[In Development] New Fishing Report Section

[admin]

We are in the process of redesigning CyberAngler’s Fishing Report section from scratch. We would like to hear your ideas on what we can do to improve this section. Please post your ideas here…

[teeejay]

Nothing listed for panama City,Fla,This area completly different than Destin or Applachicola.

[admin]

Nothing listed for panama City,Fla,This area completly different than Destin or Applachicola.

Do you mean in the Fishing Report Section, or here within the New Forum?

[teeejay]

Fishing Reports section

[admin]

The reason we have no one reporting for Panama City, is that no one has volunteered.

Generally, we (CyberAngler) do not solicit guides for our Fishing Report Section. Over the years, we have found this to be a big waste of time because most of the folks we ask to submit reports do not have the same commitment as those that approach us. In other words, these guides/reporters end up quitting rather quickly…

Occasionally, we do ask guides if we find them already reporting regularly elsewhere AND the quality of the reports would add value for our users.

Is there anyone in particular you would like to nominate or ask about reporting on CyberAngler for your area?

[RudyGomez]

Nothing listed for panama City, Fla...

We have just added a new Reporter for Panama City - Capt. James Pic. You can find his reports at:
http://cyberangler.com/reports/fl/pic/

[GripCat]

Could you please add the date of the most current report to the line of the lists of Captains reports. This would make it easier to view which Captains have the most recent reports with the most up to date information.

Thank you for your hard work on the reports section it really works.

[admin]

Could you please add the date of the most current report to the line of the lists of Captains reports.

Yes, this feature will be included in the Fishing Report Section revision.

Thank you for your hard work on the reports section it really works.

Thanks - its nice to hear our work is appreciated

[FREE BIRD]

Would it be possible to have your Capt's. update their repts. at least once a wk. Some of the repts. are a month old. I use this website almost daily to check what's goin on and a fishing rept. that is a month old just doesn't help much. Thanks! This is a great website. Dan

[RudyGomez]

Dan,

We really appreciate your patronage and the fact you took the time express your concerns.

Captains/guides that report for CyberAngler pledge to report at least weekly. In fact, its part of the application process. If a guide applies and says that he is unable to report weekly, he is NOT accepted.

So, guides that are not reporting weekly are folks that promised to report weekly, but have been unable to meet their commitment for whatever reason.

When this occurs we have chosen NOT to immediately remove the guide from CyberAngler. Why? For many reasons.

A Replacement may not be available. We generally do not solicit or recruit guides for the reporting section of CyberAngler. We have found that guides which we recruit often have very low commitment to reporting regularly, and would only worsen the situation.

A monthly or bi-weekly report is better than no Report. At least an occasional report is fresh some of the time.

We try hard (VERY HARD) to keep the reports updated, but in the end, its up to the individual captains to submit their reports. If a Captain's report is chronically late or absent, we will try to find a replacement or supplement.

If you are really interested in seeing more up-to-date reports, PLEASE send the particular captain in question an e-mail message telling him the same. They seem to respond much better when they hear it from readers like you.

By the way, captains reporting on CyberAngler are NOT PAID for their reports...

Thanks for visiting CyberAngler, and we will continue to strive for weekly reports.

[Dr. Fish]

First of all, I feel you should investigate or qualify the guides that are listed in fresh water section for Florida (FISHING REPORTS). I have fished in the same boat with some of these guys and watched them catch NO fish on several ocassions. In addition, I have been fishing with a guide on Lake Toho who does fishing reporst by talking to people who actualy catch fish, no by his own experience. Some of the guides that work lake Toho and contibute to your report make claims of sponsorships that do not exist. Once you qualify the guides that are going to offer the reports they should be required to report at lease once a week or lose the right.

[RudyGomez]

First of all, I feel you should investigate or qualify the guides

Guides have to go through an application process before they are accepted on CyberAngler. Nevertheless, CyberAngler does not have the resources to investigate guides. Give me a break. Who do you think we are? The FBI?

In addition, I have been fishing with a guide on Lake Toho who does fishing reporst by talking to people who actualy catch fish, no by his own experience.

As a general rule, CyberAngler allows compilation reports with information from various sources. Clearly, we would frown on guides representing this information as their own.

Some of the guides that work lake Toho and contibute to your report make claims of sponsorships that do not exist.

Again, CyberAngler is based on the Honor System.

If we receive multiple complaints regarding any aspect of a particular guide associated with CyberAngler, we will investigate further (as resources permit). In the past, we have removed guides for their indiscretions.

[Guides] should be required to report at lease once a week or lose the right.

I could not agree with you more!

But, we don’t live in a perfect world.

In a perfect world, CyberAngler would be making a ton of cash and we could afford to do background checks and substantiate all information on a guide’s application and fishing reports. In a perfect world, we could pay a select few pro fishing guides out of the thousands begging to provide reports.

Let me tell you about the real world in which CyberAngler makes a frightenly small amount of revenue - barely sufficient to support the technical requirements of maintaining a web site of this size. In the real world, CyberAngler could not exist without 100+ hours of volunteer time each month. In reality, there are a surprising few number of fishing guides willing to take time in-between their already busy schedules of fishing, boat maintenance, etc. to submit weekly fishing reports - EVEN FEWER ARE WILLING TO DO THIS FOR FREE.

In the real world, CyberAngler is painfully aware that the available pool of fishing guides willing to provide reports for free is very small indeed. Although we require all applicants to commit to weekly report submissions, we have adopted a more paternalistic approach to dealing with guides that fail to meet their commitments, and our expectations. Yes, fishing guides are removed from CyberAngler for not reporting regularly, but only after we have given them every possible opportunity to succeed.

Finally, the real world is filled with people who are quick to criticize, but unwilling to lift a finger in assistance. If you are truly interested in seeing more up to date reports, please see my earlier post to this thread on what YOU can do to improve the situation. And if you don’t like the service we provide, ask for a refund.