California now on FishExplorer.com

Where oh where has the summer gone.  I feel like the last few months have shot by like a tiger muskie chasing a trout.  If nobody else feels that way maybe I'm just getting old!

Well, one of the reasons it has gone by so fast for me is this process we've begun in developing new Fish Explorer states: Texas launched in March, Florida in May.  Today we launched California, the third leg of this expansion phase.

When we started here in Colorado, it was a lot of work because we'd never done anything like this before.  Calling federal, state, county, and city agencies, yakkin with fishermen, Googling data, and compiling it all into one resource was a big chore.  Especially while developing the entire concept at the same time.

Now that we've done it a few times, it has gotten easier.  But the truth is that no matter where you go, the information on fisheries - their species, their campgrounds, their boating info - is still scattered all over the place.  There are no shortcuts to bringing it all under one roof.

So here we are now with California, a state with the most diverse freshwater fisheries yet.  You can find ice fishing up north, mountain trout fisheries in the hills, year-round bass fisheries down south, and anadromous fisheries near the coast.  Just like Colorado, Texas, and Florida, the lakes are managed by different agencies.  Now we've got a one-stop-shop to find the most vital information for these bodies of water.

So what now?  We're returning focus to some states around Colorado - Nebraska and Wyoming have been in the works for a little while.  Kansas, New Mexico and Utah are on the short list.  In developing these we'll have a good resource on some closer-to-home places we can go fish.

But I am most excited to get back to work on some features we've been tossing around for a while.  Now I can work on some of those "fun" things that make FishExplorer.com unique.  I am also looking forward to getting out and doing some fishing.  I've not been able to get away much, and this fall weather is hounding me to get out.  Big fish and cool weather, this is the time to get out! 

Oh to feel those wiper trying to break my rod - that will help slow down time a little bit.

Special thanks to Joshua, a long-time Fish Explorer member, a California native, moving back to his home state, and heading up FishExplorer.com California as the State Editor.

Enjoy, and good luck fishing...