We are a little over a month away from the two year anniversary of when I started my fishing blog, FishingFather. This website was born on April 22, 2019 and has come a long way since then. Even so, I’m not quite sure what I was expecting or if I’ve achieved that or not. I knew it would take several years of hard work to get going, and if we’re being honest, I’ve been pretty inconsistent with all that hard work, so I suppose being as far along as I am is kind of a steal.
I thought I’d take a moment just to think back on where I’ve come from and consider where I want to go.
Why I Started My Fishing Blog
I started this website mainly because I was frustrated with the bad information out there directed at clueless newbies. Fishing is such a huge money maker that there are no shortage of products out there, some good, and some completely horrible. What I came to notice on some of the so-called “affiliate sites” out on the internet is that they were clearly just grabbing whatever looked good and throwing it up as a recommendation, trying to get someone to click and buy it.
Case in point, just look at all the websites out there recommending telescoping rods (which sometimes could fit in a pocket) as a “good fishing rod for beginners.” Let’s be real clear about something here, folks. Those rods are basically gimmicks set to be quickly forgotten. Instead, you should always aim to get yourself or your kids some quality equipment.
I just see so much nonsense being tossed out as a recommended buy and it makes me shake my head. A lot of parents are doing the best they can for their kids in extremely trying times. COVID hasn’t increased the dollars available, for sure. To tell someone to buy something that isn’t good isn’t something I’m willing to do. Fishingfather.com has to be a website where the recommendations are items you’ll actually keep and use. Not just some place to fill up space with every product I can find to link to.
No matter what I change in 2021, that guiding principle needs to remain.
Goals for Year Three
I do have dreams, and FishingFather plays a large part in them. While I don’t think it’s terribly likely that starting a dad blog about fishing will ever pay my mortgage, I do hope at some point I can at least take a less stressful day job because of it. My goal in year three of the blog is to inch closer to that. My drop dead date where I’m going to admit I failed is going to be the end of his decade.
All the goals below reflect a desire to reach and help more people, and grow this brand. I guess I’ll have to wait and see just how well they work.
Start Adding More Musings to My Fishing Blog
Some of you may have noticed this new category, “musings.” I have to allow FishingFather to be more of an outlet for my creative needs to keep my sanity. Up until now, nearly all of the articles I’ve written have been written specifically to address certain questions. For example, I’ve answered if expensive fishing rods are worth it, and even stuff as silly as do fish like dead worms, or can you use WD-40 on fishing gear? There’s nothing wrong with this, and I’ll still keep answering questions as I find or am asked them, but I want to spend more of 2021 trying to connect with my readers.
What do I mean by that? Well, I’m a dad dealing with raising two kids in the middle of this crazy world. Fishing is an outlet for that, sure. I want to talk more about the experience of it all, as opposed to having every article answer a specific question. In short, I want this fishing blog I started to become more about the journey and the questions than the gear or tools or answers. I’d also like to add substantially more “fishing reports” posts.
Can We Get on Schedule
I’d like to keep a schedule of publishing things more consistently instead of haphazardly. Granted, right now it is March and I’m typing away, trying to get some articles written that I think might rank well done in time for them to actually have a chance to rank. There’s not much I can do about that. They need to be written NOW. However, at least when it comes to musings, I want some sort of schedule. I want to try doing this for two reasons:
- I’m hoping it helps grow my readership;
- I want to start taking this more seriously.
I think having a schedule of posting should help with both.
A Mailing List?
People keep telling me that I need a mailing list. I’ve resisted it until now because I haven’t been as consistent with the delivery on this blog. I often going a few months without an addition, so who needs a mailing list? If I want to grow FishingFather, this needs to change. I’m going to try and be more consistent going forward, and want to develop a way to tell everyone that there’s something new to ponder. So, starting a mailing list up and running and installed is high on my list of priorities for this fishing blog of mine.
A YouTube Channel?
Do kids even read these days? I’m not sure. I think for FishingFather to succeed over time it will need to go to other mediums. However, I also need to be honest about who I am. I’m not a professional fisherman. I’m just a dad who likes to fish. Being a dad of little ones with a wife who works full time, I don’t even get to go fishing that often. So, it’s probably not in the cards to have a show like Uncut Angler. It’s going to have to be a different format that brings something unique.
I have an idea of what I want to do and the right partner to do it with, but I’m not going to do it unless it is good. All the same, keep an eye out for it in 2021.
A New Book
I self published my first book, Fishing with Kids: A Parent’s Guide, early in 2020. Given I didn’t really do any marketing for it aside from this blog, I’m surprised it has sold at all! I am quite excited to say that a publishing company has reached out to me and I’m currently writing a book for them about fishing. This new book will be designed to be given to the child instead of the parent to help them learn to fish. It should release sometime in August/September 2021. If anyone wants an advanced copy when it is time for pre-screening, send me an email.
Hopefully this new book will help drive some additional traffic to this fishing blog.
Wrapping Up
It’s been interesting starting this fishing blog. I’ve learned a lot about myself and work habits and had some fun bringing what I hope is value to many readers. My goal in the rest of 2021 is to take a transformative turn. I want this dad blog to become less about answering every question. Instead, I want to talk more about life. It might be that I’m getting older. Or, maybe this year of relative solitude is getting to me. All I know is I’m craving more of a connection with all of you, and I’m going to try what I can to establish it.
Thanks for reading,
John Paxton
