Fishing Lessons Learned

This is an assembly of lessons learned about fishing, kayaking, packpacking and blogging.  The idea is to learn from my mistakes or in some cases when the blind squirrel finds the nut.  Taking a few minutes to Look these over may save you hours or days.

KAYAK Lessons Learned

  https://bluecordfishermen.com/getting-started-with-a-kayak/

  1. PCI or PCC’s: For all you great American’s out there who are not Veterans or Troopers, These acronyms are Pre Combat Checks or Pre Combat Inspections.  Simple translation is make a list and go over it before you shove off the bank.  Too many times, I got on the water and realized the anchor is in the truck bed in the parking lot.  I attach my list to my seat.  Yes, I have shoved off without my seat.  Once you launch, you just hate going back.  PCC’s will help prevent the need for a U Turn.
  2. Store things in the same place each time to create muscle memory.
  1. Row Slow when in an area with stumps.
  1. Be careful during a launch if there is a lot of vegetation nearby. On one launch, my fly rod caught a bush and snapped the front section clean off.
  2. Watch the weather.  Storms come up quick below the Mason Dixon Line.  NOAA has apps for smart phones that show near term forecast and radar.   The app includes storm alerts.  One August evening while on Kiest Lake I was facing east where it was clear and cloudless and received a storm alert.  Just over the pines to the west was a wall of storm clouds.  I rapidly pulled the anchor and made best speed for the ramp.  I got off the water but just in time to avoid 40+ mph winds.  20 mph winds will drag an kayak with the anchor deployed.  My guess is that at 40 mph, you have no choice of where the kayak is going much less getting back to the ramp.  Of course lightning strikes are a serious threat while out on any lake.

 

FLY TACKLE Lessons Learned

  1. Get the warranty on a fly rod.  Bass Pro is where I bought my 6 WT and I got the warranty.  I busted the top section launching my Kayak when it got caught in the bushes.  I took it to a different Bass Pro Shop from where I bought it and they looked up the warranty and honored the repair on sight.  The manager took a tip section off a floor model and gave it to me.  Instant replacement.  You can’t beat that kind of customer service.
  2. Pack materials to tie flies in compartmentalized containers.  I take these while on TDY to tie flies in the hotel room after work.
  3. Tie a couple of each fly you decide to tie.  You get better with each iteration.  If you really use it, you are going to lose it and wish you had more in your fly box.

 

BLOGGING Lessons Learned

  1. Website Hosting: HostGator.  Cost about 120/Year.  Easy set up.  No issues so far.  Tons of other options (http://www.webhostingbest10.com/) but went to HostGator just to get started.  https://www.hostgator.com/   I started cheap to learn.  Used their support section for help and they were responsive.
  2. WORDPRESS. Lots of trial and error to learn.  Lots of tutorials and resources to get started.  utube and WPBeginnger is a big help http://www.wpbeginner.com/  Support team has banker hours.  For the beginner, it takes some time to master.  Once you are up and running, it is EASY to post new content or go back and edit/update content!
  3. Most Blogs are very general and not very useful.  If you pay for sites, you get the useful info.  Money is Time.  I use time…..trial and error to learn with little money.  My strategy is to use content to as Lthe attraction.
  4. Back up is easy using updraft.  Save backup files to the cloud on google drive is easy and free.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay6z4g2tN-Y&pbjreload=10 
  5. Logo’s for free look a lot like clip art.  I built one from scratch using power point and saving the file using clip and save as png.  This easily imports as a logo but looks like a high school project done on prom weekend.  I used this to “bid” out to low budget web designers to sand off the rough edges and make it look professional for $50.00

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