When I started this diary way back in 2003 there was no other truly dedicated blogs dedicated to fly fishing – I started it as an add on to my static River Kelvin site – if I remember correctly the river was a wash out for a couple of weeks and I was bored.  I read everything I could about blogs and then went looking to try and connect with other fly fishing bloggers – there were none – well in fact there was two sites that I liked – Ahoyhoy (an outdoor blog which has now sadly disappeared) and Midcurrent (a news site) and I read them both avidly.

So I  started this blog as “Urban Fly Fishing on the Kelvin” which then changed to “Urban Fly Fisher” – there are still people that call this site Urban Fly Fishing on the Kelvin which is kinda funky. In the years that followed  I made lots of new friends and was also contacted by many other fly fishing bloggers to say I was their inspiration – which is kinda nice as I look now at their far superior blogs in awe.

I am pleased to say that Urban Fly Fisher is not only number one for guys that fish the Kelvin but also a lot of fun for others to read as well.

Starting a blog is easy – it is keeping it going and actually attracting readers that is the hard bit – seeing as how I am a computer geek/have not been fishing I want you to share my enjoyment of blogging so I thought I would give you some hints on how to get started:

The Plan

1. Starting a blog need not cost you money – you can sign up with WordPress or Blogger for free. Eventually you may want to move into buying your own domain name and buying dedicated hosting however you can give it a try out first to see if you enjoy it – the web is littered with blogs that people have abandoned.

2. Do some research– try not to align yourself closely to someone else’s brand or niche – not only is this a bit cheeky and a major faux pas in the world of blogging it also shows a lack of imagination. Likewise try and develop your own style of writing – do not try and copy someone else’s that you like, the chances are you will not be able to sustain it for long anyway.

3. Try and write quality content as often as possible – firstly write for yourself and do not be despondent that no one seems to be reading your content – readers come with time – a lot of time – I started off with a few dozen readers a day and the numbers steadily grew.

4. Comment and network with other fishing blogs – try not to email people asking them to link to you – instead write a post about their site or simply link to them – all blogging software is able to pick up incoming links – if they do not link to you then make sure you leave quality comments on their site – start a conversation and they will come to respect you and link back to you.

So there you have it – a few hints on starting a blog dedicated to fishing – I have enjoyed immensely my time blogging about fishing and fully intend to carry on until you are thoroughly sick of me. I have met some great people and made some good friends – also writing this blog has improved my own fishing no end – the fear of blanking and telling you guys hones the technique somewhat.

If you do start a blog feel free to fire me an email with the URL – looking forward to reading about your exploits.

In the meantime – check out these great blogs for a bit of inspiration.

Go check that bad boy out !

Yea, sure – I admit I do not know the whole story – and yes, I have probably got to concede that things got so out of hand that maybe the long arm of expensive lawyers had to step in and close it down – but a few days before the EGM?

Anyway, it should all be sorted tomorrow night so I guess you guys will let me know.

Meanwhile, new kid on the block Gordon Mack of Between the Lines points out the possibility that running a blog that “trades on fearless and irreverent comment on the world of angling near and far” and juggling official duties as a Kelvin committee member may be a bit like spate wading for Urbanflyfisher.com

He hit the nail on the head – yes – it will be difficult however at the moment the association is heading in a direction that I quite like – one that…..well, does “stuff”

Let’s call it a truce shall we.

Back to the topic of the LLAIA quickly – anyone got a number for their lawyers…

The irony is that the people who defaced it actually paid for it!

Someone is libelling us!

I have no idea who Tom Rosenbauer is, seemingly he is the author of numerous fly-fishing books has been a fly fisher for over 35 years, and was a commercial fly tier by age 14 (which probably means he tied flies for his dad) however his first words of wisdom were pretty interesting so I am looking forward to sticking these on my mp3 player for next week.

The first episode is on reading the water which is something that is essential when fishing a river like the Clyde or the Kelvin.

Click the picture below to go get it…