Archive for the ‘leisure’ tag
The Canadian Wilderness Is The Place To Go If You Want A Fishing Adventure
People from all over the world are discovering the joys and the beauty of Canadian fishing excursions. No where in the world can you see the the varieties of fish in such a vast and promising area.
The most notable thing about Canada here is its breathtaking scenery, which is unlike any other country in the world. With incredible views of snow-packed mountains, freshwater and saltwater fishing opportunities await you in the heart of Canada. There, the best fish varieties are in the water throughout the most of the year.
Trout, salmon, halibut, and pike are just a few of the fish species available in the Canadian waters. You’ll find many other species as well. Trips can be planned to go ice-fishing or fly-fishing, which can offer some of the more beautiful experiences known. Of course, you’ll have to have a knack for cold weather if you’re interested in ice fishing.
Year-round fishing is open on the Canadian coastline, as well as along some of the interior mountain ranges. Whether you choose to camp, lodge, or stay in a resort, beginner and expert fisherman alike are choose Canada as their destination of choice.
When people think of the Canadian wilderness, they don’t think of what is really out there. Large lodges with all the amenities await even the most rugged of fisherman. Hot tubs, spas, massage rooms, fine dining, and more. Bring the entire family for a one of a kind vacation you’ll never forget.
Whether you want a fitness room, sauna, mud bath, or a massage, Canadian lodges in the woods are there to meet every need. After a day up to your knees in soft dirt while casting your fly, looking to hook the award-winning salmon, you can now sink into a bubble bath, enjoy fine dining on the patio, or take in a show.
The land of many waters offer far too many adventures and experiences to pass up. Sign up with a local guide, take a journey through the twists and turns through the valley on a fishing vessel, the sky is the limit when it comes to fishing in Canada.
It’s not just the fishing that lures people from all over the world. Horseback riding, sledding, skiing, hiking and more all await even the beginner adventurer. With peak mountain highs, and bottom valley lows, the Canadian wilderness is much more than fishing. It’s an experience.
This writer additionally frequently blogs on topics including canadian fishing trip and canadian vacation spots.
Boat Auctions: Are Lenders Catching Up?
Much like the U.S. is struggling for economic recovery banks are still struggling to manage the wave of repo boats and other water craft that they were unprepared to handle beginning mid 2007. Boat prices similar to that of home values are showing signs of recovery but boat buyers will still be able to find incredible bargains at local and regional boat auction houses as well as motivated owners. But that window of opportunity may not stay open long.
National Liquidators who is one of the largest yacht and boat auction liquidators used to have as many as 500 repossessed boats and watercraft for sale and currently inventory around 300 to 350 units. There are signs that the boating industry is recovering for sure. A few years back when banks were in a state of shock with plummeting boat values and inventories rising they couldn’t give away the boats since nobody was buying them. But that was partly and perhaps significantly due to the fact that lenders weren’t able to see what values really were back then.
Suntrust Bank’s senior vice president Don Parkhurst, concurs and further comments on the remarketing of their boat repo collateral, “You’ve just got to lower the price to where you can move it. You’ve just got to take the hit.” According to Parkhurst the glut of repossessions and the subsequent money tightening has led several marine lenders to pull out of the market in the last year. Parkhurst continued with the fact that there is still an awful lot of repos on the market right now. Many of which are mid-sized cruisers which represents the heart of the boating market.
Lending Institutions are in uncharted territory with the numbers of repossessions and their plummeting values, and are trying to figure out how to catch up. With repossessions reaching unprecedented highs, lenders are scrambling to unload the vessels in an already flooded market and fetch enough money to avoid taking a complete loss.
Smart over seas buyers recognize the weak USD and are taking advantage of this boat repo glut. According to their records upwards of 50 percent of the boats from National Liquidators (one of the worlds largest boat liquidators) goes to Europe, the Caribbean or Canada.
While banks have been ‘taking a hit’ with letting go of their non-performing assets this has translated to some very attractive prices for mid-sized cruisers and performance boats. Buyers in the power sport vehicle market can also find value in this market as well. Many ATV, PWC, and RV owners have defaulted on their toys and forced to surrender it to the repo man. The result is banks have got to seriously consider letting the asset go as a ‘repo’ , take the hit and move on.
Get Access to Boat Auctions and Save! Bid on any boat direct from auction and pay half the price your arrogant friends paid! Edgar has been searching for repo boats for sale across the U.S. since 2003 and is editor for several popular boat auction search sites.
Repossessed Boats For Sale: Are Banks Liquidating Their Repos Cheap?
To the banks dismay they understand that as repossessed boats sit around at liquidators yards is they get that abandon, unkept look and feel. Banks know that boat buyers are good inspectors and any blemish or bubble can make a lot of room for negotiation. Some boat repos may have minimal if any cosmetic damage to the hull and just need a hard cleaning. However,But many buyers are unable to see past the grit and grime. Yes it is true if a boat looks like crap it probably is…but not always. A survey and sea trial will give you the real picture.
What’s going on now is bank are getting a little more down to earth (not desparate) but more willing to let their repossessed boats go at a price that leaves quiet a bit of equity. And I still see some room for price concession. As more repo boats show up for liquidation the more banks will be willing to liquidate faster and potentially for significantly less than the asking price.
Some boat repos have been mishandled or left unkept by marinas and liquidators and part of that has to do with banks not concerned about the care of their repossessed collateral. Having said that many repossessed boats are newer, well kept with little to no conspicuous damage. Most tend to focus on the percentage of those that are in bad shape and don’t realize there’s a mix of the good with the bad.
With the market being what it is, banks are certainly more than satisfied to get a 10% under asking price offer. I tried that a few years ago for some time. The Bank reps all told me those liquidation repo companies have an inroad or a standing contract with the lender that enables the liquidator to repo, repair, store and liquidate the boat at a price the bank is willing to let it go for. Boat repos on average are liquidated for 15 to 20% under market. But you can easily improve upon that by taking your time and look at more boats.
Before Boat Auctions Direct I used to manually approach bank managers asking them to alert me of any new arriving repossessed collateral that I could survey. Most were open to accept offers and then it was just a wait and see. However the boat liquidation company acquired the boat before I could but was still able to get first dibs on a new arrival and watch to see if it generated interest.
There’s still a surplus of repossessed boats out there. The proverbial window of opportunity to save at a local or regional boat auction is still open but the window is closing. Check out how you can keep an eye on local and regional boat auctions below. It’s great way to at least make sure nobody steals a deal right out of your ‘back yard’.
Click Here: repossessed boats to discover out how you can compare, bid, and buy any boat direct from auction and safely save discover Government and Bank Repo Boats up for bid near you! JD has been a boat auction junkee for since 2003 and is a writer and editor for many boat auction guides, resources and directories.
Boat Auctions or Bank Offers?: Can You Get To The Lender Before Auction?
If you have searched at any of the bigger boat classified sites it’s not unheard of anymore to see a considerable amount of the listings posted are ‘bank owned’ or bank repo boats. This seems to be particularly more pronounced with performance type watercraft. The question that frequently gets thrown around in blogs and community forums is whether banks and credit unions are desperate enough to accept serious offers as little as 20 to 30% of their asking price. Anything less than that and you will be hard pressed to get a bank to justify a response.
Making an all cash offer will typically give you more room to bid low. Your offer needs to be reasonable with respect to its market value and if it is… you can expect the lender to seriously consider your proposal and either counter that offer or based upon on how long the bank has been attempting to remarket the boat — agree to it outright.
Having said that it can be a real challenge to get the attention of the bank (who now owns the boat) before the 3rd party auction companies do. The goal is to offer a win-win deal . It is true that if the lender is presented an offer more than what they would pay out to a liquidator or a repo outfit with all the inclusive repair, maintenance, winterization, storage fees, etc. then they very well may be open to generate a quick sale. But it is a challenge to get to the decision makers. I like to just use Boat Auctions Direct to find bank or Gov’t seized boats to maintain my sanity to be honest.
The hard truth of striking up a deal with a bank on one of their repos is that often most lenders choose not to work directly with the general public. They opt instead to utilize experienced brokers and repo houses or liquidation companies for convenience sake. It’s just more systematic and more importantly they can concentrate with their core service: lending. Certain banks have so many boats in their control that they are buying fleet insurance coverage.
Realize that liquidators will often have a binding agreement established with the lender or credit union. Pre-determined terms are set as to how much liquidation companies profit from the transaction. The advantage for the bank is that they can leverage an established name (a local marina or liquidator) in addition to their expertise in addition to a storage lot to proficiently remarket the boat repos for lenders. Essentially the bank is going to try to claim at the very least the loan amount in default once the hammer drops to end the boat auction.
An common question is whether or not banks provide an opt-in list of bank repo boats going to auction? This may be true for smaller sized community banks or credit unions however , most often the bigger lending institutions are contracted with local or regional repo outfits or repo boat liquidation outfits to efficiently seize and remarket their collateral. In the latter case of smaller banks you can ask to speak to the bank officer who heads up the “special assets” department if they do not already have a dedicated web page for liquidating non-performing assets within their main website.
Find repo boats at: boat auctions here for free!. Discover the best boat auction houses in the U.S. Walt is a lender repo boats hunter/gatherer, writer, and editor for several notable repo auction sites across the internet.
Gold Coast Fishing Charters: Answers To Four Big Questions
When enquiring about going out on a Gold Coast fishing charter there are lots of questions that are asked. Here are four commonly asked questions with answers to help you decide if to take the plunge and if so, what charter boat company to go with.
Firstly. “Do we the customers get to keep the fish we catch when we go out on a Gold Coast fishing charter?” Each charter boat company has its own policy. Some stipulate that the total fish caught are equally shared by all the boat’s customers whilst others have a policy that says “you keep what you catch”.
Fish caught by trolling are viewed as “boat fish” and therefore are shared by everyone whether or not they pulled in a fish.
“When going out on a Gold Coast fishing charter, are we able to keep our own catch?” All the fish caught by crew members are shared with all the charter clients. For the record, you should know that it is illegal for a charter boat company to sell their catch to paying customers.
Secondly. “What are the numbers of people that are taken out by a Gold Coast fishing charter?” There are legal limits as to how many people can be on a charter boat. The legal numbers are dictated by size and configuration of the boat. Having said that, the legal limits are in excess of what is comfortable or desirable for paying customers.
Some Gold Coast fishing charter companies choose to put profits before people by putting the maximum legal number of people on a boat and then limit their range of operations. For example, anchoring on the closer reefs that are more heavily fished.
Alternatively, some Gold Coast fishing charter companies do the right thing and keep the numbers of people down to a level that maximises customer comfort and satisfaction. Important advice is not to be sucked into paying a cheap price only to find out that you are crammed elbow to elbow on a boat with minimal assistance from a deck hand because there are just too many customers.
When inquiring about a Gold Coast fishing charter, don’t forget to ask about the size and configuration of the boat before asking about numbers.
The third question. “When do the Gold Coast fishing charter boats go out and come back? Generally, Gold Coast fishing charter’s leave dock at 6 AM and come back before noon. This is considered a half day charter. A half day charter could also be taken in the afternoon period. A full day charter means leaving early morning and returning mid afternoon.
The fourth question. “Is it permissable to consume alcohol on a Gold Coast fishing charter?” Most boats allow alcohol. Bear in mind though, that there are restrictions which are part of each boat’s safety policy. Best to ask for details in terms of alchohol consumption.
So you are thinking about or have decided to take up the adventure and experience aGold Coast fishing charter. If so, be sure to get incontact with a proven expert in Kim Raymond. Kim has been fishing for more than forty years and has lots of experience in taking out numerous charter groups with a diverse range of interests and abilities. Whether you are a seasoned fishing veteran or a newbie, Kim will look after you.
Fly Fishing Equipment At A Glance
Fly fishing may not be as popular as other sports, but you still need to be mindful of the equipment you use. There are various types of equipment that you need when you undertake fly fishing, and be prepared because some of it can get quite expensive!
A fishing rod and reel would be mandatory equipment. What type of rod you choose depends on the type of fish you will be angling for. Consider the net weight (nwt) capacity of your fly rod when purchasing them. Nwt simply refers to the type or size of the fish that the rod can handle. Fish that weigh 8 pounds will require at least an 8 nwt rod, etc. As you can see, you can catch heavier fish with a higher nwt number.
Be wary of rods (i.e. 7-9 nwt) that are rated for multiple net weights. These rods are good to use because they can accommodate a variety of fish, but multi-rated rods tend to be less flexible than single rated rods.
Generally speaking, rods can be made of fiberglass, graphite or bamboo. Fiberglass rods are durable and less expensive. Since they are versatile enough to be used in different settings, fiberglass rods are ideal for the novice fly fisherman. The advantage of graphite rods are the fact they are lightweight, and can help you angle heavier fish much easier. Bamboo rods can be expensive, but they are extremely strong and are suited to a more laid-back casting style.
Nwt also plays a part in determining your choice of fly line – it must match the nwt of your rod. Obviously you’ll need an 8 nwt line for the 8 nwt rod described above. It is acceptable to go one or two sizes above or below your rod weight (i.e. 9 nwt or 7 nwt). Buy line that is strong and durable. Also, some lines would be designed exclusively for saltwater or freshwater fishing.
Aside from the line and the rod, you’ll need a net that is durable enough for your needs. You will need to scoop fish out of the water once they’re down for the count, and a net would work just fine. A good net is essential in catching fish, because once they have been caught hook, line and sinker, the next thing you will want to do is make sure they are pulled out of the water.
Fishing may or may not be a new sport to you, but in any case, you need to have the proper fly fishing equipment at all times. As you get better and better at the sport, you will begin to see how important having good equipment can be. And if you’re on a budget, you can always start with affordable gear before upgrading to top-of-the-line equipment – it is recommendable anyway to start out with cheap stuff. Your fly fishing equipment can make a world of difference between landing that big fish or catching an ordinary one.
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Scuba Diving vacations In Hawaii
Hawaii is a beautiful place, we have all seen the films and the vacation photos. The above ground scenery is stunning, but what not so many individuals know is that the sub-aqua scenery is equally as beautiful. The good thing is that you do not have to know precisely where to go to enjoy diving because the diving is good everywhere on the islands.
Not merely is the sub-aqua scenery beautiful, but the water is warm too – all year through. You will find millions of fish, aquatic flora, coral and ship wrecks, everything that divers like to look at. There will never be a diver that regrets having taken a diving vacation in Hawaii.
Would be divers can best study the hobby in Oahu. There are lots of diving schools and instructors there that have the right to grant a diving certificate after a day or two’s instruction. This is very fast, but the courses are comprehensive, so you can safely go shallow diving after earning your certificate. While shallow water diving, you will see lots of fish, plants and coral.
There are also a number of wrecks at Oahu, so you will be able to investigate these too, if you have a bit more experience. There are some huge ships down there and millions of fish.
One of the best locations to go scuba diving is Ka’awaloa Cove, which is in western Hawaii. The cove is only accessible by boat, but that is not difficult because there are several small boat companies that offer a ferry service. Kona is another great diving spot on the big island.
Both of these locations cater for both the novice and the expert. Kona is thick with plankton, which might not sound interesting in itself, until you understand that the plankton attracts giant manta rays. The rays are especially spectacular when seen on dives at night.
Red Hill and Kona also offer fantastic opportunities for diving because there are underwater lava flows. The lava flows are best seen by daylight because that is when the sun reflects off them giving them their name of Red Hills. They are just accessible by boat, but then that is not a problem either.
The smaller island of Maui also has fantastic diving sites. Check out Molokini and its underwater volcanic crater. The crater is home for reef sharks, majestic sea turtles, numerous tropical marine fish and the magnificent giant manta rays again. This is one of the best dive sites on Hawaii and really has to be on your short list of must do dives.
The best thing about diving in Hawaii is that there is so much to see and do wherever you are situated. OK, the well-liked attractions are just that, very popular, but many people like being with plenty of other individuals – after all there is safety in numbers, but Hawaii also has quiet spots which you can discover if you look and the diving will be great there as well because the fish are the same and the water is as warm.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a lot of topics, but is currently occupied with Body Glove cases products. If you would like to know more about Body Glove Wetsuit Sale, please go over to our website for some impressive bargains.
Deep Sea Diving: The Importance Of Trimix
One of the most important aspects of scuba diving that a diver has to learn is how to set up the breathing tank. Divers do not use oxygen in their tanks, they use (or, increasingly, used to use) compressed air. However air is approximately 70 percent nitrogen and 30 percent oxygen and the nitrogen can result in nitrogen sickness under pressure, so more and more divers are turning to Nitrox.
Nitrox is not air, but it is still made up solely of nitrogen and oxygen, although not in the same percentages, which you can vary. The difficulty with increasing the amount of oxygen in the mix is that there is a greater likelihood of suffering from oxygen toxicity the deeper you go. Therefore, the trade off is that the more oxygen you use, the shallower you may swim.
It sounds like a rough decision, you can suffer from either nitrogen or oxygen toxicity, take your choice. However, there is a third option and it is called Trimix. Trimix is the ‘air’ that deep sea divers make use of. It is a mixture of three gases, as its name implies: nitrogen oxygen and helium.
Helium is used as a kind of filler. It does not do us any injury and it does not do us any good either, but it permits divers to take a lung full and it reduces the volume of nitrogen and the volume of oxygen thereby decreasing the chance of sickness.
The only problem with helium is that it conducts heat five times more than oxygen and nitrogen. This leads some deep sea divers to suffer from a condition known as hyperbaric arthralgia. Hyperbaric arthralgia is a kind of joint pain that a number of divers experience as they go deeper than 100 feet in salt water.
Deep sea divers have to learn about the various Trimixes as part of their curriculum, because one day they will be responsible for choosing the mix they use. The choice is not only compressed air, nitrox and Trimix, because there are different ratios of the gases in Trimix to take into the equation as well.
For instance, a 10/70 Trimix will be made up of 10 percent oxygen, 70 percent helium (and 20 percent nitrogen). This form of mix is suitable for diving to a depth of 330 feet in salt water or 100 msw (metres in salt water). Fresh water is a little lighter than salt water. This does not count at lower depths, but it does after a hundred feet.
Breathing and gases are merely one aspect of diving that you will have to master if you would like to go diving. A different aspect of diving that is linked with diving is the rate of ascent. Divers used to be taught not to come up faster than their smallest bubbles, which is about 60 feet per minute. However, lots of instructors now think that this is still quite fast and recommend 30 feet per minute with a three minute wait at 15 feet.
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a lot of topics, but is currently occupied with Body Glove cases products. If you would like to know more about Body Glove Wetsuit Sale, please go over to our website for some impressive bargains.
Gold Coast Fishing Charters: Fishing Spots
Once you have decided that you want to experience a Gold Coast fishing charter you may have questions like “where do we go?” or “how far out do we go?” This brief article will answer these questions.
A Gold Coast fishing charter could potentially take you to a host of different fishing locations. In fact a lot depends on the experience and knowledge of the captain taking you. So my first advice is to know a little about the captain of the boat that you are thinking of going out with.
The most heavily visited fishing grounds lie about 5 nautical miles out to sea in any area known as the 24′s ie where the water depth averages around the 24 meter mark. This area has lots of rocky reefs surrounded by sand and gravel. Here lots of deep water species of weed and coral grow which attracts a lot of bait fish and subsequently, many scavenger and predatory fish species as well.
At the 10 nautical mile mark, where sea depths average around 36 fathoms, there is a system of parallel ridges which occur which run parallel to the Gold Coast coastline. The same underwater seascape occurs at the 50 fathom mark which is about 15 nautical miles out. It should be stated here that most Gold Coast fishing charter companies do not do half day charters beyond the 24 fathom mark.
As a general rule of thumb the most heavily fished area is around the 24 fathom depths, where there is less chance of catching fish, particularly of significant size. Ideally try to secure a Gold Coast fishing charter that will take you to at least 36 fathom depths or better still the 50 fathom mark.
Going out to the 50 fathom reefs and beyond, is the best location to catch large migratory fish species as they travel south with the warm deep blue water currents during the summer months. For fishing enthusiasts who want to target the larger fish species, I suggest you ask Gold Coast fishing charter operators of this particular option.
To conclude, if you are not a real go getter and you want a sedate and comfortable time on the sea, I suggest that you fish the protected waters of the seaway and estuaries. Here sandy and mud flats attract certain species of fish.
If you are looking to experience aGold Coast fishing charterbe sure to get in touch with an expert in Kim Raymond. Kim has the knowledge, experience and integrity to answer your queries so that you get to make the best choices for YOU.
Fish Species Caught On Gold Coast Fishing Charters
A common question asked by people venturing out on Gold Coast fishing charters is “what kind of fish can we expect to catch?” For the newbie who just struggles to remember the names of the different species, this article provides a fairly comprehensive review of the major fish species caught on Gold Coast fishing charters.
Snapper: This is perhaps the most popular fish caught. It is beautiful to eat. It can be caught any time of the year but tends to be most plentiful during the summer months of the year. Caught in both estuaries as well as over shallow and deep reefs.
Pearl Perch: Caught over the deeper reefs around 10-15 nautical miles out. The best time is when ocean currents are gentle. Great to eat.
Teraglin: Similar to a small mulloway. A voracious school fish and is the most common catch on the closer reefs. The average size caught is 45-50 cm all year round. Generally the larger fish up to one metre are caught as you go into deeper waters.
Mackeral: Four species of mackeral are caught as follows: Tuna, Spotted, Spanish and Slimy. Tuna Mackeral are caught up to 10 kg. and commonly caught over the closer reefs. Much maligned eating quality because of it’s dark red meat, but properly prepared it is quite good for eating. A strong fighting fish. Spotted Mackeral grow up to 3-7 kg with Spanish Mackeral growing from 5-15 kg. Best time to catch them is toward the end of summer going into autumn. Caught mostly over shallow inshore reefs. Slimy Mackeral are caught small around 200-500 g. They are an oily fish that is good for smoking, pickling and an excellent bait fish for marlin and wahoo
Wahoo: A fast swimming big fish with big teeth. Provides a dynamic fight. Excellent eating with white flesh.
Cobia: A large free swimming fish usually weighing in at 5-25 kg. An opportunistic feeder caught over the full range of fishing grounds. Tend to be most available in conjunction with the whale season.
Black Marlin: The best months are from December through to February over the shallower reefs. The size is usually between 20-60 kg although much bigger Marlin are caught 25 nautical miles out.
Mahi Mahi: A large spectacular fish to behold with a flashy appearance. Sometimes swims up to the boat.
Kingfish, Amberjack: These fish are great fighters and are usually caught over the deeper reefs.
Flathead: Usually caught over sand banks but also in deeper waters. The larger ones are female and are protected.
Bream: Scavenger fish . Likes the cover provided by rocky headlands. Good eating. Other fish species that you can expect to catch on a Gold Coast fishing charter include: shark and whiting and a number of less common species.
If you have chosen or are contemplating going out on a Gold Coast fishing charters make certain to get in touch with an expert in Kim Raymond. Kim is a keen fisherman himself with lots of knowledge, experience and honesty to answer all your questions and make certain you make the makest choices to suit you and your people.