Also, is now the time to buy the very metal in which so many bottom fishers have lost line, bait, lunch and boat?

"There are real buyers in the marketplace now, not just the bottom fishers of the last few years," Ms. Albert said.

He told of bottom fishers who follow some auctioneers from one auction to the next, looking for bargains.

In the real estate business, bargain hunters are known as "bottom fishers" and right now there is quite a range of apartments to fish for.

But these days, Figgie is strictly an investment for bottom fishers.

Foreclosure auctions continue to be magnets for bottom fishers.

Stock analysts say it is not yet time for even bottom fishers to start accumulating Stone shares.

"They are notorious bottom fishers," said one investment banker who declined to be named.

It has called price-cutting competitors like Borland "bottom fishers."

"Speculators and bottom fishers don't want to go into what is perceived as a crisis situation."