Promoting Fishing

Maybe I'm having an off day, or perhaps the hang-over from this weekend is still taking it's effect. But whatever it is, I'm starting to develop a grudge with some key players in the fishing community.

First - All us fishermen hear every year, "Take a kid fishing" or "Help grow fishing". Not that I'm against the growth in the fishing community, but have you ever thought about exactly WHO is making these statement/questions? If you take a closer look, it's more than likely the fishing tackle companies that are behind this campaign. And do you think they care? Heck no... they just want more people to buy more fishing tackle.

How do I know this?.... read further -

Second - Even if you've never seen it, there is a huge tax placed on all fishing goods sold inside the U.S.. The tax dollars raised from this are suppose to go to the development and promotion of fishing nation wide. Granted, supposedly a chunk of these fishing dollars are suppose to go to state GFP's, who in turn help develop local fishing spots. Not a bad plan... but the tax is a whopping 10%!! Thats a truck load of money being swallowed up by state and local large-mouth-blow-hards, with no real proof of exactly where it's going.

Or perhaps it's going here....

Third - An organization called Take Me Fishing was introduced to help promote 'youth fishing' amongst current and potential anglers. An entire PR campaign, with top-quality professional ads and slogans were created for their one and only purpose. Not bad really... but are we getting what we're paying for? The organization is owned and operated by the RBFF (Recreation Boating & Fishing Foundation), who in turn is driven to promote the sports of boating and fishing. However, if you look at their website here , you can see that the stakeholders of this so-called 'Hero Group' is made up entirely of fishing tackle companies, boating companies, and of course government agencies. Hmmmmm... Government Agencies.... Gee, do you think that this organization is getting money from that 10% Tax that everyone is paying? Nothing up front says so, but if "I" worked for them, I would sure make that happen. It's only common sense.

So whats so evil about that third point? Well, if we're paying an outlandish 10% tax on fishing tackle goods, and that money is going to an organization entirely geared for the promotion of fishing.... then why the heck don't I EVER see commercials on TV for it? Where are the radio ads? How come you never see anything in the newspaper? Nothing! Nadda! Zip!

Oh thats right... they produced some commercials that you can see on-line. But if these commercials were EVER aired on TV, then surely they must've been on the fishing show's (that NOBODY watches), or during that 4 hour paid programming marathon at 3 a.m. Sounds to me like fishermen are paying some big money, and getting NO results.

In the end, we should all take a kid fishing.... but consider using a broken branch for a pole, kite string for line, and a dime for a fishing lure.

Slow Start

Well the fishing season started off nice here, then all of a sudden, it got cold as all he11!. So, while I was being drug through Walmart with the wife and mother-in-law, I decided to stop in the fishing section with the kids, to help put some stuff in their tackle box.

Surprisingly, they had some nice, small-sized jigs, plastics, and other much needed trinkets of disposal. I learned my lesson from last year, and picked up some of the smalled jig bodies I could find, coupled with some really small plastics. Of course, some split shots were in order too.

All in all, as soon as this weather breaks, I can't wait to get the kids out there again. There's a lake in the area that will have some small crappie and blue gill, so I'm sure we'll have much better luck this time.

Get A New Hook Up

Easter weekend.....

A time for family to get together and gorge themselves on massive amounts of food, drink, and chips. Adult conversation fills the air, while kids playfully discover hidden eggs in the back yard. Aaaah... what a sweet time. Family-gatherings such as these always fill my heart with pride.

But sometimes (or what seems to be 'all the time'), you have to go visit your significant others' side of the family. Bad? Not really, but inevitably you'll find that you have little to say since you really don't know anyone, nor anything about them.

I did such a journey this weekend, but it proved quite useful! Somewhere between the dip and bean casserole, I fell into a lengthy conversation with some random family member. Obviously, the subject turned to fishing at some point.

Turns out, I get invited to the next big shin-dig over the 4th of July, where they happen to have three boats and a Cabin at a near-by lake. The GFP also made mention that the fishing will be exceptional this year in that neck of the woods.

So..... boring? NO! Guess you just never know what you'll get when you have idle chat with people you don't know!

Fishing Communities

For those of you who may be more inclined to join a 'community' of fishermen, online, here are some sites of interest.

Tricky Jig - Brand new site with a lot of plans on the table. Some things that are in the works are interactive maps, places to fish, etc. They have a community forum thats looking for members. So help a little guy out and stop by to 'Hi'.

Catch-N.com - This site has been around for a little bit, and is doing a membership drive right now. You could win a Mankota trolling motor just for answering a few quiz questions. How cool is that?!?! They also have a lot of very knowledgeable staff that can answer all your questions.

Ontario Fishing - In the Canadian region? Check out this site and find new fishing buddy's, places to go, and more. They've been established for a long time and are one of the friendliest sites on the net.

Paddle Fishing - Very nice site dedicated to the sport of Kayak Fishing. Yeah... I know... strange but it actually looks pretty fun! Mostly a Florida based community, with good people and lots of fun. One of my favorite places to hang out at!

Sure, there are countless other sites available, but those few should get you started.

Fishheads & Necklaces

Need a custom gift for that hard-core woman angler in your life? (don't think I've ever met one tho...) Then swing on over to Etsy to get a modified Heddon lure that was made into a necklace.

Better hurry tho - There's only ONE of these $45.00 treasures left. ;)

As for me, I think I'll pass. My wife doesn't even like fish, let alone their heads hanging from her neck.

April Fishing

Too cold yet? No way!

There are some great advantages to fishing in the early months of the year, and Steve Sarley from the Northwest Herald in IL., points out the many reasons why. He also has a clever selection of tackle to bare thought too.

I found the article extremely informative as I have two children myself. Any tips I can get for this time of year is helpful. Especially since the kids are already hitting me up for fishing.

According to that handy tidbit, I'll probably stay away from the fast action lures that are common in todays over-hyped industry. I'll simply stick to the bobber and worms rigs. Perhaps a handy worm harness will do the trick.

On the flip side of things, there are those fortunate ones that live in much warmer weather, all year around. The guys at Central Florida Fishing have some really good fishing reports, along with some tips for what works in those regions. I speculate that since the fish are in warmer water, then your choice of lures is much broader in scope. Leave behind hardcore tactics in these parts of the world, as you can probably catch fish with a beer can!

Desert Fishing

Yeah... who knew?

Just when you thought you've heard it all, suddenly you get a bit of news like this. The Pahrump Valley Times has a full fledged report detailing some of the fishing 'Hot Spots' (no pun intended) in the state of Nevada. Gee, and I thought it was all desert. hahahah

Also appears to be excellent fishing in the Wayne E. Kirch wildlife management area. Turns out that spoon fishing lures and baits are working well.

Good luck to all the anglers in Nevada. Seems that you folks have something to look forward too!