I agree with ewest that you want to create a place where you can bring people in. The forum is what brought me to Pond Boss. After I was digging onto forums, I bought the magazine and a few books. If you cut people off with costs up front, they will leave. The will never discover what a great resource Pond Boss is.
Imagine in ESPN was pay to look at. I would go elsewhere. Now, if I want in-depth stuff, I pay for the "Insider," which is a subscription after I have been brought in.
I think the main page of the site needs reworking so it directs people to different locations. You can also monetize with Google ad-words and the like to bring in more revenue.
Just my quick two-cents.
At this point I would pay for the forums and the resources, but I would have never visited if I had to pay to get started.
