Gone Fishing

Fishing for TIBS.

I recently observed that watching minnows at the Cooling Boulder made me want to go fishing, so today  we went.   Fishing, that is.  You can go too, it's "free fishing week" in Ontario, no license even required. 
 Taking time off from working in the garden, doing shop work, cutting grass, and trimming weeds in the summer heat is a good idea anyway.   Off we went, fishing rods and all.

  T.T.T and E.T.S. happily stayed home  because when it's over 70F, it's too hot in the van for children, pets OR  pups.



One of our favorite fishing-spots is on the Kaministiquia (Kam-in-ist-ick qwaw)   river. That's where we're headed. You can call it the Kaministiquia (Kam-in-ist-eh-kwee-ya) too, or
if you're in a real hurry to get fishing, you can just call it the "Kam" for short if you like, we do.  It spells simpler. 
Remember the Kam,  the river that runs through Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park and features the beautiful  "Niagara of the North" ?  




Up the highway,  off on a side road, and down a trail.  That's how you get to the old fishin' hole.  Fishing on the Kam River, you can see some rapids.  We're fishing a quiet area from a barren rock outcrop of  the Precambrian Shield, the most stable piece of rock on earth.  Here we are fishing on the Kam River.

Fishing the Kaministiquia River  

 

See the rapids in the distance?

Was that a bite?  Nope.

Ancient Rocks & modern bubbles

 
 .....Was that another bite?  Nope.  Nary a bite, but we keep trying.
"Patience is good" says the muse.


                                                                   

Meantime,
 --we  studied ancient rocks and modern bubbles,

Canada Geese inspecting the Rapids

-Watched a  gaggle of Canada Geese in a line, (we think they were playing follow the leader, touring the rapids )
 (*There were quite a few more geese in the line, but the photo was taken with zoom lens  across the bay! )

Amazing clouds promising rain

-Warily watched huge clouds that were promising rain,

The Moth Drying On the Rocks after a Harrowing Rescue

-Rescued a drowning moth from all the hungry fish -- using a new,  exciting and innovative " fishing rod  extend-an-arm-to- rescue-a-drowning- bug" technique,

 River Foam with Sky

--Studied artistic river foam patterns mixed with reflections of sky, 

*Solitary  fishing with the Muse

And fished endlessly while the muse chatted with the photographer and  Mother Nature.
Wait!  Was that a bite?
...er.....Nope.



Bottom line, we  did not catch anything except  50 yards of deserted  fishing line with a  still-new sharp and shiny weedless lure  attached. That ought to remind someone to attach their line to the fishing-reel before casting the lure to the deep.   I had to smile about that one. We always bring home any discarded fishing line or other plastic trash discovered because it is a hazard to wildlife.
On this wonderful fishing expedition, "Rock fish",  "Grass fish",  "Snag fish",  and "Rotten Stick fish" were biting with every cast.
Whales, sharks,  800 lb. sturgeon, old boots  and alligators were not biting.  I'm just kidding about the alligators.

No wonder the fish weren't biting; there was not a mosquito to be seen. Not a blackfly in sight either! A perfect day for fishing it was. We even saw some fish that weren't taking our bait. 

A happy couple fishing next to us  had curious luck.  Somehow, they managed to catch a few TIBS. What's that you say?   "Tossed'im backs" of course!

• a daddy Carp about 7 or 8 lbs  (Carp looks kind of  like a big sucker ) T.I.B. 
• a Smallmouth bass about 6 inches long  not much bigger than the lure. T.I.B.
• a  tiny Great Northern pike about 7 inches long, with a lot of teeth.  T.I.B.
• a minnow-lookalike about 4" long ) T.I.B.
• weeds, snags, and a lot of laughs!   (S.W.U.)  (Shared with us!) 
•  What was the muse  using for bait?  Let's see...Solitude? Fresh Air? Happiness? Laughter?  It seems so.  We tried everything.  It's all well-intentioned sportsmanship.  We want the fish  to be happy and grow bigger before we catch'em and wear'em out hauling'em out of the water merely for a TIBS photo op.   Now that's sportsmanship.

Those huge clouds soon turned to rain. Raindrops started to fall. They were so big they made bubbles the size of a silver dollar hitting mirror-smooth water,  undoubtedly scaring the rest of the biters away.
We got wet.  No matter. We're pre-shrunk.  Without a bite, we  called it a day.  Wouldn't you?

Besides, in hindsight,  I wasn't skunked,  I'm up one lure. Well, not quite, it made up for the one lost in a fight with a sunken log though.
No matter.  Who wanted fish anyway?  .....er....we did....er...that was the idea.... 
So.....we had fish for dinner.  The supermarket kind.
   The great outdoors. Fishing the Kaministiquia River. 'Ya gotta love it no matter how you say it. 
  No wonder we like camping better.  I'm headed over to JustCampingOut  to see what Jim Bessey, our professional camping guru-- has to say about it.
I wonder if he, Lin, Nick,  and Layla the camping pup had fish for dinner, --or was it bacon'n beans sizzling on the old campfire by the trusty old Shasta? Let's go find out. 


Is that incoming I hear?



*all photo credits copyright 2012  W.L. Kukkee

Let's Start 2012 Right: Read THIS...

2012:   The Age of Light is Upon Us

WELCOME to 2012 !!!  Happy New Year!

At Incoming Bytes,  I must admit that I am always inspired by great writing.  Excellent writers, aware of it or not, are my mentors--and my heroes.   No matter what genre,  I enjoy good writing, and that includes intriguing, wonderfully-written professional blogs I have discovered.  

Some are genuine diamonds  I have happily stumbled upon, but interestingly, many of the BEST  are written by good friends in my writing circles.
There are many blogs out there --and clearly, I cannot list them all, but in this new year, we will continue to enjoy the best.
  For 2012, let's start out right with some wonderful reading recommendations.

• Let's learn to enjoy natural life more by reading  a wonderful gardening blog  Glory's Garden  by our very  own  gardening zeitgeist Glory Lennon. 

Whether  writing  about vegetables, flowers, discussing sugar-maple trees, or displaying exotics from Florida,   Glory's  exciting love for all things growing will keep you interested and coming back for more.    At times Glory  travels about, photographing exotic flowers and plants for us, and shares her wonderful photos of wildlife,  birds -and dragons.   Well, okay, those were alligators, but Glory is a princess too,  so what? 

•     If you are intrigued by farm life, green acres covered with lush green grass,   bouncing lambs, big woolly sheep, majestic chickens and other aspects of farming wisdom, read Julie Helm's  Woolly Acres for a closer look at  where eggs come from,  how they turn into chicks when hatched, what very high-quality  natural wool looks like, --and even how to propagate meal-worms as a source of protein for chicken feed! 

• Learn about all kinds of  human intricacies. follies, and  relationships, and why they fail,  by checking in with the incredible wisdom  and common sense of Ann Marie Dwyer   at 'Mommas Money Matters' -that's  M3 for short.   

Ann Marie,  a.k.a." Red ", --a  savvy, prolific writer, --is a saucy, brilliant  blogger that asks,  analyzes, and gives you information you need;  then she asks leading and often  pointed questions of you --and tells you so much MORE about yourself.  Red wants to talk to YOU, so follow M3 carefully and participate ! 
 Red  even turns the spotlight on you whether you are an author, accomplished photographer, or budding musician. She asks the right questions, --and gets the right answers for her readers. Bottom line?
" M3 and Red....Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated into M3 and love it! " comes to mind.
 

• At Incoming Bytes  everyone knows that  "We like  Camping Better" , and there's no better place to read about camping,  camping stories,  or about exploring  the beautiful Adirondacks  --than by checking in with  Jim Bessey's Just Camping Out  while you enjoy that first cup of coffee in the early morning  on the back porch or beside a crackling campfire.  --Whether it be  winter, summer, spring or fall.  --Whether you camp in classic vintage RV --or a two-man tent under the stars, --Jim encourages  enjoyment of camping because Mother Nature offers a peaceful state of mind!        Get out into the great outdoors with Jim Bessey's JCO --and you'll soon discover why we like camping better!

• If you love the excitement and  big roar of NASCAR instead, you'll enjoy following Alexandra Heep's 'A Heep of NASCAR'  for the real inside scuttlebutt on drivers, races, the pits, and the love of  racing itself. 

Alexandra knows this exciting sport inside and out.  She has the post position  and a real insider's   track; she knows many drivers, offers backgrounders, keeps the pedal to the metal  and  asks the right questions --for you.  Follow Alex's  blog  "A Heep of NASCAR " ---and  start your engines !   In fact, after the races, you might want to check out Alex's "A Heep of Everything" too !

•  In the quiet, early morning Eastern sky, watch a true star shining brilliantly  in the skies over the desert of Oman as you enjoy Amanda Dcosta's  Mandy's Pages  to find out what's hot, and what's not.   

 A wonderful writer with the love of poetry and all literature,   Amanda Dcosta's  blog takes an insightful look into literature of all kinds poetry, blog posts,  writers,  and even reviews new books --like my own recently-published   eBook, "Morgidoo's Christmas Carol", a  new Christmas classic published in Smashwords  and Kindle.

• "The dignity of ANY human being is measured in self-esteem and  perception of self-worth. Every human being is worthy of love --and to be treated with respect and dignity."    

Want to learn to be a more effective human being? Visit  M.J. Joachim's Effectively Human ' where faith, the love of God, human dignity and self-worth are not only treasured, but discussed and  promoted  brilliantly by M.J.  herself as well as guest authors and regular contributors.
 Truths about humanity, faith, and today's  difficult and controversial social mores  invariably come out,-- and this insightful resource  site is offered to help the reader better understand hot-button issues,  real human values, families, --and how to be a human being more effectively.



As an avid reader interested in a wide variety of aspects of life, I enjoy excellence in blogs and articles of all kinds and treasure the incredible wealth of information often included in them.  Nuggets of wisdom free for the taking.

• The possibility of finding gold  anywhere in  North and South America and other countries can be explored by reading John Angus Carter's very successful --and highly-informative Gold, Mining and Prospecting blog.  

Over 90,000 readers have already explored the nuggets of information in this amazing blog, and you can too.   
Find out where to find gold, the secrets of panning for gold, --and  you can even sign up for  the John Angus Carter School of prospecting!

The list goes on,  if life is  really to be enjoyed ! 

• If you are city-oriented by heart  and don't care for being out in the  wilds,  look at the life of a writer from high-rise cosmopolitan Toronto, Ontario.    See what Conny Manero has to say in her blog, Under the Toronto Sun.   You will be entertained and surprised! Conny, a published author, has an amazingly honest,  accurate and unique way of "cutting to the chase" about everyday life.

• How is your ongoing sense of humor?  Want to be amused, informed, and also discuss issues as serious as the  'religion of misogyny " ?    Check in with Rachel Howells  Lala's Musings!     Rachel offers a beautifully-written blog with cutting insight--and hilarious sarcasm --into family life, human nature and it's folly, fun, and idiosyncrasies.  Rachel pulls no punches discussing serious issues -- and tells it like it IS. 

• Last but certainly not LEAST,  if you are scribbler of any sort;  a dedicated writer, author, or blogger, you already know, or are quickly discovering, that writing is a serious  business.   

Creative work or otherwise, Doreen Martel's  brilliant approach to writing as a business  on her website  "Freelancing and More" is an incredibly good website and includes much must-read  information for all writers.  
  Doreen  insists  she is not a "creative" writer--but her website and handling of the  tough subject matter  at hand is not only creative --but incredibly smart , timely, and informative.   Check out "Freelancing and More" and you'll soon see how Doreen's approach can help you. 

At Incoming Bytes  I realize that all good blogs and web sites cannot  possibly be listed in this post;   there are  many, many more insightful and entertaining blogs  that should be included.
--Wonderful writing by thoughtful, brilliant writers -- entertaining, informative -- a great read for 2012. 

Add these first to your 'follow' lists, or subscribe FREE by email --you won't be sorry you did! 

It is our fondest hope that we have brought something to the fireside that YOU will enjoy!


This first day of 2012,  here at Incoming Bytes -- we will  continue to explore, question, offer alternative thought --even criticize where required --and encourage you, the reader, to think proactively if you dare.
 


That's my story and I'm sticking to it.