This Week in Fishing – February 25, 2010

This week I wanted to question you… the FishAddix fishermen… about fishing logs. Since it is one of the focal points of FishAddix.com, and one of the features, we on the other half, are most proud of – Fishing Logs. Should you keep a fishing log?

Well like any topic of conversation there are pros and cons, for’s and against’s, advantages and disadvantages... you get the idea. So the first order of business is getting the pros out of the way. First and foremost, we have bragging rights. There’s nothing quite like comparing lunkers with your other friendly lunker hunting buddies over a couple of early evening cocktails. But please don’t go strutting your stuff down Main Street just yet though, because remember, “chicks dig the long ball” not, “chicks dig guys who catch big fish”. Although I’m sure it couldn’t hurt. Of course, your stats are only as good as the information you enter, so bragging rights could be a sticking point with your friends if nobody was around to see your 85 pound perch. In order to combat this, the fishing logs on FishAddix have an option to dispute the catches of other members.

Moving on, we have provided a free resource where you can’t possibly lose the information. It’s not like the marble composition notebooks of yesteryear that will be buried under old documents, you’ll spill coffee on it, and eventually your wife will find it and start using it to write down her grocery lists and you’re information will be lost forever. Plus, with the information on a computer, spreadsheet-like capabilities can be used and the information can be sorted, tracked, added, subtracted, etc. The fishing reports on the website take advantage of this and many of your stats are published and can be viewed over different time periods using different filters. And there’s always the possibility of adding more statistics if there is a demand from the users.

The main con, or disadvantage of creating fishing reports is that we, as fishermen, tend to try and protect our techniques and secrets. At least long enough for us to develop new techniques and then the old techniques become unclassified. This is more the case with people you don’t know and not with your close friends but I’m sure some of you die-hards don’t tell a soul about your tricks and the only way your kids will find out is when they attend your funeral and you’ve left them “Dad’s Guide to Fishing that Little Lake Behind our House.” Which they will inevitably not be able to use because arthritis will likely have settled in and that little lake will probably be filled in and a strip mall will have been built over it. And those fish and your memories will never be seen again. The point is, FishAddix has thought of this as well. If you don’t want anybody to steal your secrets you can keep your fishing reports private or only let your friends view them. Or if you still wanted to share them with the community, you could always just be a little more vague in your reports (i.e. don’t say in your fishing report that you caught a 3.2lb largemouth bass while standing on the north-facing shoreline, approximately 1 click from the old bunker, using 10lb monofilament line on a shimano reel with 29 ball bearings, all with a red/yellow 2 oz crankbait attached). Now I’m not even sure if what I wrote would be a reasonable setup because to be honest, I don’t get that specific in my reports and I honestly couldn’t tell you the specifications on my tackle. The point is that if you would like your stats to be tracked on the lakes you fish but don’t want to give up your secrets, there’s ways to avoid showing up at a lake with some guy in your favorite spot holding a fish you shoulda caught. In summary – there are ways around not letting your secrets out without compromising the specificity of your reports.

In the interest of attention spans I’m going to cut this blog short. So, what should you take away from this blog? Well I hope you take away that there are certainly reasons for and against keeping a fishing log. It will undoubtedly help you improve as a fisherman, but it certainly takes a commitment from the user – not just the time physically entering the fishing report into the computer, but the commitment of keeping your fishing logs active and updated. There’s no use in having 10 pages of notes from last season that holds all your fishing information but not putting it into the computer. This is certainly a hot topic in the fishing world and I’m sure if 100 people read this blog, there will be 100 different takes on why or why not to keep a fishing log.

Being an insider, I can tell you in all confidence that if you, the reader, has a good idea to improve the fishing logs, we at FishAddix would love to hear about it. After all, we are using the product as well to help better ourselves as fishermen, and of course… to make fun of our friends for their fishing antics.

In closing, I will leave you with this little teaser – once the site gains monetary autonomy – we have big plans to increase the capacity of the fishing reports and logs. So if you like using the fishing reports now, the additions to the fishing reports in the future will be nothing short of mind-blowing. Of course, the specifics of the plans remain in the FishAddix think-tank task force for now, but suggestions for the future are always welcomed.

So what do you think, where do you stand on fishing reports? For… or against?

Yours Truly,

CHIPTY

Real Anglers of Genius

In week two of my weekly blog we examine everyones favorite on the lake, amateur fishermen...I should mention that I myself fall into the amateur fishing classification, however, my wit and cyberspace charm has allowed me to craft a nifty little something, in honor of myself and others alike. I hope you enjoy my little concoction ala Budlight's Real men of Genius.

FishAddix.com presents.... Real Anglers of Genius

Real Anglers of Genius...

Today we salute you, Mr. Weekend Fishing Angler

Mr. Weekend Fishing Angler....

Sporting your recently purchased rod and reel right off of page 37 of BassMasters,

You take to the lake like a true newbie - with your Steve Irwin hat and flack jacket filled with 40-cent fly fishing lures.

Could someone bait his hook.......

You roam the shores, casting your line over every one you come across.

Will someone shoot me please...

Look out everyone, he's brought his wife and kid along too.

We just can't catch a break...

No matter how many times you show little Junior, he still creates a birds nest with every cast.

Can I help you to some free fishing lessons...

So toss in a nice new rod and reel, Senor weekend, because every time you come out, we'll pick up our stuff and avoid you like the plague....

Mr. weekend Fishing Angler....

FishAddix.com, FishAddix LLC, Jackson, NJ

I'm always looking for new topics, so feel free to email or blog post them in.

See you next time,
CHIPTY

This Week In Fishing: Introduction & Fisherman Spotlight - Troy's Life

Welcome one, welcome all, to the official FishAddix.com member blog. This blog will be on a weekly or bi-weekly basis and will be about all things fishing related and many things unrelated. Of course each week will have my own personal splash of sarcastic cynicism included... free of charge.

I would like to take this opportunity to let all the readers know that suggestions and comments about material or topics, style, and information are most certainly welcomed. If there is something in this blog that you would like to hear more about or something you dislike, please feel free to send in your comments for review and consideration. Also, I have an insider's relationship with the founders of FishAddix.com, and therefore, if you would like me to relay any suggestions or critisisms about the site itself; or the more favorable trash-talking antcedote - I will certainly pass them along. After all, we want the site, content, blog, etc. to be appealing and enjoyable to the greatest amount of members.

In this week's FishAddix Fisherman Spotlight, member "Troy Life" spent all of January tearing through the Florida lakes, rivers, and oceans at a Jack-the-Ripper type pace, catching a staggering 15 species of fish in January alone. In his January 29th report titled, "shrimping/fishing", he mentions an assembly building that installs rocket boosters on space shuttles. Which makes me contemplate writing my state Senator to petition for a nuclear power plant in my hometown, because apparently they pump out LOTS 'O FISH. Troy Life exemplifies the avid fisherman and ultimate FishAddix - as he, his wife, and his son went to the beach to fish in 20-30 mph winds, as noted in his January 24th report titled, "surf fishing". It's not everyday you go fishing with an anchor tied to yourself, but we admire your courage and enthusiasm Troy Life. Keep up the good work, and thanks for getting addicted!

Signed,
CHIPTY (Scrambled acronym for "Cool Pen-Name I Haven't Thought of Yet")