The Essential Email Marketing Glossary

October 3rd, 2009

ASP – Application Service Provider. ASPs provide internet based software.

Access – Database software. Part of the Microsoft Office Suite. Organizations often store customer data in Access databases.

Autoresponder – a set of immediate or time-delayed messages that are emailed to someone after they request it

Blacklists – Lists of domains and IP addresses that have been reported or accused of sending spam. You can check blacklists at www.openrbl.org and www.dnsstuff.com.

Bonded Sender A type of delivery insurance, stamp of approval company for Email marketing companies. If you purchase the IronPort Bonded Sender Certificate, they will guarantee that your mail gets delivered to the large ISPs that they have relationships with.

Bounce back handling – The process of dealing with email messages that bo unce. Caused by a ‘bad’ email address or an address that is temporarily over its size quota or on a server that is temporarily down.

Bounces Emails that have been sent back to sender as the recipient email address was invalid or presently not working.

Click-through tracking Tracking the number of clicks that occur on each link in an email message.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) – The ability to keep track of every interaction with every prospect and customer and keeps tracks of trends and tabulates results of such notes on an aggregate scale. Essentially, an intelligent interface that allows keeping notes of every action, sale, phone call, email, fax, etc. Allows businesses to better know their customers and target messages to portions of their customers and prospects. CRM is an integrated system designed to identify, acquire, and retain customers. CRM helps organizations maximize the value of every customer interaction by managing and coordinating customer interactions across multiple channels and departments.

CSV Comma separated value. A specific format in which each new field is separated by a comma. Ex: John,Smith,john@smithman.com,male,37.

Custom fields Fields that one may use to personalize each message (see mail merge personalization). These custom fields allow our customers to import and store additional data such as address, city, state, zip code, country, birthday, spouses name, dogs name, product purchased, date of purchase, notes, or any other data.

Database A storing of records. Databases are made up of tables. Tables are made up of columns and rows. Data is stored in a field (aka cell). Popular types of web databases include SQL and MySQL.
De-duping The act of removing duplicates from a list.

Delivery speed How fast a mailing software can deliver mail.

Domain – what one types in to go to your web site.

Double opt-in (confirmed opt-in) – Single opt-in is when a visitor subscribes to a newsletter via a form on the web site. They have opted-in once. Double opt-in is when a visitor subscribes to a newsletter via a web site and then is sent a confirmation email. The visitor will only be added as a subscriber if they verify their email address and desire to receive the newsletter. Generally, the visitor must either a) click a link in the email or

( b) reply to the email. This is called double opt-in. Using double opt-in will give a listowner a cleaner list (no bo unces) and less spam complaints, although they will lose many of their subscribers who, for one reason or another, forget to or do not confirm their subscription.

Email client what a person uses to view their email. Popular email clients include Microsoft Outlook, AOL mail reader, and Eudora. There are also popular web-based email clients including Hotmail and Yahoo. Often, HTML messages will display differently in different email clients.
Email list management software Software that allows users to collect, import, and manage subscribers.
Email marketing software Allows users to send out newsletters to their lists and track results. Standard features include mail-merge personalization, message scheduling, and bo unceback handling.

Excel A spreadsheet program which is part of the Microsoft Office Suite. Used by many organizations to store the data for their lists before import. Can be used to convert data into CSV format.

Ezine An electronic magazine. Essentially the same as an email newsletter. Usually sent on a regular schedule. Contains content. Not an anno uncement or promotion list.

Feedback loops Set up with Internet Service Providers. Once a feedback loop is set up, the ISPs will contact you and ask you to deal with the complaint. If a feedback loop is not set up, the ISPs may blacklist you without giving a chance to defend yourself. AOL, Juno, and Netzero provide feedback loops.

Harvesting Emails Using a spider to extract emails from pages on the internet, either through a search starting from a single page or a search based on a specific term put into a search engine
HTML Hypertext markup language, the basic programming language of the Internet.

HTML Built-in Editor Allows users to create their own HTML newsletters right on the sending page, without knowing HTML.

HTML templates An arrangement of graphics within which a email newsletter content can be inserted.
Importing Bringing subscribers into the system in mass quantities. Once a data file is in the proper CSV format, it can be imported into the system.

IP address The Internet Protocol Address. Ex. 209.51.151.158. Before the dynamic name server (DNS) system was setup in 1994, one would have to type in numbers (the IP addresses) to go to a web site. The DNS system allows one instead to simply type in the domain name. The DNS translates the domain name into the IP address and then directs the visitor to the server (or part of the server) that the requested domain name is hosted on.

ISP Internet Service Provider. The provider of dial-up or broadband internet service that a consumer or business uses. Common ISPs are AOL, Juno, Netzero, Earthlink, and Time Warner.

Mail merge personalization The ability to, on the fly for each email, insert data from the database into specific fields in an email. For example, one may place Dear [fname] in an email. When each email is sent out, a call to the database is made to retrieve the actual first name of that subscriber. It then pastes this data into the email. Dear John or Dear Judy will result. This is a powerful tool as it allows our customers to send out personalized emails to their subscribers. One could send out a message such as:

Dear [fname] [lname];

I wanted to personally thank you for purchasing [product] or [date]. I hope your [disease] is doing better. Please let me know how you have been and if I can answer any questions.
Maximum lists Many of our competitors will only allow the creation of one list. Some get around this by offering different interest groups or targeting within this list.

Message headers The hidden lines of text/code that is above each email message. Every email sent has a header.

Message preview The ability to see what a message looks like before it is sent.

Message scheduling The ability to set a time in the future for a message to start to be delivered to recipients.

Metrics Term used to refer to message statistics such as open and click through tracking, number of bo unces, number of unsubscribes, etc.

Multi-part MIME – All messages have a header on them called Content-Type. A message can be sent as text, text/html, or multipart/alternative. If it is sent as multipart/alternative, the message is sent using formatting referred to as Multi-part MIME. The advantage of sending via multi-part MIME is that the email will automatically display as HTML if the subscribers email client can read HTML, but revert to text if the subscribers email client cannot read HTML, or has it turned off. Within a multi-part MIME email, both the HTML message and text message are sent. Between the HTML message and the text message there is a boundary. This boundary is defined in the Content-type header.

Multiple message autoresponder – A series of messages that is sent out at certain time intervals which are set by our customer. One could use a multiple message autoresponder to send out a ten day ecourse for example. One email (”tip”) would be sent each day for 10 days. This can be a very good way to increase a visitor to sale conversion rate, build a relationship with a prospect, and improve the likelihood of a prospect or customer remembering your brand.

Open Tracking The ability to keep track of the number of opens (”reads”) a message gets.

OpenRBL.org – Web site through which one can view what blacklists a site is on.

Opt-in A term that refers to any subscriber that has specifically requested an email newsletter. If they have signed up through your web site, they are opt-in. If you used a spider to harvest emails from the Internet and then added these persons as subscribers to your site, they are not opt-in. This latter tactic is often used by those who send out spam.

Permission-based (see opt-in). Essentially, any list that contains only opt-in subscribers and does not contain any purchased lists or lists of persons who have asked to receive one type of newsletter and will be sent what they have not requested, such as additional promotions or newsletters on a different topic.

ROI Return on investment. The amount of money one makes from an investment divided by initial investment.

Sign up form A form that is to be put on a web site and allows visitors to subscriber to a companys newsletters and anno uncement lists.

Single opt-in A subscriber that joins via a web form who does now have to verify their email address or reply to a confirmation email to join. Most newsletter owners prefer single opt-in, as it maximizes the number of subscribers on a list, although bad email addresses are possible.

Spam unwanted email that was sent without the permission of the recipient. Also known as unsolicited commercial email. One of Broadwicks main challenges is ensuring our customers do not send spam. To accomplish this, we have a strict Anti-Spam policy. We also deal with any spam complaints promptly. We will terminate the account of any customer who has sent spam. Many times, however, a complaint will be made in which the message in question was not actually spam and the recipient had actually requested it. When we receive complaints, we will read the message, look to see if the subscriber actually opted-in via a web form or was imported in, and then taking all in account, make a decision on what action to pursue.

SpamCop.net A blacklist (but time based). A service that tracks spam and forwards spam complaints to ISPs and hosting companies. If one does not have the proper relationships or feedback loop with the ISPs, a few complaints to an ISP or hosting company can get your internet access and hosting turned off. If you are blacklisted by Spamcop and stop sending email, youll be out in 48 hours or so.

UCE Unsolicited Commercial Email. Another name for spam.

URL Uniform resource locator. Another name for a web site address.

Unsubscribe link The link at the bottom of each email which allows visitors to unsubscribe or modify/update their information.

Web-based Can log into online

Welcome email – Email that is sent to subscribers after they subscribe to a newsletter. Doesnt go out unless the client (our customer) sets this option.

Whitelisting Opposite of blacklisting. Many ISPs have lists of sites with which they have built good relationships with and trust. If your sending fits their standards, it may be possible to add yourself to a whitelist. If you are on a whitelist, your mail has a much better chance of being delivered.

Ryan Allis is a well known author who writes articles and CEO of Broadwick Corporation, providers of Email marketing software IntelliContact Pro. For additional information on Email marketing for more tips, ideas and solutions about email marketing please visit http://www.email-marketing-software-resource.com/

Author: Ryan P. Allis
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Battlefield Dogs

October 3rd, 2009

Not much is written about the heroics of early war dogs. Even today’s modern canine soldier is practically invisible to all but those who work with them side by side in the trenches. But war dogs have a colorful and courageous history stretching all the way back to ancient Egypt. Dogs were deployed for service by ancient Britannia, France, Spain, Normandy, Russia and some Asian societies. But it was the Roman legions who are best known for utilizing the full force of their canine soldiers.

Breeds
Early Egyptians used a Molassian dog. Romans were fond of the mastiff and a breed called the Talbot, an ancestor of today’s bloodhound. Attila the Hun used a giant Molosser dogs in his campaign. The Irish used Irish Wolfhounds to strip the enemy soldiers off their horses and kill them. In more recent times, the German Shepherd, Lab, Doberman Pincher and Bouvier de Flandres are chosen for their size, intelligence and strength. Modern armies also used mixed breed dogs.

Armor
Often war dogs would be fitted with spiked collars to protect their necks from attacks by enemy war dogs. The Romans designed special armor for their legions of war dogs. Some of the armor was more advanced than even the human foot soldiers’ armor. Today’s war dogs don’t perform “hand-to-paw” combat like the war dogs of ancient times. So there is less need for body armor.

Ancient History
In ancient times, war dogs performed their duties skillfully. In combat, dogs were armored and sent in for direct close-quarters battle. They were specifically trained to bite extremely hard, exerting as much as 1,500 pounds of pressure per square inch: enough to pulverize human bones.

Canine soldiers were also trained to cut off reinforcements, to track and kill retreating soldiers, and to fight other dogs. In fact, in 1476, a regiment of Swiss battle dogs annihilated an entire formation of canine soldiers from Burgundy.

As sentries, dogs were trained to guard troops, supplies, livestock, and prisoners. Some were trained so well that a prisoner was not bound or held by any means: if he made an attempt to escape, he was ferociously put down by his canine guard.

Ancient war dogs were also trained to track and scout. These specialized dogs were actually able to track and report on enemy positions and concentrations. They also hunted retreating enemies and soldiers that had deserted.

Modern Day Soldiers
Today’s war dog is used more to aid allied soldiers than to engage and attack the enemy. This change is primarily due to the change in warfare tactics. Long range missiles have replace swords and arrows.

Delivering messages is a vital role for modern war dogs. Modern dogs of war have saved thousands of lives by serving as messengers. In the Vietnam war alone, it is estimated that the 4,000 dogs that served saved as many as 10,000 American lives. These dogs delivered messages to reserve troops, mortar batteries, and battle headquarters through heavy enemy fire. One U.S. canine soldier was reportedly shot nine times during a mission, but nevertheless still delivered his message, collapsing into death immediately after his job was done.

As medics, strong dogs are trained to bring medicine and comfort to wounded and dying soldiers in the field. Some of these dogs are even provided with “suicide” medication for soldiers who are badly wounded and will likely die or be captured. Others are trained to do nothing more than sit by the side of a dying soldier. Exceptional dogs are trained to pull wounded soldiers to safety.

Some of the larger, stronger breeds are trained as draught dogs. Mastiffs, Rottweilers, Irish Wolfhounds, and other very large breeds have been used to haul machine guns, litters, mortars, and other supplies.

Sadly, some modern war dogs are trained to execute kamikaze missions. In WWII, Russians strapped dogs with explosives and sent them out to explode underneath German tanks. Today, Israeli forces have been known to outfit Rottweilers with explosives and send them into enemy positions to detonate.

With their heightened sense of smell, today’s most advanced military dogs are specially trained to detect mines, traps, IED’s, and other types of explosives. They also are used to detect and uncover weapons caches.

Though they gladly give their lives in defense and protection of their human counterparts, there is, as yet, no permanent memorial to these amazing war dogs. They have become so integrated into our military that they have been given officer rank, been knighted, and awarded medals. Their courage and loyalty should never be forgotten.

Geoffrey A. English is the Founder of GundogsOnline.com, the internet’s premiere online magazine dedicated to hunting dogs. Their site has a wide variety of dog supplies such as Dog Training Collars, SportDOG, and Dogtra products.

Author: Geoffrey English
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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7 Features of an Effective Email Signature That Gets Results

October 2nd, 2009

How well is your email signature working for you? For most people who use email, an email signature is just a basic contact information signature file that they append to their emails without giving it much thought, if they choose to use an email signature at all. However, for online business owners, an email signature can be the least expensive yet most effective tool in your online business marketing toolkit. Why? Because it enables you to promote yourself and your business without any blatant advertising. It’s like sending a business card with a call to action in every single email that you send.

Where should you be using your email signature? Here’s a quick list:

–on every single piece of email that you send to friends, family members, colleagues, etc. from your computer’s email program (Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, etc.)

–in every email that you send in response to a posting on email discussion lists

–in every posting that you make on an online discussion forum

–anytime you send a broadcast email out to your list through your email broadcast service

You never know where you email will end up (how many emails do you forward in one day?) nor who will be reading it, so it pays to attach an effective email signature to everything that you do. It serves as a wonderfully effective free marketing tool that works for you 24/7. I’ve gotten countless subscribers to my newsletter from simply using a compelling call to action in my email signature.

What are the components of an effective email signature? I’ve seen horribly long email signatures (as many as 20 lines), signatures missing basic contact information, and email signatures that leave me thinking, “So what?”. Here’s how you can create an effective email signature that will help you get clients online:

1. Keep it short. Nothing is worse than reading an email signature that’s longer than the email itself. To be most effective, limit yourself to no more than 7 lines. As you participate in discussion lists or online forums, the list moderators may limit your signature to as few as 5 lines. So, just like you make your printed business card “Rolodex proof” (i.e. don’t put essential contact info at the bottom of the card where it will be lost when holes are punched into it for your Rolodex), keep your most essential info in the first 5 lines of your signature file. That way, if some info is cut off when you post to a discussion forum, it won’t be the essential info that you want to convey. Better yet, do as I do and create various email signature files for different uses, including ones specifically created to comply with the rules of various discussion lists to which I belong.

2. Include only essential contact info. This would include your name and title or tag line, as appropriate, phone number, website, and email address. The phone number and email address may be optional, depending on the purpose of your email and how it might be displayed (for example, sometimes an email discussion list will post your email address automatically in the body of your post, so you can use that space in your signature for something else).

Don’t list every single way that someone can contact you — only the most important, essential methods that you prefer. I’ve seen some email signatures contain 5 phone numbers. The lines listing those phone numbers can be much more effectively used for another purpose. And, make sure your email address is the email address at your website. Sometimes you might not get the option of posting your website URL, so if you can only post an email signature, savvy readers can ascertain your website URL from your signature. Don’t use your email signature real estate to give any more free publicity to Yahoo, Google, AOL, Earthlink, or any number of other ISPs.

3. Make an offer for a free introductory product. What’s your free giveaway on your site — an ecourse, email newsletter, special report, ebook, audio or video clips? Give people a reason to visit your site by offering your freebie in your email signature. If your freebie contains info that they want, publicizing it in your email signature is a definite way to get them to visit your website.

4. Auto sendout. Every email program has the capability to automatically append an email signature to every piece of email that you send. Make sure that feature is turned on in your email program so that you don’t miss any valuable marketing opportunities. It’s tough to contact you if your email is missing its signature file.

5. Plain text or HTML? I’m still a big fan of sending out plain text emails for day-to-day correspondence. For the most part, I don’t use fancy fonts or special colors or formatting in my signature file. I want my email signature to be clearly displayed in any email program, and plain text is the best way to accomplish that. There are services like Plaxo (for users of Microsoft Outlook) that will let you create a business card image that is appended to your email as your email signature and import that into Outlook. However, I don’t use Outlook and I find these cumbersome, as there isn’t a way to cut and paste the sender’s contact info into my contact database. Additionally, many online discussion lists and forums don’t accept images or HTML in their posts. So, even though the business card images look pretty, I would encourage you to stick with a plain text email signature.

6. Make it clickable. Because you never know what email program your recipient is using, type in a few extra characters in the email address and website URL lines of your email signature file to guarantee that the link will be clickable. For a website URL, type in the entire URL, starting with http:// rather than simply www. to make sure that your link is universally clickable. For your email address, adding mailto: at the beginning of your email address, i.e. mailto:yourname@youremailaddress.com will enable the reader to click on that link and will open a blank email addressed to you in any email program.

7. Use a border. Having a simple border to separate your name as you end an email from your email signature will lessen the confusion as to what is considered the main text of the email versus the email signature. ASCII characters like == or ~~~ will create a simple border that is effective but not distracting.

An effective email signature has incredible power to drive traffic to your website. Take a few moments and evaluate your signature and see if it’s doing its best work for you. Your email signature is an incredibly effective marketing tool that can provide great “bang” for almost no bucks.

Copyright (c) 2006 Donna Gunter

Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Business Coach Donna Gunter helps self-employed service professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To sign up for more FREE tips like these and claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit Get More Clients Online. Read about running an online biz at our Get More Clients Online Blog,

Author: Donna Gunter
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Dogs Are Not Just Pets – They Can Also Be in the Workforce

October 2nd, 2009

Police dogs are trained to guard their handler and assist in a variety of tasks for law enforcement. They are used for finding and holding suspects and some are specially trained to help investigate at crime scenes.

Some police dogs are trained as detection dogs and are used by the police and customs agencies. These dogs use their ultra sensitive noses to detect bombs, explosives and firearms. Some of these types of dogs are trained in detection of narcotics and can sniff out all sorts of drugs, including marijuana and cocaine. There are a number of breeds that are used as police and detection dogs including; German Shepard, Doberman Pincher, Akita, and Boxer.

There are many different types of situations that search and rescue dogs can be used in. They are used to locate a missing person and to find survivors and cadavers after tornadoes, and other disasters. Dogs who work in search and rescue can either do field or disaster work.

Dogs who do field work do activities including tracking, trailing and water searches. A trailing dog uses a scent article they are given that belonged to the person whose trail they are going to follow. This type of dog is trained to go off of a scent and is not able to work if they have no scent to follow. On the other hand, tracking dogs which are used for tracking criminals and rescue operations physically track the path the person took.

Air scent dogs are similar to tracking dogs because they do not use scent to follow a trail. Instead of following a track close to the ground they pick of traces of a person’s scent through the air. These dogs are used when buildings collapse and will detect the scent of a human in piles of debris.

Some dogs are trained to do water searches. They work with a handler from the shoreline or in a boat. They are trained to sniff-out body gasses that rise up from the water. Cadaver dogs will react to the scents left by a dead person. Disaster dogs are trained to find humans in disasters such as tornadoes and earthquakes. These dogs must be able to work in small confined spaces and unstable surfaces. Avalanche dogs are trained to do their rescue work in deep snow.

These working dogs help physically and mentally disabled people in their daily activities. A guide dog can assist a blind or visually impaired person. There are also dogs trained to open and close doors and to help a person in a wheelchair. Not only do these dogs assist people they also have a positive effect on the person’s overall condition and self esteem.

Therapy dogs do not perform specific tasks like a service dog would. They are used for helping people recover from an illness more quickly and to be companions to the elderly. They seem to have a therapeutic effect on people and have been known to lower blood pressure. Their kind and loyal presence helps people to relax and they build a bond which builds up the person’s confidence level.

Therapy dogs are also being used to assist inmates in their re-socialization and rehabilitation process. They have been used with juvenile offenders to teach them how to be compassionate and to learn to be responsible.

As you can see from the descriptions above, dogs do play a vital role in today’s society. Dogs make loving pets and are also very intelligent and hard working animals. You can find a variety of dogs at your local shelter that are looking for good homes and will make a great addition to your family.

No matter what type of dog you have you might want to consider getting pet insurance. It is like having health insurance on yourself, it is there when you need it for those unexpected large health-related bills. By having this kind of insurance you can make sure that your four-legged loved ones will get the best treatment if they are ever injured or seriously ill. They don’t have to be puppies to be eligible; as long as you keep the premiums up they will be covered for their lifetime.

Therapy Dogs

Service Dogs

Search & Rescue Dogs

Police Dogs

So please visit us to see how we can help protect your pet – you can buy online easily too at Pet Insurance by Animal Friends or simply call our friendly staff if you prefer on 0844 55 70 300; the policies won’t cost you more and you won’t be disappointed!

Author: Karen Corey
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Mobile device news

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Fishing Unfamiliar & Fly-in Lakes

October 1st, 2009

Fishing Unfamiliar & Fly-in Lakes

There is a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment – the pride of craft – that comes with a successful day’s fishing on a new, unfamiliar or fly-in lake, whether it is a limit of bass, a few walleyes for shore lunch, or a trophy pike. Not because putting fish in the boat is the measure of a successful outing, but because that success underlines the fact that the angler has effectively adapted to the existing fishing situations and conditions, making necessary changes in bait / lure selection, presentations and locations. That, in itself, is no small feat, even at fly-in lakes which supposedly teem with naive fish. Let me assure you that we always breathe a sigh of relief (even on fly-ins) after having caught a few fish for that first shore lunch. Once that initial success has been realized, the rest of a fishing trip takes care of itself.

Plan to succeed

  • Pre-trip Research & Planning
  • Upon Arrival
  • A Working Map
  • Productive Tactics

On new lakes, you need a systematic approach that will greatly improve the chances of near-immediate success and good catches, even when fishing an unfamiliar lake – given the fact that time is almost certainly a limiting factor. To maximize your time and enjoyment of a day’s fishing or a remote trip, you need a system. Here’s the Ontario Fisherman’s oft-tested and proven approach.

Pre-trip Research & Planning

In spite of the fact that most fly-in and many road-accessible lakes offer great fishing opportunities, anglers should develop and execute a plan for fishing any unfamiliar lake. Without such a strategy, too much time on a short trip can be spent searching for fish or prime locations. Notice that I did not say “wasted”. No systematic survey of a lake should be considered a waste of time – even when fish are not caught.

One key to finding fish consistently is to quickly eliminate “empty” water, and one way to do that is through trial and error. Better, though, to spend as much time as possible actually fishing a promising or proven location. This can be best accomplished with a two-pronged, strategic approach – one prior to the trip; the other on the water.

Before putting the boat in the water, “explore” the destination lake on paper through the examination of available maps and charts. Many times, gaining a thorough knowledge of the lake and the identification of potential hotspots can be accomplished without even getting in the boat.

Check available map & chart sources, including:

  • MNR-produced “fishing maps”
  • lodge / camp fishing & navigation maps
  • MNR stocking lists & maps
  • resource management plans
  • topographic maps
  • hydrographic / lake-bottom contour maps
  • resources maps & plans (e.g. logging)
  • maps prepared by previous groups
  • canoe / hiking route maps
  • maps prepared by local clubs
  • sanctuary maps & notices
  • aerial photographs & satellite images

Speak to others with experience on the lake, including:

  • local anglers
  • MNR district fisheries personnel
  • guides / charter operators
  • suggested references (by phone)

Immediately after booking a trip work through the above lists – a task easily managed if your group shares in the research. Besides, it is actually fun trying to figure out the lake, sight unseen and even better when you discover that some of your assessments were correct. And, having done some of the “leg work” prior to the trip, you will have considerably more time for a thorough “on-the-water” survey once you reach your destination.

Upon Arrival

Arriving at your departure point or fly-in airbase, the work begins again. Now is the time to ask others about the destination to which you are headed, including:

  • outfitter / air service personnel
  • bait & tackle shop proprietors
  • cottagers, campers, canoeists
  • fishing / conservation club members
  • lodge operator / guides
  • camp clientele (especially repeaters)

A Fly Over

If your group is flying into a remote outpost or lodge, ask the pilot to do a “fly over” of the lake(s) you will be fishing. With a rough, photocopied outline map in hand, look for and mark any:

  • congregations of boats
  • adjoining back lakes
  • inflowing / outflowing streams
  • shoals, sunken islands, points
  • large weedbeds / weedlines
  • log jams / shoreline cover
  • rapids, dams
  • lodge / cabin location

Previous Party Info

Upon arriving and unpacking, with map in hand, talk to departing anglers about the lake, the fishing, and the camp, including:

  • fishing hotspots
  • proven baits & tactics
  • reasonable expectations (numbers, size)
  • boating hazards
  • boats & motors
  • camp gear & appliances
  • portages / trails to back lakes
  • shore lunch site(s)
  • bait availability / minnow traps
  • sanctuary areas

A Working Map

By now, that rough outline map could be pretty marked up, hopefully with useful bits of information and locations that will make those first outings on the lake safer and more productive. Take a few moments to re-draw the map more precisely , and give each “boat” in your party their own map to record useful findings. As the map develops, it won’t be a pretty sight, but its value will be inestimable later and on subsequent trips. As you fish and explore the lake or river over the course of your stay, mark on the map:

  • fishing hotspots
  • landmarks / hazards
  • current flows & direction
  • good shoreline stretches
  • prime cover areas
  • mid-lake weedbeds
  • structural elements

Never be without a portable depthfinder when fishing an unfamiliar lake or river. Depending on its capabilities, the graph (apart from displaying the bottom contours and water depths) can provide other important data to help you in your survey, including:

  • breakline
  • deep-water basins
  • fish / baitfish
  • bottom “content”
  • structural specifics
  • water temperature
  • trolling speed

Productive Tactics

Hey, we are fishermen, not cartographers – so let’s go fishing ! At the risk of oversimplifying the strategies used to explore and fish an unfamiliar lake, break down your approach as follows:

  • prepare the “working map”
  • parcel the lake into manageable sections
  • cover water quickly
  • use a variety of lures / techniques
  • eliminate unproductive water
  • pinpoint fishing “hotspots”
  • update the map continuously

    • >

Parcel Up the Lake / River

It’s easy to be overwhelmed on a new lake, especially larger ones. Instead, divide the lake into more manageable sections, and treat each as if it were a separate lake. As each boat explores, fishes, and maps a section, information is shared and. Later, checked out by the others to verify the findings. Even very large lakes can be quickly cut down to size using this approach. However, if there is only one boat and five lake sections, start with the most promising or highly recommended section in order to get on fish quickly and to avoid wasting valuable time checking out “empty water” for half the trip.
On rivers, this system is especially easy and effective. Devoting a half-day to each stretch provides diversity, yet still allows for more time to be devoted to the “best” spots later.

Cover Water Quickly

In a relatively short time you will want to explore, fish and map a designated portion of the lake with hopes of locating the most productive spots in that section. To do this, move quickly – trolling fast-breaking shorelines, casting exposed shoals, working along weedlines with spinnerbaits, spinners or spoons. If fish are caught, it may be an area deserving of a slower, more precise attack later. First, however, finish the surveying task you set out to accomplish. Mark it on the map and come back later.

Similarly, if a promising or recommended area comes up empty, switch tactics or return to it late in the day (as you re-visit the hotspots identified over the course of the day). Fishing live baits, drifting approaches, backtrolling, float and still fishing are too slow for this part of the hunt but will serve you well later as you probe key spots more slowly and thoroughly.

Eliminate Unproductive Water

It’s said that “you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear”, so don’t waste precious fishing time on “empty water”. On the working map, cross out shallow back bays choked with weeds, areas with “ooze” bottoms or less than six feet of water. Abandon shorelines which slope gradually to deeper, regular bottoms. Forget most of the lake’s deepest basins (more than 25 feet). Forget casting to reeds growing atop sand bars under just two or three feet of water. This approach will effectively eliminate more than two-thirds of most lakes and will not only save you time and frustration, but will also assure that most of your precious fishing time is spent in more productive areas.

Of course, there are exceptions to every example stated above – bass in the slop, early season pike in the shallows, lake trout in the depths, but most are seasonal movement patterns, which, in turn, help to eliminate other areas which might be better during a different part of the fishing season.

Pinpoint & Mark Prime Spots / Cover / Structures

With much of the lake already eliminated during the initial scouting process, keying on the lake’s prime spots and structural features should be much easier now. Fish promising or recommended spots slowly and thoroughly. When a good spot and good catches come together, accurately mark the spot in your GPS unit, with a floating marker buoy or carefully triangulate the exact location using nearby and obvious landmarks. Immediately mark them on the working copy of the map (in colour).

Update the Map

Either for your own use on subsequent trips, as a favour to groups that follow, or as a courtesy to the outfitter, keep the map up to date as it has considerable value to all parties involved. Mine come in handy when I summarize fishing trips for magazine articles and for the countless inquiries I receive each year via e-mail. Show me yours, and I’ll show you mine !

Arranging and planning the annual fishing trip for the “boys” or your family is an important and demanding task at the best of times. When daring to venture to unfamiliar destinations, the uncertainties regarding the details and the fishing opportunities are accentuated still further. This season, when the time comes to head out to that unfamiliar lake or river, have your homework done, a “working map: at the ready, and a strategic approach for surveying and fishing the lake in mind. Anxieties will be lessened, the chances of success heightened. And, as you have, no doubt, heard and read many times, confidence plays a very large part in any successful fishing outing. But now you are ready! Enjoy your trip.

Online since 1998 by long-time OFM field editor, Bill Rivers, the Ontario Fisherman is now taking on a new look, but remains committed to showcasing “the best of Ontario sportfishing”.

Ontario Fisherman Resources

Author: Bill Rivers
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Keeping Your Email Box Organized & Ready for Business

October 1st, 2009

Learning how to get the most organization from your email software is very likely the most important skill you can learn to conduct a successful online home business.

There are three primary email applications on the market that folks use to manage their incoming POP3 email. Those three are:

  • Microsoft Outlook Express
  • Eudora
  • Netscape Mail

In order to get the most from your email software, there are three key processes that you should learn. These processes are concerned with data organization, saving time and email database management.

SET UP EMAIL FOLDERS

Organization is key to any emails that you intend to save. Having 2000 emails in one folder is a sure-fire road map to confusion and lost communications and information.

You are the best judge as to how to organize your email into topics that provide an easy method of retrieval of the information when you need it most.

Fortunately, the primary email browsers make it easy to organize your information. By allowing you to create folders within your email software, you can file specific emails into folders dedicated to the topic of the email.

To create new folders:

OUTLOOK EXPRESS: 1. Click File – Folders – New — alternatively, you may also right click an item in the Folder window — and then type in the name of your new folder. Highlight the folder above where you would like your new folder to be placed, and then click OK.

EUDORA: Click on Mailbox – New — or right click on Eudora in the folders window and then click on New. When the window opens, type in the name of your new mailbox and click OK. If you want to create a folder to place other mailboxes into, click the checkbox before clicking OK.

NETSCAPE MAIL: Click File – New Folder. Then from the drop-down menu, select the folder that you wish to be the folder directly above your new folder, before clicking OK.

FILTERING EMAIL

Email filters are a tool to help you save time and frustration. Have you ever lost an incoming email under the deluge of email coming into your mailbox? With filters, you can direct the important email or not-so-important email into certain pre-ordained folders.

As part of the war against spam, most ISP’s use filters every day in an attempt to keep the spam out of your mailbox. In fact, I even use filters to sort my incoming mail trying to catch the spam my ISP missed.

Dont be fooled into thinking you need some special software to filter your email. Setting up filters is actually quite easy.

To setup email filters:

OUTLOOK EXPRESS: Click on Tools – Message Rules – Mail. A wizard will open to help you create your new email filters. Just follow the instructions provided to direct mail based on certain criteria into certain folders.

EUDORA: Click on Special – Make Filter. Once again, just follow the instructions in the Filter wizard.

NETSCAPE MAIL: Click on Edit – Mail Filters. Then click on New in the wizard. Once you click on New, you will be taken to a new wizard window. Follow the instructions here, then when you are done, click on OK. This will return you to the first window where you will set up the sorting order of your filter.

CLEANING AND COMPRESSING YOUR MAIL DATA

This is an important part of your email management. When you no longer need an email, it should be deleted. When you first delete an email, your software will send the email to the Trash Bin. Your email is not actually deleted until you first empty your trash bin.

Emptying your trash bin compresses the mailboxes from where the email was originally filed. This is absolutely paramount to the protection of your email data. If you go too long between compressing your email data, then your email data could become corrupted and you might need assistance in recovering your email data.

Even after you have emptied your trash, Compressing Folders is a recommended step to prevent other data corruption. Once you understand that an email does not actually move from one folder to another until the folder is compressed, then you can better appreciate this advice.

As an example, when Email A comes into your main Inbox, the data connected to Email A appears in two files. One file contains the header and body of the email. The other file contains only the email header information.

When an email is moved from one folder to the other, only the header information is actually moved. The body information will not be deleted from the original folder until which time the original folder is compressed.

This explains the purpose of emptying the trash AND compressing folders. If the email was simply moved from the Inbox to another folder, then emptying the trash is not enough. The original placement of the email is not actually removed from the file that contains the body information until the message has been designated for compression.

To empty your trash:

OUTLOOK EXPRESS: Click on Edit – Empty ‘Deleted Items’ Folder. To compress the remaining folders, click on Tools – Options, then click on the tab for Maintenance. Then click the button that says, “Clean Up Now”. Once the compression is completed, click OK.

EUDORA: Click Special – Empty Trash. To compress the remaining items that need compression, then click on Special – Compact Mailboxes.

NETSCAPE MAIL: Click on File – Empty Trash Folder. To compress the mailboxes, click on File – Compress Folders.

I cannot stress enough how important it is that you utilize the tools for emptying the trash and compressing the mail folders. Protecting your email data on a regular basis is good practice for avoiding disaster in your mailbox.

So many of us rely upon our email software to keep our online business running smoothly. Once you master the tools provided in your email software, your online business will run smoothly also.

Let me share one important lesson I l’ve learned about computer software. One should never be afraid to try new things. Learning how to get the most out of your software relies upon your willingness to dig in and learn how to use it.

Once you learn how to use your software to its full potential, then your life will be greatly simplified and your effectiveness will be dramatically improved.

About The Author

Stone Evans owns the Home Business Resource Directory where you can find everything you’ll ever need to start, run and grow a home based business at: http://www.Home-Business.com

articles@home-business.com

Author: Stone Evans
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Want A Career Working With Dogs?

October 1st, 2009

Dogs once existed as wild creatures; roaming in packs and surviving on their instincts. Humans domesticated them over 14,000 years ago – since then they have become our companions and we have become closely bonded with them. Dogs are highly social animals and many cultures consider them to be important members of the family and regard them to be man’s best friend. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of dogs owned as pets; now 22 % of the population in Britain have at least one dog in their household.

Dogs are intelligent and they require both mental and physical stimulation, for which, they are entirely dependent on humans. Being highly sociable, intelligent and adaptable has enabled dogs to learn to fulfill many roles that are extremely useful to society. For example, many are trained as working dogs of which there are several types including: assistance dogs, law enforcement dogs, rescue dogs, therapy dogs, herding dogs, guard dogs, detection dogs and war dogs. There are many different careers and jobs available for those wishing to work with dogs.

To enjoy a career working with dogs, it is important that you understand their physical and emotional needs; it goes without saying that it is crucial that you are compassionate and genuinely interested in their welfare.

Working with dogs is usually grubby and can involve tough physical outdoor work; for this sort of career, you must enjoy being outdoors in all types of weather. Dogs need care twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and therefore, the working hours are unpredictable and varied – you will probably be required to work at weekends and bank holidays. You will need to be physically fit, healthy, hard working, have plenty of stamina and enjoy exercise. Some careers with dogs, such as working in a boarding kennel, may require you to live on site and to have a driving license.

For most careers working with dogs, it is recommended that you have an NVQs/SVQs in Animal Care at levels 1 and/or 2 as a minimum education requirement. These are available through the College of Animal Welfare, some animal charities and through various other colleges around the country. You may be able to develop your career either by gaining experience and working towards NVQ/SVQ Level 3 in Animal Care, or by studying part-time for qualifications such as the EDEXCEL BTEC National Certificate/Diploma in Animal Management (Care) and the EDEXCEL BTEC National Award in Animal Management (Kennel and Cattery Management). Apprenticeships may be available for those under the age of 24. In England these are currently Apprenticeships (level 2) and Advanced Apprenticeships (level 3).

Having hands-on experience of being around dogs will help you to be able to recognise when dogs are unwell or unhappy. You will need to be able to pay particular attention to detail and to health and safety requirements. Unfortunately, the risk of being bitten exists in all careers with dogs. Remember, if you are bitten, it is always your fault and not the dog’s – it is never acceptable to hit or shout at a dog. To lessen your chances of being bitten, it is important to ensure that you have sufficient training and that you feel confident and enjoy being around dogs.

If you haven’t spent time working with or caring for dogs, it is worthwhile working as a volunteer before embarking on this type of career. Many animal charities run volunteer programmes, several offer work experience placements and some even offer NVQ training courses. All of these opportunities provide excellent ways to gain experience and build up your confidence for working around dogs.

For more information, visit http://www.animal-job.co.uk/careerswithdogs.html to download the ebook guide with information about the following careers working with dogs: Kennel Assistant, Kennel Manager, Dog Home Boarder, Dog Trainer, Dog Handler (including Fire service, Search and Rescue, Customs & Excise, Army, Police & Private security), Assistance Dog Trainer, Dog Behaviourist, Dog Warden, Dog Groomer, Dog Walker, Dog Day Care Business.

http://www.animal-job.co.uk/careerswithdogs.html

Author: Abigail Smith
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rate

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Branded Email: Email Branding is the Next Generation of Email

September 30th, 2009

All You Need is Branded Email

Or

Always Branded Email There to Remind Me

For the past 75 years, almost every form of popular communication has transformed from black and white to color. Newspapers, television, and computers are only a few examples. (Well, some computers went from green and white to color)

That leaves this question: Why hasnt everyday email communication done the same? Think about it this way your company probably spends quite a bit of money on building brand image. Billboards, newspaper ads, radio ads, jingles, TV commercials, logo creation, business cards, corporate letterhead, and websites are just a few of the places that corporate marketing dollars might be spent. Why leave out one of the most used (if not the most used) form of communication that you have?

Everybody Wants to Brand Their Email

Branded email can be classy enough for more conservative companies (legal, banks, medical, etc) and showy enough for businesses to highlight products or services that have to have that graphical edge. Most companies can develop a template (or set of templates) thats geared toward how you want to use them. The ability to choose from more than one template is also a nice feature to have, so you can vary the emails you send based on purpose.

Me and Branded Email Down By the Schoolyard

When youre considering a branded email system, do your homework. And if the company has a free trial, take it. You dont want to purchase something and end up hating it. Keep in mind, however, that most companies, however, wont develop a custom design for you to use during your free trail, so you wont get the full experience until after your purchase. But while youre researching, here are some things to look for:

  • Spam Filters See what they say about spam filters. A good system can get past most spam filters (with the exception of extremely strict filters). If youre testing the system, can you send an email to yourself? (If you test lots of systems and none of them get past your filter, consider getting a better one, or making yours less strict)

  • Email size If the system embeds or attaches the images to the email, stay far, far away from it. You dont want all of your emails going out at 300-1000k in size. That would be a long download even on a broadband connection. The typical plain text email is 5-10k; your emails shouldnt go over 100k, and even that is pushing it. Do note that Outlook, by default, will embed any image in an email when you click send. You have to turn this off through the Tools > Options > Mail Format > Internet Format > HTML Options checkbox (MS Outlook 2002 and 2003)
  • Usability Make sure the product is easy to use. The last thing you want to do is waste precious time trying to use a bad product while sending your email. You should be able to set your account up, and send emails like normal.
  • Functionality If your email contains links to specific pages or areas in your website, you can send traffic directly to your catalog, your affiliate/reseller site, your online video, anywhere you want them to go. This is a much better opportunity than Hey, go check out my site at www.EmailAppeal.com! As the old adage goes, on the Internet youre always 1 click away from losing a customer.
  • Dynamic Capabilities Be sure you can easily change your contact information, picture (if the system allows you to upload one) and any other sensitive information on your template.
  • Control Do you have control over the aspects of the design, or can the user change the design at will? Brand control and consistency is a big deal in any business.
  • Security Does the system require you to send your email through a different server or to a different email address? This is a security risk whether they say so or not, as your emails are all being routed through a third party server. A good system will work without requiring you send your email through a third party.

I Want to Know What Branded Email Is

Branded email can fall into the following categories, each works a little differently than the next:

  • Stationary Microsoft Outlook comes with its own stationary tool, and there are quite a few other stationary companies. Drawbacks These systems typically provide little or no customizability, no functionality; no usability; can be email size issues

  • Mail Redirect This type of branded email system can use (or allow you to develop) a custom template, then in order for you to send branded email, you send an email to second- or third-party servers, via an email address like this one – your.recipient@company.com@MailRedirectCompany.com – which puts your message in the body of the branded email template, then send it to the recipient on your behalf. Drawbacks low usability; not secure; hard to reply/forward email with branding
  • Web Based Now were getting to the more advanced systems. This type of system offers custom and/or generic templates that you can use with your email. You log in to their website and send your email through their site. Drawbacks Most wont allow you to use your own email address; not secure; hard to reply/forward email with branding
  • IT Department or Design Department created If you have an IT guy/department or a design guy/department you can probably do this in-house. Create the HTML template that you want to use, and add it into your client. Drawbacks it takes time to change the templates if your contact information changes; you have to duplicate the design and change it for every person in your office; you have to host the images on your server, or attach/embed them to the email (size issue)
  • Integrated This is the type of system you should be looking for. Integrated systems integrate with your mail client (Outlook, Eudora, etc) and allow you to send branded email just like you would any other email. Good systems allow you to do this with as few clicks as possible, and the best ones dont require you to start another program in order to add the branding aspects. Drawbacks if you use an off-brand client, it may not be supported

Its the End of the Article as We Know It and I Feel Fine

Branding is alive and well in the world today, and its next frontier is email. More and more businesses are switching to an email branding system, and plain text email is slowly losing its grip on business communication. Find a system that fits your business, and start branding today.

Copyright 2005 Jason DeVelvis www.EmailAppeal.com

About the Author:
Jason is a long time web developer and the owner of Email Appeal, an email marketing company located in Holland, OH. You can contact him by calling 866-665-3887 or by visiting http://www.EmailAppeal.com

Author: Jason DeVelvis
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Dogs and Their History

September 30th, 2009

It is amazing how many different shapes, sizes, colors, and types of dogs there are. And it is even more amazing considering they all came from the same ancestors. The story of dog history says that early humans took in wolves for pets. Perhaps they discovered these wolves could be fed and kept close in return for their “watch dog” or hunting ability. This could have been handy in keeping other predators at bay around the camp at night.

Not to mention that early humans probably found wolf puppies to be adorable in the same way modern humans all seem to have a built in affection for puppies. One problem with studying dog history has been the fact that there are only slight differences in jackals, coyotes, and wolves. Where and when these different canids branched off from the original tree is up for speculation. To make matters even more complicated is that both wolf and dog bones have been found in ancient human camps. This fact makes it even harder to establish when wolves were first domesticated.

One thing that history does show to be fact is that dogs have been a part of human life far longer than other domesticated animals such as cows, horses, pigs, and cats. Dogs have developed extremely sophisticated social skills which have allowed their so thorough integration into human society. No other animal is so well adapted to living with humans. Dogs of course have undergone much artificial selection by humans to become the socialized animals they are. But dogs (wolves) had to posses a basic ability to be socialized which other animals simply did and do not posses.

One reason dog history is so full of unknowns and speculation is that everyone considers themselves to be dog experts! Whether it is an average dog owner or a “canine” paleontologist, everyone has a strong opinion. Most, however, agree that our dogs’ ancestors were the wolf. A few though think the original dog line was from some other canid species such as a jackal. Or even perhaps the line came down from some hybrid species or some now extinct species. And some even suggest our dogs were decedents of several domestication’s of different species. However, modern DNA research highly suggests that our dogs are extremely close genetically to modern wolves. This leads very strongly to the theory of wolves being the forefathers to dogs.

The date of dogs’ first domestication is in debate as well. About the earliest suggested time for dogs’ appearance in human history is about 15,000 years ago. Differences in both DNA and bone structure of wolves of that era suggest the remains found were dog like. One important find was of an Israeli woman buried 12,000 years ago with a puppy in her hands. The question as to wear the first domestic dogs were raised is also up for debate. Several years ago a study was done on this. Hundreds of dogs from around the world had their DNA studied.

Through a complicated study of inclusion and elimination, it was discovered that dogs in Asia had the best chance of being more closely related to the original dog than in any other part of the world. However, this same study suggested the DNA line had been in place for almost 120,000 years. This is almost 10 times the age of the first known fossil record of dogs with humans. One problem could be the fact that early man could not control his dogs with interbreeding with wild wolves. This could lead to some very confusing evidence for our current researchers of dog history.

One thing is certain though. Early dogs were on the trip when the first humans came to the ” New World ” across the Bering Strait nearly 15,000 years ago. And DNA studies have shown that our modern day dogs are not ancestors to the North America gray wolf. Our dogs have wolf ancestors which inhabited Europe and Asia . The North American wolf is simply a distant cousin.

But DNA can only tell part of the story of dogs’ history. Early dogs had the unique ability to modify their behavior to fit in with humans. It was beneficial from a dog’s point of view to be able to live with humans. Humans provided shelter and water, and food in many situations. And humans were hunters. Dogs love to hunt! What a perfect fit!

Many people tend to look at primates as the only other animal with higher level thinking skills. But as all of us dog owners know, dogs are pretty smart! Research has shown that puppies have much higher communication skills than wolf puppies. Even puppies which have had little or no contact with humans perform far better in communication tests than their wolf counterparts do! This has further complicated the question as to dogs’ origins.

It is thought that about 8000 years ago was the first attempt by humans to actually breed their dogs for specific traits. One of the oldest known breeds was the Saluki breed found in ancient Egypt . These dogs were bred for their hunting skill. Other early breeds the Egyptians were thought to be responsible for were the Lbizan, Basenji, and Afghan. And the Dalmatian was a subject of paintings dating back to over 2000 years! GO STORM!!

Just as today, early dogs were much better off in rich societies than in poor ones. During the Greek and Roman empires the status of dogs went from hunters, herders, and guards to simply pets. Dogs started appearing in sculptures and paintings of everyday life. It was becoming a dog’s world! In the ruins of Pompeii was found a dog by the body of a child. The dog wore a silver collar inscribed with a message saying he was owned by the boy.

In the Far East , a dog’s status was dependent upon its breed. Dogs in the Far East could be loved pets, trusted hunters and guards or simply something to be eaten. “Noble” dogs such as the Pekingese were considered so important by royal families that they were provided their own human servants! Many other dogs out in the countryside were often just meals for the villagers. In Tibet , the common Terrier was considered to be such good luck it could not be bought or sold for any price. In the middle ages, pure bred dogs became the status symbols of royalty.

Our dogs’ genetic and social past has to be one of the most interesting side notes to human history. They have been part of our hunts, guarded our shelters, given us special status, and provided companionship for thousands of years. Their loyal and trusting behavior was a perfect fit with humans over the eons. Who knows how human history would be different had dogs not been a part of it. For thousands of years they have been our companions, helpers, hunters and friends. It seems safe to say that one thing is certain about man’s future: dogs will most definitely be in it!

Steve Weber owns http://www.CactusCanyon.com which offers advice and natural products to owners of dogs with arthritis.

Author: Steven Weber
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Fly Fishing – Don’t Miss Out!

September 29th, 2009

The incredible art of fly fishing was initially developed as an angling method to catch salmon and trout. Whilst its predominantly enjoyed by the older generation of anglers,this time tested technique is fast catching the attention and interests of a whole new generation of enthusiasts. In recent years, interest in fly fishing has surged as baby boomers have discovered the sport. No matter what your skill level is, fly fishing can be highly rewarding.

The two major misconceptions about this technique is that it’s difficult to do and expensive. If you are a beginner fly fisherman, get started by: Getting involved with other sportsmen from your community or try a fishing club. Treat yourself, your spouse or your entire family to the pleasures of the sport. Explore new water,discover resources and start your fishing journey. If your looking for a place to fish,you can research all major rivers and many lesser-known ones on the internet,obtaining helpful fishing and information about each. With thousands of miles of fishing tributaries and lakes the opportunities are many. You can go fishing in the morning before work for a hour or two if you live close enough to good fishing water. I used to live in Cody WY and many anglers fished at sunrise and sunset for an hour or two trying to get one of the monster rainbow trout from the local lake.

Fly Fishing Equipment

Compared to the gear of other sports, fly fishing gear has changed very little over the years. When going on a fishing trip you want to be sure you have all the proper fishing gear such as flies,lures and accessories. There is nothing worse than getting to your destination and finding out you forgot something.

For the most part,the gear used today is not so different from how it was yesterday. It’s just important to pick the appropriate fishing equipment, for the type of fishing you will be doing. A fly rods length factors into the fishing rods action. Shorter rods generally have less action than longer rods because they generate less torque when casting and reeling. Use medium-sized eight or nine-foot fishing rods in most fly fishing conditions. Beginners find medium-action fly rods easy to handle. Stiff fast-action fly rods bend at the end of the rod and do not have a lot of give.Graphite fishing rods are more expensive than fiberglass rods but lightweight graphite fly rods typically allow more accurate casting.

Fly Fishing Knots

The fly line and leader are important parts of fly fishing physics. Learning to tie the proper knots to attach your leaders and flies is critical. Some of the most common flies used in fly fishing include dry, nymph, and streamers. A detailed discussion of most of these knots is available in any good book on fishing. Your fishing education will progress rapidly if you take advantage of the free information you can get at the library. In a good book you will find fly fishing knots that will cover just about every situation you will encounter where a specific knot is needed.

Learning to Cast

Unlike other casting methods, fly fishing can be thought of as a method of casting line rather than a lure. Besides the obvious difference in the actual method of casting, normal fishing and fly fishing also vary in the equipment used. If you would like personalized instruction, there are hundreds of fly fishing schools scattered about the world. So,if you have never been fly fishing before, a great way to learn is to take few lessons from a local instructor. Taking lessons from a professional instructor to learn the basics and perfect your technique will speed up the learning curve. This means you’ll have a lot more fun fishing. If you can’t cast you can’t catch a fish. There are many Fishing Shops and guides whom teach basic fly fishing classes both off the water and on.

Continue to Learn

Get as much information you can from books, magazines, and videos on fishing,fly casting, tying flies and tying knots. Join a fishing club to further your fishing education and enjoy the company of interesting people that enjoy fishing. With the right fishing equipment and information on hand you will have a lifetime of fun fishing.

I’ve been fly fishing my whole life, over 30 years. It seems like I’m always learning something new. I try to share what I know with people because that’s how I learned. I make this information available for FREE at http://flyfishingeducation.info/

Author: Mike Disrud
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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