Species: Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus)
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date: July 16, 2018
The north is a tough place. If the elements don’t kill you, there’s always the next power-hungry leader, plague, or toothy beast waiting in line to give it their best shot.
Though civilizations north of the equator have more or less dominated the rest of the world for all of human history, their rule has rarely been uncontested. Even the most beneficent societies have elements of darkness waiting to overtake the light, these elements that so crave power or those that often achieve it — for better or worse.
In fact, some leaders have led to power specific cultures so predominantly violent, vile, and vilified (turns out V is for more than just vendettas) that history remembers them as such.
From the Vikings to the Scythians to the Mongol Hordes, darkness has found its place in the north many times.
These societies could best be viewed as a scourge on all those they encountered.
*cut to scene of violence, rape, pillaging*
While one culture may choose to raise its children, another may vie to raze them.
In modern times, a balance of power seemed to exist in a place viewed by many as the pinnacle of modern achievement. A place piggybacked on the success and dominance of its neighbor to the south, the United States.
We speak, of course, of Canada.
From it’s legendary cleanliness to its legendary friendliness, Canada is paradise. At least, it was.
Its innocent utopia was interrupted by something terrible that has since become a scourge —
*cue epic instrumental music*
a Scourge of the North.
*cue opening credits*
***
Enter Ontario.
The beautiful province, by far Canada’s most populous (it accounts for one-third of the entire country) is a land of extremes. From sprawling lakefront to modern cityscape to quaint farming communities, Ontario has a little of everything.
Toronto, the nation’s largest city, is nothing short of spectacular. It is the second-most diverse place on earth, second only to Queens, New York, and it shows in the food, the architecture, and the people.
Of course, it’s the food that got and held my attention.
I landed in the Buffalo and immediately took my rental car across the border.
My first night in Toronto, one of just two I had there, didn’t pan out.
At this point, I was about three weeks into a stint away from home that had started in Florida, and I’d yet to go out and get skunked fishing, so of course it happened that night.
I fished a park and saw a few skittish micros dart away from my headlamp but walked away empty-handed.
That night, I drowned my misery in way too much delicious Nepali food.
***
The next morning got off to a good start.
It didn’t take me long to find the best donut place in town. Sorry, this is Canada.
It didn’t take me long to find the best doughnut place in town: Glory Hole Doughnuts.
The lightly sweet cake donut was covered in a light, crème fraîche-like frosting topped with crumbled breadcrumbs.
It was so wonderful in its simplicity and light-yet-buttery taste that I had no problem buying all of the donuts they had left, which, thankfully for my overworked pancreas, was just three.
I paired it with Toronto’s most famous coffee chain, the one with the yellow lid, Jimmy’s Coffee.
Fat and happy, I set my sights on the sights.
I did a little touring around the city, which, mid-morning, meant sitting in traffic. The weather was intermittently bad or not great, so that wasn’t the worst thing.
Deciding that the CN Tower looked close enough to the one’s I’d visited in Seattle and Auckland, New Zealand, I opted to just visit a museum.
This brought me to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). I found this funny because I’d just finished reading a book, Calculating God, which took place there. It’s an interesting read about aliens, God, and the foundations of the universe and holds a surprisingly not-hostile secular viewpoint towards Creationism which made it unique in and of itself.
Anywho, the ROM proved to be just another museum — albeit a good one — so I finally felt like I’d soaked in enough cutlure to justify fishing for the rest of the trip.
I had to be back in Buffalo for a conference the next day, so it was now or never.
I settled on a park where I proceeded to quickly catch a small fish, a Round Goby.
Then I caught another.
Then a salmon angler returned, filleted his catch, and threw the carcass near where I was fishing from shore. In less than two minutes, it was covered in swarming black monsters.
The Scourge of the North!
***
Round Gobies were introduced (most believe) from the ballast water of a ship from the Old World and have found their way into most of the Great Lakes.
They now dominate the biomass and can be found anywhere and everywhere in this region.
Apart from a few sunfish and perch, I didn’t catch another species that trip to Toronto. No sculpins. No shiners. No nothing.
It was honestly kind of tragic.
Fortunately, I reached out to Ken Tse (http://muskiebaitadventures.blogspot.com/), albeit a little late on my part, and he gave me some spots that redeemed the trip.
I killed all of the invasive monsters, but like the unwashed hordes many had to endure in days of yore, I couldn’t outrun this scourge…
#SpeciesQuest // #CaughtOvgard
Read the next entry in #SpeciesQuest here: Species #158 — Shorthead Redhorse.
Well I truly liked studying it. This post provided by you is very practical for good planning.
lvj016
qmhv4x
pad6dz
8c0m0h
h6bg00
4w5k5g
2vvg9q
c9dn3x
am6gw1
9i5w8v
hu4y56
60xy2i
Throughout this awesome design of things you’ll receive a B+ with regard to effort and hard work. Exactly where you actually confused everybody was first in all the details. As they say, the devil is in the details… And that couldn’t be more true right here. Having said that, permit me inform you just what did work. Your text is certainly extremely convincing and that is probably the reason why I am making an effort in order to comment. I do not really make it a regular habit of doing that. Next, despite the fact that I can certainly see the jumps in reasoning you make, I am not necessarily confident of exactly how you appear to unite the details which inturn help to make the conclusion. For right now I will, no doubt subscribe to your issue however wish in the near future you actually connect your dots much better.
tzg1np
pboccs
e6vtkv
qj390m
094ucs
I was very pleased to find this web-site.I wanted to thanks for your time for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you blog post.
I’d must verify with you here. Which is not something I normally do! I get pleasure from reading a submit that may make folks think. Also, thanks for allowing me to remark!
To the caughtovgard.com admin, Thanks for the well-structured and well-presented post!
ci9on7
Hello would you mind letting me know which web host you’re working with?
I’ve loaded your blog in 3 completely different web browsers and I
must say this blog loads a lot faster then most. Can you recommend a
good internet hosting provider at a honest price? Thank you, I appreciate it!
Hello caughtovgard.com admin, Your posts are always well researched.
Some genuinely nice stuff on this website , I enjoy it.
I have been exploring for a little for any high-quality articles or weblog posts in this sort of space . Exploring in Yahoo I ultimately stumbled upon this site. Studying this info So i am satisfied to convey that I have an incredibly just right uncanny feeling I found out exactly what I needed. I most indubitably will make certain to do not fail to remember this site and give it a look on a continuing basis.
Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your content seem to be running off the screen in Chrome. I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know. The style and design look great though! Hope you get the issue fixed soon. Many thanks
Thankyou for this post, I am a big big fan of this website would like to go on updated.
What is ProNerve 6? ProNerve 6 is a doctor-formulated nutritional supplement specifically marketed to individuals struggling with nerve pain.
I do agree with all the ideas you have presented in your post. They are really convincing and will certainly work. Still, the posts are too short for newbies. Could you please extend them a little from next time? Thanks for the post.
I believe this internet site has some really fantastic info for everyone. “The best friend is the man who in wishing me well wishes it for my sake.” by Aristotle.
What is ProNerve 6? ProNerve 6 is your complete arrangement made to address the multifaceted necessities of nerve wellbeing
I too conceive therefore, perfectly written post! .
I like this post, enjoyed this one appreciate it for posting.
Thank you for sharing with us, I think this website genuinely stands out : D.
I not to mention my pals were found to be reading through the best techniques on your web page and the sudden came up with an awful suspicion I never expressed respect to the web site owner for those secrets. Most of the young men happened to be as a consequence excited to see them and have now quite simply been tapping into these things. I appreciate you for being really considerate and also for going for varieties of useful resources most people are really desirous to know about. Our own sincere regret for not expressing appreciation to sooner.
Hi my friend! I wish to say that this article is amazing, great written and come with almost all important infos. I would like to peer more posts like this .
Thank you for sharing excellent informations. Your site is very cool. I’m impressed by the details that you?¦ve on this blog. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this website page, will come back for more articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found simply the info I already searched everywhere and simply couldn’t come across. What a great website.
Thank you for every one of your hard work on this website. Ellie loves managing research and it’s really easy to understand why. My partner and i learn all of the lively manner you make great tricks on this web site and welcome participation from other people about this area while our own girl is actually studying a lot of things. Enjoy the remaining portion of the new year. You’re performing a really good job.
Having read this I thought it was very informative. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this article together. I once again find myself spending way to much time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it!
I like the helpful information you provide in your articles. I’ll bookmark your blog and check again here frequently. I am quite sure I’ll learn plenty of new stuff right here! Good luck for the next!
Simply wanna input on few general things, The website style is perfect, the articles is rattling fantastic : D.
The next time I read a weblog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as a lot as this one. I mean, I do know it was my option to read, however I actually thought youd have one thing interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about one thing that you could repair when you werent too busy in search of attention.
Hi caughtovgard.com administrator, You always provide great examples and real-world applications.
To the caughtovgard.com owner, You always provide useful links and resources.
This was a very well-written article. The author’s perspective was fascinating and left me with much to consider. Let’s talk more about this. Feel free to check out my profile for more related reads.
It?¦s actually a great and helpful piece of information. I am happy that you simply shared this helpful information with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.
Hello, you used to write magnificent, but the last few posts have been kinda boringK I miss your great writings. Past few posts are just a little bit out of track! come on!
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your sites really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your website to come back later. All the best
Hello.This article was really interesting, particularly because I was searching for thoughts on this subject last Sunday.
It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
Thanks , I’ve recently been looking for info about this subject for ages and yours is the best I’ve discovered till now. But, what about the bottom line? Are you sure about the source?
I wanted to compose you the bit of word to finally thank you again for all the spectacular tricks you’ve provided on this website. It’s simply extremely open-handed of people like you to provide unreservedly all a few people would’ve made available for an ebook to end up making some profit for themselves, and in particular now that you could possibly have done it if you ever wanted. The solutions in addition acted to be a great way to realize that other people have the same desire much like mine to understand whole lot more around this condition. I know there are many more pleasant moments up front for those who read your blog.
Some truly great info , Gladiolus I observed this.
Hi, just required you to know I he added your site to my Google bookmarks due to your layout. But seriously, I believe your internet site has 1 in the freshest theme I??ve came across. It extremely helps make reading your blog significantly easier.
I adore studying and I conceive this website got some truly utilitarian stuff on it! .
This blog is definitely rather handy since I’m at the moment creating an internet floral website – although I am only starting out therefore it’s really fairly small, nothing like this site. Can link to a few of the posts here as they are quite. Thanks much. Zoey Olsen
I’m extremely impressed together with your writing talents as smartly as with the layout for your blog. Is that this a paid subject or did you customize it your self? Anyway stay up the excellent quality writing, it’s rare to look a great weblog like this one today..
I haven¦t checked in here for some time since I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are good quality so I guess I¦ll add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂
Heya i am for the primary time here. I came across this board and I find It truly useful & it helped me out a lot. I’m hoping to give one thing again and aid others like you aided me.
Really great info can be found on web blog.
Hello, you used to write excellent, but the last several posts have been kinda boring… I miss your tremendous writings. Past few posts are just a little out of track! come on!
Excellent post. I was checking continuously this blog and I am impressed! Extremely helpful information specifically the last part 🙂 I care for such information much. I was looking for this particular information for a long time. Thank you and best of luck.
Tonic Greens: An Overview Introducing Tonic Greens, an innovative immune support supplement meticulously crafted with potent antioxidants, essential minerals, and vital vitamins.
I’m not sure why but this website is loading incredibly slow for me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end? I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.
Thank you for helping out, good info. “In case of dissension, never dare to judge till you’ve heard the other side.” by Euripides.
Hey there, You have done a great job. I will definitely digg it and personally suggest to my friends. I am sure they will be benefited from this web site.
Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking back frequently!
I am now not certain where you are getting your info, but good topic. I must spend a while finding out more or understanding more. Thanks for wonderful info I was on the lookout for this information for my mission.
Do you have a spam problem on this website; I also am a blogger, and I was curious about your situation; we have developed some nice procedures and we are looking to trade techniques with others, be sure to shoot me an email if interested.
I have learn some excellent stuff here. Definitely value bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how so much effort you place to create this type of wonderful informative website.
I¦ve been exploring for a bit for any high quality articles or weblog posts in this sort of area . Exploring in Yahoo I finally stumbled upon this site. Studying this information So i¦m satisfied to convey that I’ve an incredibly just right uncanny feeling I found out just what I needed. I most certainly will make certain to don¦t disregard this site and give it a glance on a relentless basis.
Some truly nice and useful info on this site, likewise I conceive the pattern has got great features.
It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this subject, but you sound like you realize what you’re speaking about! Thanks
Great write-up, I¦m normal visitor of one¦s blog, maintain up the excellent operate, and It is going to be a regular visitor for a lengthy time.
Pretty portion of content. I simply stumbled upon your blog and in accession capital to say that I acquire actually enjoyed account your weblog posts. Anyway I’ll be subscribing on your augment or even I achievement you get right of entry to consistently rapidly.
I am glad to be a visitant of this gross web site! , thankyou for this rare information! .
Howdy! Someone in my Facebook group shared this website with us so I came to give it a look. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m book-marking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Wonderful blog and fantastic design.