Here We Go Again

Time flies. How else could you possibly explain it? And the part about having fun making it go faster must be true too. I swear it was just last week I sat down to write this same editorial a year ago, and I cannot recall ever having this much fun - in the office, on the water, or in the field.

No bones about it; 2011 has been one heck of a year for TSFMag and also for Pam and I personally.

Looking at this publication, our readership and circulation grew beyond anything I ever dreamed we might achieve and advertising support has been nothing short of remarkable. The natural outcome of such good fortune is the upgrade to layout and content we have been able to present and pray that our readers have been enjoying. We are very proud of these accomplishments. We want to thank everybody that contributed - readers, advertisers, writers, and of course the staff that puts up with my crazy ideas and brings every issue together in time to make deadline at the printer. All I can say is we are blessed.

On the personal side, 2011 was a whirlwind of fishing and hunting between each issue of the magazine, just the way I like it. With continued success in business and good health I am planning even more outdoor adventure of both flavors in 2012. I have always believed the best way to avoid growing old and losing your mind was to be too busy to allow either to happen. Pam agrees, but says she sometimes wonders if we're going to kill ourselves proving the point. Meanwhile do not expect to find us loafing around the office unless it is production week. I recommend making an appointment well in advance and even these have been known to suffer in the jaws of a solid trout bite and sometimes subject to reschedule due to epic flights of doves and ducks. No telling what might happen during the whitetail rut. Kind of like that old Waylon Jennings song, "I've always been crazy but it's kept me from going insane."

Looking ahead, 2012 has a lot going for it. The national economy might still be suffering but with the uptick in energy markets Texas is doing much better. This bodes well for fishermen and the recreational fishing community as a whole.

Even with record-setting drought and red tide along some of our beaches and in some of our bays, inshore fishing has held up remarkably well. By all indications the bounty in our bay systems will continue to provide excellent angling opportunity in the coming year. Now if we can just avoid those pesky freezes until spring arrives.

Offshore angling prospects are also very good. Luckily, the doom and gloom predicted following the Deepwater Horizon accident appears to have been greatly exaggerated and these fisheries too are in very good shape. Hopefully the federal fisheries regulators will come to their senses soon and stop all this short season and no-season baloney for species that are doing well in the western Gulf of Mexico.

Hang on to your hats; 2012 is a coming and she's looking to be a dandy.
Happy New Year!