Welcome one, welcome all to my latest blogarooski. How was the entrance? Overdone? Ah, it’s just my style. This week I wanted to keep the blog on the lighter side and talk about mortality rates amongst fisherman. Nah, I’m just kidding. But this week’s blog is kind of an ode to the stupidity of fisherman and a bit of the Murphy’s Law that seems to follow us wherever we decide to deploy our poles. Thanks to the FishAddix member, who will remain anonymous, for suggesting the topic. Reminder: if you have a topic you would like the talented CHIPTY to explore, you can send your ideas to (info@fishaddix.com) with the subject line, “ATTN: CHIPTY”. You can also send fan mail and love letters to the same address.
The Top Ten Worst Things You Could Do while Fishing:
To give you a little insight into the crazy mind that is CHIPTY, I’ve ranked the following predicaments based on a few categories:
• Most damage – monetary and physical damage,
• Humorous – because yeah, I’m kind of sick like that, and
• Personal Experience – there’s not much someone can say when you’ve dealt with one of these issues first hand. It always seems like its the worst when it’s happened to you.
So keep that in mind when you’re perusing through the list. And without further ado – read on!
10) The Coveted Tree Cast: Everybody has been through this one. Or at least been witness to it. You’re standing on the bank reeling in your latest failed attempt and you see a splash. You reel up and realize that the splash you saw is just out of reach under the overhanging weeping willow tree. You put on your Evel Knievel hat and cast that puppy out. But before you’re line is done unspooling from you reel, you realize, you’re not going to get a chance at that fish. And you’re going to spend the next 15 minutes trying to get your lure, or live bait, (that poor helpless shiner) back from the branches you’ve just caught.
9) Fishing Injuries: There is a vast array of fishing injuries one could sustain while working the waters we all love. From dislocating your rotator cuff because you were in a casting competition with your friends – to twisting an ankle because you fell off the upper ledge of your boat during a hook set. They are more bizarre and seemingly contrived from the Heavens above then the range of sports related injuries we hear about on TV. I’d better leave this one to the experts. What’s your worst fishing injury?
8) Get in My Way Will Ya: We have all had those moments on the lake where nothing seems to be going our way. The 4lb you’ve been trying to catch finally took your lure but snapped your line on some submerged trees. Or no matter how many times you’ve past your favorite fishing hole, those damn kids are still there skipping rocks. The ups and downs of fishing can certainly lead to a little panty bunching and I’m sure we can all admit to getting a little hot headed at times. The problem with getting hot headed on a crowded lake is that you’re just looking for someone to take your anger out on. And you’re in luck. The Benny with the shiny 17-foot bass tracker is testing your limits and coming awfully close to where you’re fishing. “Bombs away,” you shout in your head as you hook up a heavy, dual trebled lure and cast that bad boy onto his boat. Hopefully he’s not having an equally bad day, or you could be in for a good old fashioned fishing brawl.
7) No Gas in the Motor: This one never seems to happen to you as you’re setting sail to get your day under way. Nah, the fishing Deities decide when this one happens. And it’s usually just far enough from shore that you can’t yell for help, and not quite far enough that you’ve made it to your favorite spot. And of course, you lent your extra paddle to your kid who broke his in a freak kayaking incident. You thought, it’s no big deal, how many times have I actually needed the paddles anyway.
6) Bathroom Anyone: For those of you who know me, and those of whom I haven’t had the pleasure, believe me, I wanted to put this one higher on the list. Perhaps as high as number two (oh yeah – pun intended!). So when I say, I’m speaking from experience here, this has definitely happened to me a time or two (more puns – I just can’t help myself). Never, and I mean never, forget to take that pregame trip to the men’s room before going on a fishing trip. And I’m not talking about the nature you can relieve by using the edge of the boat as your urinal. Alas, nature isn’t always calling when you want it to, and if you leave the men’s room broken-hearted, remember, pack your lunch in paper!
5) Did You Unhook the Boat: This one is painful to experience because you’re probably going to be putting a new hitch and/or bumper on your car, depending on how fast you went down the boat ramp, but thoroughly hilarious to watch. The gray area, if you will, is when you’re sitting on the boat while your fishing buddy backs it down the boat ramp. If you manage to stay in the boat, after he slams on the brakes, you won’t know whether to laugh or cry. Laugh my friends, laugh, because everyone else is.
4) Where are My Keys: Can’t find your keys? As much as you want to think that you’re not that stupid, you are. Of course you shouldn’t have put your keys in your shirt pocket while you went fishing. And of course, as if by the grace of God, you probably lost them while you bent down to lip the lunker of the day.
3) Now Where is that Plug: We all have a lot of things on our mind, and I’m sure that fishing is one way all FishAddix try to forget the realities and responsibilities of everyday life. But when you’re doing that final once over, make sure you remember to put the plug in the back of the boat. Not doing so can ultimately lead to the disaster that is number two on our countdown, if you don’t realize it soon enough, or if that archaic bilge pump your Uncle gave you 3 years ago doesn’t live up to all the, “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” hype.
2) Going Down with the Ship: Just like us, boats have an expiration date too. And like the guy choking on a handful of popcorn during your favorite movie, they tend to punch out at the most inconvenient of times. Of course, you can extend your boat’s sea-worthiness by taking good care of it. But like everyone who owns a boat knows, if you did all the work it needed, you probably wouldn’t have a house and little Suzy certainly wouldn’t have a college fund. The only question you have to ask yourself is: When that baby goes down, are you going to pull a Leonardo DiCaprio and go down with the ship? Or are you going to say, “To hell with the women and children, I’m jumping ship.”
1) The Human Hook Set: And the number one worst thing to do while you are fishing is – hook a friend. I’m torn on whether I’d rather be on the giving or receiving end of this situation (did the almighty CHIPTY just leave the door wide open for tons of bedroom jokes), because I’m not sure if I’d want to drive my friend to the ER, while he’s bleeding all over my car, and explain to the nurses that I’m the one that sunk those treble hooks a half inch deep into the back of his neck, or, if I’d rather be the one pointing and screaming as the nurse pumps more morphine into me. Because you know for one, he’s keeping that lure as a trophy, two, you’re going to have to foot the medical bills and several rounds at the pub afterward, and three, he’s got the ultimate pickup line for the rest of his life while you’re cast into the dungeons of solitary confinement because you made one bad cast. Either way, not a good situation to be in, and depending on the type of hook and how strong your cast is, I think this one has the most potential for damage and will make a hilarious story down the road (after that wound closes up of course).
So these were my worst crimes committed while fishing, what are some bad things that have happened to you over the years?
And how would you have ranked the situations mentioned above?
Stay tuned for next week’s blog, where CHIPTY elaborates on a topic he hasn’t thought of yet! All ideas welcome.
Fish on,
CHIPTY
The official Fishing Blog of Chipty and FishAddix.com!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
FishAddix May 2010 Newsletter
Hi Fellow FishAddix!
We just wanted to stop by and give you a quick update on the community's progress. In case you haven't visited lately, the community is crushing the fish right now! Since January there have been over 500 fishing reports!
In January we started keeping track of all the member's achievements, lunkers and catches. This is an ongoing program we are running with the goal of eventually logging BILLIONS of fish catches across the world and sharing the related information and tips with anglers worldwide. Do you even remember how many fish you caught so far this year? Add your catches to your fishing reports and don't bother trying to remember, we'll do it for you!
So far this year we've already logged 1,539 catches... make sure all of yours are accounted for! If you want to see the latest member catches, just pop by the community home page, the latest catches stream live right across the center of the page!
By the way, there are now 4,169 places to fish up and running, is your favorite body of water being reported yet??
Don't forget about the free t-shirt contest we are running as well! Click here to get your free FishAddix shirt.
For those of you that miss him, CHIPTY will be back in action very soon! Send your favorite topics for him to ponder on and he will humorously entertain you with his wandering thoughts very soon!
Thanks,
James & Joe
info@fishaddix.com
Follow us on Twitter – twitter.com/FishAddix
Become a fan on Facebook – facebook.com/FishAddixFans
We just wanted to stop by and give you a quick update on the community's progress. In case you haven't visited lately, the community is crushing the fish right now! Since January there have been over 500 fishing reports!
In January we started keeping track of all the member's achievements, lunkers and catches. This is an ongoing program we are running with the goal of eventually logging BILLIONS of fish catches across the world and sharing the related information and tips with anglers worldwide. Do you even remember how many fish you caught so far this year? Add your catches to your fishing reports and don't bother trying to remember, we'll do it for you!
So far this year we've already logged 1,539 catches... make sure all of yours are accounted for! If you want to see the latest member catches, just pop by the community home page, the latest catches stream live right across the center of the page!
By the way, there are now 4,169 places to fish up and running, is your favorite body of water being reported yet??
Don't forget about the free t-shirt contest we are running as well! Click here to get your free FishAddix shirt.
For those of you that miss him, CHIPTY will be back in action very soon! Send your favorite topics for him to ponder on and he will humorously entertain you with his wandering thoughts very soon!
Thanks,
James & Joe
info@fishaddix.com
Follow us on Twitter – twitter.com/FishAddix
Become a fan on Facebook – facebook.com/FishAddixFans
Saturday, April 24, 2010
That Fishing Feeling
First, let me apologize for my recent absenteeism. Believe it or not, blogging is not my professional career and I do in fact have a day job - a day job that sometimes becomes a night job and wreaks havoc on my personal life. In my defense, I did write an April Fool’s Day Blog (admittedly, it was about a week late) but it was wildly suppressed by FishAddix Top Brass due to sensitive material. And judging by the limited number of views and comments, I’m guessing not many of you read it. I kind of felt like how Trey Parker and Matt Stone feel right now, with extremist groups stifling my creativity. LoL.
Anywhoo, I was perusing through some of the fishing reports and found some inspiration in one of the reports and thus, my topic is, “That Fishing Feeling.” It’s that feeling you get when you’re fishing, you’re out on the water just you and nature, and it’s just terribly difficult to describe to a person who doesn’t enjoy fishing. In fact, there have been many a time when my sexual orientation has been called into question while I was trying to explain this “feeling” to a non-fisherman type. But that’s neither here nor there.
There’s really nothing like being out on the water with a pole in your hand (fishing pole, sickos) and it’s just you versus the fish. Whether it’s warm or cold, sunny or cloudy, the old cliché holds true - a bad day fishing, beats a good day at work. Unless you’re a professional fisherman I guess. They should really make some amendments to that cliché. But then people probably wouldn’t use it. Anyway, I find that the most exciting thing about fishing is definitely the anticipation of a strike. The thrill of something stalking your lure or circling your bait cannot really be compared to anything. But of course, I’m going to take a stab at it anyway. I would consider it analogous to a playoff baseball game where one team is up against elimination and it all rides on one inning. There’s a couple guys on base and the closer is wearing and every pitch seems like an eternity. Or for you football fans, it’s like when your team is making a game winning drive down the field with less than two minutes left on the clock. Or perhaps the best analogy, it’s like the anticipation my readers feel while waiting for my next blog. Yes I wrote that entire blurb just for that punchline. Sue me.
Since the fishing feeling is so hard to describe – I’m not going to try to describe it anymore. Instead, I’ve written a little tune for your enjoyment. It should be sung to the sound of the Righteous Brothers, “That Loving Feeling.”
You never close your eyes anymore because you have no eye lids.
And there’s no fight left in you, because it’s post spawn and you’ve already had your kids.
I’m trying hard not to show it, (baby).
But baby, baby, everyone knows it…
I’ve got that fishin’ feeling,
Whoa, that fishin’ feeling,
I don’t wanna lose that fishin’ feeling,
But it spit my hook… my hook… my hook… wooooh.
Now there’s no welcome look in your eyes when I reach down to lip you.
You shoulda never eaten that lure, it’s from Cabella’s and its brand new.
It makes me just feel like jumping, (baby).
Those people on shore are starting at me fist pumping.
I’ve got that fishin’ feeling,
Whoa, that fishin’ feeling,
I don’t wanna lose that fishin’ feeling,
But it spit my hook… my hook… my hook… wooooh.
Baby, baby, I get down on my knees for you.
I’ll pick you up, and measure you against my shoe.
If I could only catch your mother, yeah.
Or maybe even your big brother.
I had a bite…. over there… now that guy just cast in my way.
I’ll hip check him… in the water… cuz I can’t… let that fish get away.
Baby (baby), baby (baby),
I beg of you please...please,
I need you to bite (I need you to bite), I need you to bite (I need you to bite),
So bite my damn lure(So bite my damn lure), So bite my damn lure (So bite my damn lure).
And bring back that fishin' feeling,
Whoa, that fishin' feeling
Give me that fishin' feeling,
'Cause it's gone...gone...gone,
and I can't go on,
noooo...
Bring back me back to that fishin' feeling,
Whoa, that fishin' feeling
Bring back my fishin' feeling,
'Cause it's gone...gone... gone…
Just like my hopes and my dreams….
I hoped you enjoyed the tune. It’ll really help if you read it along with listening to the song in the background or listen to the song first so you can get the tune in your head, but I do realize that’s a bit of work. So to help out, here’s a link to the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVrDQQIiweE .
What did you think of this week’s blog? Can you describe your fishin’ feeling?
Leve your comments here: http://www.fishaddix.com/blog/601-89.htm
Fish On!
CHIPTY (Scrambled acronym for – Cool Penname I Haven’t Thought of Yet)
www.FishAddix.com
Anywhoo, I was perusing through some of the fishing reports and found some inspiration in one of the reports and thus, my topic is, “That Fishing Feeling.” It’s that feeling you get when you’re fishing, you’re out on the water just you and nature, and it’s just terribly difficult to describe to a person who doesn’t enjoy fishing. In fact, there have been many a time when my sexual orientation has been called into question while I was trying to explain this “feeling” to a non-fisherman type. But that’s neither here nor there.
There’s really nothing like being out on the water with a pole in your hand (fishing pole, sickos) and it’s just you versus the fish. Whether it’s warm or cold, sunny or cloudy, the old cliché holds true - a bad day fishing, beats a good day at work. Unless you’re a professional fisherman I guess. They should really make some amendments to that cliché. But then people probably wouldn’t use it. Anyway, I find that the most exciting thing about fishing is definitely the anticipation of a strike. The thrill of something stalking your lure or circling your bait cannot really be compared to anything. But of course, I’m going to take a stab at it anyway. I would consider it analogous to a playoff baseball game where one team is up against elimination and it all rides on one inning. There’s a couple guys on base and the closer is wearing and every pitch seems like an eternity. Or for you football fans, it’s like when your team is making a game winning drive down the field with less than two minutes left on the clock. Or perhaps the best analogy, it’s like the anticipation my readers feel while waiting for my next blog. Yes I wrote that entire blurb just for that punchline. Sue me.
Since the fishing feeling is so hard to describe – I’m not going to try to describe it anymore. Instead, I’ve written a little tune for your enjoyment. It should be sung to the sound of the Righteous Brothers, “That Loving Feeling.”
You never close your eyes anymore because you have no eye lids.
And there’s no fight left in you, because it’s post spawn and you’ve already had your kids.
I’m trying hard not to show it, (baby).
But baby, baby, everyone knows it…
I’ve got that fishin’ feeling,
Whoa, that fishin’ feeling,
I don’t wanna lose that fishin’ feeling,
But it spit my hook… my hook… my hook… wooooh.
Now there’s no welcome look in your eyes when I reach down to lip you.
You shoulda never eaten that lure, it’s from Cabella’s and its brand new.
It makes me just feel like jumping, (baby).
Those people on shore are starting at me fist pumping.
I’ve got that fishin’ feeling,
Whoa, that fishin’ feeling,
I don’t wanna lose that fishin’ feeling,
But it spit my hook… my hook… my hook… wooooh.
Baby, baby, I get down on my knees for you.
I’ll pick you up, and measure you against my shoe.
If I could only catch your mother, yeah.
Or maybe even your big brother.
I had a bite…. over there… now that guy just cast in my way.
I’ll hip check him… in the water… cuz I can’t… let that fish get away.
Baby (baby), baby (baby),
I beg of you please...please,
I need you to bite (I need you to bite), I need you to bite (I need you to bite),
So bite my damn lure(So bite my damn lure), So bite my damn lure (So bite my damn lure).
And bring back that fishin' feeling,
Whoa, that fishin' feeling
Give me that fishin' feeling,
'Cause it's gone...gone...gone,
and I can't go on,
noooo...
Bring back me back to that fishin' feeling,
Whoa, that fishin' feeling
Bring back my fishin' feeling,
'Cause it's gone...gone... gone…
Just like my hopes and my dreams….
I hoped you enjoyed the tune. It’ll really help if you read it along with listening to the song in the background or listen to the song first so you can get the tune in your head, but I do realize that’s a bit of work. So to help out, here’s a link to the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVrDQQIiweE .
What did you think of this week’s blog? Can you describe your fishin’ feeling?
Leve your comments here: http://www.fishaddix.com/blog/601-89.htm
Fish On!
CHIPTY (Scrambled acronym for – Cool Penname I Haven’t Thought of Yet)
www.FishAddix.com
Sunday, April 11, 2010
FishAddix Fish on Amidst Site Scandal – Weekly Blog 4/8/10
The topic of today’s blog has been hard to swallow for the whole FishAddix Team. However, CHIPTY has deemed it necessary to discuss the issues at hand with the site members in the name of full disclosure. After all, FishAddix.com was a site designed for and used by you, the members (although the FishAddix team does partake as well)…
Earlier this week, on 4/1/10, a scandal broke out surrounding FishAddix.com. Across the nation, do-gooder members of various addiction anonymous (AA) groups have taken aim at FishAddix, its founders, and team members. The addiction groups caught wind of the website sometime in the past few weeks during its recent rise in popularity. The groups have joined together and have filed two lawsuits against the founders of FishAddix.com and those who work for the site (including myself). All in all, about 7 people were named. The groups have filed a Class Action Lawsuit (when a bunch of people get together and sue for the common “good”) and a civil lawsuit seeking even more monetary reparations. In their lawsuits they cite the used of the word “addix” having caused emotion distress for the majority of their members and that, addictions are not to be taken lightly or used in capitalistic type ventures (i.e. starting a website that will eventually turn a profit).
In my opinion, this is just a way for these groups (most of which are not non-profit organizations) to get money from FishAddix, despite the fact that the site has just recently reached the 1,000 member mark. Lawsuits of this magnitude could ultimately spell destruction for the website as a clause in the lawsuit says that if the AA groups are successful, the site has to either: 1) rid the site and all content of the word “addix” or 2) disband the domain name completely. In reality, there’s no way to rid the site of all “addix” related words and therefore we’d be forced to shut down operations here and/or open a new domain and basically start all over.
Having been so aggravated at these egregious claims, yours truly, has done a little internet research to see if there is some type of legal precedent for this type of case. And wouldn’t you know it, several years back a similar situation occurred in Topeka, Kansas of all places, where national AA groups squashed an up and coming online poker website for using language similar to ours in their site name. The courts ruled in favor of the AA groups and the founders of the website were ordered to disband the website completely (they didn’t have the option of changing the name) and they were also ordered to pay a fine of $1.3 million to the AA groups. And since search engine type websites like yahoo and google had to remove all cached pages of the website and all its content – the founders were inundated with bills from mega-companies telling them they had to pay for the time spent removing cached pages. Not having the funds for $1.3M, let alone all the other bills, the founders and the whole team were forced to declare bankruptcy after all their assets were liquidated (including their houses, cars, etc) and the money was split between all the beneficiaries. This effectively left the young entrepreneurs homeless and without employment. In a VH1 special documentary released in 2003 – 8 of the 12 team members were still homeless, surviving only because of the local soup kitchen. Two of the members went to work for the AA groups in order to save their homes and families. And the final two members had moved to San Francisco to work for Rice-A-Roni as food tasters.
If there is good news in a situation like this it’s that the judge ruled in favor of the AA groups largely because of the well documented correlation between gambling and addition. And no such correlation has been drawn between fishing and addiction (although some of us do have one or two too many while they are on the boat – but those people will remain nameless).
I also found out that before the AA groups filed the lawsuit, they retained several high profile research institutions to investigate whether or not people can be addicted to fishing. Beakman from the early morning show Beakman’s World is apparently heading the project.
The good news is that site will remain up and running and fully intact during the trial for now, business should be conducted as usual. I will keep the users up to date with the trial proceedings. And hey, maybe if we’re lucky we can get some FishAddix members on our jury.
Thanks for reading my special April Fool’s Week blog. I hope you enjoyed it.
Until next week,
CHIPTY
Disclamier: If you haven’t figured it out yet – this blog is a complete fabrication and no events, details, people, etc. discussed during this blog were based on actual historical events, people, or happenings.
Earlier this week, on 4/1/10, a scandal broke out surrounding FishAddix.com. Across the nation, do-gooder members of various addiction anonymous (AA) groups have taken aim at FishAddix, its founders, and team members. The addiction groups caught wind of the website sometime in the past few weeks during its recent rise in popularity. The groups have joined together and have filed two lawsuits against the founders of FishAddix.com and those who work for the site (including myself). All in all, about 7 people were named. The groups have filed a Class Action Lawsuit (when a bunch of people get together and sue for the common “good”) and a civil lawsuit seeking even more monetary reparations. In their lawsuits they cite the used of the word “addix” having caused emotion distress for the majority of their members and that, addictions are not to be taken lightly or used in capitalistic type ventures (i.e. starting a website that will eventually turn a profit).
In my opinion, this is just a way for these groups (most of which are not non-profit organizations) to get money from FishAddix, despite the fact that the site has just recently reached the 1,000 member mark. Lawsuits of this magnitude could ultimately spell destruction for the website as a clause in the lawsuit says that if the AA groups are successful, the site has to either: 1) rid the site and all content of the word “addix” or 2) disband the domain name completely. In reality, there’s no way to rid the site of all “addix” related words and therefore we’d be forced to shut down operations here and/or open a new domain and basically start all over.
Having been so aggravated at these egregious claims, yours truly, has done a little internet research to see if there is some type of legal precedent for this type of case. And wouldn’t you know it, several years back a similar situation occurred in Topeka, Kansas of all places, where national AA groups squashed an up and coming online poker website for using language similar to ours in their site name. The courts ruled in favor of the AA groups and the founders of the website were ordered to disband the website completely (they didn’t have the option of changing the name) and they were also ordered to pay a fine of $1.3 million to the AA groups. And since search engine type websites like yahoo and google had to remove all cached pages of the website and all its content – the founders were inundated with bills from mega-companies telling them they had to pay for the time spent removing cached pages. Not having the funds for $1.3M, let alone all the other bills, the founders and the whole team were forced to declare bankruptcy after all their assets were liquidated (including their houses, cars, etc) and the money was split between all the beneficiaries. This effectively left the young entrepreneurs homeless and without employment. In a VH1 special documentary released in 2003 – 8 of the 12 team members were still homeless, surviving only because of the local soup kitchen. Two of the members went to work for the AA groups in order to save their homes and families. And the final two members had moved to San Francisco to work for Rice-A-Roni as food tasters.
If there is good news in a situation like this it’s that the judge ruled in favor of the AA groups largely because of the well documented correlation between gambling and addition. And no such correlation has been drawn between fishing and addiction (although some of us do have one or two too many while they are on the boat – but those people will remain nameless).
I also found out that before the AA groups filed the lawsuit, they retained several high profile research institutions to investigate whether or not people can be addicted to fishing. Beakman from the early morning show Beakman’s World is apparently heading the project.
The good news is that site will remain up and running and fully intact during the trial for now, business should be conducted as usual. I will keep the users up to date with the trial proceedings. And hey, maybe if we’re lucky we can get some FishAddix members on our jury.
Thanks for reading my special April Fool’s Week blog. I hope you enjoyed it.
Until next week,
CHIPTY
Disclamier: If you haven’t figured it out yet – this blog is a complete fabrication and no events, details, people, etc. discussed during this blog were based on actual historical events, people, or happenings.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
CHIPTY puts the creators of FishAddix in the Hot-Seat
Welcome back Addix! This week I wanted to change things up a bit and I decided that I was going to sit down with the creators of FishAddix and get their feelings on the website and try to see where things are headed in the future. To protect their identities – I have used FAO1 and FAO2 as their names (FishAddix Owner #1 and #2). I really enjoyed the interview process even though it was not conducted face to face (due to scheduling conflicts). I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed doing the interview.
Chipty: What’s it like owning your own fishing website?
FAO1: You have no idea how many chicks we get just by telling them we own our own cyberspace fishing website. It’s really its own pickup line.
Chipty: Really, that’s kind of hard to believe…
FAO2: That’s because it’s a blatant lie. Yeah, we’d probably be able to pick up more guys than girls anyway (laughter). In all honesty, the site has come into it’s own over the last year and we’re really happy with what we’ve got so far and where we are heading in the future. We are constantly rolling out new things to try and make the site better for fisherman.
Chipty: Haha – that sounds more like it. And I’ll make sure to mention in the blog that you made yourself crack up with your own joke. So who came up with the idea for the website?
FAO2: Well that’s kind of a sticking point between the two of us. And we’ve decided – behind closed doors – that for the purposes of interviews and press releases and such – that we came up with the idea together while we were fishing one morning.
Chipty: Well I’m sure my readers will be angered by that answer – but we’ll move on in the interest of your feelings. What is your favorite thing about FishAddix?
FAO2: We don’t really have a favorite item or application on FishAddix. But we like how dynamic the site is.
Chipty: Keeping with the vague answers I see… I can’t take that one back to my readers so – what do you mean by dynamic?
FAO1: Well for one – the site was designed so that the more information that is entered into the site, on an individual level as well as a community level – the more accurate and more useful the site becomes to everyone. The more people that get involved with the site and post reports and create lakes, the more accurate the site becomes and the statistics start to reveal fishing patterns by themselves.
Chipty: What do you mean, “the stats start to reveal fishing patterns by themselves?”
FAO1: Well, the original idea for the site was that someone, anyone, like you and me, could log onto FishAddix and read reports of lakes in the area. And even if you’ve never fished that lake, you could go there and know some things that have worked for other people under similar conditions. And with the new fishing report structure that was rolled out earlier this year, in conjunction with the ability to follow lakes, reading reports and finding successful techniques has never been easier. And as more people join the ranks of the FishAddix members, and the more people add reports and lakes – everyone will benefit.
Chipty: Alright, well to avoid this blog sounding like a huge advertisement – what other hobbies and interests to you have?
FAO1: I don’t know, what do you want me to say that I like long walks on the beach and baking in my flower covered apron?
Chipty: Only if that’s what you really enjoy – I AM trying to conduct a legitimate interview here.
FAO1: No that’s not what I do in my spare time. Well maybe the baking part is true (laughter). Sorry. I’m a guy. I like the usual guy things – fishing, sports like baseball and football and basketball occasionally, and of course having a beer or 12 with my friends.
Chipty: You said you are always rolling out new things for the site. What’s the next on the list that FishAddix members should look for?
FAO2: Well, we have something really big cooking – but it probably won’t be rolled out for a few months. But the whole FishAddix team is on board that it could be the biggest new thing to hit FishAddix and we really think the members are going to love it.
Chipty: What’s the ultimate goal for you guys as the owners and operators of FishAddix?
FAO1: The goal is to become THE website for anything and everything fishing related. If you want to take a trip to a new lake with some friends – we want to be able to provide previous reports for that lake, bait and tackle shops that are nearby, guide services in the area, and anything you could need or want to know during your trip. And not just for fishing trips, but we’re going to have product reviews and technical advice for fisherman. The options really endless and we keep coming up with great ideas that are going to make our website a one-stop-shopping super site for fishing.
Chipty: Anything you want to say to my readers?
FAO2: Ummm, Chipty is the sweetest blogger name we’ve ever heard of.
Alright, alright… you got me. I made up that last answer. Haha. Hope you enjoyed this week’s blog. I would like to conduct more interviews in the future – perhaps putting some of the FishAddix members in the hot seat – so if you’d like me to grill one of your favorite members please let me know who and what questions you’d like answered. If you want to be in the hot seat then let me know why you are a good candidate.
See you next time,
CHIPTY
P.S. If you have ideas that you’d like Chipty to write about – please email them in to fishaddix@gmail.com or fishaddix@yahoo.com ATTN: Chipty. Thanks and I look forward to hearing your ideas.
Chipty: What’s it like owning your own fishing website?
FAO1: You have no idea how many chicks we get just by telling them we own our own cyberspace fishing website. It’s really its own pickup line.
Chipty: Really, that’s kind of hard to believe…
FAO2: That’s because it’s a blatant lie. Yeah, we’d probably be able to pick up more guys than girls anyway (laughter). In all honesty, the site has come into it’s own over the last year and we’re really happy with what we’ve got so far and where we are heading in the future. We are constantly rolling out new things to try and make the site better for fisherman.
Chipty: Haha – that sounds more like it. And I’ll make sure to mention in the blog that you made yourself crack up with your own joke. So who came up with the idea for the website?
FAO2: Well that’s kind of a sticking point between the two of us. And we’ve decided – behind closed doors – that for the purposes of interviews and press releases and such – that we came up with the idea together while we were fishing one morning.
Chipty: Well I’m sure my readers will be angered by that answer – but we’ll move on in the interest of your feelings. What is your favorite thing about FishAddix?
FAO2: We don’t really have a favorite item or application on FishAddix. But we like how dynamic the site is.
Chipty: Keeping with the vague answers I see… I can’t take that one back to my readers so – what do you mean by dynamic?
FAO1: Well for one – the site was designed so that the more information that is entered into the site, on an individual level as well as a community level – the more accurate and more useful the site becomes to everyone. The more people that get involved with the site and post reports and create lakes, the more accurate the site becomes and the statistics start to reveal fishing patterns by themselves.
Chipty: What do you mean, “the stats start to reveal fishing patterns by themselves?”
FAO1: Well, the original idea for the site was that someone, anyone, like you and me, could log onto FishAddix and read reports of lakes in the area. And even if you’ve never fished that lake, you could go there and know some things that have worked for other people under similar conditions. And with the new fishing report structure that was rolled out earlier this year, in conjunction with the ability to follow lakes, reading reports and finding successful techniques has never been easier. And as more people join the ranks of the FishAddix members, and the more people add reports and lakes – everyone will benefit.
Chipty: Alright, well to avoid this blog sounding like a huge advertisement – what other hobbies and interests to you have?
FAO1: I don’t know, what do you want me to say that I like long walks on the beach and baking in my flower covered apron?
Chipty: Only if that’s what you really enjoy – I AM trying to conduct a legitimate interview here.
FAO1: No that’s not what I do in my spare time. Well maybe the baking part is true (laughter). Sorry. I’m a guy. I like the usual guy things – fishing, sports like baseball and football and basketball occasionally, and of course having a beer or 12 with my friends.
Chipty: You said you are always rolling out new things for the site. What’s the next on the list that FishAddix members should look for?
FAO2: Well, we have something really big cooking – but it probably won’t be rolled out for a few months. But the whole FishAddix team is on board that it could be the biggest new thing to hit FishAddix and we really think the members are going to love it.
Chipty: What’s the ultimate goal for you guys as the owners and operators of FishAddix?
FAO1: The goal is to become THE website for anything and everything fishing related. If you want to take a trip to a new lake with some friends – we want to be able to provide previous reports for that lake, bait and tackle shops that are nearby, guide services in the area, and anything you could need or want to know during your trip. And not just for fishing trips, but we’re going to have product reviews and technical advice for fisherman. The options really endless and we keep coming up with great ideas that are going to make our website a one-stop-shopping super site for fishing.
Chipty: Anything you want to say to my readers?
FAO2: Ummm, Chipty is the sweetest blogger name we’ve ever heard of.
Alright, alright… you got me. I made up that last answer. Haha. Hope you enjoyed this week’s blog. I would like to conduct more interviews in the future – perhaps putting some of the FishAddix members in the hot seat – so if you’d like me to grill one of your favorite members please let me know who and what questions you’d like answered. If you want to be in the hot seat then let me know why you are a good candidate.
See you next time,
CHIPTY
P.S. If you have ideas that you’d like Chipty to write about – please email them in to fishaddix@gmail.com or fishaddix@yahoo.com ATTN: Chipty. Thanks and I look forward to hearing your ideas.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Lure Chucking vs. Bait Fishing
First off I just want to say thanks for all the readers and especially all the posts on last week’s blog. It’s really enjoyable for me to read what fellow FishAddix have to say and I’m glad I’m not alone in the etiquette department. Perhaps we should just Shaq-beat offenders until there aren’t any offenders left. Whaddya think?
For this week I decided to bring it down a notch since last week’s article struck a chord with many of you. And as we near the start of the fishing season here in NJ I’ve decided this week to talk about fishing preference. For the purposes of this article I’ve decided only to tackle live bait and lures although I know some of you like the hybrid approach of trolling around using out-riggers. Now this is an age old argument right up there with the infamous, blonde versus brunette debate, with trolling with out-riggers being analogous to redheads - it’s nice to do every once in a while but it’s just not your bread and butter.
My personal preference depends on my mode of transportation around the lake. What I mean is, will I be hoofing through the bush taking on the wilderness Bear Grylls style with only my Rambo knife for protection (NJ fishing is dangerous, like fishing from the trenches – but that’s a topic for another article), or, will I have access to a boat and or canoe.
If I’m walking the lake and fishing from shore, odds are I’m going to make one hike around the lake to find my favorite spot and then I’m going to set up camp with a couple poles, a bucket of live bait, a few beverages (of the adult variety), a pack of sun flower seeds, and my Coleman Max camping chair. And the most activity I will engage in during my 7-8 hour day, is finding Mother Nature’s pole holders in the form of fallen branches, and then of course the occasional trip to relieve the adult beverages from my system. I like this type of fishing mainly because it’s relaxing. Once you pick out your spot there’s not much else to do but bait your hook, cast out the poles, and sit back and take in the outdoors in all its glory. Fishing from shore with friends only sweetens the deal. There is really no substitute for watching your friend bait their hook, flip the bailor, and launch a helpless shiner into the same tree that you are using to block those vicious UV Rays. I may immediately take that back – it’s a close race between watching them launch it into the trees and then them trying to get their setup back in one piece. Of course you can still cast into the trees from a boat but you usually just clip the edge of a bush and it’s not a full-fledged tree cast. Plus you can just row over to the bush and unhook your bait – with no pleasure derived from the painful experience of ripping your line through the trees.
Now if by the grace of God I have access to a boat (obviously I am not the skipper of this sea vessel – and I’m probably tagging along with the owner) then I like to use one pole for live bait and the other for lures. For me, this is the most enjoyable when I’m on a boat because I have the live bait out there, so I’m almost guaranteed to catch something eventually, but I can also mess around with various lures and perfect my casting as I try to get into more and more difficult spots. Plus, if I get bored of throwing the lures I can just kick back, enjoy a brewski or perhaps a sandwich (yeah I’ll bring the old Italian sub aboard), and watch my bobber.
I’ve also found that fishing with others is almost always more enjoyable when you are camping out on shore. This definitely depends on your company but the hooligans that I fish with really come out of their shell when we’re all lining the shore. My reasoning is this – if you are camped out on shore with live bait – there’s not much else to do except past the time by talking. I’ve had many an interesting conversation while I was hawking my bobber from shore and I’ve realized that you just don’t get the same forced interaction when you are lure fishing. Whether you’re on a boat or walking the lake with lures – there’s always something to do when you’re lure fishing. Keep this in mind when you bring your kids fishing – give them a bobber to look at and they’re going to drive you crazy – but give them a rubber worm to cast and recast and let them wreak havoc while staying occupied and out of your way. Now I hope no PTA members are reading because they might be misunderstanding my techniques for child neglect. Have no fear – no kids here. But I digress.
In any event, whether you are fishing with lures or you’re using home grown baby shiners – the way you fish is up to you and you only. And despite any off-color remarks from you’re more purist-minded fishing buddies – I say, keep on keeping on and do what makes you happy. If I could rip fish out of the water with lures the way I rip them out with live bait, I might be singing a different tune. But to me, I fish because I’m trying to relax and get away from the stress and responsibilities of being a semi-productive member of society. And I’m not eager to go fishing and stress out because I’m not using the right color lure or because the lure I’m using isn’t the right weight and doesn’t provide the action it was designed for. If I want a Cheeseburger, I’m gonna go to McDonald’s, and if I want to catch fish, I’m going to use live bait – because I don’t fix what ain’t broken (how’s that for sounding cliché?).
So tell me what you think. Do you use live bait or lures, and why?
Thanks for reading,
CHIPTY
(Scrambled acronym for – Cool Penname I Haven’t Thought of Yet)
www.FishAddix.com
For this week I decided to bring it down a notch since last week’s article struck a chord with many of you. And as we near the start of the fishing season here in NJ I’ve decided this week to talk about fishing preference. For the purposes of this article I’ve decided only to tackle live bait and lures although I know some of you like the hybrid approach of trolling around using out-riggers. Now this is an age old argument right up there with the infamous, blonde versus brunette debate, with trolling with out-riggers being analogous to redheads - it’s nice to do every once in a while but it’s just not your bread and butter.
My personal preference depends on my mode of transportation around the lake. What I mean is, will I be hoofing through the bush taking on the wilderness Bear Grylls style with only my Rambo knife for protection (NJ fishing is dangerous, like fishing from the trenches – but that’s a topic for another article), or, will I have access to a boat and or canoe.
If I’m walking the lake and fishing from shore, odds are I’m going to make one hike around the lake to find my favorite spot and then I’m going to set up camp with a couple poles, a bucket of live bait, a few beverages (of the adult variety), a pack of sun flower seeds, and my Coleman Max camping chair. And the most activity I will engage in during my 7-8 hour day, is finding Mother Nature’s pole holders in the form of fallen branches, and then of course the occasional trip to relieve the adult beverages from my system. I like this type of fishing mainly because it’s relaxing. Once you pick out your spot there’s not much else to do but bait your hook, cast out the poles, and sit back and take in the outdoors in all its glory. Fishing from shore with friends only sweetens the deal. There is really no substitute for watching your friend bait their hook, flip the bailor, and launch a helpless shiner into the same tree that you are using to block those vicious UV Rays. I may immediately take that back – it’s a close race between watching them launch it into the trees and then them trying to get their setup back in one piece. Of course you can still cast into the trees from a boat but you usually just clip the edge of a bush and it’s not a full-fledged tree cast. Plus you can just row over to the bush and unhook your bait – with no pleasure derived from the painful experience of ripping your line through the trees.
Now if by the grace of God I have access to a boat (obviously I am not the skipper of this sea vessel – and I’m probably tagging along with the owner) then I like to use one pole for live bait and the other for lures. For me, this is the most enjoyable when I’m on a boat because I have the live bait out there, so I’m almost guaranteed to catch something eventually, but I can also mess around with various lures and perfect my casting as I try to get into more and more difficult spots. Plus, if I get bored of throwing the lures I can just kick back, enjoy a brewski or perhaps a sandwich (yeah I’ll bring the old Italian sub aboard), and watch my bobber.
I’ve also found that fishing with others is almost always more enjoyable when you are camping out on shore. This definitely depends on your company but the hooligans that I fish with really come out of their shell when we’re all lining the shore. My reasoning is this – if you are camped out on shore with live bait – there’s not much else to do except past the time by talking. I’ve had many an interesting conversation while I was hawking my bobber from shore and I’ve realized that you just don’t get the same forced interaction when you are lure fishing. Whether you’re on a boat or walking the lake with lures – there’s always something to do when you’re lure fishing. Keep this in mind when you bring your kids fishing – give them a bobber to look at and they’re going to drive you crazy – but give them a rubber worm to cast and recast and let them wreak havoc while staying occupied and out of your way. Now I hope no PTA members are reading because they might be misunderstanding my techniques for child neglect. Have no fear – no kids here. But I digress.
In any event, whether you are fishing with lures or you’re using home grown baby shiners – the way you fish is up to you and you only. And despite any off-color remarks from you’re more purist-minded fishing buddies – I say, keep on keeping on and do what makes you happy. If I could rip fish out of the water with lures the way I rip them out with live bait, I might be singing a different tune. But to me, I fish because I’m trying to relax and get away from the stress and responsibilities of being a semi-productive member of society. And I’m not eager to go fishing and stress out because I’m not using the right color lure or because the lure I’m using isn’t the right weight and doesn’t provide the action it was designed for. If I want a Cheeseburger, I’m gonna go to McDonald’s, and if I want to catch fish, I’m going to use live bait – because I don’t fix what ain’t broken (how’s that for sounding cliché?).
So tell me what you think. Do you use live bait or lures, and why?
Thanks for reading,
CHIPTY
(Scrambled acronym for – Cool Penname I Haven’t Thought of Yet)
www.FishAddix.com
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
This Week in Fishing – 3/8/10
This week I want to talk about a topic that strikes close to home with me – fishing etiquette. I don’t know if I am just a big stickler when it comes to fishing etiquette and etiquette in general, or that the experiences I’ve had have just been so egregious that most people would agree. Considering the fact that my “experiences” were perpetrated in part by fellow fishermen and or outdoorsmen – I’m inclined to agree that some people are just oblivious and ya just can’t do anything about it.
We’ll start off simple. If you’re going on an outdoor adventure I think it’s reasonable to assume that most people you’ll encounter should have general knowledge of how to behave while in and around other people enjoying the very same outdoors. For instance, when you go bowling, you don’t have to be a professional bowler to know that if the person next to you is about to bowl you wait for them to finish up before you take your turn. I suppose there are usually a few, less than intelligent people at a bowling alley that are there for the booze and could care less if you’ve just thrown 4 strikes in a row and are looking for number 5. But that’s the type of people you are going to run into at a bowling alley and you go in with your eyes open, knowing there’s going to be a few drunkies. When you’re out on the lake you’re not expecting that someone come strolling through the woods, and pull up only feet from you to drain the dragon. Not only is it bad social practice to pee near others, everyone knows you should pee at least 150 feet from a water source.
Let me paint you a little picture. You and a couple of friends head out to the lake. It’s a beautiful day in early spring and people are starting to shed their winter coats and get out on the lake. Guys are wearing their beaters to try and get that first of the year sunburn. And girls are breaking out the skirts (and the majority of those out on a lake have no business being in skirts). In any event, you find your favorite spot on the lake. This particular spot necks down to about 30 yards across before opening back up into a shallow pond covered in lily pads - so many lily pads that one could not navigate a small boat or canoe through the pads and the vast majority of it is barely knee deep. It would be fair to say that you and your friends are fishing at the mouth of a dead end and the lily pads can be seen clearly from the “main road.” You guys are the lazy type of fisherman and bring a bucket of live bait, chairs, and sunflower seeds and set up camp. Then, hour after hour, boaters, canoers, and young couples on paddleboats come aggravatingly close to you in an attempt to navigate the lily pad dead end. These people get right in front of you, so close that they can, and will ask you to take their picture as they hand you their digital camera without even straining to lean out of the boat. Once they realize they can’t get anywhere they pull the ole 180 right across your line and bobber. You watch as your poor shiner gets caught up in the ferry-like paddle wheel. Laughter soon turns to tears as your drag starts squealing and you realize that you’re losing all of your line and you didn’t stop at the bait shop to pick up more because you had an entire spool. The oblivious couple keep on cruising, unaware that they’ve prematurely ended your day, and only narrowly escaped you diving into the water to physically remove the pimply duo from their paddle boat. Alright, so maybe I embellished a little bit, but it’s only because I’m trying to make a point (and because well… it’s kind of my style).
Admittedly, I haven’t really discussed any solutions to fixing this problem that seems to be plaguing my favorite lakes. Shy of casting a case of bullet weights at them, I can’t really seem to come up with any solutions other than ridiculous ones that could never be implemented. So this week’s question to the readers is a two-parter: 1) what’s your best story involving fishing etiquette (or lack thereof), 2) and do you have any solutions for ending this unfortunate behavior? Until then – I’ll be petitioning the state to allow me to carry scud missiles and hand grenades while fishing in order to systematically remove these absent minded people from society. But since they denied my application to mount a turret on my car, I doubt I’ll have carte-blanche over the local lakes any time soon.
Until next time,
CHIPTY
We’ll start off simple. If you’re going on an outdoor adventure I think it’s reasonable to assume that most people you’ll encounter should have general knowledge of how to behave while in and around other people enjoying the very same outdoors. For instance, when you go bowling, you don’t have to be a professional bowler to know that if the person next to you is about to bowl you wait for them to finish up before you take your turn. I suppose there are usually a few, less than intelligent people at a bowling alley that are there for the booze and could care less if you’ve just thrown 4 strikes in a row and are looking for number 5. But that’s the type of people you are going to run into at a bowling alley and you go in with your eyes open, knowing there’s going to be a few drunkies. When you’re out on the lake you’re not expecting that someone come strolling through the woods, and pull up only feet from you to drain the dragon. Not only is it bad social practice to pee near others, everyone knows you should pee at least 150 feet from a water source.
Let me paint you a little picture. You and a couple of friends head out to the lake. It’s a beautiful day in early spring and people are starting to shed their winter coats and get out on the lake. Guys are wearing their beaters to try and get that first of the year sunburn. And girls are breaking out the skirts (and the majority of those out on a lake have no business being in skirts). In any event, you find your favorite spot on the lake. This particular spot necks down to about 30 yards across before opening back up into a shallow pond covered in lily pads - so many lily pads that one could not navigate a small boat or canoe through the pads and the vast majority of it is barely knee deep. It would be fair to say that you and your friends are fishing at the mouth of a dead end and the lily pads can be seen clearly from the “main road.” You guys are the lazy type of fisherman and bring a bucket of live bait, chairs, and sunflower seeds and set up camp. Then, hour after hour, boaters, canoers, and young couples on paddleboats come aggravatingly close to you in an attempt to navigate the lily pad dead end. These people get right in front of you, so close that they can, and will ask you to take their picture as they hand you their digital camera without even straining to lean out of the boat. Once they realize they can’t get anywhere they pull the ole 180 right across your line and bobber. You watch as your poor shiner gets caught up in the ferry-like paddle wheel. Laughter soon turns to tears as your drag starts squealing and you realize that you’re losing all of your line and you didn’t stop at the bait shop to pick up more because you had an entire spool. The oblivious couple keep on cruising, unaware that they’ve prematurely ended your day, and only narrowly escaped you diving into the water to physically remove the pimply duo from their paddle boat. Alright, so maybe I embellished a little bit, but it’s only because I’m trying to make a point (and because well… it’s kind of my style).
Admittedly, I haven’t really discussed any solutions to fixing this problem that seems to be plaguing my favorite lakes. Shy of casting a case of bullet weights at them, I can’t really seem to come up with any solutions other than ridiculous ones that could never be implemented. So this week’s question to the readers is a two-parter: 1) what’s your best story involving fishing etiquette (or lack thereof), 2) and do you have any solutions for ending this unfortunate behavior? Until then – I’ll be petitioning the state to allow me to carry scud missiles and hand grenades while fishing in order to systematically remove these absent minded people from society. But since they denied my application to mount a turret on my car, I doubt I’ll have carte-blanche over the local lakes any time soon.
Until next time,
CHIPTY
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