Fishington: Online Fishing Social Community

Since my job is as an online marketer my days are spent online.  I am a member of several social networks and forums, Facebook and Affiliate Summit Network to name a few.   Earlier this week I was checking out www.takemefishing.org for an upcoming post I want to write when I came across the social community Fishington. 

This online forum features most of the basics of a good online forum with a personal profile, picture and bio, etc.  However what sets Fishington apart is that this online community is really geared towards people who enjoy fishing.  Whether you enjoy salt water or fresh water fishing, there are groups here for everyone.  If you don't see a group that suits your taste, you can create a group very quickly.

I was surprised by a feature called "My Hot Spots" that allows you to keep track of your favorite fishing holes.  Once you've added a lake, river, etc to your "My Hot Spots" you can add notes about the location and you can add the Hot Spot to a group.  I would think fishing clubs may use this feature to notify members about rules for fishing tournaments, or I could see using it to keep notes on lake regulations, launch fees, etc.

The "Buddies" feature always you to search for your friends that may also be on Fishington, there is also a feature to tell your friends about this online community.

I am looking forward to participating in the forums over the winter as a way to stay engaged in fishing and hopefully pick up some pointers on ice fishing and maybe sell my boat on there too.  If you are on Fishington or if you sign up, please find me and we can be buddies.

Coming soon.....www.tackleboxtalk.com - fishing site, forums and more.

Win Free Hunting Gear at Ben G. Outdoors!

As I continue to build out this blog and look for new ideas and ways to improve it, I came across a pretty solid fishing and hunting site, http://beng-outdoors.blogspot.com/.  What I like about this site is that Ben features a good balance of fishing and hunting stories and some really good pictures of his adventures.

I also like his his blog roll that features several local hunting and fishing sites such as: Troutrageous!, The Hunters Wife and Idaho Fishin' Talk to name a few that are quickly becoming some of my favorite reads.

Between now and October 31st, if you leave a comment on Ben G's site with a suggestion on any changes you would like to see or stories covered, etc you will have a chance to win free hunting gear including a pair of Muck Boots Arctic Sport Mid.  So check out his site and enter to win today.  I am sure you'll find some good nuggets of information while you are there.

Have a great week!

Coming soon.....www.tackleboxtalk.com - fishing site, forums and more.

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Fall Fishing on Hayden Lake

This past week I was lucky enough to sneak down to Hayden Lake at Honeysuckle Beach for an hour of fishing.  It was a beautiful evening, the wind was calm and the air was crisp, fall was in the air.  I was surprised with how warm it was.

I started out using my bait caster that recently took a swim in lake Coeur d'Alene, throwing a chartreuse buzz bait on 30lb braided line.  Unfortunately, the fishing was very slow.  I switched to my other rod that was also outfitted with 30lb braided line and a Strike King midnight black 5/8 spinner bait.  I brought in a fish, I don't know if it was a pike or bass, whatever it was stayed very deep so I couldn't get a very good look at it.

Even though I was fishing and trying to relax, my mind was racing with thoughts of everything I needed to do for work.  Here was a beautiful evening and an inviting sunset and I was stressing out about work.  For some reason my thoughts drifted to the story of Peter walking on water with Jesus.  This story, found in Matthew 14:22-33, describes Peter walking on water with Jesus.  As I read this story,  I am reminded just how little faith even the disciples had in the presence of Jesus.  

²²Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴but the boat was already a considerable distance^[a] from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
 ²⁵During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.
 ²⁷But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
 ²⁸"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
 ²⁹"Come," he said.
   Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
 ³¹Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
 ³²And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

My favorite verse in this story is 31 where Jesus reached out his hand to catch Peter, even when he doubted Him.  When Peter focused on Him, nothing else mattered, even the wind died down.

Jesus was a fisherman too, and He has the power to calm the wind.  This parable reminds me that I need to put my faith in Him always and pray that He will help slow down the "wind" in my life.   
 
Coming soon.....www.tackleboxtalk.com - fishing site, forums and more.

So I Went Fishing This Morning and Threw My Rod in the Lake......

"Are you kidding me?"  Those were the words of my good friend and fishing buddy Kim this morning as my 7' medium bait casting rod went tumbling over his left shoulder and fell into Mica Bay on lake Coeur d'Alene.  Thanks to his quick thinking, he threw a marker overboard immediately, we were able to retrieve my rod and reel.  I was very lucky, because while it isn't a deep bay, it may have only been 6 feet of water, the milfoil was thick and could have quickly swallowed up my favorite fishing pole.   I owe a big thanks to Kim for his quick thinking in throwing out a marker so we wouldn't lose site of my pole.

The day started innocently enough, we arrived at the Mica Bay launch (pictured on the left) by about 9AM and the wind was calm, no rain and the surface temp was about 58 degrees.  With confidence brimming, we quickly rigged up and quietly motored over to our first spot.  About 20 minutes later Kim caught a nice pike, or what we are now thinking is a muskie, (pictured below on the right) and we were both very excited and anxious for a busy morning of catching some fish.  Unfortunately as quickly as the bite turned on, it may have turned off faster.

Next came the rain, we fished through an hour or so of a downpour with no end in sight.  During this time, I realized my travel mug didn't keep my coffee as warm as I had hoped.  As a result, my fingers were very cold and wet.  I didn't realize how cold I was until I was struggling to change lures as I quickly searched for any bait that would coax a bite out of these elusive fish.

I was casting with the wind and decided to really whip pole to try and cast as far as possible.  Note to self, this is a really bad idea.  My first couple of casts were really covering some water and I was getting some good distance.  Unfortunately, my next cast didn't work as well.  I reared back and then panick set in as I realized I didn't have a hold of my rod.  It unfolded before me in slow motion as I watched my rod flip up over Kim's left shoulder and splash into the icy cold lake.  That is when Kim calmly looked back to me and said, "Are you kidding me?"

It wasn't long after this that we decided to pack it in.  Kim generously gave us his fish and my girls couldn't be more excited.  Below is a picture of them getting front row seats as I prepare to clean the pike, er possibly muskie.  Needless to say the smiles on their faces made this trip worth it.

Coming soon.....www.tackleboxtalk.com - fishing site, forums and more.