The first breath of fresh spring air brings fishermen out in droves. With smiles spread across their faces, they crank up rusty boat engines and head for secluded coves to search for Old Joe, the 42-lb. catfish that's haunted the waters for years. Let's see what the Internet holds for this popular recreation.  

Cap'n Nooks Fish'n Book for the Mississippi Gulf Coast and adjacent waters gives fishing reports, buoy observations, Gulf Coast tides, salt water records, and more. http://www.datasync.com/~chinook/

The Fishing Network offers a reference library, fishing forums, listings of tournaments and derbies, fishing trips, and a Master Angler Fishing Derby where you can play on-line to win cash. http://www.the-fishing-network.com/

Fishing Hot-Spots on the World Wide Web is a phenomenal site that is a "must see." It outlines fishing sites in the individual states and foreign countries; lists fishing-related businesses, publications, and home pages; and, it features fishing specialty sites. http://www.salmon-river.com/webstops.htm 

Just Good Books carries a huge assortment of fishing books that you can order online. http://www.justgoodbooks.com/fishing.html 

Angler's Online features fishing reports from around the world, a weather center, a chat room, stores to purchase fishing gear, fishing clubs and organizations, plus much more. http://www.inetmkt.com/fishpage/index.html 

Fly & Field contains an Expert's Zone where you can read monthly articles or ask questions of a fly fisherman. Tyer's Beach features specialized products for your fly tying needs, along with tips and tricks. Or, you can read true fish stories. http://www.flyfield.com/home.htm 

Bass Fishing Home Page features articles such as Best Way to Clean Rods and Reels or Bass Weight Formula. Learn about bass fishing tactics, guides, or tournaments. There's even a section on boats for sale. http://wmi.cais.com/bassfish/index.html 

Dr. Dan's Fish & Game Predictions is a shareware program that graphically shows tides and fishing curves. http://www.sat.net/~drdan/drdan.html 

Fish Recipes features mouth-watering recipes such as Pan Fried Lake Fish and Fish Baked in Pastry. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/seafood/fish/

World Wide Web Virtual Library: Sportfishing contains fishing links galore. http://wmi.cais.com/www/sportfsh/index.html 

Dodge Adventurer Monthly is a new online magazine exclusively for the outdoor enthusiast and includes fishing reports from all across the states. This month's feature article is on modern ice fishing. Under Destinations, you can click on your region for a local fishing report. http://www.alloutdoors.com/dodgeadventurer/ 

The Fishing Fool's World lists fishing broken down by state as well as numerous fishing links. http://www.webcom.com/~towns/fish/fish.html

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. So next week, we'll search for sites on child abuse and related issues. See you then. 

Robin Nobles is a freelance writer who can be reached at robinnobles@robinsnest.com.

Back to Main Articles Page