Boom! And Just Like That Bass Pundit Became 15 Years Old

Well, my blogging here at the mothership was down a few more tics yet again this year. A new record low, in fact. I guess I was preoccupied with other things.  But I am still at it and will persist.

An Addition to my Blogroll: Tackle.org

So yesterday I got a request to add a Wisconsin based website Tackle.org to my blogroll.  It's been a number of years since I last had a request to do it.  I haven't messed with my blogrolls at all so far this year.  I added it to the "Friends of Bass Pundit" roll.  I don't know if I'll touch the blogrolls beyond doing that.

Tackle.org looks like it's a site dedicated to giving information about tackle with the hope of getting you to buy it from Amazon through them.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  If he's able to make some money that way, more power to him.  I wish you luck.

Update: I got a note from Tackle.org's owner about the site.

I've Changed The Look At The Log Blog

I'm not totally thrilled with the way the top of the blog looks.  What I need to do is play around with that picture of the Grumpy Old Men at Pic Monkey to see what I can come up with there.

Another Bass Blogging Great Is Done

Kramer Gone Fishing has called it a day.

Out Of The Groove

I was in my best groove in years of blogging in the Fall this October until something happened to get me out of it.  I'll leave it to my readers to figure out what that something was that pulled me into the rut I am now into blogging wise.

I have been meaning to put some thoughts together on the Vikings season and I wanted to have done some ice fishing by now, but I've had some health issues I've been dealing with that put the kibosh on that to this point.  So this is my update for now.

Onward into December!

I Finished My 2013 & 2014 Blog Livewell's

At the top of the blog just under the header there is a row of links to my various blog Pages.  Since 2012 when Blogger first gave me the option to add Pages like this I have done a "Livewell" to showcase pictures of my notable catches from a given year.  I just now got around to finishing my 2013 Livewell and also my 2014 Livewell.

Enjoy!

Blogging Note: My "About Me" is updated

See the tab on the blog header or click here to see it.

I'm Still Alive

Due mostly to car problems and hot weather I only got out fishing 3 days in August.  I just have been to lazy to blog about anything.  Hopefully I will get some more blogging done this week, maybe some fishing as well.  We'll see.

18 Blog Posts In March

That is the worst post total for March since I started blogging in Nov. of 2004.  I blame it mostly on Facebook.  I wouldn't say 18 posts is a pathetic number though.

Livewell 2012 My New Blog Page

It's the place I am putting a gallery of pictures of my notable catches for the year.  I may or may not go into the past and add a 2011, 2010, and so on.  To see the pics, click on "Livewell 2012" on my page line below my blogs header.

New to the Blog I've got Pages

If you look up you can see I've added an About me page and Classic Bass Pundit Page, which replaces that blogroll on the sidebar.  I'm thinking I'm gonna add Livewell Page for fish Pics.

Seriously???!!!

Got out at midnight on Eddy's Jetty and man did conditions seem right with that E SE wind. From Midnight to 2:15AM I got 5.

23" and 19" on gold Husky Jerk 12
25" and 24.5" on glass perch Husky Jerk 12
22" on white X-Rap Shallow Shad

Full report and pictures on my blog Bass Pundit
This is a fishing report I left this morning on a certain Minnesota fishing message board/forum. I went back to look and see if there were any more reports and I discover the line referring people to my blog had been edited out. (Keep in mind that is just a mention without a hyperlink)

An Administrator leaves a comment:
It would sure be nice if you posted some pics and the full report here.

Really LSF!!!
That thread as of 6:30pm today has 273 views. Meanwhile my blog has gotten 64 visits since I posted there and it looks like less than half of those visits had anything to do with today's Mille Lacs Lake post. Keep in mind I also posted on Facebook and at IDOFishing.com, which has left my little blog plug (no link) up.

Of all the fishing message boards out there I think The Bassholes.com gets it. The Bassholes.com banner on my sidebar is there totally free for the Bassholes.com. If you have a fishing blog, the Bassholes.com is your friend.

Somehow I don't think ole LSF is getting any more fishing reports from me.

FYI

Blogging Note- Not that it is my readers problem, but Google Blogger, which is my blogging service was down yesterday into this morning and I didn't get some things blogged that I wanted to and now I'm way behind because I also didn't do my tackle preparation for the Minnesota Fishing Opener yet. So basically I'm behind the 8 Ball on where I should be at this point. I need food!

Thank You!

Update: Fishing Tackle Prep done, such that it is. Tip: Don't open J.J's Magic Dye in the house.

Sportsman Blog Reflects On Blogging With 700th Post

The Act of Blogging Has Enduring Significance

Back in the late 90's when the Internet was really coming into it's own and I needed to secure an email address for myself I made the decision to go with Hotmail because I figured Microsoft isn't going anywhere. It was an account I would be able to have for a very long time and I was right. I wasn't nearly as caculating when it came to picking Blogger for my blog, but I think it is going to work out the same way. This blog will exist for as long as Google lets it exist, which could be as long as the Internet exists.

Hmm

This from the boys at Bass Zone.com and Bass Talk Live:
I guess they would know because they do have a blog, but they have kind of given up on it.

Attention Bloggers!!!

The Professional Outdoor Media Association(POMA) is in the process of trying to put together a Outdoor Industry Blogger Directory (click this link to register your blog). The listing is free (otherwise I wouldn't be blogging about it.)

Kyped from NAFC:
POMA (www.professionaloutdoormedia.org) is the premier, international, professional communicators organization in the shooting, hunting, fishing and trapping industries. Its more than 320 media members are renowned editors, writers, photographers, broadcasters, publishers and content providers. In addition, the 140-plus industry firms and organizations that are Corporate Partners share POMA's focus on serving the outdoor press corps, developing the next generation of outdoor journalists and perpetuating the traditional outdoor sports.

Now as we all know Bass Pundit is NOT written by Professional Blogger. One quick glance at this site and a 5 year old could figure that out. However, I would like to think I am slowly improving at the blogging craft. I've got a long ways to go before I am in the same league with Rich Lindgren, Big Indiana Bass, Tacticalbassin.com and the boys at Bass Parade among others who know what the heck they are doing when it comes to blogging and the Internet.

Attention Bloggers!

It looks like there is going to be a Fishing and Hunting Blogger Summit/Conference coming to a resort near me this summer. More information at Sportsman Blog.com.

For more info email Michelle Scheuermann mscheuermann@thesportsmanchannel.com or
Jim Braaten jim7226@hotmail.com

As I get more info, I will be passing it on. I am definitely interested seeing as how it is close to me.

Is Bass Fishing Media Nothing But A Shill?

That seems to be what is said Pete Weighs In Blog in his post Turn The Beat Around.

Then again, at least the mainstream sports world is having the conversation. In the bass fishing world, we take conflicts of interest for granted. In fact we revel in them. A Toyota-sponsored pro wins a tournament? The next day the lead story on half the major fishing websites is a puff piece written by Toyota’s PR firm. Reading a product review on any bass fishing website or perusing their gear guide? Chances are that most if not all of the products pictured are positioned relative to the amount of advertising dollars their manufacturers spent with that outlet. It’s as simple as connecting the banner ad to the review next to it. Not even a disclosure statement explaining that Company X advertises with the website. On the average bass website, you can’t tell the press releases from the news.


There obviously is truth to there being quite a bit of synergy between marketing and fishing media. I would hope the consumer of fishing media is sophisticated enough to recognize what is marketed information and what isn't. In fact I kind of think the default position probably should be to think information given has a marketing purpose unless there is a good reason to think otherwise.

100,000 Pageviews!

Tonight I reached 100,000 Pageviews on my Sitemeter hit counter. That is my count since I put the widget in, which I did right away when I started the blog, and not my total for one day.

How I Came Up With the Name Bass Pundit

Outdoor Blogger Network is asking it's member bloggers to share how their blogs came to be named with this weeks Outdoor Writing Prompt I can't say that I've ever blogged about this before and I am one of Outdoor Blogger Networks featured bloggers this week, so I figured I'd tell the story.

I think many who are up on the development of the "Blogosphere" can probably figure out where Bass Pundit comes from:
One of the very first blogs that I ever read was Instapundit by Glenn Reynolds. He used to have a graphic that claimed Instapundit was the Grand Central Station of the Blogosphere or something to that effect. Since to me "Pundit" and blogs where so synonymous I went with Bass Pundit rather than my nickname of Basspastor.

When I first started Bass Pundit I envisioned Bass Pundit being sort of like an Instapundit for bass fishing information. The problem with that being when I started Bass Pundit there just were not that many bass fishing websites and there were basically no other blogs centered around bass fishing with which I could frequently link; To go the Instapundit route I would basically always be linking to the same couple of websites. It really has not been until the past couple of years that blogging has begun to catch on among bass fishermen and the number of bass fishing bloggers that write frequently is still quite low. Still, one of the aim's of Bass Pundit is certainly to promote other bass fishing blogs and that will always be the case.

Mostly Bass Pundit to me is a hobby that I do whatever I feel like with and the fact that others care to read it and enjoy it gives me some personal satisfaction.