From the Fishing Wire Today:
BASS photo(David Jones)
Improving the Team
With the Labor Day weekend only hours away, I'm already looking forward to next week.
No, I haven't hit my head or changed my medication. I am excited about a big change in for The Fishing Wire.
Beginning next week, a new editor will be on the job. It will be a good thing for all of us.
Effective Tuesday, my friend and colleague Alan Clemons will be the new editor of The Fishing Wire.
Alan Clemons will be on the job next Tuesday.
A veteran reporter with 25 years experience, he's been outdoors editor for The Huntsville Times in Alabama for the past 15 years. His passions are the same as most of us: fishing, hunting and shooting.
You've seen Alan's byline in Outdoor Life, Bassmaster, ESPNOutdoors.com, Cabela's Outfitter Journal, Great Days Outdoors, Ducks Unlimited, Shooter's Bible and others. There aren't many writers who know the overall outdoor beat as well as Alan. I don't know any who know fishing - and journalism - any better.
We've gotten to know each where journalists get to know each other best - on the job.
When Alan decided to "take a package" from earlier this year, we had a short talk about what he had planned. As the conversations continued, we were fortunate enough to get him to cover ICAST for us this year.
When many of the people I know in the industry expressed their pleasure at seeing Alan and his byline on The Fishing Wire, I knew we had the makings of something good.
And, as Burt Bacharach once wrote, "knowing when to leave can be the smartest thing that anyone can learn."
For the past two years, I've been serving as what I considered a "caretaker editor" for The Fishing Wire, waiting for the right person to come along.
Not that I don't love fishing; I do. I might be the most enthusiastically average fisherman I know. But I lack the deep background and depth that comes from years of covering fishing from a hands-on perspective.
On Tuesday, Alan will be on the job, bringing that perspective and expertise.
I know every angler who reads The Fishing Wire will appreciate the knowledge and the wry sense of humor he'll bring along.
Those of you in the industry who know Alan will appreciate the insight and knowledge he'll bring about your products as well.
If you're in the fishing industry and don't know Alan - you should. A quick note to Alan@thefishingwire.com will start that process rolling.
In the past two years, I've learned more than I ever thought possible about fishing and the fishing and boating industries, and I've made some great friends.
Those friends will now discover I might actually have the opportunity to go fishing when invited, rather than having to stay home to write about other people going fishing.
That's what I'm looking forward to.
It's part of working to live up to the promise made in the first edition of The Outdoor Wire and has become the catchphrase for all our services: "We'll keep you posted."
Have a great Labor Day weekend, and if you have the opportunity, introduce someone to fishing. I plan on getting reacquainted myself.
- Jim Shepherd
Editors Note: Alan Clemons has been an invaluable contributor to Wired2fish since we started and we congratulate both Alan and Jim on this new appointment. Alan is a great writer/editor and will enhance the Fishing Wire. Congrats buddy!
