Forget the Recession, Let's Go Fishing

Here’s my top 5 Western States, spring “Bait Fishing holes” for Trout.

I’m not a fancy fly fisherman; I have tried it but just can’t get the knack. I like to sit, relax and enjoy the surroundings while I fish. I also like to keep and eat what I catch.

I based my top spots on these factors; great fishing, great views and the ease of getting there.

So here goes;

Owyhee River:

Spring Fishing (before April), on the Owyhee River, in Southern Oregon is fantastic. This 10-mile stretch of river below the Owyhee Dam is just 30 miles from my home in Ontario, Oregon, or about 80 miles out of Boise. So here’s a little local knowledge.

You may be saying, “This is a famous Fly Fishing spot”? Yes it is a favorite “Trophy Brown Trout” haunt for Fly Fishermen, but here’s a little known secret, it is also open to “Bait Fishermen” and a skilled fisherman with bait can land more of these big Browns than the fly fishermen.

This river has a rustic beauty all it’s own, especially in early spring when the sparkling white snow still clinging to the valleys and hillsides. The river is low and slow this time of year and you can easily see the monster Browns rising for the bugs floating on the surface. There are hundreds of these Browns in every hole. You can easily catch a huge Brown Trout here, ranging from 2 lbs to 20 lbs and Rainbows 20 inches up.

Be advised you must immediately return the huge Browns to the river, but you can keep and eat any Rainbow Trout or Bass you catch. This is why there are so many monster Browns in these holes, they never leave the river; they just get bigger and smarter.

Legal “Bait Fishing” is allowed here, but you must have a thick skin, as you will get looks from the purest (Fly Guys) as they pass. This river is very clean and free of the Lead Poisons prevalent throughout the Western Rivers, so you can safely eat the red meated Rainbows and the occasional Bass.

You can easily drive in and camp, right beside the river, free of charge. Be sure to pack out all you bring in and keep it clean. Just set up your chairs and do some relaxing “Bait Fishing” or you can put on your waders and chase the Browns up and down the river. Wading is simple along this shallow easily accessible river.

Bring your four-wheeler or canoe and easily traverse the long winding riverbanks. Make sure you pack a lunch and have plenty of bait, as the nearest store is 10 to 15 miles away.

Tip; try a Night Crawler and Split Shot, drifted in the current.

Horsethief Reservoir:

In late spring try Horsethief Reservoir, just 10 miles above Cascade, Idaho.

This little lake is my favorite spot, spring, summer or fall. In the springtime, (Late April) right after “Ice-Off”, the trout fishing is amazing. You can limit out in a hour with catch-able Rainbows from 8 to 14 inches, with the occasional 20 incher.

But that’s not all, let me tell you a true story; In the early summer my friend, Scotty, and I, went to Horsethief for a day trip, traveling out of Cascade, where I was living. We set up right beside the Dam, our usual spot.

While lounging on a grassy bank, beside the pristine clear blue water lake, I was looking out at the tree lined far shoreline. Suddenly, a rush of waves and a dark blur in the water at my feet startled me. It took me a few minutes for me to realize that it was an Otter, rushing in to steal my stringer of fish. Sure enough the Otter had swiftly rushed in and stole my metal stringer and the five Rainbows caught that morning.

After calming down, I looked out across the lake and to my amazement, not 50 yards out, was an entire family of Otters frolicking and happily munching on our mornings catch. I’ve always wondered, “Was it legal to catch another five fish”?

A little later on, my friend Scotty was busy chasing a wild ring necked duck away from his tackle box, the duck kept trying to steal his bait. The ringed necked duck just wouldn’t go away, he hung around all day, might have been because I tossed him tidbits every once in awhile.

We settled back down and caught a few more “Bows”. I had replaced my stringer, making sure to tie it tight. I then laid back and was gazing up at a pair of Osprey’s floating above us in the blue cloudless sky.

I was just slipping off for a nap when the water ten feet in front of us exploded, spraying both Scotty and me with water. An Osprey had dived into the lake, right in front of us, arose and flew away with a nice trout grasped tightly in its talons.

It was a special “wildlife day” that morning, and the experience was really unforgettable. Nature’s at it’s best is usually there every time I visit this wonderful lake. I’ve seen Deer, Elk, Moose and even a white Wolf at this high mountain retreat. This great fishing hole is easy to get to and sports many lakeside campgrounds. It has majestic scenery and the fishing is peaceful, quite and fruitful.

Tip; use Rainbow Power Bait, a small slip weight and a No.14 gold treble.

June Lake “Opening Day”

You’ll find it in the High Sierras 50 Miles north of Bishop, CA.

“Opening Day” is the last Saturday in April. When I lived in Southern California, we never missed an opening day in the Sierras. We loved the excitement of the moment as thousands of California fishermen rushed to stake out their favorite holes.

June Lake is one of these opening day hotspots. It’s another gorgeous high mountain lake with crystal clear water and forested banks. On “Opening Day” June Lake’s Rainbows are huge, ranging from 12 to 30 inches. I’ve caught 6 to 8lb lunkers from shore on opening day.

One opening weekend a group of us went up a day early to stake out our favorite spot, the park at the south end of the lake. In order to beat the crowds to this spot we slept out on the park grass next to our set up chairs. This was working out well except for the cold, April in the High Sierras brings below freezing weather at night. We were hiding down deep in our bags when the park sprinklers came on, washing us out and back to our camper to dry off and warm up. All except my son Joshua, he was sleeping in a waterproof down army mummy-bag. He slept through the entire watering and when we went back out we saw a solid sheet of ice over his entire bag, but he said he was warm inside.

That morning when the flare went off, we had our spot and began to fish. We caught several lunkers of 5 to 8 pounds. We entered them into the lakes fishing derby, but the contest winner for the day was over 10 pounds.

Tip; Try a slow retrieve with a white marshmallow on a No.12 treble with split shot.

Blue Mesa Reservoir:

Near Gunnison, Colorado; at the South end under the highway bridge, in May.

May is absolutely a great time to fish this lake; if you’re a shore fisherman you’ll love the spot under the bridge at the Gunnison end near the rivers inlet. I’ve caught my limit of large Rainbows every time I’ve fished it in May. Occasionally a shore fisherman ties into one of the huge Lake Trout inhabiting this lake, they can go up to 50 pounds.

My son Jeremy at 7 years old, caught a 4lb Rainbow under this bridge with a child’s fishing pole, he brought it in all by himself.

In May and late summer, you can drive right up to the bridge along an access road cutting off the highway, but don’t try it in June. In June the rains make the road a bog, I know, it cost me $100 to get towed out. You still can get there in June, just park off the highway and climb down the rocky side of the bridge.

Toss out green or rainbow Power-Bait next to the bridge pylons and wait. Watch your poll they hit hard.

Eleven-Mile Canyon:

You’ll find this canyon 70 miles west of Colorado Springs on the Upper Platte River.

This stretch of canyon is breathtaking; the river winds eleven miles up through the canyon until it ends at the Dam at Eleven Mile Reservoir. This stretch of river is so beautiful that my wife and I have decided to have our ashes placed in these waters when we go to that fishing hole in the sky.

There is plenty of “drive in camp spots” along the river. The fish are usually smaller pan-sized Trout, but are plentiful and then there is that occasional lunker. You can also catch monster 40” pike that roam these waters.

What I like most about fishing these waters is that on a warm spring day you can hop over to one of the mammoth rocks in the river and drift a “Colorado Orange Indicator” and meal worm along the current and watch it drift for a 100 yards or until you get a strike.

When my youngest son, Jeremy, was a tot, I would tie a rope to his life vest and then around my waist. Off we would go rock hopping and fishing all day long.

All the waters in this general area are great in the spring, but if you’ve never visited the Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon you’re missing something special.

So forget about this recession, go fishing.

To see pictures or to respond and tell about your favorite "Fishing Hole", go to my blog post of this article at: http://mysiteforsoreeyes.com/wordpress/?p=46


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Get Physically Fit - And Your Mind Will Follow

We all know that we could use some more exercise. As a society, we are entirely too sedentary, spending a lot of time watching TV, playing video games and surfing the web - and far too little engaged in physical activity. This kind of lifestyle leads to obesity and low energy levels. We all are aware of this - but what you may not know is that low levels of physical activity means reduced cognitive abilities as well! As you get older, the difference becomes more and more apparent.

When you're physically active, your circulation is improved and with it, cognitive function. When you exercise regularly, you develop your entire circulatory system, including cerebral vessels. This is believed to be a large part of why exercise is beneficial to your brain.

One of the very best forms of exercise for improving your cognitive abilities is yoga. Yoga requires concentration as well as physical activity. It can be challenging at first, but don't get discouraged. You'll become better with practice and you will be able to move on to more advanced schools of yoga to get even greater cognitive benefits.

It may be news to you that about 20% of your energy is used by your brain - and just like any other part of you, it gets stronger with exercise. If you have trouble coping with stress and your responsibilities day to day, then you need to get more exercise; this will keep your body and mind in peak condition.

A lot of us have the best intentions when it comes to exercise, but we tend to put it off in favor of one thing after another until the day is done and we have no time left. We do this to ourselves; but once you do start getting regular exercise and start to feel the mental benefits, you'll make exercise one of your top priorities.

Rather than helping you to come up with reasons to dodge exercise, you'll start to find reasons to get more exercise. The results you'll see will keep you motivated and make you proud of what you've achieved. Sooner than you may think, getting regular exercise becomes a habit and you'll put off the less important things in life instead. Your brain will release more of the chemicals which produce a sense of well bring so you'll feel better on every level.

Regardless of your age or what level of physical activity you get now, you can still make some positive changes. Begin by exercising 15 minutes every second day and increase this by 5 minutes a week until you're at 30 minutes of exercise every other day. Once you've done this, promise yourself you'll make those 30 minutes a daily routine. Working up this makes it less of a challenge and makes you less likely to get discouraged.

We all have busy lives, but anyone can make 30 minutes a day to get some exercise. Try in the early morning so you won't make excuses about being too tired to exercise at night. You'll start the day off feeling great - you'll have already made some progress and done something good for yourself. There are plenty of different exercises out there, so you can do something which you like doing.


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Andropause and Depression

Andropause correlates directly with depression – a major player in the notorious mid-life crisis period men face in their late 40´s to late 50´s. There are a wide variety of symptoms and conditions hormone-wrecked men experience during this mid-life transition – everything from the mental (i.e. irritability) to the physical (loss of libido, lack of energy, and weight gain.) Depression, left untreated, can be a disabling condition.

Andropause depression is due to dropping levels of testosterone. Low testosterone levels cause many depressive symptoms – among them, a general indifference to events surrounding you, the inability to concentrate, extreme irritability, and memory loss. We might stress over things that might otherwise be worry-free in a normal situation and brood over certain matters. Our memory might go down the drain and we begin to see our lives in a negative light.

Energy levels plummet and enthusiasm for the activities we used to enjoy become flat-lined. Insomnia and restlessness is also a common symptom. Normal everyday things might become a burden to us, and the simplest shout of a child can make us excessively irritable. Psychologists use a variety of battery tests to figure out whether you suffer from depression. Besides handing you test sheets to work with, they also place you under observation – noticing your behavior, tendencies, and habits while talking to them.

Men tend to be rebellious creatures by nature. We love shrugging off our faults and being poised in the midst of emotional trouble. We take on the role as masculine creatures – lion kings of the jungle that reign over the sprawling landscape we call life. Men can be in full denial when it comes to questions about their sexual ability and prowess. Refusing to understand that we aren’t who we once were with our sexual performance as a result of Andropause is in our blood.

Fellas, it is time to become aware and acquainted with the severity of your depression. Off the bat, there are facts and figures supporting depression as a major problem. For one, 80% of all suicides in the United States are carried out by men. The majority of people with this condition never seek the advice and counsel of therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Probably the most shocking fact of all is the male suicide rate is highest during the Andropause years. You read correctly – highest during the years we’re specifically talking about.

How do we deal with these devastating changes to our lives? How can we manage stress to reduce the chances of clinical depression? For one, we must follow a daily exercise regimen. That coupled with a caffeine-free diet will boost our immune systems to fight disease. It will also slow down the aging process. Aim to maintain that explosive 30-inch, vertical leap well into your 60s! Another is doing the activities we love. Don’t stray from playing your pick-up basketball games with buddies or building those go-carts from scratch as a hobby. Stick to them and enjoy the satisfaction of doing so. Distract yourself from your current condition without ignoring it completely.

Maintain a social network of friends and family that will cheer you up when you need it most. Something as simple as having your young child shove a hand drawing of a red school bus in your face can provide for laughs and smiles. The most important piece of advice is to accept your condition and make accommodations. For example, low testosterone levels can easily be supplemented with testosterone cream. It’s bound to happen to all of us, and you either have the choice of making the best of it or letting it overwhelm you. Awareness is critical, and an optimistic attitude, followed with physical activity and a solid nutritional plan, is the best means of fighting Andropause, anti-aging, and the demon known as depression.
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Hypo-Caloric Diets, Exercise and Herbal Therapy

We know now that for a lasting loss of weight, the slimming treatment must result in a modest but steady decline in weight, not more than 2 kg per month. A rapid and massive loss of weight leads to a metabolic adaptation that makes more difficult the further conduct of the diet and is, when we drastically abandon this plan, a phenomenon that bounces back much of the lost weight .

The diet does not fall below 1200-1500 cal per day, depending on the size of the person and his or her daily activity and must include vitamins and essential fatty acids.

Things we must be wary of and think about:

• Excess in fat foods (foods containing a lot or only fats): These are the first that we must drastically limit, they are full of calories and do not cut the appetite.

• Excessive intake of rapidly assimilable sugar (sugars), including those hidden inside artificially sweetened drinks, fruit juices and sodas (these drinks are a leading cause of weight gain in children).

• Excess in alcohol (high in calories).

• Do not reduce the intake of protein but be wary of hidden lipids in fat meat and some fishes.

• The lack of a substantial breakfast and a dinner with a lot of calories: eating well the night thickens (the chrono-obesity or how Muslims gain weight on the occasion of Ramadan).

• Combat snacks (chips or peanuts in front of the TV), but split the meals (the body secretes less insulin at small meals and stores less fat).

• Addressing the impulse to eat outside the hours of meals (especially at night).

We must expend calories by exercise: walking, gymnastics, gardening, sports etc. A regular and "moderate" exercise gives a better result that a short but intense exercise. A regular exercise with some more intense moments allows to increase muscle mass which in turn increases the energy dissipation which results in storing more glycogen in the muscles. Osteoarthritis caused by the increase in weight can be a limiting factor for resumption of physical activity.

Treatment of Obesity and Overweight by Medicinal Plants

Background: The medicinal plants or plant extracts alone are not capable to make lose weight permanently. It is essential to involve those phytomedicines in a low calorie diet and increased physical activity. We give below a simplified classification of medicinal plants useful in the treatment of obesity or its complications. Some herbs can act in several ways on several levels.

Treatment of obesity and overweight: anorectics medicinal plants to cut appetite or hunger: Hoodia, eucalyptus, laurel sauce, coca, Catharanthus, phyllantus niruri, Orthosiphon, algae, gum, Konjac .

Treatment of obesity and overweight: herbs that increase thermogenesis (fat-burning) and fucus seaweed, green tea, maté, guarana, coleus, Garcinia, ephedra (ma huang).

Treatment of obesity and overweight: inulin plants that limit intestinal absorption of carbohydrates: yacon, Jerusalem.

Treatment of obesity and overweight: plants without sugars but sweetening: sweet herb Stevia or Paraguay, or bramble Rubus suavissimus sweet China.

Treatment of obesity and overweight: plants that increase the liver function, purifying plants: dandelion, artichoke, rosemary, Mary thistle, turmeric, hercampuri (gentianella).

Treatment of obesity complications by medicinal plants: plants and diabetes, disorders of plants and cholesterol: Lagerstroemia (Banaba).

Treatment of obesity and overweight: medicinal "calming" plants adjuvant of hypo-caloric diet: Saint John's wort (Hypericum), the California poppy (Eschscholtzia), valerian.

This is a little listing of medicinal plants and herbs that can help to get rid of obesity, so many others exist in nature which can be exploited in curing overweight.


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Which Baseball Tickets Will Be Hot Items In 2007?

As we start to look ahead to the rest of the 2006 season and decide which baseball tickets are going to be the ones to get for contending teams as they push towards the finish line, we’d also like to look beyond October. Certain teams are building a young nucleus of players that will put them on many fans’ “watch list” in 2007. Although none of these teams have been mathematically eliminated yet this season, they are all realistically out of time to make up the ground necessary to contend this year. However, the teams below should create excitement among their fans come spring.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays are looking like they’re going to finish 2006 with a winning record, and that’s quite an accomplishment considering they share a division with the Yankees and Red Sox. The Blue Jays’ core may not be “young” in the pure athletic sense, but Troy Glaus, Reed Johnson, Vernon Wells and Roy Halladay are all around 30, which is generally a baseball player’s prime. All are having huge years, and everyone but Johnson is under contract through at least 2007. If Johnson comes back and the rest of their young players continue to grow, the Blue Jays will be the real deal in 2007.

Cleveland Indians

The Indians also play in a brutal division, and they’ve been battling with the Tigers, White Sox and Twins all year. They’re hovering just a bit below .500, but Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez and Grady Sizemore have been bringing it at the plate all season. All of them will be back next year as well, which means that the Indians need to add some quality pitching and fill out their roster with high-quality role players. The team is close to putting together a winning formula, and the trio listed here is guaranteed to provide another season of thrills for Indians fans in 2007.

Florida Marlins

Can you hear the locomotive coming from Miami? Baseball tickets will be a hot item in South Florida in 2007, as the Marlins are following their traditional pattern - win the World Series, then rebuild with young and talented players and contend again a few years later. Next year could be that year. Their nucleus consists of young players like Miguel Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez and pitcher Josh Johnson. None of them appear to be going anywhere this offseason, and if Dontrelle Willis returns, this will be a heck of a young team that could hit its collective prime next season. There are no perennial powerhouses in their division anymore, so the Marlins won’t have to run the gauntlet to compete for the division title.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers were simply terrible for years, but they’ve quietly been putting together a team that features several potential stars who have been growing in the minor leagues over the past couple of seasons. Offensive weapons such as Bill Hall, Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks all got significant time with the big club this season, which is why there’s cause for optimism for the team in 2007. If Ben Sheets can ever stay healthy and team with pitchers such as Derrick Turnbow and Tomo Ohka, the Brewers will have a team that will give the Reds and Cardinals fits next season.

Although this is an early guess, these teams seem to be putting it together for the long haul. Other clubs could surprise, which seems to happen every season, but fans of these teams should be ready to grab their baseball tickets as soon as they become available for the 2007 season.

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