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4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, July 17, 1984 editorial comments chatterbox by John B. McClelland THE WORLD'S WORST? I'm feeling depressed these days. Nothing serious, really, and I'm certainly not con- templating any drastic action. But something is starting to get to me. I'm beginning to wonder if it's just a streak of terri- ble luck, or have I suddenly become the world's worst fisherman. Now, you may not think this is anything to get all worked up about (one could have far more serious pro- blems of course) but I'm in the middle of a terrible fishing slump. I'm batting .000 so far this year. In fact, going back to last year, my average doesn't improve much much over that string of zeros. This is something new for me since I've always con- sidered myself a pretty good fisherman. Even when the fish weren't biting, I was able to nail one or two to avoid being skunked. But not any more. Am I really slipping? What's gone wrong? Is Lady Luck trying to play a mean trick on me? I just don't know. And that's why I'm feeling a little down these days. A case in point was a week ago Sunday when I team- ed up with four darn good fishermen and set out at the crack of dawn in search of salmon and rainbow trout on the big pond to the south. Fishing partners for the day were Mike Fowler, Roger Moase and Earl Cuddie, all from Port Perry, and Bob Correll from Whitby. Make no mistake about it. These guys know their way around the end of a fishing pole. In fact, to say that they are a little crazy about fishing would be an un tatement. I figured I was in good company, and surely if my extended string of "bad luck" was to be broken, this would be the day. Just thinking about landing a salmon from the chilly depths of Lake Ontario made the sweat break out on the palms of my hands. Dawn broke on July 8, in magnificent hues of yellow and orange. The air was still and the sun had barely made an appearance on the horizon as we put the two boats in the lake at Whitby Harbour. Earl and Bob were to fish from one boat, with Mike, Roger and myself in the other. There was scarcely a ripple on the surface of Lake Ontario, which was re- assuring for none of us relished the thoughts of having to cut short the trip if the waves became too dangerous. It wasn't quite as calm when we cleared the breakwater, but the rolling swells were gentle and there wasn't a white cap in sight. To say that the boat (owned by Roger and Mike) - is well equipped for fishing would be putting it mildly. I looked on in amazement as they set about gearing up the sonar graph recorder; the CB radio for eaves- dropping on the charter fishing boat captains to find where the action is; the double down-rigger for taking two lines deep where the big ones are; and a single down-rigger in the stern of the boat. There was enough wire, cable, hooks, pulleys, tackle boxes, tool kits and other assorted gear in that boat to go after giant tuna on the Grand Banks. If all that gear doesn't catch a fish or two, nothing will, I thought to myself. My hopes were further heightened by the fact that Mike and Roger are extremely meticulous when it comes to fishing. Everything has to be just right. They leave nothing to chance, not even the slimmest margin for human error or miscalculation. Mike patiently ironed out a few crimps in the dou- ble down-rigger and we headed for deep water. Earl and Bob in the other boat were already trolling about a quarter mile closer to shore when we got the lines in the water and sat back to watch for that first strike. Keeping an ever close eye on the graph recorder which shows the depth of the water, the bottom contours and any fish beneath the boat, we set course in the general direction of the Pickering Nuclear Plant bare- ly visible on the shoreline. My first warning that the streak of bad luck might not be broken this beautiful morning came as we overheard a couple of charter boat skippers talking on the CB about water temperatures. "It's 40 degrees right now," said one. '"That's too cold, I don't think they'll be hitting to- day," came the reply. Ah, what the heck do they know, I said to myself, trying to keep my hopes up. But they were right. By mid-afternoon, we hadn't had so much as a nibble. I was really feeling down in the dumps. Even though nobody else seemed to be cat- ching anything on the lake that day, I was convinced that I had jinxed the whole trip. When will my luck change for the better, I thought as we headed into Whitby Harbour just after 3:00 p.m. Soon, I hope. I'm taking a couple of weeks vacation and have promised my two boys a fishing trip on the Ottawa River. But I have this nagging feeling that if we don't catch anything, they are going to say their Dad isn't much of a fisherman. I can't have them thinking that. Of course, I'm not the world's worst fisherman, but something has to happen soon to snap me out of this slump. Hock. right about now I'd settle for an Ottawa River catfish. As for those salmon and big rainbows in Lake On- tario, I'm not finished with them yet, not by a long shot. One of these fine mornings ................... EE CE PPE LE EE IE BE II I «0% oes EE -- Plums for 250 It Prime Minister John Tusfor had any guts at all, he would re-think and re-consider that shameful outlay of 250 patronage jobs to friends and supporters of the Liberal Party, including 17 Liberal MPs who picked up juicey plums ranging from seats in the Senate to am- bassador postings abroad. | Even members of the Liberal Party are right now speaking publicly about their concerns of the extent of the patronage orgy announced just before the election call last week. Monique Begin, for example, the former Health Minister has expressed concern about some of the appointments. Probably the plum that is most distasteful is the ap- pointment of former MP and Cabinet Minister Bryce Mackasey as ambassador to Portugal. What possible qualifications does he have for this job? Should this position not go to a seasoned veteran of the diplomatic corps who has paid his/her dues in the service of the country? One would think so. Even the Portugese are upset with Mackasey's ap- ~ pointment, although they are being diplomatic about it all, protesting on the technicality that the announcement was made public before the government in Lisbon had been officially notified. - The Senate appointments and all the others were made by Turner, on the urging and insistance of Pierre Trudeau. Mr. Turner it seems was under the impression he had to approve these appointments,or not have enough of a majority to form a government between now and the September 4 election. However, no less a con- stitutional expert than Senator Eugene Forsey has call- ed this "rubbish" and said Turner was fed some terri- ble advice. In any event, this patronage orgy is a horrendous start for a new leader of the Liberal Party an example of how a system can be milked dry. To say that the patronage issue will hurt the Liberals during the elec- tion campaign is not the point. What is the point is that the people of Canada are fed up with party appointees getting fat on the public trough. Sure, patronage is a fact of political life in this country and all parties use it to reward the faithful troops. But 250 jobs in one fell swoop, 17 former MPs, Bryce Mackasey as ambassador to Portugal? Really. Show some respect for the average people in this country. Show some restraint. Show some courage and dignity. Mr. Turner has an opportunity to take the bull by the horns and re-assess the more than 200 jobs. The people of Canada are demanding change, not so much in what government does, but how it does things. Handing out 250 jobs in one fell swoop to old friends and supporters is the Trudeau style and one of the major reasons why Canada breathed a sigh of relief when he finally decided to pack it in as a politician. Mr. Turner may have thought his hands were tied over this issue, but if he wants to put his own stamp on things, bring a new style to Ottawa, he should move quickly and put those jobs on hold. The country is not going to fall apart if those 250 patronage plums are re- assessed in very serious fashion. A Warning We are sure that children have heard this warning over and over again: never accept gifts, candies or the offer of a ride from strangers. Now that summer is here and the youngsters are enjoying themselves at the parks, playgrounds, beach and swimming pool, they should be extremely wary of an approach by a stranger, young or old. Parents should take the time to talk to the children about this, to re-inforce the idea in their young minds that there are dangers involved should they take up any offer from a total stranger. Already this summer in Port Perry, there has been an incident which could have led to serious conse- quences. Durham Police were called and after an in- vestigation, issued a warning to an out-of-town man that he is not to frequent any areas in the Township where young children might be playing. And it was just a couple of years ago when some alert observation and action by a local business person averted what might have led to a potentially tragic happening. The warnings to both parents and children about +50 kinds of dangers cannot be stressed often enough or forcefully enough. These kind of tragedies can happen anywhere: they are not the exclusive domain of the large city or town. But they can be prevented. Children of a tender age are both trusting and vulnerable. If you are a parent, keep an eye on the young ones, and tell the older ones who are not under cons- tant supervision to stay away from strangers.