golf50733

The "Goofiest" Of All Fishing Trips

There are a lot of places in this world where one can go to find solace, peace and tranquility while wetting a line for fish.

Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida is not the first place that comes to mind.

Nonetheless, right there beneath the shadow of the Magic Kingdom, amongst wide-eyed roller coaster riders, a stones throw from Tinkerbell's safety harness, exists one of the prime Largemouth Bass fishing waters you will find anywhere.

Remote? No.

Pristine? Hardly.

Filled with hungry fat Largemouth Bass....YES!!

I'm not really sure what compelled me to book a two hour Disney Bass fishing adventure.

I don't know if I was curious that possibly a rather large mouse might show up at the dock with a fishing vest full of sponsor patches,and a big wad of chew between his cheek and gum. Or, if mechanical alligators might raise up out of the water- jaws agape-while I reached down to pick up my bass by the lips. Or, if perhaps cannonballs might be landing dangerously close to the boat as we all sang yo-ho yo- ho a fisherman's life for me....

Or maybe, just maybe, after wandering around the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and MGM for four days, bouncing off of an endless stream of six year olds with attached parents in tow,eating space burgers,frontier burgers,Yeti burgers, and trying to figure out how to amuse myself in line for 60 minutes while waiting to have the POOH scared out of me.....maybe, just maybe I thought that I might just find a few hours away from the hustle,bustle and silent freakish stares of Chip and Dale.

I must admit, as we were making plans for a family trip to the mother of all amusement parks, I had spotted this fishing adventure on the Disney website. As my wife locked us in for five days of "Disney Magic", I writhed in agony wondering just how many princesses there must be if it takes five days to see them.My six year old daughter was obviously thrilled.

Being a card carrying member of the "I want to go fishing club", I figured this may be my only opportunity to sneak in some fishing on this trip. And if you have ever looked at a map of the Orlando area, you will see that this is an abundant area of lakes, not to mention short drives to the coastal areas and ocean fishing galore. In other words it was killing me, knowing how close to great fishing I was--but unless they had trout swimming along the waterways of Splash Mountain--I was never going to see any of them.

So, after the third day of posing for pictures with oversized rodents, dragons, and perky princesses, I called the Disney central reservation line for "active fun"-as if screaming and doing isometric hand grips on Expedition Everest, or ogling Pocahontas is not considered active fun!- and booked a bass fishing trip for the next morning. Evidently, the line and waiting period for the "largemouth bass ride" is not nearly as long as the wait for Peter Pan, because the nice girl (I think it may have been Cinderella) was able to get us a fishing trip out of the Contemporary Hotel Marina with no problem.

Didn't even have to get a FastPass!!

Best of all, we didn't have to get up early. We were scheduled for 10:00 a.m.

Like all Disney events and productions, great attention to detail and planning is done to insure the perfect family experience. That is why catch and release is the practice on Seven Seas lagoon and Bay lake, (the two primary fishing waters at Walt Disney World) and probably a big reason for the reliable fishery.

AND like all Disney adventures and productions, the perfect family experience has it's price.

$230.00 for two hours of fishing!

That's a lotta rubber worms.

In fairness, that is the rental of the boat and the boat can handle up to five fishermen(four if they are wearing mouse ears.) so really you technically can get it under fifty bucks a person.

AND like all Disney events-it was well worth the price to see the excited look on my daughters face when I told her we were gonna catch us " a messa bass".

Most of the guides showed up at the marina a few minutes early and looked like they had part time roles on The Animal Planet. The boats were spotless, fully equipped and ready to go. Since there were three of us and we had a "little one" on board, we were given a pontoon type boat rather than a bass boat.

I expected Steve the crocodile hunter to be our guide for the day,but as it turned out our guide was to be a lovely lady by the name of Holly.

Guess Goofy had the day off.

After quick introductions we were on board our Tracker and on our way.

Now, for those of you that have read any previous articles I have written, you will quickly realize that I was going fishing with three members of the "e-factor" estrogen fishing society. If you are not familiar with this secret society, let's just say that I had about as much of a chance of outfishing these ladies as getting a date with Ariel or Snow White.

As we motored our way out of the natural waters of Bay lake and into the man made Seven Seas lagoon, Holly, a veteran of over twenty years in the Disney corporation, gave us some interesting facts on her background with Disney World. Having spent the first part of her career with Disney in "guest relations" she had mainly handled "guest" complaints, so the fishing guide position she had held for the last eight years was a welcome relief. She had grown up in Louisiana fishing for bass, and she was well qualified for obviously one of the most coveted positions that the 70,000 or so folks on the Disney World payroll could have. Spending your day out on the water away from the crowds certainly seemed a better tour of duty, than trying to manipulate a pen with oversized paws inside a large fur coat in 90 degree weather.

But that's just me.

We motored on by the big ferry boat loaded with another group of guests ready for a d-day like assault on the Magic Kingdom, and pulled up to the shallows near an island. I knew I would have to catch my fish early on, before the "estrogen" effect would occur and I would be relegated to camera duty.

Even though catch and release is the practice on these waters, live bait is still the bait of choice. Being a steelhead and salmon fisherman from Oregon I was unfamiliar with the little "shiners" that they use down south to produce the big bass, but as if on cue, within a minute of tossing the little fellar into the drink I had my first largemouth on--and it was a nice one too!

I hoisted a chubby four pound bass onto the boat, and as I grabbed him by the "largemouth" I made sure he was real, and not some animatronic Disney bass that was about to break into a chorus of "You ain't nothin' but a hound dog".

Pretty soon Sara, my daughter, had her first bass on and mom was right behind her with her first bass.

Dang, the estrogen had kicked in early.

As promised, Disney had already delivered a great family experience and since most of the fish caught by my daughter had been crappie sized fish out of her Grandpa's pond, the look of excitement that Sara had on her face when she hoisted her first largemouth bass was well worth the price of admission.

We each caught several more bass with the biggest running close to five pounds.

Sara, like any six year old, quickly lost interest in the labor involved with catching fish, and turned her interest to the "shiners" swimming in the live well.

I guess you might say she took a shine to 'em!! HA!

Anyway, she became are unofficial "shiner" go-fer, and kept the little fish in shape, by chasing them around trying to catch them with her bare hands.

After a short dry spell, we headed off to other "pristine" waters. This spot happened to be at the ferry landing, where all the people line up for the d-day assault.Under the watchful eyes of hundreds of Disney patrons and a couple of Herons and Egrets, we went bass fishing. After landing another big chubby in front of the bored line sitters, they all let out a loud cheer and like the shy fella I am, I hoisted my trophy like I had just won Bassmaster's $10,000 first prize on ESPN.

Unfortunately, one of our released fish didn't fare to well and soon was floating belly up near the ferry boat. A Heron made a heroic effort to hoist the big fish from the waters, but the two pound fish was too much and he retired back to his front row seat on shore.

Although there is always going to be a certain amount of attrition, even when you are catching and releasing fish, I think the Disney folks would just as soon their bass went belly up away from the gates to Fantasyland, and we soon had a radio call from Holly's boss telling us to move from the docks-because it was too windy.

Seemed odd since there was only the faintest of breezes in the air.

We still felt bad, and certainly didn't want to be responsible for kids being permanently scarred for life, so we moved.

Not that Disney does anything to ever permanently scar kids!!??

It was just as well, because by now my wife was using her unfair estrogen advantage to outfish me two to one, which was even noticed by the ferry boat- line operator, who made it a point to walk over to our boat and tell us of his keen observation.

Darn estrogen.

By the time we motored our way back into Bay lake our "two hour cruise" was pretty much at an end. Of course there was still the matter of settling up on the bill, and receiving a nice complimentary subscription to a bass fishing magazine---which of course happens to be owned by Disney.....

As we left the boat and headed back into the perfect world of magical princesses, long lines, and the ever present gift shops, I couldn't help but think that I had just got off the best ride at Disney World.

Well-except for the Mad Tea Cups....

A.J. Klott Author, writer of fishing humor,and "fly tack" peddler.A.J. writes about the people,characters and modern day events that surround the fishing world. His first book is now out and being sold out of the back of a 1976 Opal Cadet.Coming to your town soon. If you need a laugh or a fun gift, visit his website at: http://www.twoguyswithflys.com

posted by 14228 @ 2:42 PM 0 comments

How to Cut Down Your Competition When Selling Your Crafts

As a crafter and a small businessperson, you can do your own craft marketing or pay someone to do it for you. Its a balancing act. If you do it yourself, you must go to shows or run your own store or website. The more time you spend doing that the less time you can spend crafting.

Giving up some of the retail price of your craft items, gives you more time to devote to your art and generally a broader market reach for your wares. Gallery and shop owners advertise, promote your work and provide a place with regular hours where your work can be viewed by many more people than you can reach on your own.

However dont think of these approaches as the only options of craft marketing. They are merely the two ends of the spectrum: from doing all your own craft marketing and as much crafting as time allows; to using all your time crafting and paying your marketers.

Along the spectrum are a myriad of other approaches, some very simple, some quite high tech. If youre looking for a better way to sell your craft items, try thinking outside the box. Go beyond the traditional methods of craft fairs, galleries and retail shops.

Below are a few craft marketing approaches that have worked for me, as well as some intriguing ones Ive read about, but havent tried personally yet.

Breaking Away from the Pack

After three years of doing craft fairs and flea markets, I noticed several negative aspects. My work was being copied by other crafters who saw it at the last show.

I had to keep coming up with new ideas to differentiate myself.

I got tired of lining up alongside and competing against very similar products.

Plus I got just plain tired. Craft fairs are a lot of physical labor.

I needed a better venue and couldnt afford to pay a retail shop or gallery up to 50% of my sales. I needed to think outside the box and break away from the pack.

Leverage Your Relations with Other Crafters

One positive thing I did take away from my years of craft fairs was a lot of new crafting friends who are also struggling with craft marketing. We help each other out as opportunities arise.

One very well established ceramicist participates in a huge annual expo that draws importers from throughout North and South America. He wanted something bright and colorful to dress up his booth and draw peoples attention, so he asked if I would like to display some of my oilcloth bags. We both did well and it was pretty exciting to think of my bags traveling to another continent to be sold.

My crafting buddies and I send each other business. They order business cards and signs from me. I recommend them and sometimes display their work in my little shop (no commission, no charge). When they have their own shops, I know theyll do the same for me!

Brainstorm Tie-Ins to Local Organizations

Brainstorm how your products can or could tie-in to some organization. If you do any craft that lends itself to personalization, such as embroidery or fabric painting or silk-screening, think about approaching local clubs or businesses and offering items with their logo. With their permission, of course. Logos are copyrighted material.

A tote bag that folds up into a pouch had been a big seller for me at craft fairs. The unusual thing about my design is that the pouch is custom designed. Ive applied pouch designs using three techniques: screen printing; or printing on fabric using either Bubble Jet Set or Lazertran Silk decals and my computer printer.

I have made these for my local garden guild who needed gifts to give to a visiting group and I have also sold them to a moving company who gives them to customers as a token of appreciation for their business.

Craft Marketing Tie-Ins to Other Products

While other crafters are talking to gift shop owners about placing their gift items alongside all the similar work of other crafters, think about where your products would stand out and, at the same time, enhance what the store primarily sells.

For example, if you do make jewelry or crochet scarves, offer to assist a dress shop with their displays by accessorizing the mannequins. A nicely put together outfit increases the eye appeal of the individual parts.

If you make oilcloth tote bags, make some up with bright tropical fruit and vegetable patterns and see if your local farmers market would let you place them for sale near the checkout. Add a sign: Choose not to pollute - with our sturdy reusable market totes.

Take your wine gift bags to liquor stores and see if you can work out a similar display deal. Your dried flower arrangements, decoupage trays or hand made candles would give a more attractive and real look to display rooms at a furniture store.

Barter for Space

Once I was approached by the owner of a card and gift shop in a neighborhood mall. She had seen and admired my crafts. She thought they would complement her stores inventory and that my existing clientele would bring traffic to the store. She offered me a very modest salary and a small corner of the store in which I could display my products.

It seemed like an ideal match; but it was doomed from the start. [This was before I understood the importance of tie-ins and one persons product enhancing rather than competing with - the other persons.]

My products dressed up the store. Traffic increased significantly. I honestly worked as hard to sell her merchandise as my own.

Then one morning, the owner came in and told me to remove myself and my crafts by the end of the day. My sales had been very good while hers had increased only marginally. It just didnt seem like a good bargain for her. I had most of the benefit.

With 20/20 hindsight, it might have worked out if I had suggested working on commission rather than for salary. That way, there would be less suspicion about where my efforts were placed.

I still thought bartering for space could work and decided that, if I found another opportunity, I would accept no salary. I also wanted to make sure that our products didnt compete. I came up with an idea but when I asked my friends for their opinions, they looked at me like I was crazy.

There is a small water treatment, garden and pool supply store nearby. Most of the time, the owner is out on jobs and his wife tends the store. But with young children at home, she frequently needs to leave at a moments notice and would simply lock up the store, posting a Back in 10 minutes sign. Customers were getting so frustrated that they were going to the competition.

I approached the couple and suggested I could open the store earlier, tend it until the wife arrived and stay until 2:00 so she (actually we both) could leave and run errands as needed. In return they would give me a small corner where I could display and sell my crafts. They loved the idea.

It has worked beautifully. I decorated my little niche like a garden to tie in to their pool and garden products little wicker table and chair, a trellis on which I can hang some of my things, fake stairs going up along the wall (which I use as display shelves) with a trompe loeil door at the top.

OnLine Craft Marketing Co-Ops

This is something I havent tried and which Im a little leery of. The idea is to join other crafters on a website devoted to craft marketing.

Online craft marketing is hard enough without having five or six other crafters' works on the same web page. Its sort of a miniature craft show, without providing you the opportunity to stand out too much.

But more of these craft marketing sites are springing up. I think many crafters simply dont want to devote their efforts to online craft marketing, but want to see if theres any money to be made that way.

There are many co-op craft selling sites that you can locate with a web search. One has the improbable name of Stars and Infinite Darkness. Other sites are Wholesale Crafts and eCrafter.

Whether online or off, if theres a will theres a way to improve your craft marketing. Be imaginative and think outside the box.

For more ideas and tips on selling crafts and for information on setting up a craft business, visit http://www.theartfulcrafter.com/craft-business.html

By Eileen Bergen, the owner of The Artful Crafter, a website devoted to helping crafters make and sell original crafts.

posted by 14228 @ 7:46 AM 0 comments