Pond Stalker Blog Spring Clean Up

Is Spring ever going to get here? Someday's, I think so.  On other days, I think or say something different.  It is April 1st, and, I am more than ready to start my warm water fishing season.  It is, also, time for a new Colorado fishing license for the season which begins today and runs through March 31st, 2015.

All that aside, let me take a few moments to share what is going on around the Pond Stalker blog.  It is Spring Cleaning time.

I have been thinking about a re-modeling job of my blog for the new year.  So, after some thought, and feedback from my fellow blogging friends, I got too work.

I began with bringing back a Blog Header that I used previously and added text too it.  This pond in the picture is currently one of my favorite places to fish in my area.  The fish are numerous, but not big necessarily.  Lot's of fun and I thought it deserved the honor of being my Blog Header for the new look.

Next, I redesigned the layout.  I will be using the full page look to my blog, without the use of sidebars to clutter the place up.  I will be using one post per page.  Following the post are graphic links to some of the good folks and organizations that have supported my blogging fun for all these years.  They deserve a shout out!

I have also added a few new pages to my blog which will encompass some of the materials that used to be in my sidebars with a few changes.  Let's begin with my About Mel page.  I have written a brief update on what my current focus is on my blog efforts that should help my readers better understand where I am going forward here on the blog.  Take a minute to do a quick read.

Next is my BlogBuddy Community page.  After giving it a lot of thought, from all the feedback on a recent post on my blog, I have decided to use a page on my blog for the purpose of giving my BlogBuddies a shout out.  I am currently in the process of constructing this page.  So at this point, it reads like a general blog list.  However, I will be updating it in a day or two to something I really good that I have in mind.  Not different, but, different for me.

While you are browsing around on my new look format, please take a minute and check out my other pages which include my From My Vise page, and, my Blog Post Archive page. 

P.S., before I forget to do it, I want to add a link to my Other Brother's blog over at Windknots and Tangled Lines.  Yes, I finally met up with Howard! No, we didn't fish together, but made plans to do so.  See what we were up too this past weekend!

Some Blog Posts Are Self Serving......

Ok, 99.5% of my blog posts are written with an attempt to share some information, knowledge, fun, or, just plain goodness with all my blogging friends (AKA: BlogBuddies).  My hope is that someone will read them and benefit from whatever tidbit they want to take with them.  The post becomes a part of my written memory bank for me to reflect back on.  In that sense, the blog is self serving for me.  However, this particular post is 100% self serving as a reminder too me before I go fishing again.

That is a new Colorado 2014 fishing license for me.  In Colorado, I have to get used to the wrinkle in the fishing season.  While living in Eastern Idaho for (35) years, fishing season ran from January 1st - December 31st of each year.  Licenses were required for all adult residents as long as they monitored and followed the Idaho Fish and Game Regulations.  That being said, once I retired to Northern Colorado, I have had to change my thought process.  In Colorado, fishing season begins on April 1st of the current year and runs through March 31st of the following year.  So with very few days left in March and winter still hanging on, I doubt if I get out before the new season kicks in.  Therefore, this post, will be front and center for me to remember to purchase my license in the next few days before I head out to chase me some Bluegill, Crappie, or Bass.  To all of my fellow Colorado anglers, don't forget to ante up for your new license real soon!

With that out of the way, I would like to share with my readers that more than any other year, this year seems like Winter and adverse weather has had a real grip on my fellow Bloggers around the country.  Everyone appears to be chomping at the bit to get some warm weather and break out the casting arm and have some fun.  There are some that have toughed it out and had a good time with some fun catching.  Like, Bill over at Fishing Through Life.  Great Dry Fly fishing already!  Or, Kevin at The Feather Chucker.  He is on ready, set, go with some new Bombers for Bass!  Then there is Alan at Small Stream Reflections.  He has been getting out in the winter weather more than us and is a great read.  Here he shares some Jack Gartside fly patterns that are Pond Stalker Approved.

I just could not finish this post without directing you over to a great  post I read yesterday from Quill over at Fish In The Barrel Pond.  Oh, boy can I relate to this post!  No, I have not forgotten  Mike's last post over at Mike's Gone Fishin.  Read it for yourself.  Which half of the bottle do you prefer?