ORIGINAL POST–Starting today you’ll find the first installment as Bassfan.com unveils a series chronicling the enigmatic history of ESPN as the operator of B.A.S.S. (click here). Some things you will remember, and some you won’t, but what stands out for me is the lack of vision by the owners, as they bought one bill of ill-advised goods after another for 10 years.

But more than that. It’s obvious, that the bass fishing public (including tournament participants) never understood what ESPN saw in fishing. To them it wasn’t a hobby; it was a way to make money from non-mainstream sports. People want to bash poker, soccer or hotdog slamming. But they actually make money for the network.

In the real world, bass tournaments are much more akin to bowling–only they aren’t as easy to cover as four lanes at the Pin Palace.

Nonetheless, read up on the amazing last decade of B.A.S.S. There must be some lessons to learn for any business.

With the announcement brand manager Mike Phillips was quoted as saying, “One of the most exciting features of the site is educational videos that will cover topics from knot tying to weather conditions helping teach anglers and increasing their ability to catch more fish.”

The site features a wide screen view including new products and the latest news from around the Berkley Fishing world.

“This is a great step toward enhancing the online experience for any level of angler visiting the Berkley website,” added Phillips. “Visitors will be able to navigate easily through each page, with the new look and fresh content and more images throughout the website.”

The site gives users a product navigation shortcut bar on the home page to through the website. Visitors that enter Berkley-Fishing.com have the capability to pull up product images and use the “zoomifier” to enlarge the detail of each product featured on the site. New specification charts have also been added to the site, providing visitors advanced product information to aid in product selection.

You can see for yourself by clicking on here.

Specifically, the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) unveiled new boating and fishing research in its 2010 Special Report on Fishing and Boating.  Conducted by RBFF and The Outdoor Foundation, the report provides “detailed information on participation by gender, age, ethnicity, income, education and geographic region.” What’s more, it says, “that of the 48 million anglers in the United States, 41 million are participating in freshwater fishing, an increase of two percent from last year.”

The report also established other key facts such as: “(1) Fishing is recognized as the top “gateway” activity, spurring involvement in other outdoor interests; (2) Nearly 10 million outdoor enthusiasts are considering boat ownership; (3) ‘Next-gen’ anglers, those under 18 years of age, make up more than 23 percent of all fishing participants.”

On the boating side, the report also noted that “7.3 percent of all Americans over age 16 (approximately 20.5 million) own a boat” and that “Bass boats are the most popular boat type at 18.6 percent, followed by deck/pontoon at 14.5 percent.”

The report has data on every aspect of the sport, and offers clear clues as to what the industry, including professional and would-be professional bass anglers, might do to increase sales and the individual stock of the pro fisherman.

Of course, I know from my Saturday KGF website statistics that you are all out fishing. But when you get back, take a look at the full report, click here.

Publisher Mark Lassagne announced, “We are very excited to make this change; dropping the word “Guide” at the end of our name will give readers a clear focus of our direction. Moreover, we want bass anglers to know we are a magazine committed to them, not a once a year calendar or lake guide.”

But there is more to it than just content as you can see, Bass Angler Magazine also looks as good as it reads. As the publisher noted, “…we teamed up with Steve Adams of 316 Design who redesigned the look, feel and layout of the Magazine… with a cleaner and more professional look.”

Now in its 19th year of operation BAM (click here) provides news, updates and information for the bass fishing public. Added Lassagne, “Our writers are professional anglers and guides worldwide who understand the value of sharing what they know to help our readers become more successful on the water. Their honest sharing of hard-won secrets, results in greater success for them as guides and professional anglers, it’s a win-win situation.”

Published quarterly, Bass Angler Magazine retails for $7.95 and boasts 30 to 40 articles per issue plus low advertising content.

Therefore, it makes complete sense that his popular book Bass Strategies: A Handbook for All Anglers, written roughly 15 years earlier in VanDam’s impressive career, is back. But his revised edition now reflects the thoughts, theories and practices of this marvelous angler in the present.

As it was in the beginning, KVD again teams up with Bassmaster Magazine senior writer and National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame journalist Louie Stout to update the original work and reveal more secrets than ever before.  Throughout the 210-page work, VanDam, who is known for catching bass under the toughest conditions, analyzes the dilemmas anglers face in all types of waters and offers his insight to the most effective locations, presentations, and techniques.

Here you will find in-depth information on everything to do with bass fishing, from the critical gear to an all-new section on ‘Power Fishing’ techniques that he has helped pioneer over his years on the pro tour.

So yes, we could sit on our West Coast biases and ignore this updated release. Or maybe, just maybe, we can gather a few nuggets from a proven champion, and update our personal libraries and improve our own performances along the way.

Kevin VanDam’s Bass Strategies – Revised Edition is available this month from KVD Publications and sells for $18.95. For more information on this book, and how to purchase it, as well as VanDam’s second book, Secrets of a Champion, visit www.kevinvandam.com.

Still, this is a highly technological era we live in. Our plastic worms may still be made out of plastic, but our information access is nothing short of magic–heck it is science fiction compared to when I bought my first baitcaster. So, sure enough, communication of angling data gets yet another personal outlet as a company called DataSport, Inc. is offering a couple of Smartphone apps for all you fishing tech-types.

DataSport, if you weren’t aware, has produced the “Fish & Game Forecast” that has been in use by outdoorsmen for more than 37 years. Now, they tell us, “thanks to two new iPhone/iTouch and Android applications, fishermen can receive the DataSport forecast grahics as well as the highly-regarded Doug Hannon’s Moon Times directly on their Android Smartphones, iPhones and iPod Touches.”

One of the apps is called The FishCast allows a user “to select a date and view the forecast graph for that date.” It predicts activity as excellent, good or fair, in addition to the moon phase. No other data entry is required because it’s formulated for the Northern Hemisphere.

The other app, FishTimes, is said to be a “text representation” of Hannon’s Moon Times and Moon Clock, which has a pretty good following across the country.

Anyway, I thought there might be a link, but no. What I got was the DataSport, Inc. address: 6220 Rivercliffe Drive, Atlanta, GA 30328, and a phone number (remember how to use one of those?) at 404-252-7143. But now you know.

www.bassresource.com (Hard to reciprocate on all the career help from Glenn Mays)

www.sdfish.com (You can’t look south in SoCal without touching base with Kellen Ellis)

www.bassonline.com (Florida’s number 1 fishing website; it’s all here)

www.mikefolkestad.net (If he hadn’t won the US Open three times he wouldn’t be here)

www.westernbass.com (A leader on the “hit parade”)

www.ultimatebassradio.com (Kent Brown the voice of NorCal and other foreign soil)

www.ultimatebass.com (A busy place outside of Cali; nice folks)

www.thefishingmachine.net (A fun site with multi-media interviews with PAA pros)

www.bassfan.com (Makes it look like I know the Editor-in-Chief)

www.johnkerrfishing.com (One of the big guys in San Diego)

www.tamicurtis.net (Lady angler getting some love, er from the fishing insdustry)

www.delawaretrophybass.com (They just know about stuff)

www.theBBZ.com (Always have to check in with Hall of Famer, Bill Siemantel)

www.lake-elsinore.org/index.aspx?page=695 (For all things related to Lake Elsinore)

www.thefishingmachine.net (PAA interviews and more from a guy who knows the pros)

Please note the rankings report the species targeted more often, which is not the same as anglers’ preferred species or the species most commonly caught. For example, a Texas angler’s favorite fish may be freshwater trout, but does not pursue trout based on the distance to the nearest trout fishery. He may instead target bass on most trips – which is reported in the tables below – but catches more panfish over the course of the year based on that species high numbers.

The tables show largemouth bass continues to be the most targeted freshwater species across the U.S., followed by panfish, smallmouth bass and trout, respectively.  Rankings are available each month to AnglerSurvey subscribers, as well as information on where anglers shop, preferred brands, average prices paid, and more. For more information, please contact Southwick Associates.
Freshwater :
Largemouth or spotted bass 59.30%
Panfish (Crappie, Perch, Sunfish, Bluegill/Bream) 36.80%
Smallmouth bass 25.30%
Trout 20.10%
Catfish 17.40%
Walleye 14.30%
Any freshwater fish that bites 13.50%
Perch 9.40%
Striped bass (freshwater) or hybrid bass 8.70%
Pickerel, pike or muskie 8.30%
Carp 4.60%
White bass and Sunshine bass 4.50%
Steelhead 3.20%
Salmon 3.10%
Saugeye 2.10%
Other fish not on this list 2.00%

Southwick Associates, Inc. specializes in natural resource & environmental economic, business and statistical research.  Our staff is comprised of economic, business and statistics professionals throughout the U.S. who have in-depth experience measuring the values, benefits and revenues possible from fish, wildlife, and water-related natural resources plus their associated industries.  We can help clients better address many business, legal, legislative and public communication issues through the practical application of reliable and accurate economic information and statistics.

For information and other reports, visit our web site at www.southwickassociates.com

A bit overdue, the Hawaii Mars, fire-fighting seaplane touched down after 4 p.m. today, as sheriff’s patrol boats chased off surprised recreationalists. The big plane’s support crew has been on hand at the Lake Elsinore City Campround for a couple of weeks, where they built a heli-pad for the seaplane’s tactical spotter craft.

Depending on wind direction, the plane is moored approximately 150 yards from the “pipes” at the north end, and well inside the tip of the campground point. However, its mooring is adjacent to the flooded campground launchramp, meaning everyone’s favorite little fence line and drop-off may be off limits.

I guess that means some of the Elsinore bass are safer for a time–same for homes and property in the Southland.

Lake Elsinore, Southern California’s largest natural lake, will be the focus of plenty of media attention over the next seven days as it sees the arrival of Hawaii Mars, the fire-fighting seaplane, endures a temporary lake closure for repairs on the the aeration system all day Thursday, while also being featured on FOX Sports West television.

The huge, red water tanker should arrive any time, it’s service crew and spotter helicopter having already arrived,  stationed just off the Lake Elsinore City Campground. As previously noted, the plane will scoop water from Diamond Valley Lake, rather than Elsinore as it did in 2007.

One immediate bit of news, however, came from the city. Officially it read, “WARNING: The City of Lake Elsinore has issued a Temporary Partial Lake Closure to allow for maintenance of the Diffused Aeration System on Lake Elsinore. An airline that is 2,000 feet long will be floating on the surface in the Construction Zone. To safeguard the public, all boaters are prohibited from entering this area.”

What this means is the High Speed Zone is closed, as is the western side of the lake from north end of the speed zone to the “island” (T-shaped portion of the levee). Basically, this means the entire west shore out to and including the speed zone.

On Sunday, June 28, Ronnie Kovach’s Fishing Ventures TV show will air the episode “The Secret of Lake Elsinore” at 9:30 a.m. then will reprise the show at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30 on FOX Sports West. Shot during April, the episode shows off the many possibilities the lake has to offer.

And actually, since we’re talking media, the FOX broadcast will be preceded by a Saturday morning (June 27) radio stint with Kovach on his Radio Fishing University. A contingent from Lake Elsinore (including one local bass fishing blogger) will be in studio with Ronnie on 830 AM radio. Hopefully you’ll be listening while fishing that morning, since the show runs from 5 to 7 a.m. on the Angels flagship radio station.