Social media take fishing to new level

The 2011 edition of the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades was in July at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and I again had the opportunity to walk the show’s aisles. One thing you can count on when attending ICAST is that you will see some interesting stuff.

Whether that stuff will catch fish is the $64 question that can be answered only by spending time with it in the field.

While walking through the show, I couldn’t help but overhear a conversation between two attendees about some of the new products they had seen. Perhaps their words can shed light on the changes coming to the fishing tackle industry.

“Why do they get weirder and weirder?” one man asked the other with regard to some of the new baits they had seen.

“ ’Cause they have to come up with new (stuff),” was the other’s rather loud and irreverent reply.

One of the new lures I found to be on the strange side is produced by a company called Bites Back Fishing. This lure uses what the company calls “self-deploying” hooks that remain hidden inside the lure body until a fish bites. When the fish puts pressure on the “belly trigger,” stainless steel hooks are released from within the lure body. Perhaps the Bites Back lure was inspired by a switchblade knife or a leg-hold trap, but after handling the product, I don’t think it would be nearly as effective.

The concept might have merit, but I found the construction to be of lesser quality, and, as such, I have no immediate plans to make room for Bites Back lures in my tackle box.

On the other hand, something each of us might want to make room for in our virtual tackle boxes is one or more of a growing number of online fishing information sources that now include a social media component. Though I have been slow to embrace the social media frenzy, perhaps it’s time to look at some of the options available to you and your fishing friends.

Earthsports.com is similar to the popular Facebook site but is based on fishing. In fact, the header reads “Fishing 24/7.” As with Facebook, you can be a friend to as many people as you want, and your account can be linked directly to your other social media accounts. With the correct settings, what you post on your Earthsports page also will appear on your Facebook page. Naturally, if you don’t want your boss to know you have been fishing on your sick days, you might not want to create such a link.

In addition to being a place where you can post stories of your latest big fish encounter and share information between fishing friends, Earthsports allows you to tailor your page to fit your individual interests. For instance, you can include feeds from other fishing-related websites so they are easily accessible to you and your approved list of friends. You also can access news articles, fishing forums, blogs and information to help you improve your fishing results.

Best of all, it’s free.

Fishidy.com is another website that includes a social media component. This site has hooked up with Fishing Hot Spots Inc., a digital map series, to provide fishing reports about specific locations on waters across the country. But, if you want more than the social media function, prepare to pay for it.

At fishhound.com, you can read real-time fishing reports and talk with other anglers who fish the waters in which you are interested.

Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His “In the Outdoors” column, published Thursday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NDOW. Any opinions he states in his column are his own. He can be reached at intheoutdoorslv@gmail.com.