A Sure-fire Way To Get a Bump In Traffic

I wasn't sure why I saw a very large increase in local visitors to my blog around noon yesterday (Friday). Thanks to the magic of Facebook & the Pottstown Mercury, I now know.

Want website traffic?  Add some T...a little A...and then stir.

Excellent choice of picture by the Pottstown Mercury. (It was taken from a heat-related post I made last week). Hopefully nobody will be disappointed if the "Women in Waders" don't show up for the Adopt-A-Stream project this morning.

I should probably take this up with the board of the Stony Creek Anglers at our next meeting; with the proper marketing, the ladies' attendance would clearly create record turnouts next year...

2010 Stony Creek Anglers Adopt-A-Stream Project

This Saturday, July 31st, the Stony Creek Anglers are hosting their annual Adopt-A-Stream Project on the Stony Creek in Norristown, PA.  This year's stream bank restoration project will involve the construction of a log deflector reinforced with stone to decrease erosion and provide additional habitat for the trout near the "Meadow Bridge" site.

2009's Adopt-A-Stream Project on the Kepner Creek

This year's project will again be overseen & managed by Karl Lutz, Habitat Manager from the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission.

If you're interested in helping in this project, the meetup time is 7:30 AM at the Stony Creek Anglers trout nursery in the Norristown Farm Park. Any and all assistance is welcomed. Tools and work gloves will be provided, however please bring adequate waders or wading boots as most of the project will take place in the water. Food & beverages to be served afterwards.

For more information on the Stony Creek Anglers, including maps of the park and directions to the nursery, visit their website HERE.

Fishing for a New QB

NFL Training Camp started this week for the hometown Philadelphia Eagles. This should be an interesting year for the 'Birds, as we've got a lot of young players being asked to step up and fill in roles left vacant by departing veterans.

There's probably no larger a hole to fill than that of QB, with the off-season trade of Donovan McNabb to Washington. Is Kevin Kolb up to the task? Beats me...but I kinda like the guy already. Why? Not only are there rumors that he hunts wild boar with his bare hands in the offseason, but according to this article from the Philadelphia Daily News, the new starting QB is also into competitive bass fishing. Unfortunately, no word on his (or his mom's) feelings toward Chunky Soup.

Excerpt from Les Bowen's Daily News Article:

"I had no desire to get into it, I just kind of stumbled into it," said Kolb, who won a couples competition in Texas' Hubbard Creek Lake with his wife, Whitney. Kevin took fourth this year in an individual tourney that he said featured about 70 boats.

"My dad [Roy] taught me to bass fish a long time ago, but some of my old high school buddies that I ended up moving close to once I moved to [Lake Granbury, near Fort Worth], they said, 'Man, you've got to do this.' My rookie year was the first time I started doing it. Went into it head over heels, too. I like it a lot."

Read the full Philadelphia Daily News article here:
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/sports/99085579.html

Yo-Yos Aren't Just for Kids Anymore

I was recently introduced to a great blog called The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles. It's very well written, almost always with a dry sense of humor, and as you can tell by the title, Albert is quite the outdoorsman - hunting, fishing, and all that good stuff - of course, you know, when he isn't over in Afghanistan...

When I read his post this morning concerning an idea of starting a Yo-Yos for Troops program, I first thought "That's genius," and second, "When can I go yo-yo shopping?!"

I figure if that's what someone who's halfway across the world thinks the troops would like (besides a one way ticket home), well then, that's what they should get.  Plus, yo-yos are stupid cool.  They could probably (in a pinch) even be used in hand-to-hand combat.  THWAP!  Glow-in-the-Dark Duncan to the forehead.

Just please don't be a _____ and ask if your yo-yo donation is tax-deductable - if so, I might just have to send Albert after you when he returns...

Likely not someone to mess with

For more information on the Yo-Yo For Troops program, click on the link below or the on banner in the right sidebar of this website.

YO-YOs for Troops

The "Lost" Map of Professor Higbee

I was paging through my local newspaper on Saturday, and I saw about a quarter page ad for Professor Higbee's Stream & Lake Map of Pennsylvania.  Now, I had heard of this map before, probably visited the website a few times over the course of the past season or two "Googling" random things about fishing, but what struck me about the print ad was the marketing around this map.

First, it was billed as the "Lost" Professor Higbee map.  They play this thing up as if it is some rare, ancient artifact, you know, the kind of map the cast of The Goonies would need an amulet from a shipwreck or something to decipher.  (Check out One Eyed Willie's suggestions on secret limestone streams)

Turns out it's origins date way back to 1965, which I guess was a different time.  I'm  not sure Al Gore had even invented the internet way back then.

Second, the promotional ploy totally reeked of infomercial.  Not only did you get the 3x5 foot stream map, but if you acted today, you also got 3 additional bonus gifts, including such notable works as "Finding Secret Fishing Spots" and "How Anglers Stalk & Catch Record Fish."  I was kinda hoping they'd "double my order" or include a Slap Chop at no extra charge.

So, I'm not sure where this ramble is going.  This very well might be the cat's meow when it comes to stream maps in PA.  For $20, it certainly wouldn't break the bank.  I guess my question is if something like this is still relevant in today's time of easily accessible internet stream reports and Google Earth/Maps?