Tidelines – March 7, 2013
I don’t quite know the correct math in calculating the 10-year anniversary of Fisherman’s Post, but I think 2013 is our 10-year anniversary. My math question revolves around whether the 10-year anniversary comes at the start of 10 years of publishing Fisherman’s Post, or whether it would come after the completion of 10 years.
The first issue of Fisherman’s Post hit stands on May 15, 2003. We just printed 3,000 copies of that 16 page paper, and only delivered it along the coast from Topsail (northern frontier) down to Oak Island (southern frontier). I say just and only because we now run 40-72 page papers, print no fewer than 20,000 copies, and deliver to the entire coast of North Carolina (as well as a number of inland locations).
Though we now boast bigger numbers, there’s still a strong sentimentality that comes from flipping through the simple pages of that first issue. Barry and Cape Fear Marine & Tackle advertised on the inside cover. Steve and Seagull Bait & Tackle were prominent on the Carolina Beach report page. And familiar faces like Tex’s Tackle, Motts Channel Seafood, East Coast Sports, and Haag and Sons Seafood graced our pages then like they still do today.
Our first issue, in review, also was strong on content. Contributing writers included Capt. Rick Croson explaining Clark spoons and diving plugs, the late Capt. Fisher Culbreth discussing spring flounder, and Steve West (then at Cape Fear Marine & Tackle and now at MarineMax) reflecting on the changing Cape Fear River.
In honor of 10 years of publishing Fisherman’s Post, this year we’ll be running a new feature, a Flashback series. Each issue will feature a favorite fish photo from that 2003 printing season, and it seemed fitting to start this feature with a replication of our first cover.
Celebrating our anniversary and marking the transformations we’ve gone through over the years has had me reflecting more than usual on change, but my conclusions aren’t groundbreaking: sometimes change is good, and sometimes change is bad.
Good change: For some unknown reason, our February fishing schools were more popular than they’ve ever been. We had record numbers of attendees at Wilmington and Morehead (as of print time our new Greenville school has yet to be conducted, but since it’s the first year, it has to be a record number for that school, too).
Bad change: In February, the fishing community lost a powerful force when Capt. Charles H. Brown finally lost his battle with cancer. The Pastor at Davis First Baptist Church told everyone at the service that Charlie’s in a better place, but I’d selfishly call him back in a heartbeat. I’m not sure yet how I’ll personally honor his memory yet, but I’m expecting Capt. Ricky Kellum to pay his respects by giving up Storm shrimp and switching exclusively to MirrOlures.
Good change: Our Inshore Tournament Trail is now focused exclusively on flounder. This decision was made by focusing on the wants and needs of our participants. In last year’s Trail, more people weighed in flounder than red drum, and more people by far entered Flounder TWTs over Red Drum TWTs.
Bad Change: One of our favorite and long-standing clients, Charter Lakes Marine Insurance, is no longer buying ad space from us, but what’s really strange is that we’re happy about it. Adam and Liz, who have effectively been Charter Lakes in our area for years, have reinvented themselves over the winter months and are now serving the fishing and boating community under the umbrella of Wells Marine Insurance (who we are now very, very happy to have as an advertiser, so really I manipulated my Bad News/Good News format to get in another Good News.
Good change: Last year’s Morehead Inshore Challenge was a bust, perhaps the biggest bust in the history of Fisherman’s Post hosting events. We had 17 boats enter that event, but what was most upsetting was that only two local boats fished (15 of the 17 boats traveled up from Wrightsville, Carolina Beach, and Southport). The 2013 solution, in our opinion, is a great one. We’ve moved the event to Ocean Isle where Brant McMullan and the Ocean Isle Fishing Center family are already making us feel at home, and they are easily matching our energy to make this first flounder event of the year one of our best.
Now go make your own good news. Go fishing, take a photo, and send it to us. In addition to getting published in the pages of our upcoming issue, you may also be featured 10 years from now when we celebrate our 20-year anniversary.
