Most people hear diet and think of a table with a small plate and three tiny portions of food on that small plate. Or worse yet a shake for breakfast, lunch and a small meal at dinner. That stuff is for the birds if all your going to do is lose the weight and gain it again in six months. You need to get in shape and change your life style in order to successfully lose weight over a long period.

Gaining weight is a natural process that occurs in the human body from the extra ingestion of calories and not working those calories off in a normal daily routine. If you want to lose weight you have to work those calories off and not eat more calories than you use in a day. It is not as hard as it is often made out to sound.

There are so many fad diets and gadgets and gizmos to lose weight, diet and exercise that a whole industry is out there for it. You don't need to go to all the trouble of dieting with some special program or fancy kit full of cards and count calories. You don't need to buy any special foods or go with one particular type, such as low carb or no carb.

These are all ways to lose money, not weight. Sure some people have lost weight and kept it off this way but the most successful way to lose weight is to change your life, not the things you eat. Yes you will change some of what you eat but not all of it and not to the degree that some would say you should.

In order to successfully lose weight takes some common sense, not a some fancy diet plan. What you need to do is get your butt off the couch and out for some exercise. And you need to do this a few times a day to lose weight. Not just for ten minutes a day, try an hour a day to start. You need to look at what you do and change that.

The whole thing with weight lose is not that whatever diet you are trying is not working, it's that the diet does not conform to your life. If you do not follow a diet, what good is it. Diets are not so much eating the small amounts of only healthy foods, as eating the right amounts of all the things your supposed to be eating and exercising.

I have learned to hate the word diet, as when I hear it, the first thing that occurs to me is what do I have to pay for now, some special plan, or a book, or special food only available at certain stores. That's the problem with diets, people think the wrong things about them. If you just look at what you eat and alter it to fit your lifestyle and how much you exercise, you will not have to “DIET”. You can do the things like eat ice cream with chocolate syrup, or pig out at a buffet once in a while and not have to worry about starving later.

The major problem with people today is they live a sedentary life, that means that we drive everywhere, walk only when needed and get no exercise unless it's absolutely necessary. If we walked more, biked to work and went out for a walk or jog every day we could take the weight off and keep it off. It's not hard to do, just get out and do it. If you need incentive look down and pull up your shirt. It only takes the motivation to get out and get working. You have no excuse to not get out and get some exercise, anything someone can come up with can be countered with some other form of exercise.

Exercise can be anything that get the blood moving and the muscles working, walking, running, jogging, biking, jump roping, even walking up and down the steps of your apartment building. If some one says they have no place to run or walk, then I say walk in the mall. Any mall is open at least six days a week and has dozens of people doing the same thing. All it takes is getting out and working off the weight.

Walk to work or at least park further away and walk a few blocks there. Park at the back of the parking lot when you go shopping, so you have some walking to do to get to and from the store. Take a quiet walk in the evening, with a friend or by yourself. Walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator or escalator. All it takes is some work to get some effort into your life.

When people say to me and I have heard a lot of it, they can't lose weight because… the first thing I think of is why are they complaining instead of doing. If they can't work out for some health reason, then they need to see their doctor to find out what they can do. But to the ones who say they can't get out and walk because it's boring, than they have no incentive enough to try and diet and lose weight.

If you want to lose weight, get out and do it, don't whine about it. Get some exercise, and eat right. It doesn't take a book or special foods to eat right. Everyone is taught in school the four food groups and such. You eat some fruit, vegetables, meat, and breads or cereals and in the right portions and your all set. If you want to get information about portion control, go ahead and look it up on the internet, but you don't really need to. Common sense comes into play here.

A bucket of chicken does not make a meal for one. Or two or even three. You should use your common sense and eat healthy. Use the information put out by the FDA and the government on their web site for a well balanced meal. There web site explains in pretty easy terms what I'm talking about. http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/wh-nutr.html

If you don't understand about the food groups now, it's now a pyramid and not the four groups try the Department of Agricultures site here: http://www.mypyramid.gov/

You can get an idea of what I'm talking about if you look at what you eat and what you should be eating. Every day you should be getting about 1500 to 2500 calories a day depending on your size. If you are a woman you should be getting the lower end of this and for the bigger people you will be at the higher end. If you want to lose weight you should go for the lower end of this. It is not as hard as you might think to get less calories and still be well fed and not hungry.

Eat more vegetables and fruit, raw preferably. Eat things that are more able to fill you up like watermelon or cantaloupe. Eat healthy snacks like granola bars or popcorn with little or no butter. Use meal planning to make healthy meals like salads as the main course. Or go with things like small meat portions and large vegetable portions with a fruit for desert. You can look at some of the information at the web sites I mentioned about portion controls and use common sense to see that you are eating too much of the bad stuff.

I have been at the weight I am because of regular exercise, and eating healthy regularly. I eat what ever candy bars I want for snacks, occasionally. I have ice cream and such on occasion but I do not pig out on it. I have the ice cream once or twice a week and a small bowl, not a huge eight or ten scoop bowl. I also eat good healthy meals, I have salads for meals quite often, I always have large portions of vegetables and fruit and get plenty of exercise.

It's not hard if you just get your mind around to having to work to get into shape instead of that quick fix that Americans seem to believe in but never happen. That is one of the problems with weight lose, people always want instant gratification and results instead of having to work for what they get.

If you work for what you want, you can get it. There is no pill, magic potion, or special diet that will transform you overnight into the shapely figure of an athlete. It takes work and patience. If you get out and exercise, and eat the right foods in the correct portions you can lose weight and keep it off.

In order to lose weight and keep the weight off, exercise and eat right.

Why do women go to the bathroom in pairs or even better in groups? Boys think we go together to do something like kiss or hold hands but they are very wrong.

If you go in a group, it implies that you're going there to gossip and be sociable. If you go alone, the only suggestion is that you have to urinate, which is less glamorous

I have surveyed several women to find the top 10 reasons why they don't go to the ladies room alone:

1. Lonely: Women tend to get lonely and in a social situation the last thing you want to do is be alone in the ladies room so why not go with your friends?

2. Scared/Dangerous: Some women are scared, I mean you don't know when a male will follow you into the bathroom or what could happen in there. Especially in pubs, clubs and bars, you need to very careful and two heads are better than one!

3. Exchange make up and beauty tips: When your out and about, you need to always look your best. So women go into the bathroom with each other to exchange make up, fix each others hair, touch up their lippy and cleaning alcohol spills on each others clothing.

4. Talk about a bad date: Women tend to go on dates which don't work out that well and sometimes they date in groups. You'll notice them wander off to the ladies room with her friends so she can talk about how bad her blind date is with his 70's disco pants.

5. Take off their shoes and complain about sore feet: When women go out, they tend to wear heels on certain occasions even when they are uncomfortable!! So where else can you slip your shoes off comfortably while complaining to a friend? The Ladies room of course.

6. To talk for a few minutes in private: Where else can you talk privately at a party or a club with no one else around, only the ladies room so sneak in there and take a few minutes with your friends.

7. Too shy to walk across the whole bar alone: Of course this is embarrassing, imagine having to walk to the ladies room which is on the other side of the bar and there is a cute guy sitting there. How will you act when walking past? Definitely a place and time to go with a friend so you can wander on by while laughing as though your having a great time!

8. Talk about a cute guy going into the boys room: Of course you see a cute guy going in to the mens room and you and your friend want to talk all about him and then want to 'accidentally' walk out at the same time he does….

9. Wait in line at a party or in a club: A lot of times when you go out to parties, you need to wait your turn before going to the toilet so women like to go the same time and line up together while gossiping about the music or food. If you have to wait, save time later and wait together!

10. Gossiping about other women: Last but not least, where are we suppose to talk about the other girls dresses in private without them hearing? In the ladies room of course!!! We go in there to discuss what they're wearing, who their boyfriend is and why they are dancing that way!

When women go to the bathroom together, they don't really go to urinate, instead it's to gossip, exchange make up tips and talk about a bad date.

So here are the top 10 reasons to understand REALLY why we women go to the bathroom together! Remember this next time your lady needs to go to the bathroom half a dozen times in one night!

For years now, I've been hearing that MM was a size 14. This is bull. The “14″ that she wore is the equivalent of about a size 8 today. Dress sizes were calibrated differently back then. Who in their right mind can look at pictures of MM and honestly say she looks like today's size 14? On top of that, some accounts list MM's height as 5-2. She certainly wasn't tall. She had what would be considered a proportionate figure for her height. No size 14 today, at 5-2 or even 5-4, looks proportionate. A 5-2 frame that requires a contemporary size 14 is quite a chunky shape. People need to stop making MM this standard of size and comparing her to today's average woman, who stands 5-4 and weights 144.

Now that I got that off my chest, I am in favor of banning too-thin models from runways, but only, I suppose, if proof can be drawn up that these particular models have eating disorders. Is it possible for a 5-10 woman to naturally, without severe dieting, weigh 110 pounds? Maybe a family history is in order; were they always very thin, since childhood? Are the parents very thin? This might verify natural thinness. As a personal trainer, I've had a few clients who were naturally thin and wanted to gain weight.

On the other hand, were the models in question heavier as adolescents? This suggests severe dieting in an attempt to get runway work. However, severe calorie restriction doesn't always mean anorexia. Anorexics have a body image distortion. A true anorexic weighs a lot less than these runway models. Anorexics' weight often plummets to below 80 pounds. At the same time, they still think they are fat.

Runway models may be very self-conscious about their weight, but they don't necessarily think they are “fat.” They may think their jobs are on the line if they go above 101 pounds. But this doesn't mean they suffer from body image distortion. What's really happening is that their bosses or whomever is in charge of these shows, has informed them that they'd better not go above a certain weight.

I tend to believe that typically, these models already know how thin they are, and perhaps many of them don't like it. But to keep their $10,000 per day gigs, they hardly eat. They also know that when they retire, they'll eat up and enjoy food once more. This isn't anorexia or an eating disorder. It is a willful attempt to keep their weight down in order to keep a high-paying job.

So I think it's wrong to collectively label all ultra-skinny models as having an eating disorder. I'm sure they all know they are super thin. How could any of them think they're fat? What fat person could get a runway job in Paris? Most anorexics are average women with average lives, as opposed to ballerinas, gymnastics and models-as the media would have you believe.

I'd also like to see the proof that the thinness of fashion models is the driving force behind the anorexia rate in females. Why must we assume that young, “impressionable” girls aspire to look like these models in the first place? Maybe adolescent and teen girls instead would rather look like Mia Hamm or Annika Sorenstam. After all, these and other top female athletes are more famous than some nameless model strutting down the runway.

Most TV and film stars are not “very skinny.” Ever notice that whenever the topic of skinny actresses come up, it's always the same five or six names mentioned? That's because the vast majority of big-name actresses are not emaciated or stick thin. So why would girls be clamoring to look like those five or six? In other words, it's a myth that girls become anorexic-truly anorexic-in an attempt to look like Nicole Ritchie (who became famous while still plump) or Calista Flockhart.

Doesn't it make more sense that they'd want to look like a wealthier, more successful star, such as Madonna, Mariah Carey, Beyonce or Jennifer Lopez? These stars have much more celebrity status than Lara Flynn Boyle or Miss Runway Model. As big a star that Madonna is, why aren't more teenaged girls hitting the gym? Madonna is obviously a gym rat, with her spectacular muscles. I'll tell you why girls aren't pumping iron to look like Madonna, or eating more to look like Kelly Clarkson or Oprah. It's because, the truth is, it's a myth that girls truly want to look like celebrities. Ask what these girls want to be when they grow up. How many of them will say a TV star or music star? For Pete's sake, many anorexics want to be veterinarians, doctors, engineers, computer specialists, or go into business.

Anorexia begins in the home, with skewered family dynamics. Stop blaming celebrities. Look no further than parents who expect perfection from their vulnerable daughters. If celebrities are to blame, then what makes BOYS become anorexic? One percent of anorexics are male. Know any male movie stars who are stick thin? I can't think of one. Know any male models who are stick thin? I can't think of one. Show me an underwear male model who's a skinny toothpick. The fact that boys and young men can develop anorexia clearly proves that family dynamics are at the helm of this disease. In an attempt to feel some control in their lives, these kids become anorexic, going overboard in controlling food intake; and it just snowballs from there. Celebrities have nothing to do with this.

My husband and I love to eat fresh garden vegetables. However, our house is surrounded by tall trees that block much of the day's sunlight. This is great in the summer when we want to keep our house cool. It's not so good when we want to grow plants in our yard.

I did some research and found out we can grow vegetables in our shady backyard. The following vegetables will grow in the dappled light from our trees. With only 3 to 6 hours of sunlight each day, we can grow delicious vegetables.

Lettuce

Lettuce does well in a shaded vegetable garden. As long as this leafy vegetable receives some sunlight, it will produce nutritious food for your family. Grow some lettuce in your shade vegetable garden and purchase tomatoes and carrots from your local farmer's market for a healthy salad.

Broccoli

I was very excited to learn I can grow broccoli in the shade. Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables. It's a healthy vegetable my family can eat raw or steamed. My toddler is also a big fan of these mini trees. Fresh, raw broccoli is another tasty addition to salad.

Cauliflower

Another shade loving vegetable is cauliflower. Like broccoli, cauliflower can be eaten raw with a healthy vegetable dip or steamed. We like to steam and mash our cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes.

Swiss Chard

Chard will grow in a shade vegetable garden as well. I recently read about chard in a magazine. I had never heard of this vegetable before, but I am eager to try it this year. You can cook the leaves as you would prepare spinach and you can eat the stalks as you would eat asparagus. I am excited to try growing chard this year.

Onions

Onions can grow in partial shade. Onions can be used to season soups and steaks or they can be grilled and eaten on their own. You can plant onions with a strong flavor or sweet onions. Growing onions in your shade vegetable garden can help round out your selection.

Parsley

All right. You've got me. Parsley isn't a vegetable. However, this herb can grow in partial shade and can be a flavorful addition to your shade vegetable garden. It's always nice to have some fresh herbs on hand.

Don't be discouraged if you have a shady yard. You can still grow healthy vegetables. By growing what you can in your shade vegetable garden and buying the rest of your vegetables from a reputable famer's market, you will provide your family with nutritious and natural meals all season long.

Sources

Colleen Vanderlinden , In the Garden Online, http://www.inthegardenonline.com/picks_10vegforshadeC21.htm

Vegetable Gardening in Containers, http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/container/container.html

Occasionally I try a product that works so well I've got to tell everybody. The Revlon Ionic Hot Air Kit is that product for me!

I have fine thin hair that I'm unable to style as well as my hairdresser does. Part of the problem is I don't have enough hands. First I wind a section of hair around a brush (for which I need both hands) then I have to pick up my blow dryer while holding the end of the brush. The sequence continues. . . put down the dryer, pick up another section of hair, wind it up, pick up the dryer. It's tedious, wears my arms out and when I'm finally done, my hair is still not smooth. So then I have to flat iron every section. Whew!

Well, it's smooth now! The Revlon Ionic Hot Air Kit hair blower brush combo has solved my problems and I LOVE IT! It dries my hair fast even though I use it on the low setting. There are two sizes of brushes that click on and off. Very easy!

I've attached a photo of the kit as it looks displayed in Kmart so it's easy to see what you're buying. The brushes are 1″ and 1 1/2″ and the dryer is shown with the concentrator attached. You can use the ionic capability by pressing the button which lights up so you know it's on. The whole unit is lightweight, easy to handle and even better, hair stays wrapped around the barrel without getting tangled.

Here's the technique:

You can get hair very straight and still put volume at the roots by the way you hold the dryer. Wrap your hair strand and let it dry a few seconds, then gently pull down the length of the strand. You get lift and straight, shiny hair with no frizz. If I spray my hair with a shaper type hair spray after I finish drying and then use the flat iron on the top layer of hair I can make my style last for days. But I can skip the flat iron step, be finished in a hurry and still look presentable.

Another handy tip:

I like to walk in the mornings but wind and humidity can destroy my hair for the day. I can put on a ball cap which keeps the top of my hair from frizzing. My ends, even when placed beneath the ball cap, can lose their straight lines. I spritz with a fine mist of water, use the 1 1/2″ brush and presto! I'm back to straight with a light curve.

My hair is thin, dry, over processed and looks fuzzy/frizzy very easily but not when I dry it with this appliance and the above techniques.

We travel a lot and this is all I need to take with me. No more do I have to pack two sizes of brushes, a blow dryer, a flat iron and sectioning clips.

If there's a negative, it's that the cool dry doesn't work like it does on my big old hairdryer. It will blow cool if you never heat up the brush attachments but when your metal brush attachment is already hot, it simply can't suddenly become cool. The purpose for the cool blow at the end of drying is to keep the style and lift of the hair and I get that anyway with my technique.

To read reviews from lots of people (about 50) with all different types of hair go to amazon.com and put the following words in the search box: Revlon RV440C 1200W Ionic Hot Air Dryer and Styler

My dryer was bought a year ago and it's holding up fine. I'm so happy with it that if something happens to it I'll be heading out to purchase another. I've saved tons of money by not going to the hairdresser every week. Buy it at some place like Kmart or Walgreen's and, if worse comes to worse and you don't like it, you can return it with no hassle. Happy hair drying.

Yes dear readers, it has finally happened to me. I felt the burn, the evil, the displaced rage of rejection from employers, all because my head is too big. It is the only reason that I can attribute my lack of success in attaining meaningless employment. I track it back to my high school graduation, where my high school had to order my graduation rectangle hat special while everyone else received there cap the day of rehearsal. I think they made my cap from a left over freakishly large box-kite frame.

Believe me, the suffering and humiliation of it all. I coached softball once and everyone had to wear a ball cap. The strap adjuster was “set” on the last hole. The cap should had fit but did not. I wore it like a catcher does backwards all the time. Once I had to umpire a softball game and the cap fell off on home plate covering the plates edge. A kid was to slide into home, and instead slid into the brim of my cap missing the plate. I had to rule against the run and than I was forced into retirement.

My large cranium has stretched and broken countless pair of eye glasses. One security company refused to hire me because of no experience but I think it is because the size of my head would be an easy target for a fist or a bullet. Nicknames like “Bowling Ball Head” or “Moon Head” have always plagued me. At one office party they needed a pinata, and modeled it in the shape of my head. With all the people who want rights mandated against discrimination, Perhaps I should to jump on this band wagon all because of my large cranium. Big headed people should unite. If a bird lands on your head, if a cap doesn't fit if you cant find a job, if your neck is sore from holding up your big head, this writer understands. As you age it may be easier to say no, or to say yes when asked a question. If you nod in either of these situations you risk a back, or neck sprain or what lawyers and physicians refer to as a cervical neck sprain. Perhaps if you could prove it if a interviewer asks you to nod a yes or no, and you do and receive an injury and do not get the job, perhaps there could be a question of liability. If an employer reads this stop the abuse of all people with big heads. We have rights too.

The fact that the dietary habits of mothers can impact the future health of their unborn children is no longer seriously doubted. Beginning with the first reports conclusively linking a reduced maternal intake of the B-complex vitamin folic acid with a higher incidence of neural tube defects (Yen et al, 1992), dietary habits of the expectant mother have been shown to cause other health concerns in the newborn (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Low Birth Weight/Preterm Labor among women who smoke during pregnancy, etc.).

Recently, several studies have appeared in the medical literature that further emphasize the importance of proper prenatal diet and other factors that may be of benefit in reducing the incidence of serious, long term pediatric health problems.

The most alarming of these studies appeared in the August, 2006 issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood in which Karen Linnert and associates demonstrate an apparent link between preterm delivery, low birth weight, and the hyperkinetic disorders.

In this study, 834 clinically confirmed cases of hyperkinetic disorder in children were compared to 20,100 age-matched controls that were enrolled in the Danish Psychiatric Registry. The investigators found that children born between 34-36 weeks gestation had nearly twice the risk of hyperkinetic disorder, while those born before 34 weeks gestation had nearly triple the risk.

Infants born at term with birth weights between 1500-2499 demonstrated a 90% increased risk of hyperkinetic disorder. Those with birth weights between 2500-2999 grams had a 50% increased risk compared with normal weight infants born at term.

Although the study investigated relative risk only and did not pose an explanation for the findings, several reviewers were of the opinion that the relative vulnerability of the “dopamine axis” may be at least part of the explanation for the findings reported.

Another recently study by Graham Devereuax and colleagues at the University of Aberdeen (United Kingdom) suggests that there may be a link between low maternal intake of vitamin E and the presence of asthma in their children at 5 years of age.

This study is actually an extension of a previously reported evaluation of the relationship between maternal ingestion of antioxidants (vitamins C and E) and trace elements (copper, selenium, magnesium) and the presence of wheezing in the absence of “colds.” The initial report found that reduced Vitamin E consumption correlated with a higher incidence of asthma symptoms at 2 years of age and further that the frequency of asthmatic symptoms was not lowered by the child's intake of any of these substances.

The more recent report is a continuation of the previously published report except that it demonstrates that the findings previously reported at 2 years of age seem to persist in children that are reexamined at 5 years. As in the first study, maternal vitamin E consumption appears to be the only variable that reduces the reported incidence of asthma symptoms. Both studies failed to demonstrate evidence that antioxidant and trace mineral consumption by the child had any effect on the underlying disease.

Comment

The results of the investigations mentioned above confirm what should be common knowledge (if not common sense): actions of the mother in the prenatal period will, more often that not, eventually have an impact of their child's health. These reports are in no way to be considered as all-inclusive simply because the medical literature seems to contain more and more reports of possible beneficial or harmful effects from a wide variety of substances. The operative word here is, of course, possible.

As is often the case with initial studies, these reports are based on relatively small populations drawn from relatively small areas. This may mean that the studies reported may either overestimate or underestimate the incidence of the disease being studied and/or the causal relationships put forth as possible contributing factors.

A second point that must be stressed is that can does not transliterate to will and that possible in not a synonym for always. The history of medicine clearly demonstrates that most “revolutionary” results will either be moderated by further research if not totally discredited.

The moral of the previous 2 paragraphs is this: take all that you read with several grains of salt. Do not “hop on the bandwagon” of some new treatment or newly identified cause of some condition. And above all, never use incomplete or untested theories as an excuse for your own irresponsibility.

Literature Consulted

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol Consumption Among Women Who Are Pregnant or Who Might Become Pregnant – - United States, 2002. MMWR 53(50); 1178-1181.

Devereux, Graham et al. Low Maternal Vitamin E Intake during Pregnancy Is Associated with Asthma in 5-Year-Old Children. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2006; 174: 499-507.

Kurtzweil, Paula. “How Folate Can Help Prevent Birth Defects.” FDA Consumer; July, 1996. Revised February, 1999.

Linnert, K. et al. Gestational age, birth weight, and the risk of hyperkinetic disorder. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2006; 91:655-660.

Martindale, S. et al. Antioxidant Intake in Pregnancy in Relation to Wheeze and Eczema in the First Two Years of Life.

American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2005 Vol. 171. pp. 121-128.

Ventura, S. et al.Trends and Variations in Smoking during Pregnancy and Low Birth Weight: Evidence from the Birth Certificate, 1990-2000.Pediatrics; Vol. 111 No. 5 May 2003, pp. 1176-1180.

Yen IH, Khoury MJ, Erickson JD, James LM, Waters GD,

BerryRJ. The changing epidemiology of neural tube defects: United States, 1968-1989. American Journal of Diseases of Children 1992; 146:857-861.

Disclaimer

The information presented in this article and its included links is of an informational nature only and is not intended as a recommendation of any changes in the reader's health care program. Before making any changes in diet, medications, or other treatments the reader is strongly advised to consult with their health care provider.

Anglers describe North Carolina’s Outer Banks as a world where the days are dictated more by the tide than the time. According to the locals, whenever stripers hit the water, everyone stops whatever they’re doing and goes fishing. The International Game Fish Association (IGFA) lists 92 world records for fish caught in Outer Banks waters, though some of those are now retired. While many anglers chose to fish with spinning gear or bait rods, the area has seen an increase in the number of flyrodders joining the ranks of die-hard anglers, who have become addicted to Carolina coastal fly-fishing.

Flyfishers can cast their lines year round in Albemarle Sound and Pamlico Sound for bluefish and schoolie stripers. The big stripers (a.k.a. rockfish) arrive by the end of November and usually stay through mid-March with the big bluefish showing up around this time as well. May brings gray trout and by June everything starts to come into both the ocean and the sound. While cobia and amberjack tend to be receptive initially to a fly, as the season progresses, they needed to be teased with a spinning rod and poppers.

While the infamous redfish tend not to arrive in the sound until July, some days in June and July you can have schools of 200 redfish weighing 20 to 40-lb. that can be caught on with a fly rod. However, no one can predict when these mystery fish will emerge around the mouth of the Oregon Inlet. So, it’s feast or famine when it comes to targeting reds in this region.

In July and August, some anglers fishing the Oregon Inlet stalk the Hound Fish (also called needlefish or the poor man’s tarpon). August and September brings flounder into the sound, while in September and October, the tricky Spanish mackerel and false albacore make their appearance in the ocean.

Other species that have been caught in the Outer Banks on a fly include: black tip shark, red drum, bluefin tuna, king mackerel, yellow fin tuna, speckled trout, spade fish, puppy drum, black drum, and jack cravalle. Freshwater enthusiasts can try their hand for largemouth bass and sunfish in Currituck Sound.

Inshore Fly-fishing
While a select number of flyrodders target offshore species, most flyfishers cast their lines into the brackish waters in Albemarle Sound, Currituck Sound Roanoke Sound and Pamlico Sound. Some anglers like to set out at sunrise or sunset, preferably on an incoming tide. However, David prefers to fish the full tide as it’s starting to fall, noting that each day is spot dependent. Brian DeHardt chimes in stating that some days the fish are there and other days, they’re nowhere to be found. Having said that, Brian has been fishing these waters for as long as he can remember and he can count on one hand the number of times he’s been skunked. Anglers should be able to cast 40 feet in order to increase their odds of having a successful fly-fishing day, however, rockfish can be caught on a beginner’s cast.

When fly-fishing the flats either by boat or wading, check out the grassy weed beds, the, deep channels with current flow, submerged grass beds, and marsh canals. David loves to kill his motor and left his boat drift over the flats. As the wind pushes him along, he’ll cast to the grassy weeds.

For many anglers, the rivers, banks, and bays of Albemarle Sound represent a fly-fisherman’s dream. These 350 miles of navigatable brackish water are fed by nine freshwater rivers and then diluted by the saltwater flowing from the Oregon Inlet. The high banks and bluff, marshes and swamp forest act as buffers against local storms. Also, flyrodders stalk their prey in the marshes around Duck Island and the town of Wanchese, home to Ricky Scarborough Boat Builders, Spencer Boat Works and other custom boat builders. In addition, check out Mann’s harbor in the spring and fall for schoolies, as these fish are more receptive to taking a fly when the water is cooler.

Wade fishing
David Rohde recommends checking out the half mile of flats along the Oregon Inlet Bridge, an area that provides opportunities for boating and wade fishing. After arriving in the parking lot, walk up to the propeller display commemorating the Liberty Ship. Then walk way down to the portion of the Oregon Inlet that is parallel to the bridge. Here anglers can find ample opportunities to land a schoolie. When the tide ebbs, flyfishers can try to land reds, flounder and speckled trout near the bridge. Also check out the south side of the inlet, which is 100 yards from the parking lot. Anglers can wade all around bridge on the east side, then cut across the highway and walk the bank up about 75 yards and cast their line into Green Island Slew flats.

Another hot spot for waders is Bodie Lighthouse, where anglers can target speckled trout and redfish in late May or early June through September. Flyfishers should stay close to shore because while the wading in this area may start off knee deep but after taking about five steps, there tends to be a sudden drop off. By walking north from the lighthouse, anglers will come to breaks where one can land flounder and reds. Also, in the spring and fall, anglers try the structure around the east end of the Currituck Bridge. Here the water tends to be knee to waist deep.

Fishing Gear
For most inshore fishing, an 8-wt. fly rod with a 15-12 lb. Flourcarbon tippet connected to a two-piece 20 to 30-lb. leader with 40-lb. butt should suffice. For targeting fish in deeper waters, try a 150-170 grain sink tip. Suggested flies include a good selection of deceivers, clousers, and crystal buggers. A stripping basket is recommended to keep the fly line from getting tangled. Most fly anglers prefer an 18-22 ft. bay style boat, though some adventurous flyfishers have started experimenting with fly-fishing from a kayak.

While there are no fly shops in the Outer Bank regions, TW’s Bait and Tackle Shop with locations in Corolla, Kitty Hawk and Nags Head offers a limited supply of fly rods, fly lines, leaders and flies. Also, call David Rohde to order some specialty flies. For anglers fishing by boat, check out the GMCO maps for a list of comprehensive waterproof maps that focus on specific areas of the Outer Banks (www.gmcomaps.com).

Effective January 1, 2007 a saltwater fishing license will be required for fishing the Outer Banks. Contact the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries at www.ncdms.net for information on fishing licenses and regulations for fishing these waters.

For complete information about planning an outdoors sporting vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina log on to www.outerbanks.org.

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Did you know you can attend traffic school more than once within 18 months?

If you're a licensed driver in California, then you may have fallen victim to the dreaded red and blue lights of a police vehicle or California Highway Patrol (CHP). Hopefully it was for something as simple as a speeding ticket than for something serious like a DUI (Driving Under the Influence).

If you have been lucky enough to not have received a minor traffic violation ticket, you should still keep reading as you may get one someday or you may know someone who has and this can help them.

What happens when you get a minor traffic violation (like a speeding ticket)?

Once you get pulled over, you have to sign a ticket… signing the ticket does not admit guilt; keep that in mind. Signing the ticket just means you make a promise to appear in court regarding this traffic violation.

Within about 2 weeks later, you will receive your courtesy notice from the court regarding your ticket. In the notice, you will be told your court date, your ticket fine, and if you can attend traffic school. Many people will opt to pay the additional fee of traffic school in order to keep the ticket off their DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) record and to keep their car insurance from going up.

Typically a minor moving violation such as a speeding ticket will result in one point on your DMV driving record. This one point could result in an increase of your car insurance by $30 per month. That's over $300 per year! Since a speeding ticket will stay on your DMV driving record for 3 years, your insurance could be affected by over $900!

How often can you go to traffic school?

In the courtesy notice from the court, you will be told you may attend traffic school if you have not previously attended traffic school within the past 18 months. If you choose to attend traffic school, you have a couple of options.

You can attend an authorized traffic school course such as the “Comedy Traffic School” or you can attend an approved online course. You are required to take a minimum of 8 hours of traffic school and must return your certificate of completion to the court by the required date. You will have to pay additional fees to the school as well – typically about $20 to $40 depending on the course.

But what happens if within the next 18 months you receive a second speeding ticket? Or even a third? Are you doomed to have that point show up on your DMV record and have your car insurance raised on you? No!

You can attend traffic school again under the California Vehicle Code Section 41501(a). A few points about this code: (1) You must appear in court and ask the Judge to grant you permission to attend traffic school under this code. (2) You must attend a minimum of 12 hours of traffic school – the Judge can mandate even more hours based on his/her choosing. (3) You cannot complete traffic school on-line.

This will still keep the point off of your DMV driving record and your car insurance will most likely not be affected by your traffic infraction.

What does California Vehicle Code Section 41501(a) actually say?

To read the actual vehicle code, go to: http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d17/vc41501.htm