Your need regarding Online Education In a nutshell, online education requires self-discipline, organization, and the ability to use modern technology. Students must be able to learn through written words, not audible words. And they must feel comfortable sharing information over the Internet. Students must also believe their education can be learned without ever stepping foot in a traditional classroom setting.

To determine whether or not online education is right for you, you need to be honest with yourself and ask the following questions?

Why do you really want to return to college?

Understanding the real reason for returning to college is vital to your success. If you’re returning to college just to have something to do in the evenings, returning to college is not for you. But if you are returning to college to better your lifestyle, get a raise, advance your career, or set an example for your children, then there’s a 90% chance you’ll not only complete your courses, but get a good education in the process.

Why do you want to pursue an online education instead of attending a traditional in-person college?

If you’re a social butterfly who flourishes when others are around, attending an online course may not be for you. If, on the other hand, you’re quiet and reserved, online education can be your ticket to success.

“Research indicates that quiet students often thrive in online courses,” says Dr. Stella Thompson, an online Assistant Professor of English at Prairie View A&M University. “This environment enables quiet students to consider a response and to compose and revise that response multiple times before making their knowledge public.”

Do you tend to quit a project due to lack of motivation?

If you can’t stay motivated on your own, an online institution is not your best choice for getting a degree. Attending an online college means you must be self-motivated. You won’t find the professor, or another student reminding you to get to work, stay on task, or turn your assignments in on time. “Completing a degree online demonstrates a tremendous commitment and discipline on behalf of the student,” says Shari Sterling, Director of Enrollment Management at Northcentral University. “The student must be self-motivated to be successful.”

Do you work better alone or with other people around?

Can you work in solitude? While you may be networking with other people through the Internet, you won’t see these people face-to-face and that can feel isolating at times. Do you need in-person study groups to help you complete assignments and shoot ideas off of, or can you find the same help from Internet interaction? Why does one method work better for you than the other?

Do you learn better by reading, by listening, or by seeing?

When you read information, do you comprehend what you’ve read easily or must you read the information several times to understand what is being said? If you find it difficult to comprehend information when read, and learn better through visual or audible techniques, you may want to find a traditional institution.

Can you write your thoughts down so others understand what points you are conveying?

Since online courses require the use of written words to ask and answer questions, as well as turning in assignments, you must be comfortable with sharing your ideas in written form.

How many hours can you devote to learning, studying, and homework?

You need to set aside time every day to work on your courses. Whether you’re researching, reading, completing an assignment, or meeting your classmates in an online forum, your education needs to have a priority in your busy schedule.

“Just because you don’t have to attend school at a particular time everyday, doesn’t mean you don’t need a daily or weekly regimen,” says Terri Main, an online instructor and teacher of 20 years. Your schedule “may vary from day to today, or simply be spending 30 minutes a day on your education, but it needs to be consistent.”

Does your work require you to travel a lot?

If you’re constantly away from your home computer, it can be difficult to get your assignments done. However, it’s not impossible. If you travel a lot, you’ll need to invest in a laptop computer and wireless Internet access.

Do you have a working computer in your home?

If your computer is over two years old, it could be outdated and unable to handle the demands of attending an online institution. You need to find out what kinds of software programs are needed for the course you plan to take and if your computer has enough RAM, and hard drive space. Keep in mind that you can use an older computer, but if it doesn’t have enough memory or space to run a particular program it will stall and freeze, which can be very frustrating and eventually cause you to quit.

Do you have dial-up Internet access or high-speed cable/DSL?

The courses you take will determine which Internet access is best. If you have dial-up Internet access, you’ll need to set aside more time for research, uploading, and downloading. Do you understand how the Internet works?

When taking online courses, you’ll need to understand more than just how to log onto the Internet. You’ll need to understand:

* how search engines work; * how to send and receive email; * how to attach documents in an email; * how to download programs or documents to your computer; * how to find downloads later, when you need them; * how to use hyperlinks; * how to use chat rooms, message boards, forums, or instant messaging and what the proper etiquette is; * how to protect your private information; and * how to protect your computer from hackers, spam, and viruses. Do you know how to cut and paste?

Sometimes you’ll need to take information you’ve written in one program and put it in another program. This is called “cut and paste.” If you don’t know how to do this, find out how before you begin your online education.

Do you find learning new computer programs easy or hard?

Depending on the online course you take, you may need to download new software programs. If you find it difficult to learn new computer technology, you’ll need to either set aside more time for learning, or take a traditional class. “Online learning can be completely dynamic and engaging! Whether it is due to health, excessive job travel, military personnel stationed overseas, or living in a remote or rural area, continuing your education and earning your degree online” is possible, says Sterling.

How can you use fossils as a teaching tool? In my classrooms over the years, fossils have never failed to spark fun and enthusiasm for learning about earth sciences. I have seen students, otherwise disengaged in activities of learning, become totally captivated with the process of uncovering the fossil hiding beneath the surface of soft rock.

Fossils connect students to the history of our planet. They can simultaneously imagine the situation of ancient life, while examining current habitats and species that could become the fossils of the future.

Perhaps you are looking to bring this sort of enthusiasm to your classroom or your children at home. Fossils inspire all sorts of questions. Consider these possibilities :

• How old is this? (Leading to the study of the Earth’s history.)
• What kind of animal was this? (Leading to zoology and species classification.)
• Where did it live? (Leading to habitats past and present, including botany.)
• How did it live? (Leading to a study of vital functionsmore zoology.)
• How did it form? (Back to a study of geology and earth science.)

The list seems endless. Fossils are not only attention-getters; they are also incredibly versatile as a teaching tool. Fossils make a great theme for integrated curriculum studies.

If you get creative, there are all types of stories to be written: factual, imaginative, and even poetry. Imaginations run wild when you hold the fossil of a long-extinct species in your hand. You could write tales of life on the ancient sea floor, or how that particular animal met its demise and became the fossil you are holding today. You could create an entire language arts curriculum around it!

If it’s math you’d like to kick into gear, working with the geologic time periods offers opportunities for scientific notation, exponents, scale (when placing them on a timeline), and comparisons between lifespan lengths. Then there are the geometric qualities of the shells and chitinous exoskeletons. You could study fractals or tessellations, just to name a couple possibilities.

The biology-related curriculum is obvious. Classification, developmental changes and adaptation to environment, vital functions, and predator-prey relationships are just a few of the possibilities for further in-depth study.

Likewise, geology takes on a new meaning when seen through the fossils’ eyes. The stone containing the fossil may have once been an ocean floor, a swampy bog, or a boulder-filled riverbed. As students look at the quality of the matrix that contains their fossil, they are inspired to think about the material and situation that created it.

It seems that using fossils as a teaching tool a creative teacher, parent, or student would find an endless promise of topics to study, limited only by the personal interest and creativity of the student.

There is truly nothing like a fossil to inspire! Your students will show you the way…and love you for letting them reach deep into their creativity to do it!

Claudia Mann is a teacher, and a contributor to www.fossils-facts-and-finds.com where you will find information that will help you pump up the enthusiasm in your classroom or home school setting. Go to there now for free fossil lesson plans, and activities you can use with your students today!

As a teacher, your class has just finished an intensive unit on tall tales, or perhaps an author’s study. You’ve read numerous examples of vivid, powerful writing, discussed these, pointed out the salient characteristics, listed the aspects of story that really brought them to life. All in all, an extremely rich, satisfying, language arts experience. So motivating, in fact, that you decide a terrific culminating activity would be to have students use what they learned as a jumping off point for creating stories of their own. Give the children an opportunity to apply the stuff of good writing to their own writing - using literature as the jumping off point.

Your students begin the writers’ workshop with a little less enthusiasm than you anticipated. Some students get off to a great start, but are “finishing” fifteen minutes later. They seem resistant to revision - after all, they’re “done”. Others spend an inordinate amount of time “thinking” about what to write about and cannot seem to put pencil to paper. Another student has visited the pencil sharpener about seventeen times, grinding the offending pencil into a stub. Meanwhile, some students, claiming to be involved in a “peer conference” are disrupting the class with chatter, another is “illustrating” while another is reading the latest Harry Potter book, looking for inspiration. Still other students launch into creative, but rambling tales that become near epics, from which a successful conclusion seems impossible. A number of students have their hands raised, or approach your desk, all wanting your attention and input at the same time. You have a knot in your stomach and are overwhelmed by the sense that things are spiraling out of control. Three weeks later you’ve managed to conduct individual conferences with only a handful of students, you’re needling, redirecting, challenging, and somehow it doesn’t seem as though much progress has been made. The luster has gone out of this project, that seemed so bright at the start. The students are bored, you’re frustrated, and most everyone in the class looks forward to being done with it.

Does this scenario sound familiar? What exactly is it that can bridge the gap between great literature and its application to student writing?

The answer is twofold — skills and a practical methodology that works in the real world of the classroom.

There is a common misconception that if we read a lot, talk about what we read, and then provide plenty of outlets for writing, that in the process, good writing will emerge. Truthfully, for the extremely well-read, self motivated, or innately gifted writer, there is some possibility of this. However, for most students and teachers, something is missing. Simply encouraging students to engage in “free-writing” followed by a conference is not enough to produce a community of strong, enthusiastic writers. What is missing are specific instructional strategies designed to teach the specific skills inherent in powerful writing!

During the whole language era, the idea of teaching discrete skills took on a negative connotation. Somehow, practicing specific writing skills seemed to suggest “basel-izing” the writing process. This was unfortunate, because, in all art forms - in music, theater, the visual arts, and in writing, powerful communication is delivered through carefully honed skills. For example, a talented pianist did not become proficient by simply sitting down and “just playing”. A skilled teacher will provide the young pianist with age appropriate, stimulating pieces of music, as well as scales, arpeggios, and exercises to strengthen the fingers and build dexterity. The student learns how to read notes, hear pitches, and learn musical expressiveness through carefully planned exercises and etudes. All of this “skill-work” does not hamper creativity, rather, it provides a vehicle for the successful expression of creative, personal musical thought, sentiment, and intention. In other words, the skills disappear in an invisible support and delivery system that informs and empowers the musician. The same thing is true in writing.

What are the skills necessary to inform and empower good writing? In narrative writing (writing characterized by a main character who experiences a significant event or problem, within a setting, who grows or changes in the process) the skills necessary to shape and support a story are as follows: - an entertaining beginning that draws the reader in and gets the story rolling - powerful elaborative detail that focuses on story critical characters, settings, and/or objects - a sense of suspense or anticipation which builds story tension, and inspires the reader to read on - a single, significant main event (problem, adventure, or life-changing experience)

- a conclusion which draws the main event to a close and an extended ending which demonstrates how the main character has grown or changed.

Once the basic skills are identified, educators need to have a practical, effective methodology for teaching these skills. The methodology needs to be based on solid educational theory and needs to be proven successful in the real world of the classroom. During an instructional improvement program at our school (Mill Hill School in Fairfield, CT) designed to improve student writing, we developed a methodology for the delivery of these key writing skills for our students in grades 2 - 5. The methodology involved whole class instruction, delivered minimally twice a week for 30 - 45 minutes. Whole class instruction provided consistency and assured experiences for all students, that was often lacking in the teach-on-demand scenario common in the writers’ workshop conference model. There are also many other benefits associated with whole class instruction. These include a greater level of directed conversation between students about writing, and opportunities for the class as a whole to benefit from the writerly conversations.

The whole class instruction looks like this:

1. INTRODUCE/DEFINE SKILL through the use of literature. (Middle grade novels provide the best examples of all of the key skills.)

* 2. MODELING - The teacher models the skill in isolation, asking productive questions and “thinking out loud” as an author. (The quality of the questions you ask will determine the quality of student responses. This also is the most powerful method of building vocabulary.)

3. GUIDED PRACTICE - Provide students with an opportunity to practice the skill you’ve modeled. This is a “before and after” revision exercise. Circulate and offer suggestions, share strong examples and excellent attempts.

Steps 1, 2, 3 are repeated numerous times before step 4: Application.

4. APPLICATION - Students apply the skill to a process piece or a timed prompt.

*Most important step!

This methodology made the teaching of writing more manageable, provided a common vocabulary for writing, ensured a greater level of objectivity and accountability, established a powerful reading writing connection, and ultimately nurtured a community of confident, enthusiastic writers. In fact, during the five years we spent developing the specific skill lessons and delivering these skills through the methodology described above, our narrative writing scores for our fourth graders on the Connecticut Mastery Test improved dramatically:

YEAR Percent of students at goal —– ————————— YEAR 1 47%

YEAR 2 65% YEAR 3 75% YEAR 4 81% YEAR 5 92%

These results were not limited to Mill Hill School. In Wilson’s Mills School in North Carolina, as well as in districts in Rhode Island and Alberta Province Canada, to name just a few, when this approach was used consistently, similar results were common. More importantly, students began to become confident, enthusiastic, lifelong writers, and teachers began to feel successful and fulfilled as the facilitators of a practical, effective instructional program that gets results. Eventually, the lessons and methodology became available through an educational consulting firm and publisher, Empowering Writers.

So now think back to the frustrated, disillusioned teacher and class first described and imagine how her scenario would be different using the Empowering Writers methodology.

http://www.webcredibility.org/

People are conditioned to trust written words, not to mention images. “I read it in the paper” or “As seen on TV” are worn out but still effective clich©s. The Internet combines both the written and the seen. It is both a textual and a visual (and audio) medium. Do people trust Internet content? Is the incredible Internet - credible?

In the “brick and mortar” world, credibility is associated with brands. A brand, in effect, guarantees the quality and specifications of a product (think McDonald’s hamburgers), its performance (think Palm), level of service and commitment to customer care (Amazon), variety, or price (Wal-Mart). Brands are sustained and enhanced by advertising campaigns. The content or sales pitch of specific ads are often less important than the message conveyed by the very existence of a campaign: “This company is rich enough (read: stable, reliable, trustworthy, here to stay) to spend millions on advertising.”

The Internet has very few brands (Yahoo!, Amazon) - and some of them are tarnished. Some “old media” brands have entered the fray (Barnes and Noble, The Wall Street Journal, the Britannica) - hitherto without much success. The overwhelming bulk of Web content is created or disseminated by small time entrepreneurs and monomaniacs.

So, how does one establish or acquire credibility in such a diffuse and anarchic medium?

Enter Stanford University’s “Web Credibility Project”.

They define themselves thus:

“Our goal is to understand what leads people to believe what they find on the Web. We hope this knowledge will enhance Web site design and promote future research on Web credibility. As part of this ongoing project we are:

Performing quantitative research on Web credibility.
Collecting all public information on Web credibility.
Acting as a clearinghouse for this information.
Facilitating research and discussion about Web credibility.
Helping designers create credible Web sites.”
Examples of current projects:

Timeliness: How does having out-of-date content affect the credibility of a Web site?
Interaction: How does having a personalized interaction with a Web site affect its credibility?
Negative Content: How does displaying negative content associated with a branded web site affect the credibility of the brand?

It is useful to confine ourselves to this definition of trust:

“The subjective belief, perception, or conviction that information provided is true, factual, and objective, and that commitments undertaken, explicitly, or implicitly, will be honored fully and in a timely manner.”

Such perception, belief, or conviction are based on:

Past experience in general (with spam, with merchants, or providers, with a similar product category, with the same type of content, etc.) and personal proclivity to trust or to distrust.
Experience with the specific merchant or provider (whether personal or gleaned from other people’s feedback - reviews, complaints, and opinions).
There is little that a merchant can do about the former. The latter is, expectedly, influenced by:

Professionalism (as evident in Web site design, e-commerce facilities, user-friendliness, navigability, links to other relevant Web pages, links from other Web sites, ease and speed of download, updated content, proofreading, domain name which matches the company’s name, availability, multilingualism, etc.);
Trustworthiness (lack of bias, good intentions, truthfulness, thoroughness, objectivity, expertise and author credentials, knowledgeable sources and treatment, citations and bibliography), and what the authors of the research call “Real World Feel” (physical address, phone/fax numbers, non-Web e-mail address, photos of facilities and staff, audio recording, ownership by a not for profit organization, URL ending with ORG);
Commercial Web sites are less trusted. Cluttered ads, paid subscriptions, e-commerce enabled forms - all reduce the site’s credibility! This is especially true if the entire site is a one, big ad and when it is hard to distinguish ads from content;
Track record (how veteran is the merchant, past financial performance, credit history, brand name recognition, lists of customers, etc.);
Selection (how many products are carried, how often is inventory refreshed, etc.);
Advertising (is the company’s business sufficiently lucrative to support a campaign?);
Service (good service indicates a reassuring readiness to sacrifice the bottom line to cater to the customer’s legitimate concerns, feedback forms, live support, etc.);
Full disclosure of rates, prices, privacy policy, security issues, etc.;
Feedback from other users (opinions, reviews, comments, FAQs, support groups, etc.);
Site rating and certification by trustworthy agencies (like the Better Business Bureau - BBB, VeriSign, TRUSTe) - or awards won (from credible and reputable organizations). Links from other, well-known and believable Web sites.
The Credibility Web discovered that trust in e-commerce is also influenced by idiosyncratic factors. Certain domain names (org) are more trusted than others (com). Too many ads, broken links, typos, outdated or old content - all diminish trust. In the absence of proven markers and behavioral guidelines, people seem to resort to extrapolation (”if they can’t maintain their own Web site…”) and stereotypes (e.g., NGO’s are more trustworthy than corporations).

As Web sites proliferate (Google indexes well over 3 billion now) and Web authoring becomes a routine task - the noise to signal ratio of garbage to useful information is bound to deteriorate. Search engines already incorporate crude measures of credibility in their rankings (e.g., the number of links from external Web sites). But, to remain useful, search engines (and Web directories) would do well to rate Web content more comprehensively and thoroughly. They should rank Web sites by authoritativeness, reliability, and objectivity, for instance.

Research shows that 75% of all respondents resort to the Internet as a primary information provider. The inundation of irrelevant material caused most surfers to confine their surfing to 10 Web sites (the equivalent of “anchors” in shopping malls) which they deem reliable, timely, accurate, objective, authoritative, and credible. The rest of the Internet gets the leftovers. This worrying trend can be reversed only through the emergence of independent and commercially-viable rating agencies. Web sites (at least the business ones) should be willing to pay for credible rating to enhance their stickiness and attract monetizable “eyeballs”. In the absence of such third party accreditation, the Internet risks both irrelevance and disrepute.

Sam Vaknin ( samvak.tripod.com ) is the author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain - How the West Lost the East. He served as a columnist for Global Politician, Central Europe Review, PopMatters, Bellaonline, and eBookWeb, a United Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory and Suite101.

Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government of Macedonia.

Visit Sam’s Web site at samvak.tripod.com

Short Biography Gertrude Bell (1868- 1926)

Original article at: http://www.writespirit.net/authors/gertrude_bell

Born in County Durham on July 14th 1868 to a family of great prosperity, Gertrude Bell was the daughter of the great Industrialist, Isaac Lowthian Bell. This wealth was later used to finance Gertrude’s later travels around the world. At the age of 16 Gertrude went down to Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford where she became the first woman to achieve a first in History, after only 2 years of study. Thereafter she travelled to countries such as Iran, Mesopotamia, Jerusalem and Switzerland. She developed a passion for archaeology and mountaineering in the French Alps, (she become one of the best female mountain climbers.) Her fascination with Arabic culture led her to learn many languages including Arabic. In Jerusalem she is said to have dressed up as a man in order to investigate the mysterious world of the Druze community.

In 1915 Gertrude Bell volunteered for service with the Red Cross in France but shortly after she was summoned to Cairo where she worked on behalf of the Cairo office who were helping to ferment a rebellion of the Arabs against the Turks. Because of her intricate knowledge and personal dealings with the Arab tribes Gertrude was able to offer a wealth of information that was used by T.E.Lawrence and others in the successful Arab revolt. In 1916 she arrived in Basra and was able to draw maps helping the British army reach Baghdad. Bell was the only commissioned female officer in the British army and for her work she was later awarded the C.B.E

After the war and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Bell was instrumental in first negotiating the borders of Iraq and then persuading Churchill to accept Faisal as the new King of Iraq. Bell then acted as an adviser to Faisal, leading some to comment she was the “uncrowned Queen of Iraq” It is said Gertrude Bell and great skill in persuading politicians about her own viewpoint. Her contemporary Virginia Woolf gave this frank description of Gertrude Bell.

“a masterful woman who has everyone under her thumb, and makes you feel a little inefficient.” (2)

Unfortunately the new nation of Iraq proved to be rather artificial leading to conflicts between different tribes. The British presence was increasingly resented and disliked leading to a long period of violent and costly confrontation. It is perhaps surprising the striking similarities to the present situation are rarely mentioned.

After the situation in Iraq began to be a little more stable, Gertrude was able to pursue her interest in archaeology. She founded the Baghdad Archaeology Musuem with its extensive collection of artefacts dating back into antiquity and the times of Babylon. Gertrude Bell was a pioneer in calling for national treasures to be kept in the country of origin. The Baghdad Musuem used to be one of the world’s most prestigious archaeological museums.

Unfortunately the brilliant life of Gertrude Bell came to a tragic conclusion in July 1926. A tribal rebellion against the British backed regime made the situation in Iraq discouraging and depressing. Beset by illness, and perhaps a sense of personal loneliness she took her own life with an overdose of sleeping pills.

Gertrude Bell and Hafiz

Gertrude Bell also wrote one of the earliest English translations of the great Sufi mystical poet Hafiz. Hafiz, along with Rumi have become increasingly popular in recent years. Gertrude Bell played an important role in bringing Hafiz to light in the West. See Gertrude Bell on Hafiz

Richard is an Economics teacher in Oxford and is a member of the Sri Chinmoy Centre Richard writes various articles about the activities of Sri Chinmoy and other articles related to spirituality and general interest.

Graduation Gowns

Graduation Regalia

Honor Cord

Among the tokens that students receive on their long awaited graduation day is the honor cord. The cords, which are made using materials such as rayon, are essentially twisted cords, which have tassels on each end. You are not limited when it comes to colors of the honor cord although there are some colors that some institutions seem to favor. They include gold, navy blue, brown, light gold, white and purple. If one does not have an honor cord to give to their students, they can use sashes, medallions or stoles to ward them. The cords are normally worn around the neck.

Graduation Information On The Internet

Graduation information is available all over the internet. You’ll find multiple links which can assist you in your research. Gordon International offers a lot of information which can be useful to anyone ordering graduation regalia but if you’re looking for specific history please see the link provided below.
The Following Site Offers Great Information About Graduation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_dress wikipedia provides the searcher with a great information source for any type of search. You can go to their search wiki and place an random search in the engine and you’ll come across a few useful sources & articles.

You can only build muscle tissue if you can generate progressively stronger muscular contractions, so this calls for an emphasis on finding ways to increase exercise intensity. This should not be confused with exercise duration as maximum training intensity will actually shorten the time needed to achieve maximal muscular growth.

In an earlier article I outlined the ways in which you can intensify your training. Here we’ll focus on the role that forced repetitions have to play in intensifying the training effect.

When you reach the point of muscular failure it is impossible to manage one more complete repetition of any exercise, at least not without losing form or correct technique. There is, however, one way in which you can increase the intensity even further and that is by completing one or more forced repetitions with the help of an experienced training partner.

The best way to achieve this is by keeping the same weights on the bar and have your training partner do no more than is necessary to allow you to complete up the three extra repetitions with good lifting form.

Beginning bodybuilders should avoid forced reps until they have learned good lifting techniques and have prepared their muscles for the stresses involved in this particular approach. Intermediate lifters should consider adding forced reps to one exercise in the pre-exhaust sequence. Advanced bodybuilders can utilize forced reps based on their own needs and judgement.

Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Advice to learn more about the issues covered in this article.

If you’re salt water fishing the Pacific Coast from Mexico, Central America to Ecuador, here are some species of game fish you’re likely to meet while trolling, long lining or jigging natural live baits in deep, warm waters near the coastline. The common names are listed above the scientific name.

Aguja (Needle fish or Dagger Fish)
Strongylura Scapularis

Aguja is a unique, green-boned predator that fights to the death. The long mouth is filled to the brim with rows of needle-sharp teeth and its slender, streamlined torso give it the name “Needles”. Seventy to one hundred cm in length and weighing up to 20 or more pounds, they can mate in as little as every 15 days. When they reach a meter or more in length, they can be quite dangerous to the inexperienced Aguja fisherman. I have the scars to prove it. They’ll go for a variety of live baits including flying fish or fresh cut bait on treble hooks and are abundant year-round. They’re best caught very early in the morning or at night near bait fish feeding grounds. Aguja is one of the most sought-after eating fish on the Pacific Coast. They’re absolutely delicious despite the strange-looking lime green bones.

Sierra, Common Sierra or Castilla
Scomberomorus Sierra

These fierce, voracious predators range from 20 to 40 cm in length and typically weigh from 6 to 8 pounds of lure-slamming, fighting fury. They’ll be more abundant during the months of June, July and August. Open waters near the coast or adjacent to coral formations are common hot spots these toothy targets that hit silver spoons with fish-catching regularity. Live bait of bait fish, squid or sardines work very well too. Their normal forage also includes shrimp and small crabs. Another of the most sought-after eating fish on the Pacific Coast.

Dorado (also known as Chimbila)
Coryphaena Hippurus

Most commonly caught in the length of 80 to 90 cm, weighing 12 to 15 pounds, they can measure one meter or more in length and weigh up to 30 pounds. They like tranquil waters near the surface and will hit top water plugs that imitate live bait fish. Extremely abundant during the months of December and January, they are often easily spotted feeding at or very near the surface. Watch for jumping, fleeing schools of panicked small fish. They’re normally loners, but can travel in small groups of up to eight fish. Their aerial acrobatics make them loads of fun to hook, but tricky to land.

Make a hookup with any of these denizens of the not-so-deep and I guarantee you won’t get bored. If you want to meet them all in a day or two, try some of their known “hangouts” near the Utria National Park waters at Ensenada off Colombia’s Pacific Coast. They’ll all be thereabouts from December through March. If you’d like to see some photos of members of this “Pacific Coast Posse”, e-mail the author at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com .

Good luck on your next fishing trip.

Prof Larry M. Lynch is a bi-lingual copywriter, expert author and photographer specializing in business, travel, food and education-related writing in South America. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News and Brazil magazines. He lives in Cali, Colombia, fishes the South American Pacific coast, Amazon and Orinoco River basins for exotic salt water and fresh water game and food fish. For no-obligation information on how to get original, exclusive Exotic fishing stories, fishing technique articles, fishing-action photography and one-of-a-kind content for your fishing-related newsletter, blog or website contact him today at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com for a free, action photo-packed, South American fishing adventure article.

The Old Man and His Bluegills

I started fishing a little lake just south of Somerset, Ohio, called Clouse Lake about 35 years ago. Matter of fact, when I first started fishing it, I fished with a fly rod. One day, I was fishing and noticed this older gentleman trying to get a little plastic boat on his car after a hard day’s fishing. He was using a fly rod too. We began chatting and discovered we lived about 10 miles from one another. He lived in Pleasantville. As the conversation closed, he said he would call me sometime and we would go fishing together.

I thought “Yeah, I bet he calls me”. Imagine my surprise when he called two days later and wanted to know if I wanted to go fishing with him the next day.
Earl and I became good friends, we fished Clouse many times and about every other place that we could find, that held water. He was an excellent fly fisherman. There was only one thing wrong with Earl, he liked to catch bluegill. Actually, he loved catching Bluegill. He showed me how to clean bluegills in a matter of seconds. Here is how he did it. First, he got out his board and filet knife. He would scale the fish. Second, He would cut around the head but not clear through. He would leave just a piece of meat right under the head. Then he would twist the head and pull and the whole insides would come out at one time. He could clean bluegill faster than anyone I have ever seen.

One day, I got teasing Earl about fishing for bluegill, I told him the only reason anyone would fish for bluegill is because they couldn’t catch a bass. I have to admit, I had seen him catch bass on his flyrod while fishing for bluegill. Anyway, Earl said to me that he could catch bass anytime he wanted. I just laughed. So, Earl put on a little bigger fly and threw it about a dozen times and out comes a bass. Not only was it a bass but it weighed about 6 and 1/2 pounds. He just looked at me and smiled, never said a word, then threw it back. I was dumbfounded, to say the least. He then went and tied his little fly back on and fished for bluegill some more. I sat in shock the rest of the day.

I learned two lessons that day, one was never to run my mouth about people who like to fish for bluegill and the second was, right when you think you have the bull by the horns, some old fellow is going to show you different. By the way, I never teased Earl about his bluegill fishing again. Earl passed away not too long after that, I was one of the last people he asked for. I miss you my friend.

By the way, did you know a large mouth bass and black bass really are not a bass? They are in the sunfish family.

Clouse Lake is on RT668 out of Somerset, Ohio. There are some nice bass there and I have seen some in the 5 pound range taken right below the dam. There is a boat ramp on the south side of the lake…a smaller boat is more suitable.

Charles E. White has fished for bass for almost 50 years. He has fished from
Florida to California and has caught more than 6,000 bass in his lifetime. His
biggest bass is 12 pounds 14 ounces.

Charles has owned two tackle stores in his lifetime and has taught dozens of people to fish for bass.

He now resides in Ohio.
Charles is webmaster for: www.bassfishingweekly.com

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