp, well-executed forms and drills of typical martial arts training, a physical confrontation is hard to control. Breaking boards is fine, but they don’t hit back. An opponent does.
In short, write about the chaos of a real fight. Bring the reader into what makes a fight something to avoid. Show the dark underbelly of the encounter.
For example, here is a fight scene from my novel, Point and Shoot, in which the protagonist uses an Okinawan style of Karate called, Shaolin Kempo, which relies on the interpretation of the five shaolin animals (tiger, crane, leopard, snake and dragon) for its basic moves:
I ducked under the second swing and snapped myself into the tiger mindset. The other four animal styles of our Shaolin Kempo Karate system, the snake, the leopard, the crane and the dragon, often utilized a block or parry before moving in for a strike. The tiger was the only one whose nature did not significantly involve defense. This animal was at the top of the food chain, the strongest and deadliest in the Kingdom. It went in one direction, always forward, toward the prey. All offense.
No holding back.
I formed my hands as if I were gripping imaginary tennis balls and launched myself at him. I dug my fingers into the bicep of the swinging arm and ripped at the muscle, while striking the forearm on the same side, straight in with the heel of my palm, the “paw” as it were. It was a thousand year old battle protocol from the great Kung Fu masters: first, attack the arm that attacks you.
The bat fell to the ground.
Next, press the advantage decisively. I ripped into his face with the middle and forefingers of my right hand, raking along his nose and mouth. With the other hand, I struck his neck and dug my fingers in, grabbing the windpipe. The technique called for me to pull it out, lacerating his throat and killing him. But there were other options. I pushed rather than pulled, momentarily closing the windpipe against itself, cutting off his air.
Then, I sped things up. Kempo Hands.
I had once timed myself at six strikes per second, and if anything, at that moment, it felt even faster. A double palm heel blow to both ears, ripping downward along the cheek and collapsing onto his throat; stepping under and inside his flailing arms to shoot an elbow upward into his abdomen, taking his center; rolling into a palm heel strike to the groin; and back into a rising elbow to the underside of his chin; arcing down into another palm heel onto the bridge of his nose. There were no wind ups, no wasted motion; each movement was designed to roll naturally into the next.
His body jerked from one direction to the other, in rhythm to the apposite lines of each attack. The primary strategy of Kempo Karate was to strike an aggressor in opposing directions, so he could not muster his composure sufficiently to counter-attack. It also forced the aggressor’s body to lurch into the next stroke head on. The strokes would roll into one another and create a tumbling effect. To an outside observer, it would appear to be one simultaneous tornado of movement, of blinding speed, a blur too fast for the eye to follow.
Blood splattered from his nose and mouth. His eyes closed and he made a gurgling sound, flailing his arms impotently as he flew backward.
But my mind-set was the tiger, an animal that kept going when it saw blood. The next move in this particular combination would have gotten him on the ground and “smashed” both hands into his throat. The smashing tiger. A finishing blow to the throat, for insurance.
Instead, I took another step forward and chambered both my hands, palm forward, elbows bent: the left one at shoulder level; the right, at my hip. I shouted a Kiai, the warrior yell, and launched a double palm heel strike, imagining both my palms penetrating through his body. I made contact with his bladder and the underside of his cheekbone. They were both prime acupuncture points; but just as the meridians could be used for healing, the pathways could also be blocked.
His head whipped around, and he collapsed, lying on his back, bleeding from the various facial lacerations and coughing in fits.
*** *
The entire fight had taken less than five seconds; when done right, they usually did. I paused and reached into my back pocket, taking out some tissues, pressing them against his facial cuts. He lay there, quietly, allowing me to work on him. I had seen this before when I was a cop, the defeated male. Docile and compliant.
It occurred to me that this was how a deer might look after being taken down by an actual tiger. Completely shocked and overwhelmed by the ferocity of the attack, waiting for the neck bite that would end it all.
He coughed a few times, but was finally able to breathe again without laboring. I turned him on his side so he could spit out the blood. I wiped it away and found that there were only two places I had actually broken the skin. One was the juncture of his upper and lower lip and the other, his nose. After a few moments of pressure, they both stopped bleeding.
I helped him up and left him standing there, crouching with his hands on his thighs, I searched for my gun in the grass. I found it about twenty feet away. I opened the chamber out of habit to be sure it was still fully loaded and rejoined him. He lumbered his way to the door, ignoring me.
I noted that the baseball bat had landed on the ground behind him. I kicked it into the street.
He dabbed at his face and looked to see if there was anymore blood. “You fight like a girl,” he said.
The Author Must Inhabit The Mind of the Fighter
It is important that the author learn what it is like not only to throw a punch, but to take one, as well. Most of us have not been in an actual fight (at least as adults), yet we write about them with impunity. I am not advocating that a brawl take place at the next writer’s convention, but certainly, there is something to be said for an author going to the local marital arts school and learning the basics of controlled sparring.
If you are afraid to try that, use that fear in your story. Emotional content is a powerful tool for a writer. Your characters should be afraid to fight on some level. The way they deal with that fear, either by denying it; using it to bolster their awareness; or allowing it to overtake them in a fit of panic, will establish the realism of your fight scene.
Perhaps your central character is so angry that he sets aside the fear. Perhaps your character is protecting a loved one so she ignores her slight stature and lack of real training and proceeds to overcome a larger opponent. The actual punching and kicking should be secondary. You must guide the reader into inhabiting your character’s feelings and motivations about the hostile encounter.
You Need Not Describe Every Grunt
We all know the standard refrain for new writers: show don’t tell. In a fight scene, the author can “tell” the reader a great deal about his characters by simply “showing” how they fight. In this scene from my book, Point and Shoot, I wanted to paint a portrait of how an older man named, Grandfather, would overcome two younger, stronger ones, whom I call White Shirt and Pony Tail, by utilizing the internal aspects of the martial arts.
“Management. We had a complaint from one of the other guests about noise.”
“We’re leaving,” he replied. “Give us ten minutes to clean up.”
“I can’t hear you, sir.”
White Shirt leaned into the door. “I said we’re leaving.”
Suddenly the door exploded off its hinges, smashing directly into him. He arced across the room.
I had so rarely seen Grandfather let loose to maximum effect in these last years. When he did, it looked nothing like what Bette and I would do, none of those solid and crisp Kempo Karate combinations he had taught me so long ago, drawn from the basic system. His movements were now hidden and obscure.
And unstoppable.
He calmly stepped inside the room. Pony Tail leveled his gun, taking aim from the other side. Grandfather ran his hand in a large arc from head to waist. It looked like he was fanning the air. Pony Tail shouted in pain and fell backward, dropping the gun.
Grandfather approached him without haste. Pony Tail righted himself and scrambled to pick up the gun again.
Still far away from him, Grandfather clapped his hands together, and twisted his palms outward. The younger man smashed against the far wall, caught in a wave of energy. That gave Grandfather the time he needed to reach him. He placed his fingers gently on Pony Tail’s gun hand. The weapon immediately dropped to the floor once more. Then he lightly tapped the center of Pony Tail’s chest. The younger man collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
By now, White Shirt had pulled himself back together. He had his gun aimed.
Without touching him, Grandfather made a short, blunt movement which I did not recognize. White Shirt grimaced and dropped the gun, holding his hands to his temples. There was another blunt movement, this one emanating from a twist in Grandfather’s hip, something akin to a bump and grind.
White Shirt also collapsed to the ground.
Conclusion
Fight scenes should be viewed as opportunities to develop characterization and introduce emotional content to the story. To do so, the author must present a both physically and mentally authentic description of the encounter. Now, go out there and have your characters kick some ass.
Bass – Fishing Topwater Baits
Jack Phillips asked:
Bass fishing with topwater baits is without a doubt the most fun you can have fishing for large or smallmouth bass. People watch these bass tournaments on the tube and see all these pros using plastic and spinner baits jigs and crankbaits, forget about the fun and excitement you get with topwater baits. Topwater baits create great action and stories to pass on to family and fishing friends.
The best time I find for topwater bass fishing is in summer, the colder the water the slower the response, and the more you have to work that bait. Early morning and evening are best for topwater bass fishing.
Of course weather effects your choice of lures also, on a bright sunny day it is better to have a light wind to go with it, a bit of a chop makes the bass less spooky. On a calm sunny day use a heavier lure and lighter line for longer casts. Bass tend to become real spooky in calm and clear water, so the further the cast from you the better off you’ll be.
Wind can also change the type of topwater bait you can use I believe that when the wind comes up you should use a smaller bait that makes a lot of noise. The larger baits just plow through the chop, while the smaller baits ride the chop and still make that enticing noise to get the strike you want. Also try to fish through the troughs created by the wind.
Bass fishing topwater baits has some of it’s own quirks you want to be able to make pinpoint casts to cover areas and make a clear retrieve. Most of your topwater bass fishing will be done in shallow water over weed beds, flats and around objects and shoreline cover. The majority of bass population remains in shallow water all summer.
To fish bass with topwater baits cast about a foot or two past your target and bring it as close to the cover as possible. If you do not get a strike after the first few feet reel in and try again and make another cast. Fishing cover like this there is no need to reel the bait all the way to the boat. Work the bait slowly to get that strike from the bass that is hiding in the shadows and under cover. Have patience when fishing topwater baits, let the ripples disapear, and let the bait sit a few seconds before you make you retrieve.
When the bass strikes a topwater bait, wait till you feel the fish before you set the hook. If you try to set that hook when you first see the strike you’ll miss more than you will catch. I can’t count the times that lure has been nocked back towards me by the bass striking that topwater bait.
Now for some of the most popular baits, Poppers are among the oldest of topwater bass fishing lures. They have the dished out face with the line tie in the middle. When retrieved they make a slash noise or “bloop” when popped. Poppers work best in warm, calm, shallow, clear water. You get your action from the rod tip not reeling. The harder you snap the bait the more noise and commotion created.
Stickbaits are rounded, hot-dog shaped lures usually plastic or wood. weighted to float nose up. The only action they have is what the angler ads to make them work. These baits have appeal for big bass, just using the jerk, then real up slack and jerking again produces a good eratic side to side motion that gets lots of attention from bass.
Propbaits are cigar shaped and fitted with propellers on one or both ends. Propbaits can be worked fast or slow, quiet or loud, but stop and go retrieves are best. The bass will let you know what is best so vary your retrieve. Be sure to experiment, propbaits are dynamite around sunken logs, lily pads, and shallow cover. Be sure the blades on the lure run freely,
Wobblers and Crawlers, these baits are particularly best at night or early morning, Examples of these are the Jitterbug or the Crazy Crawler. They make a loud plopping sound when retrieved steadily. Use a steady slow retrieve for the best results with this bass bait.
Buzzbaits are a little like spinnerbaits desingned to be fished on the surface. There are two types, the opposite wire types, with the blade above the hook, and the inline type with everything on one shaft. Excellent for clear water, and pick up less weeds. Again experiment with your working of this bait, twitching and vary speeds to create different noises.
Weedless Spoons are also in this category, designed to be fished in dense cover, either through the thickest weeds, lily pads, or grass. They go through the toughest cover you can find. Fishing with weedless spoons for bass you will want to be using heavy fishing tackle, rods and reels. I like to point my rod tip at the lure on my retrieve, and again here be patient and allow the bass to take the lure.
Bass fishing with topwater baits is without a doubt the most fun you can have fishing for large or smallmouth bass. People watch these bass tournaments on the tube and see all these pros using plastic and spinner baits jigs and crankbaits, forget about the fun and excitement you get with topwater baits. Topwater baits create great action and stories to pass on to family and fishing friends.
The best time I find for topwater bass fishing is in summer, the colder the water the slower the response, and the more you have to work that bait. Early morning and evening are best for topwater bass fishing.
Of course weather effects your choice of lures also, on a bright sunny day it is better to have a light wind to go with it, a bit of a chop makes the bass less spooky. On a calm sunny day use a heavier lure and lighter line for longer casts. Bass tend to become real spooky in calm and clear water, so the further the cast from you the better off you’ll be.
Wind can also change the type of topwater bait you can use I believe that when the wind comes up you should use a smaller bait that makes a lot of noise. The larger baits just plow through the chop, while the smaller baits ride the chop and still make that enticing noise to get the strike you want. Also try to fish through the troughs created by the wind.
Bass fishing topwater baits has some of it’s own quirks you want to be able to make pinpoint casts to cover areas and make a clear retrieve. Most of your topwater bass fishing will be done in shallow water over weed beds, flats and around objects and shoreline cover. The majority of bass population remains in shallow water all summer.
To fish bass with topwater baits cast about a foot or two past your target and bring it as close to the cover as possible. If you do not get a strike after the first few feet reel in and try again and make another cast. Fishing cover like this there is no need to reel the bait all the way to the boat. Work the bait slowly to get that strike from the bass that is hiding in the shadows and under cover. Have patience when fishing topwater baits, let the ripples disapear, and let the bait sit a few seconds before you make you retrieve.
When the bass strikes a topwater bait, wait till you feel the fish before you set the hook. If you try to set that hook when you first see the strike you’ll miss more than you will catch. I can’t count the times that lure has been nocked back towards me by the bass striking that topwater bait.
Now for some of the most popular baits, Poppers are among the oldest of topwater bass fishing lures. They have the dished out face with the line tie in the middle. When retrieved they make a slash noise or “bloop” when popped. Poppers work best in warm, calm, shallow, clear water. You get your action from the rod tip not reeling. The harder you snap the bait the more noise and commotion created.
Stickbaits are rounded, hot-dog shaped lures usually plastic or wood. weighted to float nose up. The only action they have is what the angler ads to make them work. These baits have appeal for big bass, just using the jerk, then real up slack and jerking again produces a good eratic side to side motion that gets lots of attention from bass.
Propbaits are cigar shaped and fitted with propellers on one or both ends. Propbaits can be worked fast or slow, quiet or loud, but stop and go retrieves are best. The bass will let you know what is best so vary your retrieve. Be sure to experiment, propbaits are dynamite around sunken logs, lily pads, and shallow cover. Be sure the blades on the lure run freely,
Wobblers and Crawlers, these baits are particularly best at night or early morning, Examples of these are the Jitterbug or the Crazy Crawler. They make a loud plopping sound when retrieved steadily. Use a steady slow retrieve for the best results with this bass bait.
Buzzbaits are a little like spinnerbaits desingned to be fished on the surface. There are two types, the opposite wire types, with the blade above the hook, and the inline type with everything on one shaft. Excellent for clear water, and pick up less weeds. Again experiment with your working of this bait, twitching and vary speeds to create different noises.
Weedless Spoons are also in this category, designed to be fished in dense cover, either through the thickest weeds, lily pads, or grass. They go through the toughest cover you can find. Fishing with weedless spoons for bass you will want to be using heavy fishing tackle, rods and reels. I like to point my rod tip at the lure on my retrieve, and again here be patient and allow the bass to take the lure.
Balistik Blabber #1
Wrestling Game asked:
Good day and welcome to “Balistik Blabber”, my little corner of wrestling opinions, suggestions and wishes. Today I’ll be talking about something serious… it’s about the anti-wrestling movement… specifically, a book that recently came out with a very, VERY long title… behold:
“Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry”
This book contains a gold mine of scandals within the wrestling business, including the following which I found and edited from “The Score Boards Sports Forum” due to some very grisly detail. The complete and unedited list of items can be found in this link:
WARNING! This list contains very crude content! Read at your own risk! Parental guidance is strongly urged.
1. What life really was like at the New Japan dojo during the company’s peak, including countless stories of outrageous hazing, violence, psychological and sexual torture.
2. The behind-the-scenes story on Kensuke Sasaki beating New Japan trainee Hiromitsu Gompei to death.
3. The most coherent and well-sourced profile of Antonio Inoki (a Japanese wrestler who Hulk Hogan once KO’d in the ring with the “Axe Bomber” stiff lariat) being a somewhat crazy and gullible person, being fooled to believe in the existence of treasure so much he almost hired a search crew for it.
4. An account of Riki Choshu & Masa Saito being completely rude and brutal including a situation where Masa Saito beat the stuffings out of Vader for trash talking with him… this led to Saito to knock Vader out for real in the middle of the ring and having the referee count Vader out…
5. Stories about Benoit being very violent towards new trainees and Jushin Liger randomly punching rookies in the face for the heck of it.
6. The most in-depth, grisly, unbelievable behind-the-scenes expose of the role of the Yakuza in Japanese pro wrestling and countless stories about them including the FMW disaster.
1. Paul Heyman talks about his drug use…
2. The greatest catalogue ever of ECW/WCW backstage debauchery, including new Hall and Nash stories. Includes information on how many drugs and groupies were being abused and how absolutely insane everyone went.
3. The REAL story of the Kevin Sullivan versus Radicalz situation.
4. A previously unpublished story about how Bischoff started Nitro to avenge himself on a rib played against him by an unnamed, anonymous devilish promoter.
5. The bar-none most uncensored look at modern-day Vince McMahon, his outlandish behavior, and his bizarre relationship with Stephanie.
6. The first behind-the-scenes, uncensored, completely honest look at what it’s like on the WWE Creative Team, including interviews from a half dozen former writers on the record including Heyman.
7. That longtime WWE Head Writer Dave Lagana fired in early 2008 for repeatedly extorting sexual favors out of the wrestlers, male and female alike, with the alleged knowledge of WWE management — a scandal that has been successfully kept from the press until now.
8. That Vince McMahon recently fired a heavily injured wrestler for seeking medical help — calling him a “*****” who wasn’t worthy of being a WWE wrestler and creating a neurotic fear of rehabilitating injuries within the WWE roster.
9. Some great McMahon family stories, including the account of writer Dan Madigan driving in the McMahon limo… apparently, he watched Vince very gently cradle and snuggle Stephanie to sleep in his arms, then fall asleep himself snoring… it’s not over ‘coz he suddenly catches HHH looking at them drool unto each other and snore into each other’s faces with a mixture of utter repulsion and spectacular triumph.
10. That multiple sources claim Dean Malenko was allegedly Eddie’s drug hookup?
1. An entire chapter delving into the life of Kevin Sullivan (Benoit’s WCW “rival”), including his many secrets… how he used Nancy to get booking power… eyewitness stories of his drug abuse debauchery… how he beat Nancy, and how he convinced Nancy to pretend to cheat on him for the show… and then beat her until she finally decided to actually cheat on him for real.
2. Publisher PR. “Despite regularly passing “comprehensive” World Wrestling Entertainment drug tests, Chris Benoit’s psychological meltdown was partially caused by an enormous drug habit that he maintained for the majority of his WWE tenure. On a daily basis, Benoit haphazardly mixed huge dosages of amphetamines, steroids, painkillers, psychiatric drugs, and alcohol — with catastrophic effect on his psyche.”
3. PR: “Chris Benoit had displayed dangerously violent and sadistic behavior as early as 1987, and over the next twenty years he was involved in countless incidents of cruelty and extreme hazing of younger wrestlers.”
4. Sullivan booking era, “In 2000, Chris Benoit threatened his bosses in Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling with the promise that he would mutilate himself on live television if he was forced to go through a storyline he didn’t like.”
5. The gritty details about Benoit being a drug addicted lunatic…
6. Probably the only honest psychological profile of Benoit published, speaking in detail just how much of a selfish, misguided, utterly cruel and ridiculous man he always was and how his choice of lifestyle indicted him from the beginning.
Like a lot of things, we will never be sure if these allegations are true. It clearly says that interviews were conducted including “FORMER” employees of the biggest wrestling companies then and now… doesn’t that mean “DISGRUNTLED EMPLOYEES”… the kind of people who would do anything to get back at their former bosses for kicking them out? How reliable is that kind of data? Nowadays, people blog about something and people may very well accept it as fact without even checking… like Wikipedia.
What is it with these guys who continually try to make wrestling look so bad? I know they may be doing this for the sake of children who don’t know the difference between real and fiction but this is getting ridiculous! I mean this guy actually made a book to reveal these things about these people whom he has nothing to do with and to a guy whose reputation has already been tarnished enough! The author of the book is a TRUE CRIME writer… why would he touch on a topic that has little to almost no connection to his field of work? No, don’t tell me about the time Sabu and RVD got caught with drugs… or when Hulk Hogan’s son getting into that car accident… or the time Ric Flair got arrested for getting into a car accident… or when Psicosis punched and stole his friend’s car… or even about the infamous Brody murder… these were rare and unfortunate occurrences. There are still over 10,000 other amateur and professional wrestlers who are alive, healthy and living a clean life. I smell something fishy and it most certainly isn’t my dinner (I’m having pork chops!)!
It is my opinion that the writer did this solely for the money. I mean, come on! There are tons of other worse things to write a book about…graft, corruption, the so-called war on terror… why couldn’t he just write about those instead? Why did he went out of his way to find people and ask them about the wrestling industry? To put what I’m trying to say bluntly: IT WAS NONE OF HIS BUSINESS! Oh wait, I hear some defenses…
“He’s only concerned about the welfare of other wrestlers struggling in the business”
I only see a guy trying to get money off a tragedy.
“But he’s a legal consultant that manages Hurricane Katrina rehabilitation”
So he helps people… There! You see? Why doesn’t he write something about the government instead since a lot of analysts say it was the government that screwed that one up!
“You’re just a whacked up wrestling fanboy! Shut the hell up!”
Why, yes I am! But you don’t see me stepping on other people after they’ve been humiliated do you?
Listen, I don’t want to drag you further into my rant. I won’t tell you to side with me but one things certain: the publication of this book may raise more awareness for the welfare of all the people involved in the wrestling industry but underneath all that good, all it has done is to make wrestling look bad and has undoubtedly brought more shame to what’s left of the reputation of the man named Christopher Michael Benoit… You can call me a Benoit fanboy all you want but I still hope that one day the investigators will admit they got it wrong… or maybe somebody told them to fake the evidence… that maybe he didn’t do that to his family…
Why did Mr. Matthew Randazzo V (there, that’s his name… if you agree with me and want to contact him in some manner, there’s his name) have to do that to make his point? Why couldn’t he just lay off guy even if he really was a jerk to others? Benoit has lost everything… he hit the bottom of the pit… this book throws garbage into that pit… it is uncalled for and just plain unnecessary.
Good day and welcome to “Balistik Blabber”, my little corner of wrestling opinions, suggestions and wishes. Today I’ll be talking about something serious… it’s about the anti-wrestling movement… specifically, a book that recently came out with a very, VERY long title… behold:
“Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the Fall of the Pro Wrestling Industry”
This book contains a gold mine of scandals within the wrestling business, including the following which I found and edited from “The Score Boards Sports Forum” due to some very grisly detail. The complete and unedited list of items can be found in this link:
WARNING! This list contains very crude content! Read at your own risk! Parental guidance is strongly urged.
1. What life really was like at the New Japan dojo during the company’s peak, including countless stories of outrageous hazing, violence, psychological and sexual torture.
2. The behind-the-scenes story on Kensuke Sasaki beating New Japan trainee Hiromitsu Gompei to death.
3. The most coherent and well-sourced profile of Antonio Inoki (a Japanese wrestler who Hulk Hogan once KO’d in the ring with the “Axe Bomber” stiff lariat) being a somewhat crazy and gullible person, being fooled to believe in the existence of treasure so much he almost hired a search crew for it.
4. An account of Riki Choshu & Masa Saito being completely rude and brutal including a situation where Masa Saito beat the stuffings out of Vader for trash talking with him… this led to Saito to knock Vader out for real in the middle of the ring and having the referee count Vader out…
5. Stories about Benoit being very violent towards new trainees and Jushin Liger randomly punching rookies in the face for the heck of it.
6. The most in-depth, grisly, unbelievable behind-the-scenes expose of the role of the Yakuza in Japanese pro wrestling and countless stories about them including the FMW disaster.
1. Paul Heyman talks about his drug use…
2. The greatest catalogue ever of ECW/WCW backstage debauchery, including new Hall and Nash stories. Includes information on how many drugs and groupies were being abused and how absolutely insane everyone went.
3. The REAL story of the Kevin Sullivan versus Radicalz situation.
4. A previously unpublished story about how Bischoff started Nitro to avenge himself on a rib played against him by an unnamed, anonymous devilish promoter.
5. The bar-none most uncensored look at modern-day Vince McMahon, his outlandish behavior, and his bizarre relationship with Stephanie.
6. The first behind-the-scenes, uncensored, completely honest look at what it’s like on the WWE Creative Team, including interviews from a half dozen former writers on the record including Heyman.
7. That longtime WWE Head Writer Dave Lagana fired in early 2008 for repeatedly extorting sexual favors out of the wrestlers, male and female alike, with the alleged knowledge of WWE management — a scandal that has been successfully kept from the press until now.
8. That Vince McMahon recently fired a heavily injured wrestler for seeking medical help — calling him a “*****” who wasn’t worthy of being a WWE wrestler and creating a neurotic fear of rehabilitating injuries within the WWE roster.
9. Some great McMahon family stories, including the account of writer Dan Madigan driving in the McMahon limo… apparently, he watched Vince very gently cradle and snuggle Stephanie to sleep in his arms, then fall asleep himself snoring… it’s not over ‘coz he suddenly catches HHH looking at them drool unto each other and snore into each other’s faces with a mixture of utter repulsion and spectacular triumph.
10. That multiple sources claim Dean Malenko was allegedly Eddie’s drug hookup?
1. An entire chapter delving into the life of Kevin Sullivan (Benoit’s WCW “rival”), including his many secrets… how he used Nancy to get booking power… eyewitness stories of his drug abuse debauchery… how he beat Nancy, and how he convinced Nancy to pretend to cheat on him for the show… and then beat her until she finally decided to actually cheat on him for real.
2. Publisher PR. “Despite regularly passing “comprehensive” World Wrestling Entertainment drug tests, Chris Benoit’s psychological meltdown was partially caused by an enormous drug habit that he maintained for the majority of his WWE tenure. On a daily basis, Benoit haphazardly mixed huge dosages of amphetamines, steroids, painkillers, psychiatric drugs, and alcohol — with catastrophic effect on his psyche.”
3. PR: “Chris Benoit had displayed dangerously violent and sadistic behavior as early as 1987, and over the next twenty years he was involved in countless incidents of cruelty and extreme hazing of younger wrestlers.”
4. Sullivan booking era, “In 2000, Chris Benoit threatened his bosses in Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling with the promise that he would mutilate himself on live television if he was forced to go through a storyline he didn’t like.”
5. The gritty details about Benoit being a drug addicted lunatic…
6. Probably the only honest psychological profile of Benoit published, speaking in detail just how much of a selfish, misguided, utterly cruel and ridiculous man he always was and how his choice of lifestyle indicted him from the beginning.
Like a lot of things, we will never be sure if these allegations are true. It clearly says that interviews were conducted including “FORMER” employees of the biggest wrestling companies then and now… doesn’t that mean “DISGRUNTLED EMPLOYEES”… the kind of people who would do anything to get back at their former bosses for kicking them out? How reliable is that kind of data? Nowadays, people blog about something and people may very well accept it as fact without even checking… like Wikipedia.
What is it with these guys who continually try to make wrestling look so bad? I know they may be doing this for the sake of children who don’t know the difference between real and fiction but this is getting ridiculous! I mean this guy actually made a book to reveal these things about these people whom he has nothing to do with and to a guy whose reputation has already been tarnished enough! The author of the book is a TRUE CRIME writer… why would he touch on a topic that has little to almost no connection to his field of work? No, don’t tell me about the time Sabu and RVD got caught with drugs… or when Hulk Hogan’s son getting into that car accident… or the time Ric Flair got arrested for getting into a car accident… or when Psicosis punched and stole his friend’s car… or even about the infamous Brody murder… these were rare and unfortunate occurrences. There are still over 10,000 other amateur and professional wrestlers who are alive, healthy and living a clean life. I smell something fishy and it most certainly isn’t my dinner (I’m having pork chops!)!
It is my opinion that the writer did this solely for the money. I mean, come on! There are tons of other worse things to write a book about…graft, corruption, the so-called war on terror… why couldn’t he just write about those instead? Why did he went out of his way to find people and ask them about the wrestling industry? To put what I’m trying to say bluntly: IT WAS NONE OF HIS BUSINESS! Oh wait, I hear some defenses…
“He’s only concerned about the welfare of other wrestlers struggling in the business”
I only see a guy trying to get money off a tragedy.
“But he’s a legal consultant that manages Hurricane Katrina rehabilitation”
So he helps people… There! You see? Why doesn’t he write something about the government instead since a lot of analysts say it was the government that screwed that one up!
“You’re just a whacked up wrestling fanboy! Shut the hell up!”
Why, yes I am! But you don’t see me stepping on other people after they’ve been humiliated do you?
Listen, I don’t want to drag you further into my rant. I won’t tell you to side with me but one things certain: the publication of this book may raise more awareness for the welfare of all the people involved in the wrestling industry but underneath all that good, all it has done is to make wrestling look bad and has undoubtedly brought more shame to what’s left of the reputation of the man named Christopher Michael Benoit… You can call me a Benoit fanboy all you want but I still hope that one day the investigators will admit they got it wrong… or maybe somebody told them to fake the evidence… that maybe he didn’t do that to his family…
Why did Mr. Matthew Randazzo V (there, that’s his name… if you agree with me and want to contact him in some manner, there’s his name) have to do that to make his point? Why couldn’t he just lay off guy even if he really was a jerk to others? Benoit has lost everything… he hit the bottom of the pit… this book throws garbage into that pit… it is uncalled for and just plain unnecessary.
Trout Fishing on Maligne Lake: Secrets Revealed.
Craig Mumby asked:
Maligne Lake secrets revealed………….
One of Alberta’s most popular, but unforgiving lakes is Maligne Lake located in Jasper National Park. This lake has some of the best rainbow and brook trout fishing found in the country…..if you know the tricks. An average sized rainbow weighs in at around 2 to 2.5 pounds with consistent 4 to 5 pounders. The brook trout fishery is incredible. Averaging at a pound and a half, you get consistent 3 to 4 pounders and one fish was weighed in at an incredible 12 and a half pounds. This was years ago, but the gentleman who caught this monster still hangs around at the boat ramp just waiting to tell his tale and pull out the old photo album.
There are many ways to fish for these two trout species, but we’re going to concentrate on one specific technique and that’s trolling sinking fly lines. Very rarely do you hear, or read, about trolling sinking lines, but this technique has proven to me to be the most productive ways of fishing many mountain lakes, none more so than Maligne Lake.
Maligne Lake is 5,479 ft. (1670m) above sea level in the Canadian Rockies thus it can be frozen right into the beginning of June. The first three weeks to one month after ice out and the last few weeks of September is primetime if you want to see some real action. Being so high in the mountains you have to be prepared for the climate. I’ve fished blizzards in the first week of August and days when one minute you’re in fleece pants and rain gear and five minutes later shorts and a t-shirt, then right back again. I always recommend you dress in layers with some good rain gear on board. Then you’re prepared for anything.
Since there is gas motor restrictions on this lake you need to get yourself an electric motor. There a several places in town that rent this equipment and provide rental boats on many of the lakes in the park. You can rent freighter canoes which are long, sturdy canoes that cover water a lot quicker than the aluminium boats available, but either will do for day trips. Since this is a very large lake you can only cover a limited amount of water if you’re just day fishing. There are campsites available along the lake should you wish to camp for a night or two. If this is the case you will be in for a treat as this is one of the more beautiful lakes in the world the further away from the dock you venture (this lake is 23 km long).
Set up:
First off, get yourself a fly rod. It doesn’t have to be a fancy outfit and you don’t even have to know how to cast. Trolling is far and away the most effective way to locate active fish on Maligne Lake due to its immense size. You can use anywhere from a 5 weight up to a 7 weight rod. I always preferred a 9 ft. 7 weight set up. It’s sturdy enough to pull a variety of baits. Minnow baits are some of the top producers and if you use too light of a rod retrieving your line to check your presentation can be quite the battle even without the fish on the other end.
There are some reels that have some advantages. Multipliers and large spool reels certainly come in handy. A multiplier will increase the retrieval ratio, so for every turn of the reel your spool will turn twice, or three times. A large spool reel means the diameter of the spool is greater than normal spool size and will in turn increase the amount of line gained per reel rotation. When trolling fly lines there is a lot of slack created by water resistance and the higher the gear ratio the better if you’re not used to fishing with this equipment.
Line is important. The line, combined with boat control, is the most key component to this technique. This doesn’t mean you need the proper brand of line just the proper “type” of sinking line. There are six different types of full sink fly line, type 1 being the slowest sinking (shallowest running) to type 6 that is the fastest sinking (deepest running). Using type 1 you can troll just under the surface to type 6 where you can effectively fish from 15’ to 20’ depending on your trolling speed.
For leader material do not go out and buy pre packaged tapered leaders. Since you are not casting there is no need for the tapered line, in fact it would be counter productive because you are using a lot of lures that create water resistance and the thin tip would not be strong enough. I recommend you buy a spool of fluorocarbon line. I use 8 pound Vanish, but any fluorocarbon will do the trick. Fluorocarbon is completely invisible under water and has less stretch than monofilament which I find advantageous in setting hooks. Long leaders are important. If you’re using lures instead of flies tying a swivel into the leader is a must. I like about 12 ft. leaders with a swivel about 9 feet away from the lure. One other thing that I like to use is the slip-on leader loops. This helps guide the leader through the eyes of the rod instead of some knots that can get caught up and potentially break the line. They’re very easy to put on and can save you some headaches if you’re just getting started. The staff at the local tackle shop is always happy to help with your set up and point you in the right direction.
There are a wide range of flies and lures will work with this set up, but remember the line is a sinking line and it is not necessary to use fast diving lures with big lips. An assortment of flies: streamers, leaches, shrimp patterns are all very good. For lures use the lightest gear possible. Minnow baits are the most effective; Flatfish being the most consistent, with Rapalas and Hot Shots coming in a close second. In the years I guided on this lake I can count on one hand how many times I used something other than flies (shrimp, or a brookie pattern streamer) and/or a Flatfish. Those two types of flies and an assortment of flatfish always produced. Even on those famous frustrating mid-summer Maligne days.
Getting a portable fish finder is very beneficial. This is a very clear lake for the most part and this tends to push the fish down to the 10’ – 20’ range. There are times when the runoff from the mountains clouds the lake with silt and I find they spread out a little more and you have to work at different depths to locate the active fish. It’s not as important to pay attention to the fish being marked on the screen, but knowing your depth is very important in a successful day on the water. For the most part I try never to leave the range of 10’ to 25’ of water. Being a successful fisherman means you know how to play the percentages. There will be fish all over the water column from one foot up down to well over a hundred feet, but the highest percentage of fish that you can effectively fish for should be within range of the equipment listed above, if worked properly. If you don’t have access to a fish finder a good map will do, or just stick to the shore and keep an eye out for shallower water. Being a clear lake for the most part it is relatively easy to spot the drop offs and keep your lines out of trouble.
Technique:
“Ripping” flies is one of the most consistent techniques for picking up active fish. To do this you will want a nice long fluorocarbon leader, no need for a swivel down to your fly, all on your type 6 sinking line. These fish love big flies! The best fly in my box is a #2 double shrimp pattern. Followed by a brook trout streamer, or a leech pattern, but anything big (#2 – #6) will do on most days. The key to ripping is exactly what it sounds like. Let your line out until the backing, keeping the trolling speed a little higher than what you might be used to and repetitively jerk the rod as hard as you can. Most people don’t jerk the rod as hard as they should. This is another benefit of the heavier 7 weight rod; it makes this motion a lot easier on the arms. Essentially, this will make your fly almost swim through the water like a jerk bait and you get a lot of impulsive strikes.
Ripping flies can be very straining on the body. Your forearms and back get a big workout, so if you want a break, or are just interested in relaxing on the water bring a good selection of flatfish, hot shot’s and rapalas. I find you catch more fish on lures as opposed to flies, but the fast pace ripping is certainly more interactive and the fish really hit hard.
If you’re just getting used to fishing this way always check the action of your lure at the side of the boat before you lower your line so you know how to gauge the speed for your troll. For example, flatfish are designed to have a lot of action at a very slow rate of speed, so by trolling dead slow you achieve the perfect action, that you will notice on your rod tip, and be able to get deeper than lures that require faster action. So, when you want to get to some deeper fish with your type 6 line troll dead slow with a flatfish, kwikfish, or hot shots and you can effectively fish at around 20 ft. Rapalas, or the more streamlined body baits need a little faster speed and should be running around 10’ – 18’.
I’ve found that early in the season the first third of the lake is the most productive; up about the five mile mark. Mid summer I spend more time around the 4 mile to 9 mile marker. And later in the season when the brook trout start to spawn the far end of the lake in front of the major creeks like Warren and Coronet.
Early season, when the ice comes out the first bay, aptly named “home bay”, is some of the best fishing in the lake and easily accessible. Home bay is one of the most consistent spots on the lake year round and often overlooked by the guides who just want to get down the lake to make the trip more of an adventure for their clients. At the top end of the bay (outwards to the lake), on the right hand side of the channel there is excellent fishing. There is a very abrupt drop off with the odd boulder pile that you can see on most days from about 7’ down to 15’ – 30’ at mid channel and into the next bay, and then troll straight down the channel for 100 metres or so. This is called “rainbow alley” to the locals. Watch out for the tour boats that seem to get in the way constantly. Ripping double shrimp patterns and a slow troll with a flatfish, or hot shots will do the trick. Try zigzagging over the drop off slightly changing your boat speed so as to vary your depth and lure action.
Mid-summer concentrate a little further up the lake. I like Trappers creek, Leah creek, Upper Maligne River inlet and 5 mile point. These are the most proven spots on the lake and fairly easy to find for newcomers because that is where the guide boats usually are working. Working points, drop offs and creek outflows are all where you want to target. Anyone of them down the lake can hold fish.
Late in the season, it’s worth it to go down the lake, past the narrows and famous Spirit Island to the “far end”. This is one of the most scenic locations I’ve had the pleasure of fishing in my life and find it almost spiritual. You are in what feels like uncharted territory past the tour boats and the capabilities of most visitors to the lake. Stunning mountains that run straight into the lake and glaciers so close you could walk up and touch them. This is your playground late in the season. If you do want to plan a trip down the lake I recommend you plan a multi-day trip. There are campsites both at the narrows and the far end of the lake at Coronet Creek. It is definitely worth it, some of my fondest memories are from trips down the lake for days at a time.
Try getting right up close to the creeks as there are some very abrupt drop offs and pull the usual flatfish, or break out the flies and start ripping. Pre spawn these brookies will school up right in front of these creeks in astounding numbers and sometimes you can see large numbers of them rolling around.
Getting used to the way the lines follow the boat is also very important if you want to work a lake properly. Sinking lines have much greater water resistance due its greater diameter and don’t cut the water nearly as quickly as monofilament. For example, when you make a fairly sharp turn the line will swing more with your turn and follow the path of the boat instead of cut across water and thus stalling your lure. This allows you to work your bait more accurately. To within a few feet you can estimate your depth and where behind the boat your fly, or lure, is running. Boat control is absolutely crucial when working deeper structure and you can actually work the lines to ride right up a drop off or sink down, whatever the case may be. So, if you’re trolling in 20’ feet of water and you see that the bottom is rising, all you have to do is gradually speed up so your line is elevated by water resistance caused by the speed of the boat. The reverse is also true when you come to a drop off slow right down and let the line sink with the bottom and speed back up when your line is deep enough. This will put more fish in your boat and you’ll find a lot fun out of concentrating on the bottom and trying to work it properly. Some of my bigger fish have been caught this way.
No matter the time of year you visit, if you find even one fish, work the area again. Several times even. Often when you find one fish there are others in the immediate area. Try coming in from different angles and at different depths. I’ve seen what was easily over forty fish come out of one small area in under an hour by a couple different boats repeatedly circling the area. After working the lake for a while and getting a good feeling about the fish behaviour I would never leave an area immediately after catching a fish. Every single spot that produced a fish got at least one or two additional passes. Sometimes you don’t get a follow up fish, and sometimes you don’t have to leave the spot for hours and are consistently catching fish.
Don’t get me wrong there are lots of ways to catch fish and I wouldn’t presume to say this is the only way to catch fish on Maligne Lake. Many anglers are very successful casting chronomid patterns to a strike indicator, some do well trolling wabler’s to flies, or lures, with spinning rods. But as former guide on this lake the only way I would fish, day in and day out, is trolling my sinking lines. Remember, it is always good to check in at the local tackle shop and get up to date information and help with the proper set ups. I know the guys at On-line Sport and Tackle on Patricia St. will be happy to help point you in the right direction and set you up with whatever rental equipment you may need. And remember to try this technique out on your local lakes as it is one of the best ways to produce large numbers of fish, even on some of the toughest days.
Maligne Lake secrets revealed………….
One of Alberta’s most popular, but unforgiving lakes is Maligne Lake located in Jasper National Park. This lake has some of the best rainbow and brook trout fishing found in the country…..if you know the tricks. An average sized rainbow weighs in at around 2 to 2.5 pounds with consistent 4 to 5 pounders. The brook trout fishery is incredible. Averaging at a pound and a half, you get consistent 3 to 4 pounders and one fish was weighed in at an incredible 12 and a half pounds. This was years ago, but the gentleman who caught this monster still hangs around at the boat ramp just waiting to tell his tale and pull out the old photo album.
There are many ways to fish for these two trout species, but we’re going to concentrate on one specific technique and that’s trolling sinking fly lines. Very rarely do you hear, or read, about trolling sinking lines, but this technique has proven to me to be the most productive ways of fishing many mountain lakes, none more so than Maligne Lake.
Maligne Lake is 5,479 ft. (1670m) above sea level in the Canadian Rockies thus it can be frozen right into the beginning of June. The first three weeks to one month after ice out and the last few weeks of September is primetime if you want to see some real action. Being so high in the mountains you have to be prepared for the climate. I’ve fished blizzards in the first week of August and days when one minute you’re in fleece pants and rain gear and five minutes later shorts and a t-shirt, then right back again. I always recommend you dress in layers with some good rain gear on board. Then you’re prepared for anything.
Since there is gas motor restrictions on this lake you need to get yourself an electric motor. There a several places in town that rent this equipment and provide rental boats on many of the lakes in the park. You can rent freighter canoes which are long, sturdy canoes that cover water a lot quicker than the aluminium boats available, but either will do for day trips. Since this is a very large lake you can only cover a limited amount of water if you’re just day fishing. There are campsites available along the lake should you wish to camp for a night or two. If this is the case you will be in for a treat as this is one of the more beautiful lakes in the world the further away from the dock you venture (this lake is 23 km long).
Set up:
First off, get yourself a fly rod. It doesn’t have to be a fancy outfit and you don’t even have to know how to cast. Trolling is far and away the most effective way to locate active fish on Maligne Lake due to its immense size. You can use anywhere from a 5 weight up to a 7 weight rod. I always preferred a 9 ft. 7 weight set up. It’s sturdy enough to pull a variety of baits. Minnow baits are some of the top producers and if you use too light of a rod retrieving your line to check your presentation can be quite the battle even without the fish on the other end.
There are some reels that have some advantages. Multipliers and large spool reels certainly come in handy. A multiplier will increase the retrieval ratio, so for every turn of the reel your spool will turn twice, or three times. A large spool reel means the diameter of the spool is greater than normal spool size and will in turn increase the amount of line gained per reel rotation. When trolling fly lines there is a lot of slack created by water resistance and the higher the gear ratio the better if you’re not used to fishing with this equipment.
Line is important. The line, combined with boat control, is the most key component to this technique. This doesn’t mean you need the proper brand of line just the proper “type” of sinking line. There are six different types of full sink fly line, type 1 being the slowest sinking (shallowest running) to type 6 that is the fastest sinking (deepest running). Using type 1 you can troll just under the surface to type 6 where you can effectively fish from 15’ to 20’ depending on your trolling speed.
For leader material do not go out and buy pre packaged tapered leaders. Since you are not casting there is no need for the tapered line, in fact it would be counter productive because you are using a lot of lures that create water resistance and the thin tip would not be strong enough. I recommend you buy a spool of fluorocarbon line. I use 8 pound Vanish, but any fluorocarbon will do the trick. Fluorocarbon is completely invisible under water and has less stretch than monofilament which I find advantageous in setting hooks. Long leaders are important. If you’re using lures instead of flies tying a swivel into the leader is a must. I like about 12 ft. leaders with a swivel about 9 feet away from the lure. One other thing that I like to use is the slip-on leader loops. This helps guide the leader through the eyes of the rod instead of some knots that can get caught up and potentially break the line. They’re very easy to put on and can save you some headaches if you’re just getting started. The staff at the local tackle shop is always happy to help with your set up and point you in the right direction.
There are a wide range of flies and lures will work with this set up, but remember the line is a sinking line and it is not necessary to use fast diving lures with big lips. An assortment of flies: streamers, leaches, shrimp patterns are all very good. For lures use the lightest gear possible. Minnow baits are the most effective; Flatfish being the most consistent, with Rapalas and Hot Shots coming in a close second. In the years I guided on this lake I can count on one hand how many times I used something other than flies (shrimp, or a brookie pattern streamer) and/or a Flatfish. Those two types of flies and an assortment of flatfish always produced. Even on those famous frustrating mid-summer Maligne days.
Getting a portable fish finder is very beneficial. This is a very clear lake for the most part and this tends to push the fish down to the 10’ – 20’ range. There are times when the runoff from the mountains clouds the lake with silt and I find they spread out a little more and you have to work at different depths to locate the active fish. It’s not as important to pay attention to the fish being marked on the screen, but knowing your depth is very important in a successful day on the water. For the most part I try never to leave the range of 10’ to 25’ of water. Being a successful fisherman means you know how to play the percentages. There will be fish all over the water column from one foot up down to well over a hundred feet, but the highest percentage of fish that you can effectively fish for should be within range of the equipment listed above, if worked properly. If you don’t have access to a fish finder a good map will do, or just stick to the shore and keep an eye out for shallower water. Being a clear lake for the most part it is relatively easy to spot the drop offs and keep your lines out of trouble.
Technique:
“Ripping” flies is one of the most consistent techniques for picking up active fish. To do this you will want a nice long fluorocarbon leader, no need for a swivel down to your fly, all on your type 6 sinking line. These fish love big flies! The best fly in my box is a #2 double shrimp pattern. Followed by a brook trout streamer, or a leech pattern, but anything big (#2 – #6) will do on most days. The key to ripping is exactly what it sounds like. Let your line out until the backing, keeping the trolling speed a little higher than what you might be used to and repetitively jerk the rod as hard as you can. Most people don’t jerk the rod as hard as they should. This is another benefit of the heavier 7 weight rod; it makes this motion a lot easier on the arms. Essentially, this will make your fly almost swim through the water like a jerk bait and you get a lot of impulsive strikes.
Ripping flies can be very straining on the body. Your forearms and back get a big workout, so if you want a break, or are just interested in relaxing on the water bring a good selection of flatfish, hot shot’s and rapalas. I find you catch more fish on lures as opposed to flies, but the fast pace ripping is certainly more interactive and the fish really hit hard.
If you’re just getting used to fishing this way always check the action of your lure at the side of the boat before you lower your line so you know how to gauge the speed for your troll. For example, flatfish are designed to have a lot of action at a very slow rate of speed, so by trolling dead slow you achieve the perfect action, that you will notice on your rod tip, and be able to get deeper than lures that require faster action. So, when you want to get to some deeper fish with your type 6 line troll dead slow with a flatfish, kwikfish, or hot shots and you can effectively fish at around 20 ft. Rapalas, or the more streamlined body baits need a little faster speed and should be running around 10’ – 18’.
I’ve found that early in the season the first third of the lake is the most productive; up about the five mile mark. Mid summer I spend more time around the 4 mile to 9 mile marker. And later in the season when the brook trout start to spawn the far end of the lake in front of the major creeks like Warren and Coronet.
Early season, when the ice comes out the first bay, aptly named “home bay”, is some of the best fishing in the lake and easily accessible. Home bay is one of the most consistent spots on the lake year round and often overlooked by the guides who just want to get down the lake to make the trip more of an adventure for their clients. At the top end of the bay (outwards to the lake), on the right hand side of the channel there is excellent fishing. There is a very abrupt drop off with the odd boulder pile that you can see on most days from about 7’ down to 15’ – 30’ at mid channel and into the next bay, and then troll straight down the channel for 100 metres or so. This is called “rainbow alley” to the locals. Watch out for the tour boats that seem to get in the way constantly. Ripping double shrimp patterns and a slow troll with a flatfish, or hot shots will do the trick. Try zigzagging over the drop off slightly changing your boat speed so as to vary your depth and lure action.
Mid-summer concentrate a little further up the lake. I like Trappers creek, Leah creek, Upper Maligne River inlet and 5 mile point. These are the most proven spots on the lake and fairly easy to find for newcomers because that is where the guide boats usually are working. Working points, drop offs and creek outflows are all where you want to target. Anyone of them down the lake can hold fish.
Late in the season, it’s worth it to go down the lake, past the narrows and famous Spirit Island to the “far end”. This is one of the most scenic locations I’ve had the pleasure of fishing in my life and find it almost spiritual. You are in what feels like uncharted territory past the tour boats and the capabilities of most visitors to the lake. Stunning mountains that run straight into the lake and glaciers so close you could walk up and touch them. This is your playground late in the season. If you do want to plan a trip down the lake I recommend you plan a multi-day trip. There are campsites both at the narrows and the far end of the lake at Coronet Creek. It is definitely worth it, some of my fondest memories are from trips down the lake for days at a time.
Try getting right up close to the creeks as there are some very abrupt drop offs and pull the usual flatfish, or break out the flies and start ripping. Pre spawn these brookies will school up right in front of these creeks in astounding numbers and sometimes you can see large numbers of them rolling around.
Getting used to the way the lines follow the boat is also very important if you want to work a lake properly. Sinking lines have much greater water resistance due its greater diameter and don’t cut the water nearly as quickly as monofilament. For example, when you make a fairly sharp turn the line will swing more with your turn and follow the path of the boat instead of cut across water and thus stalling your lure. This allows you to work your bait more accurately. To within a few feet you can estimate your depth and where behind the boat your fly, or lure, is running. Boat control is absolutely crucial when working deeper structure and you can actually work the lines to ride right up a drop off or sink down, whatever the case may be. So, if you’re trolling in 20’ feet of water and you see that the bottom is rising, all you have to do is gradually speed up so your line is elevated by water resistance caused by the speed of the boat. The reverse is also true when you come to a drop off slow right down and let the line sink with the bottom and speed back up when your line is deep enough. This will put more fish in your boat and you’ll find a lot fun out of concentrating on the bottom and trying to work it properly. Some of my bigger fish have been caught this way.
No matter the time of year you visit, if you find even one fish, work the area again. Several times even. Often when you find one fish there are others in the immediate area. Try coming in from different angles and at different depths. I’ve seen what was easily over forty fish come out of one small area in under an hour by a couple different boats repeatedly circling the area. After working the lake for a while and getting a good feeling about the fish behaviour I would never leave an area immediately after catching a fish. Every single spot that produced a fish got at least one or two additional passes. Sometimes you don’t get a follow up fish, and sometimes you don’t have to leave the spot for hours and are consistently catching fish.
Don’t get me wrong there are lots of ways to catch fish and I wouldn’t presume to say this is the only way to catch fish on Maligne Lake. Many anglers are very successful casting chronomid patterns to a strike indicator, some do well trolling wabler’s to flies, or lures, with spinning rods. But as former guide on this lake the only way I would fish, day in and day out, is trolling my sinking lines. Remember, it is always good to check in at the local tackle shop and get up to date information and help with the proper set ups. I know the guys at On-line Sport and Tackle on Patricia St. will be happy to help point you in the right direction and set you up with whatever rental equipment you may need. And remember to try this technique out on your local lakes as it is one of the best ways to produce large numbers of fish, even on some of the toughest days.
How To Gain Or Lose Weight With Hypnotism
Chris Chew asked:
The time when you are genetically programed to people who are put into your subconscious mind and your budgetbrbrthe good news is going on fully in.
Abagail
The time when you are genetically programed to people who are put into your subconscious mind and your budgetbrbrthe good news is going on fully in.
Abagail