Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Who wants an electronic version of the PB Magazine

Wow, the sentimentality to the printed page.

Positives? No power necessary to read, can sit in the basket next to the toilet to be read at any time. Can be thrown without damage at deserving targets. Can be used for house insulation as they accumulate over the years.

Negatives? I cannot fit THOUSANDS of publications in searchable form on a single device I can carry anywhere and can be used for other things besides reading.

Electronic forms of publications are here to stay, and if any publication wants to attract a younger audience and new customers to grow, it HAS to make the transition. Otherwise it will die as current subscribers exit life leaving an ever dwindling subscription.

If a particular format such as PDF is popular enough, the ability to read and display them will be around a VERY long time. Almost all blurbs and datasheets are in PDF form, so there is a tremendous drive to continue support of that format.

Since you don't subscribe, how can you summarily dismiss Pond Boss Magazine in such a way? I do take it the wrong way because you are wrong and loudly wrong.

I subscribe and donated to forum. I would like to see an app. For this forum and a digital form of mag. But as long as I got the mag and this forum I'm not going to complain. I've learned too much. Too bad I didn't find out about Pond Boss till my new pond leaked like a sieve. All is good now and thanks everybody.

Jwwann, I'll bet there are more members here that first found the forum because of a problem then not. Believe me, you are NOT alone!

Sprkplug, the computer screen,tablet, kindle, etc., doesn't smell like an old book either!

If the power goes out, and the batteries die, we're in trouble.

I use a Dell Axiom hand held device for figuring out ballistics when out in the field. But, I still have the drops/wind drift charts printed out. I don't want to be out where there's no electric and have the batteries fail and me be without a chart. Within 500 yds I think I can remember, after that it'd be a guess.

I feel that it's the same with electronic printed stuff. We're totally dependant on electricity. Even if your device has juice, what happens if the power goes out on the other end?

I'm not against an electrionic copy of the mag, and it'd make searching back issues easier, but it would put more costs on Bob's end and someone would have to pick up the tab.

My gracious, that is so extremely far from the facts, I don't know what to say. I would figure that many of my fellow contributors to the magazine would certainly take exception to these thoughts also.

As for being centered only on bass from Texas, that is really way off. Mark Cornwell, from upstate NY, and Dave Willis from South Dakota, have something in nearly every issue ranging from pike, to walleye, to issues about things like leeches and concerns about ponds with severe winters.

Condello, Cody, and Baird have contributed tremendously varied subjects, and I can't think of an article by any of them about LMB. There are few fish in North American private waters that don't get covered in a year's worth of issues. And, there are the wonderfully illogical things that we learn from Ewest's regular column. Like, who would have ever thought there is solid research showing that galvanized bait fish traps will catch more than the black fish traps?

This time of year I still get lots and lots of requests and questions about the venison pastrami article on the last two pages of Pond Boss from few years back, along with questions about building fish worm farms to eat your garbage.

Ken

Yeah, what Ken said! . Sorry, couldn't resist piling on! Humor intended.

I love that old book smell....And, of particular relevance this evening, given the nature of another thread detailing BGK's woes....

I've never had an old-fashioned print copy get hacked, compromise my security, and force me to change my passwords.....

Logical? No. Feels good? Yeah.

Interesting observation about bass and Texas in PB.

I dug out my oldest PB mag, that my Wife didn't throw away, dated Jan and Feb 2001. It's in B&W. At that time there was no PB website.

The advertisers are nationwide.

The articles:

Looking ahead to Spring.

Ask the Boss starts out with "Kansan hopes to promote crawfish". The questions/Lusks answers come from Kansas, Ms, Ca, La, and 2 from Texas.

Lake Conference set for Indiana.

The holistic approach to pond management

Primo forage or 10 steps to a rearing pond.

Texas to hold Bass seminar. This was from Texas A&M.

Florida fish experts pan Green Sunfish. The pan is a typo since it is about the Florida BANNING GSF.

The mag has never really been about Texas or bass.

Back in the good ole days, us Texas boys had our own “PondBass” club and then Lusk published a fancy slick magazine, joined the “wine and cheese circuit, hob-nobbed with folks that rode around in jet airplanes and left us ole country boys having to lissen to those Nawthen Inticultural types with fancy letters behind their names – us Southern Bass Bubbas don’t git no respect no more!

Hey, we need another one. 12 years is too long!

Dave, where was it at? City/town/lake??

I’ve been watching this thread now for 2 days, and trying to figure out where I stand on this. I like the idea of having more options for PB, but if I put myself in Bob’s shoes, then I have to figure out if this is cost effective. If it’s a loss or cost neutral, then you’re providing a service for people that are already subscribers and aren’t growing the subscriber base. If enough new subscribers aren’t inclined to subscribe to cover the increased costs, then it makes no sense.

If I was the “Pond Boss”, I would perhaps think about starting out with the oldest out of print issues, and making a CD/DVD/E version of those available. The info may not be published right now, and that may increase revenue. Where it gets sketchy to me is when you get to issues that are available for sale on the PB website. If you’re losing sales of 2001 and newer paper issues, then are you really helping yourself? Only Bob would know this. I do think it would be nice to be able to search older issues for articles if they were in a PDF format.

I do know that magazines like Mother Earth News offer archive CD’s, and they‘re updated yearly.

JKB, I know no ill intent was meant, but it did come out wrong. You’re an engineer, and you amaze me with the stuff you post. Several times I’ve had to Google your posts, and you’re right on target. So keep posting the stuff that makes me think. I love it!

But, I think you would agree that most of us that are (or were) in some type of technical field have to decide when effort vs. dollars comes into play. If I had a coding problem, and a $40 book saved me 5 hours of research, then I put money in my pocket. PB magazine does that for me.

I told Bob this very week that I don’t always read PB cover to cover. Some articles just don’t interest me. But, if I find that one gem like The Bugman article this year, then the whole subscription is worth it. Lucky for me (being from TX ), there are many articles that I love.

Very poor assumption on my part. I apologize!

JKB,

Well said.

It might sound funny, but have you thought about writing an article for the magazine? If I can do it, anyone can. And like Allen said, you do have a lot of good things to say.

Certainly one thing you have done well, JKB, is donate to the forum.

ALL should give generously simply for the value that has been and continues to be provided.

Remember, get your donations in this year, 'cause when we hit 2013, the Hall Of Fame starts all over again.

For what it's worth:

I have been following the forum for about 2-3 years, active for about the last year. I do not subscribe to the magazine at this point, but hope to in the near future. I was not going to add any comments to this subject, but got to thinking about how you can download a free copy of the magazine, which I did about a year ago. I realized that I have not read it!!!!!!!! Why, probably because it is not lying on a table somewhere that makes it conveinient for me. I think a hard copy sitting somewhere is also a big advertisement feature for the magazine itself. It is there for anyone to see it that comes along.

I would guess that those who are computer savy (and who would want a download version of the magazine) end up finding this forum. To me this forum is better than any online magazine that could be published. You have the search feature which lets you look up so much past information. If you can't find your answer, you can ask a specific question that is tailored to your exact need. How can that beat a regular magazine. Compared to other forums of all different kinds, this one far exceeds them. I can only guess on this, but the people that contribute to the magazine are also available here for questions. They may not give elaborate answers becauce the subject was in a magazine or past posts, but if the question brings up new ideas/thoughts/questions, they are without a doubt there to help.

With all the past PondBoss magazine issues that have been created over the years, it sure would be nice to have a computerized search method of them, much like the forum has. Not for the info itself, but of possible articles that may apply to your search. Then you could buy them as needed. I have heard many suggestions on posts that such-n-such was covered in an article, go buy it. Thats good, but that seemes like a limited way to find out and get additional revenue. Possibly there is already a way to easily search the back issues, but in the few years I have been here, I don't remember any mention of such or how to do it.

Thank you PondBoss for creating such a usefull forum, Jim



P.S. If anything, this thread has got me to think about how this forum is like a magazine and should be treated as such, and spurred me to donate. Hopefully it will remind other newer folks that this forum is as good/better than a magazine and will do so too.

Are readers aware that a Table of Contents and an index of subjects, keywords, important words, and topics of articles are available for all PBoss issues? These are located in the Common Q&A Archives. I am in the process of creating indexes for ten year periods to aid searching for species, subjects, and important items in all articles. First issue of PBoss was in Jul-Aug 1992. The index for 1992 thru 2002 is now in the archives. Take a look at it. The index for 2003 to 2012 is in preparation.

If a electronic database was a pay option on my subscription renewal I'd pay it in a heartbeat..

Count us in as well! Love magazines in real life but I'm trying to cut out stacks of magazines and books all over the place! Steve only reads the "real" thing.... but whose the boss here?

Mr. Cody... by far and away I think this is brilliant! I can't imagine how much time it is taking you to do this. Your work will be valued by thousands in search of specific answers to what troubles them. I look forward to wandering around in the archives!

Here are the last seven PB issue articles I wrote - none on LMB.

THE CUTTING EDGE – SCIENCE REVIEW
By Eric West



Walleye stocking - new info



THE CUTTING EDGE – SCIENCE REVIEW
By Eric West



Musky in small waters ?



THE CUTTING EDGE – SCIENCE REVIEW
By Eric West



Bits and Pieces





This edition of The Cutting Edge addresses some bits and pieces of info from several studies. The first two deal with sampling by traps and electrofishing. The next with the effects of turbidity i.e. suspended solids in the water and the last with an interesting aspect of habituation of new fish into an existing population with predators.





THE CUTTING EDGE – SCIENCE REVIEW
By Eric West





Baby Bluegill and Redear Sunfish



THE CUTTING EDGE – SCIENCE REVIEW
By Eric West



Catfish Nuggets

THE CUTTING EDGE – SCIENCE REVIEW
By Eric West

Young bluegill growth

THE CUTTING EDGE – SCIENCE REVIEW
By Eric West





Effect’s of Competition between species





Last issue we looked at interactions (competition) between channel catfish, largemouth and bluegill in small waters. Sticking with that overall concept this month we review some key points from several studies on competition among some other species that may be found in ponds.



First we look at a study by our very own Pond Boss supported scientists on a project we helped fund titled, Competitive interactions between walleye (Sander vitreus) and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) under various controlled conditions

Scott, is was sponsored by the Indiana Lake Management Association for Pond Professionals. I doubt that there were a lot of them in those days. It was held at French Lick, In. Bob must have been hurting for something to write about in those days.

Thinking back, I actually met Bro Lusk at a Conference in San Marcos Tx in 2003. The name of the show was Bass 101 on how to manage ponds and lakes for better bass fishing. Like PB, then and now, it was about 10 to 20% about bass and 80% about ponds in general. Sponsored by Dr. Mike Masser of TAMU, it covered a variety of topics. The admission price, as I recall, was about $100.00 and the place was packed. I thought the best one was about raising bullfrogs. I met a bunch of pond pro's. I remember one speaker who I thought was full of BS. I still feel the same way about the guy even though he has a bunch of letters after his name.

Like most everything here, the lunch was BBQ.

I came so close to giving up and posting to just let you find it.

I can take a magazine to work, and read in down time. Or waiting for orders over a radio.

I should know better by now to avoid subjects on this forum that sometimes (most times) gets me in hot water by my poor communication skills.

Anyway – fools rush in where angels fear to tread!

OK, back to the magazine and PondBoss.
I take the magazine to belong to the club – I seldom read any articles except fishing or articles written by good friends.
The majority of folks I know have stock “tanks” and do their fishing in reservoirs.

We are fortunate in our area having TAMU and TP&W for pond management resources. I also know a couple of outstanding graduate fisheries biologists that relationships were established before I was familiar with PondBoss.

I am an avid fisherman and active on fishing several forum - ponds are a means to an end for me.
I would not subscribe to a digital magazine,

Hope I have not offended anyone.
George

Big issue I suppose but I do know some magazines like KayakAngler is available online and at no charge. For an upcharge you can get access to additional content.

http://kayakanglermag.com