Archive for July, 2010
Delayed hunting and trapping rule changes take effect Sunday
July 29th, 2010 | 
Author: The proposed hunting and trapping rule changes approved by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission in March 2009 but delayed for legislative review will go into effect Sunday.
Published Jul 28, 2010.
Read more: Asheville Citizen-Times
Posted in 
A Beginners Guide to Fishing
If you are new to the sport of fishing, you need to know some of the basic rules of fishing. Like other forms of hunting, fishing involves both your environment and those around you. Be respectful of both. You can responsibly enjoy this treasured pastime in several ways. Fishing is an ancient practice. It dates back nearly 10,000 years.
A number of various techniques and traditions have been used during fishing’s progression. Modern technological developments have changed the way people fish, but many of the same rules, regulations, and social norms involving fishing remain. Always practice good stewardship of our waterways when you are fishing. Remember that these waterways were around thousands of years before you and will remain long after we are gone. You can make a conscious decision to leave the areas in which people fish in better condition than when you found it. Take care of our lakes, rivers, and other waterways so that others will enjoy these areas for years to come.
Practicing certain behaviors will ensure that you are taking good care of the places where people fish. Never litter when you are fishing. Always bring a trash bag or other receptacle to use for the collection of your trash. You can easily deposit it in a nearby trash receptacle. Dump your refuse in properly assigned dumping stations instead of tossing it in the water. You do not need to spend much time figuring out the many ways in which this hurts the environment. As you fish, always use the correct type of bait and fishing gear. Certain areas allow for certain bait and gear. You will also encounter limits on the number, size, and kind of fish that you can keep. Become familiar with what these limits are and pay attention to them. Do not wait until you are at your fishing spot to search for what is allowed and what is not. Check with your destination before you head out on your fishing trip to see what the local regulations allow. If you plan on using a boat while fishing, research to see what kinds of watercraft are allowed where you are going to fish.
Every fishing location is different, so pay special attention to local procedures and cautions. This also applies when you decide to clean your boat after you leave the water. You do not want to spread non-native species to another body of water. Finally, never fish where it is not permitted. There is always a reason why it is illegal. Some reasons include the protection of certain wildlife, the proper care of vegetation, and the safety of you and others who want to fish. You should also follow a number of cautionary behaviors to ensure your safety.
As with all forms of hunting, safety is first. If you will be using a boat while you fish, always wear your life jacket. Make sure that your passengers wear their life jackets, as well. Be very careful when baiting and removing hooks. Make sure that you never fish on unauthorized waterways. Follow the posted speed limits and wake warnings that accompany the use of a boat. Bring with you all relevant safety items, such as water, flashlights, maps, and a cell phone. Fishing continues to be a favorite pastime. 2001 saw nearly 16% of the U.S. population over the age of 16 spend 16 days fishing. You enjoy the sport of fishing, so follow the rules that allow for the continuation of fishing. Be responsible and courteous of others and your environment. Take time to discover how you can be both a better and safer angler.
Originally published here.
Information on goldfish care can be found at Aquarium Fish Care.
The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing
After following the advice from a manual called “How to Meet and Marry Mr Right”, Jane learns that in love there is neither pattern nor promise. This is a funny collection of connected stories and a portrait of Jane, a woman manoeuvring her way through love, sex and relationships.
Jane Rosenal, the narrator of The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing, is wise beyond her years. Not that that’s saying much–since none of her elders, with the exception of her father, is particularly wise. At the age of 14, Jane watches her brother and his new girlfriend, searching for clues for how to fall in love, but by the end of the summer she’s trying to figure out how not to fail in love. At twice that age, Jane quickly internalizes How to Meet and Marry Mr. Right, even though that retro manual is ruining her chances at happiness. In the intervening years, Melissa Bank’s heroine struggles at love and work. The former often seems indistinguishable from the latter, and her experiences in book publishing inspire little in the way of affection. As Jane announces in “The Worst Thing a Suburban Girl Could Imagine”: “I’d been a rising star at H—– until Mimi Howlett, the new executive editor, decided I was just the lights of an airplane.”
Bank’s first collection has a beautiful, true arc, and all the sophistication and control her heroine could ever desire. In “The Floating House,” Jane and her boyfriend, Jamie, visit his ex-girlfriend in St. Croix, and right from the start she can’t stop mimicking her beautiful competitor, in a notably idiotic fashion. “I’m like one of those animals that imitates its predators to survive,” she realizes–one of several thousand of Bank’s ruefully funny phrases. But even as Jane clowns around, desperately trying to keep up appearances, she is so hyperaware it hurts. Again and again, the author explores the dichotomy between life as it happens and the rehearsed anecdote, the preferred outcome. In The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing, even suburban quiet has “nothing to do with peace.” Bank’s much-anticipated debut merits all its buzz and, more to the point, transcends it. –Kerry Fried