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&@ 4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, May 1, 1984 editorial comments "Mow THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO uy A HONE , HARRY 77 2 BOUGH] ONE AT A DISCOUNT Z STORE ... HELLO, GLADYS - 7 LADY'S . .. Can yeu HEAR ME AN RR a a § 1 5 § 1 4 a AY \X | NN \ \ \ LY NR 3,» NANNY A RR RE SS BB RR is \ A) NR .-] hr \ Nt { AN \ a \ \ \ I chatterbox by John B. McClelland THE FISHING TRIP Now that the merry month of May has finally ar- rived, my thoughts start to turn to the annual fishing trip over the Victoria Day weekend. Last year and the year before, myself, my father, my brother-in-law and a very good have gone the wilderness route with a fly-in trip to Ten Mile Lake in a beautiful and remote area of Quebec, about 75 miles north of the Ottawa River. It has beer. a great way to get away from it all for a couple of days and we've even had some luck with the lake trout. But the trip is a difficult one in terms of organization and logistics, not to mention the fact that last year on the day we were scheduled to fly out, the weather was so bad that for a time it looked like we might be "'socked in" another 24 hours. So this year, the fearsome four has opted to try a couple of rainbow lakes near the south end of Algonquin Park, a comfortable drive over paved highway, less than two hours from Port Perry. We certainly won't experience the magnificent isolation of Ten Mile Lake in the Quebec wilderness, but quite frankly the fact we won't be bumping along at tree- top level in a single engine Beaver doesn't upset me in the least. Last year, the flight was a real "white knuckler"* with unbelievable turbulence and when four guys climbed out of that plane at the Des Joachims dock, you could hear the sighs of relief a mile away. I'm certainly going to miss Ten Mile Lake, a long slender stretch of deep water that snakes its way bet- ween ridges of high land and has been known to yield some trophy size lake trout. For my money, there is nothing quite like a wilderness lake at dawn with the mist still hanging in the air, and the only sound the gen- tle hum of a 9.9 outboard set down to trolling speed. This year, we'll be fishing at a couple of smaller lakes near Algonquin Park, and staying at a lodge with a highway at the front door. I'm told the lakes have nice rain in them and lots of fishermen all with the same thing in mind. This trip still requires a high degree of organiza- tion and a string of long distance phone calls between the four of us to make sure everyone knows the game n. It's quite a change from the days years ago when a fishing trip was a simple affair: pack a lunch, dig some worms in the garden, throw some hooks, sinkers and tiny spinners in the knap sack alongside the s ing reel and hike to the small creek that meandered through forest and meadow not too far from where I us- ed to live. With a little luck, I'd have three or four speck]- ed trout by noon. As | grew older, I began to fish trout lakes with mes like Piglet, Welsh, Lost Coin and Hogsback, and na . they too used to yield some fine fish. Welsh Lake was probably my favourite. On the Quebec side, the only way to get there was a tough, five mile hike along a bush trail that went over the hills, not around them. On one trip, myself and a friend lugged a canoe over that trail. As it turned out, we didn't use the canoe much that trip because the fishing was just as good from shore. Three pound specks in that lake were fairly routine and ones in the five pound range were not un- common. I've never seen a five pound speckled trout since then and I doubt I'll ever see one again. Fishing trips then were a tough strain, physically. The long walk into the lake in the morning; the long walk out, often after dark. Fishing trips today are a strain on the mind, at least the preparation is. Have we got enough groceries, enough , gas for the motors, don't forget the life- jackets, will the stove and fridge work in the cabin, what time do we have to check out, damn, I forgot my fishing reel, anybody bring an extra one? But once the hundreds of tiny details have been at- tended to, the trip is very relaxing. Lots of good food, a comfortable bed to sleep in, hot and cold running water, electricity and so on. As for the fishing itself, it's a matter of putting the boat in the water and throwing the line over the side. Years ago, I used to worry about whether I'd taken enough dew worms. Today, I'm a little concerned that we don't have a fish finder, or down-riggers. Not that I think we need these innovations, but one never knows Back then I used to hate losing gear on a snag. To- day, if the line snaps, I just shrug and reach into the tackle box where there are literally dozens of lures of all shapes, sizes and colours. When I was a kid, a snag might mean the loss of the last silver Mepps spinner, a calamity of horrendous proportions. Today, the most annoying thing about a snag is having to put your glass down to gear up the line again. Times have changed, the fishing trips have chang- ed. As much as I enjoy getting away with the same old gang these past couple of years, some of the vivid and f t memories of my youth go back to Hogsback Lake, waiting for wind to come up to blow the spring ice away from shore so I could get a line in the water ..... Or slipping off a rock at Piglet Lake, getting soak- ed thoroughly in the frigid water, but thankful I remembered to tuck matches in a small plastic bag. It was early May and cold. I remember a Labour Day trip into Welsh Lake. The fish began hitting at high noon and the big male specks had their fall colours on, a brilliant red along the sides. (Turn to page 6) Bet On It? There is a major court battle in the works over the federal Government's plan to launch a new lottery this spring, this one based on betting on major league baseball games. Bowie Kuhn, the out-going commissioner of Major League Baseball is seeking an injunction to stop the bet- ting pool on the grounds it will "tarnish the game's family image and unblemished record of integrity." He is also arguing that the pool may violate copyrights and trademarks held by major league baseball teams. Our federal government, undaunted and ever eager to come up with yet another pie-in-the-sky scheme to separate Canadians from their hard-earned pocket money (lotteries are big, BIG, business, in case you haven't heard) has never refused to budge from its posi- tion and wants the courts to decide if the plan will blemish the image of baseball. On top of this suit, the ten provincial provinces are also jumping in with a court case of their own, on the grounds that the federal betting pool violates a 1979 agreement which gave the provinces the sole right to run lotteries in Canada. The reason Ottawa wants the sports betting pool off the ground in a hurry is to help finance the Winter Games slated for Calgary in 1988. We suspect that with all the lawyer's fees, court costs and so on that are going to result from the legal battles, Ottawa could come up with a very healthy down payment for the Winter Games. And besides, don't we have enough lotteries in this country already? Ottawa should bow out of the scheme and find some other way to pay the Winter Olympics bill. That's what it should do, but don't bet against it. Lock and Key Time was not too many years ago when Port Perry was typical of small rural communities in all parts of this country. Everyone knew everyone. Most people never lock- ed their front doors except at night or when they went away on vacations. Keys were left in cars and so on. Oh, sure, there was crime in the small rural com- munities, but there seemed to be a healthy respect for the property of others. Things have changed. True, Port Perry is still con- sidered a very friendly town (we hope that never changes) a nice place to live and bring up children. But a lot of people are finding out the hard way that just about anything that isn't nailed down or under solid lock and key is fair game for light-fingered thieves. Each week, the crime reports from the Durham Police contain several instances of theft: from cars, boats, garages, yards, sheds, basements, even bedrooms. Expensive stereos seem to be popular, tools of all sizes and description, lawn and garden furniture, bar-b- Q's, bicycles. You name it. Leave it unguarded, or leave the car unlocked over night and you may be the victim of thieves. Just this past week, the Police report that one van was burglarized to the tune of $3500 including stereo equipment, fishing rods and tackle and tools. Another resident of the community reported a $400 theft of tools and box from the back of a truck parked in his driveway. These are not the exceptions. They have become the rule, week in and week out. There are probably hundreds of reasons why pro- perty of all kinds is being hit by thieves not just here, but in all communities. About all we can say is be warned. Don't leave your car unlocked. Store valuables in the trunk. Lock your garage and sheds at night. Don't leave items in the front yard (or back yard) overnight. Take all steps necessary to protect your property. Once something is stolen, the chances of it being recovered and returned to you are slim. It's a sad fact of life these days that petty theft, break-ins and vandalism are on the increase. Just don't be naive and thin" it can't happen to me. "They haven't gotten away from it all. They brought it with them!"