BOOTED from FM

I know! I didn’t even know there was water down there!

Ben’s going to shoot me.

Well i just joined this website and yea guess where im coming from… Fishing Minnesota… A friend of mine that i meant on there told me to come and check IDA out. so hear i am. He is leaving but im here to learn and well see what esle!!!!

Welcome.

Good to have you here, Blueballs

It seemed to me over the few years I was on the FM site that the posts switched from being good Ole Boys sharing info to the “Pro Staff” telling everybody what to do and think and most importantly, what to buy. Angel Eyes anyone?

The good Ole Boys dissapeared. Also the “Pro Staff” seemed to get very young and rude. It was very easy to have everyone turn on you at FM and you come away feeling you just got dumped on.

As mentioned in one of posts above the best thing about a web site like this is what you learn from the general public sharing things, not the moderators. No offense intended. The moderators here seem to be pretty mellow and not overly immpressed with themselves. That’s a good thing.

Welcome Blueballs!!

Blueballs…

Feel better?

Wecome to IDA

Welcome BB

the only thing I can add to this site is this, I have never been to FM, I have been here since fish the river, i have never been approached to buy or pushed to buy any product that the pro staff has used or liked. they all make thier recemendations to make us consumers more educated on what would work the best for what we are looking for. also on this site, I have found alot of guys that are more about the helping the next guy out, what I mean by that is this, they are more willing to take you out in the boat and teach your technique, presentation, and give you the how to’s. they will also try to do that when you post a quesiton on the forums as well.

with that being said, i have also been on the reciving end of alot of generosity. the people on this site are willing to give alot to those who are less fortunate and always willing to lend a hand or a prayer when needed. this website is not just a bunch of guys that come to share fishing information. this website is a community of men that are there for everyone.

that is my take on this great website.

shane

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Sorry to hear you feel this way but please dont lump us in with what some of these other sites may be doing. There are many of us staff on this site that have no ties to any companies other than there enjoyment of the sport. I for one pride myself on being able to give unbiased posts on what I am doing and whos products may have helped me catch fish that day. If you think that what I am reporting is skewed or not true please feel to ask me about it in either a reply to my post or a pm. I sure most other staff on this site feel the same also.

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Very Good Point Mike. IDA staff is just bunch of regular people for the most part. Who work Full time regualr jobs and then some. We do not get paid by this site or anyone else affiliated with it for the majority of us. We are just fisherman like everyone else here that has a passion for the outdoors and willing to share it with anyone and everyone that will listen. IDA is no duobt a entertainment source (with all the clowns we have here ), but fore most it is a teaching and sharing tool.

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I’m definitely not trying to ruffle any feathers here. My point is that these forum websites are sponsored, so it’s in the websites’ best interest to look out for and promote sponsors. I have no problem with that. With advertiser support for both a website and Pro Staff you’re going to get biased opinions.

Is a guy with a Jiffy ad in his post going to give reasons to buy a StrikeMast for a guy looking for an auger?

just from my little experience here, the responses I have got to questions is take a look at teh sponsors they might have something you like, or that they sell the jig that is working.

Also at the GTG I stayed in the same house as BrianK and there was not 1 single sales pitch pitch, except, I am turning on my Marcum so turn your gain down on your Vex, but if you get a marcum you are fine. . so I just unhooked his battery and that marcum issue was solved for interference.

Broncs

When it comes to sponsors/products here at the site.

For the “most” part……A jig is a jig, and a jigging spoon is just that…..a jigging spoon. A ringworm is a ringworm…..they have been around for years!

Also, a mortgage is a mortgage…….

But what separates them is quality and performance. Most of it is what the “user” does to make it work. That includes the mortgage too!

There are no “secret lures” or even “secret mortgages!”

What a person should focus on, when it comes to any “product” is quality.

This, in my honest opinion is where James seperates himself from the majority. Trust me when I say this and you can quote me on it and hold me to these words:
” He has turned down FAR more potential advertisers/sponsors that you could ever believe”.

Why??? His focus is quality, not quantity. That is why I’m more than honored to be here. If you dig around, you might find “Midwest Lending” on other sites. But you won’t find “me” at other sites. I’m “me” with Midwest Lending. My quality is about my service.

Just because a salesman with a product comes here with cash in hand, asking to advertise, doesn’t mean you get your foot in the door.

Proof of this was a company that carried a lure product line. This product line included muskie lures. I was given the opportunity to field test the muskie lures. There were some good points about the lures, but there were also some very weak issues, to the point I wouldn’t use them on the water. Well, short story is that you don’t see any muskie lure advertisers on here, do you?

I was on another local fishing website and saw a post by a user with the name “the anti FMer”. That is a very unhappy ex user.

The only reason to not have the PM feature enabled is paranoia. But then again just because you are paranoid does not they are not out to get you, right?

The tackle shop at the other site has the most punative return policy that I have ever seen online and would recommend that you make your online purchase from B-Fish-N instead.

Hats off to the Ricktator!

[quote…Is a guy with a Jiffy ad in his post going to give reasons to buy a StrikeMast for a guy looking for an auger?

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Probably not… the next question to ask, though, is does the guy have a Jiffy ad in his signature area because he likes/uses the product and the manufacturer agreed to sponsor him? My guess is that most guys that are sponsored really believe that the product is top-notch…

To that point: any of you guys sponsored out there – would you agree to promote a product that you felt was second-rate, if the maker offered up a nice little chunk of change? (be honest now!!!)

King;

I’ll give you 2 recent scenarios:

One with a rod manufacture. I could have gotten the rods for myself for 30%……Not 30% off, that was 30% of the store price. I passed on them, because I honestly thought they were not what they claimed to be, and I didn’t want my name associated with “problems”.

One Muskie lure company:
Offered me again, 50% price. Just had to promote…….I worked the lures and worked them hard…….Nada, nothing, zilch……because the lures kept fouling up…….See-YA!!!!!

I honestly do not have any “sponsors” or obligations to anyone. If a lure/product works, I’ll tell ya straight up, whether they advertise here or not, or whether their competitors advertise here or not.

Got a question, ask away! I’ll give you my opinion. Trust me, I’m very opinionated!

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[quote…Is a guy with a Jiffy ad in his post going to give reasons to buy a StrikeMast for a guy looking for an auger?

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To that point: any of you guys sponsored out there – would you agree to promote a product that you felt was second-rate, if the maker offered up a nice little chunk of change? (be honest now!!!)

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Absolutely not. I’ve used / tested plenty of products that I do not talk about… I just don’t believe in them. I had boats from past sponsors I NEVER spoke about… because I though the boat was a poor product. And there were incentives to do so. As a guide the idea of promoting and using poorly made or designed products makes my skin crawl… I have to fish with that piece of equipement, in front of customers, on a daily basis. It better work and work well.

Taking advice here is a lot like taking advice or listening to input from people outside of our little internet circle. Everyone has an opinion. It really comes down to seeking out sources of advice you can trust. Take a little time to watch forums like this one and you’ll pick up on who’s a straight shooter and who’s pushin’ products for the highest bidder.

As for the staff guys here… we have in place a contract they sign with IDA.com, Inc. that clearly states that if they are are suspected of giving out false information… they’re removed from their position here. Our advice to all staffers is this… if you can’t tell the straight truth don’t say anything at all.

James and Gary,

thanks for the replies… Pretty much sums up why I think this site is top-notch – sure, the staff here are, in some manner, selling products but they’re products they really believe in… what’s even better is that you have guys like Scott talking about/selling MarCum products and then you have Derek talking about/selling Vexilars, all in the same thread… Add to that that you have JollyAnn Marine that sells both of those AND the lowrance products (as well as Hummingbird, Eagle, etc.). Even with these sponsorships, however, the site doesn’t limit discussion threads if the topic may ‘go against’ a sponsor or their products (take, for instance, the thread about how to build your own ‘real weeds’).

James: you and your team have done an excellent job with this site; packed with great features (love the PM system), excellent information, etc. I do use FM occasionally but for me, that site is just a back-up that I check if I can’t find the info I’m looking for here first (and that rarely happens).

James:

It is good to “hear” you say these things. I’ve been a believer in IDA for a few years now, but several people I’ve intro’d to the site come back and say “aw they’re just saying that stuff so you hire them as a guide or buy their product”. It’s human nature to be cautious and I think it is good to see the level to which you take your responsibility to the users of this site!!

Thanks! Keep it up!

Eric

well being around James and the crew at the summer GTG and ARM event, I will tell you right now, there is not a sales pitch to be had anywhere. it is all about sharing information, fish stories, and most all, a passion for being out on the water fishing. I am not being biased with this comment, but here it goes, I have not found a better bunch of guys/gals on a website that will pull together and be community and friends and genually care about each other. with that being said, I display and talk about this website all of the time.

shane

No doubt, there’s people that flat out refuse to believe anything anyone tells or shows them. They’re just naturally apprehensive. And that’s too bad. There’s a whole world of knowledge out there floating around for ALL of us to tap into. Not that blindly accepting as gospel anything and everything put out on the internet would be a good thing either.

Keep your “BS Detector” set to “on” and keep an open mind.

From my experience I think what you can expect to find as you bounce around the intrnet is that the guys that have been around for more than a few months are “solid” with good intentions and some factual knowledge and experience behind them.

Some are “posers” fresh off the truck with little or no experience or a thinly vieled agenda that will skew their presentation of products to such a degree that their opinions are worth less than nothing.

Picking one from the other usually isn’t too terribly hard.

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Keep your “BS Detector” set to “on” and keep an open mind.

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Truer words are rarely ever spoken.

WOW! This thread really has some legs……..go baby go!

I’m 51 years old (human years, not dog years) and I’ve seen it all. Guy’s pump product, it’s not hard to tell who is doing it. It’s cool, in a way it’s their job. Like any purchase you make you have to seperate fact from BS. Same with fishing gear. There are far to many people these days who want to let everyone else do the research for them and then pee & moan when it doesn’t work perfect for them. Do your research, ask your questions, do it here, do it elsewhere. Do not take it for the gospel fact when I tell you my Ranger can fly. It can’t…….really. Check it out yourselves.

Back to “site sponsors”. In my opinion if a question is asked about a certain product that sponsors this or another site. If someone comes on and rips that product, I can live with that. It’s their opinion. Now if the same person rips that product and steers you towards another competitor either by retail outlet, web site, phone number, that one IMHO should be nuked. The site or dealer they are sending you to does not sponsor that site and the readers shouldn’t be sent there in my opinion. You should be able to tell your side of a story without sending people to the compition for that product.

Heres an example……….

My Ranger with the OptiMax has been great, no problems and in my opinion was a great investment.

Response, A) Glad you are happy with your Ranger, I had one and it had problems out of the factory that were not resolved to my satisfaction. Personally I’m looking at a Triton now.

Response B) I had a Ranger once and it was a over priced piece of crap. My next boat will be a Triton from x dealer his number is 555-1212 ask for my neighbor Joe, he will give you a great deal!

In my mind it’s a no brainer, nuke the second post (B) not because they were critical of Ranger but because they were pumping a certain brand and dealer. Same can be done with all the products.

To continue to grow IDA must protect their advertisers to a certain extent. However they have always allowed your personal opinion on a product which can’t be said about all web sites.

Act like grown ups and we will be able to continue with this great venue.

OK, I’m done now.

I can honestly say I believe 100% in the products I represent. I use the products on the ice/water everyday, whether that be guiding or leasure fishing. Luckily over time I have been able to assemble a great group of sponsors to work with. Yes, I have the opportunity to run/try many products related to this industry. My hope is my experiences with these products will help other make informed decisions when it comes time to purchase.

I don’t change sponsors very easy. When I do it is more related to the sale of a company or a change in business direction. I prefer to have a great working relationship with my sponsors so together we can make better products. I am very happy to promote the products I believe in because I honestly feel they will help others succeed on the ice, water or in the woods.

Credability is the name of the game. It is hard to build and easy to lose. I believe the staff of IDA truely understand this and do a great job representing the products they believe in.

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I just hope I can find my fit in here also.

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Looks like you already did
Ron

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By the way I was not booted, just wised up.

Well I’ve been a member of both sites for a good 6-7 years. I visited here often before the changeover and I guess I lost it in the shuffle. I post on FM all the time and have met a number of great people including staff and moderators there, as well as this site.
I don’t think people should be asked to choose one or the other or for that matter any other fishing site. I appreciate all the info and good people I have met here as well as FM. There is politics involved with every little thing we deal with in life and it is each person’s individual choice as to how involved they want to get.
Myself……I’ll throw out my opinion here and there, but for the most part, back off and let others argue till they are blue in the face.

It is no different then any other business. There is always behind closed doors meetings about strategies and marketing with results that some people will like and others will not.

Ford/Chevy
Walmart/Target
Vex/Marcum

In the end…..

I just want to have fun and Fish

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By the way I was not booted, just wised up.

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They could have slammed the door on your

I do not care. You are here now and that is all that matters.
Ron

This kind of thing will happen with anything as it grows. I am sure FM has what I would deem good characteristics, as well as bad. I don’t know, haven’t spent any time there. IDA/IDO will get these same digs, even more, with the growth. It’s the old adage, you cannot please all the people, all the time, I just know I have seen enough here at IDA/IDO, that if James could, he would.

big g