| What you didn't know about ESPN Magazine |
|
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
ESPN was originally owned by a prestigious joint venture between the Getty Oil Company (which was purchased by Texaco later on) and Nabisco. As of 1984, the entire family of ESPN networks and franchises are owned by ABC and the Hearst Corporation. ESPN was started as an alternative to standard television news broadcasts and the information that is usually found in the "Sports" sections of newspapers. It was begun as a fairly small-fry operation at first and they had to broadcast unorthodox sporting events such as the World's Strongest Man Competition, the short-lived United States Football League (USFL) before ESPN landed a contract to show National Football league games on Sunday evenings in 1987. ESPN the Magazine, like the industry leader in sports television that created it, is big, bold and brash like most of the athletes that it portrays and it uses its oversize format to show off very striking full page images and splashy sidebars. Contributors to the magazines include familiar on-air talent such as Dan Patrick, Chris Berman, Stuart Scott, Rich Eisen, Linda Cohn, Peter Gammons, John Clayton and many others (including the athletes themselves). In comparison to other sports magazines ESPN gives you broader features such as playoff previews, personality profiles, photo spreads with a major emphasis on basketball, football, baseball, hockey, soccer and some newer extreme sports. ESPN mainly targets young, active men whose lifestyles include watching sports, attending games and participating in different types of athletics. The editorial focus of ESPN Magazine plays off the news and includes what happens in sports and which match-ups and young players to look out for. Also, ESPN emphasizes both the humor and fun of both mainstream and off-beat sports. What is the Difference Between Rod Action and Rod Weight For a long time when I would go looking at fishing rods I would get confused by the various desigations on the labels. It wasn't the lure weights that were confusing, it was the designations such as: Ultra-Light, Medium, Heavy, Slow, Fast, etc. After doing some research I sorted out the designations and came to a better understanding of how rods are classified. These designations don't apply to fly rods, they have there own system for classifying the fly-rod weight and action. Rods are classified by two factors: the range of lure weights, and the amount of flex in the rod when it is loaded with the lure. The rod weight is a pretty straight forward designation. It uses such terms like Ultra-Light, Light, Medium, Medium-Heavy, and Heavy. So a heavy action rod would probably have a lure weight range starting at 1oz and going up from there, while an Ultra-Light may have a lure range that starts at 1/32 oz and goes up to maybe 1/8oz. You probably get the idea. The rod action is a little different. As I said earlier, it classifies the amount of the rod that flexes when it is loaded with a lure. The general designations are Slow, Medium, Fast, and Extra-Fast. Manufacturers may use some variation on the the wording, but their words should translate into this basic system. Slow action rods flex across the entire length of the rod up to the grips. Medium action rods flex over about the upper half of the rod, Fast action rods flex over only about one-third of tip, and Extra-Fast rods flex over only about one-fourth of the tip. Each type of action has its application and different people may use different actions for the same purpose. Personally I prefer to use a Fast, or Extra-Fast action rod for most fishing. If I am jig, or texas-rigging I prefer to use an Extra-Fast tip for the sensitivity. If I am mojo-rigging I prefer a fast action because it allows the fish to load the rod before I set the hook. I very rarely use a slow action rod although they do see a lot of use. The "Noodle" type rods used by Steelhead fisherman would be considered a slow action rod. They allow the fisherman to use lighter line while fishing because the rod help cushion the load on the line. One note, however, the slower the action of the rod, the harder it is to get a good hookset because less force is applied directly to the fish. I hope this has shed a little light on rod action and rod weight. I know the research taught me quite a bit. How to Beat the Winter Fishing Doldrums Ever wonder what you can do to get a fishing "fix" in the winter if your not an ice fisherman and you live in the frigid north? Besides the obvious magazine reading, and shopping, here are a few ideas. Clean your fishing rods and check for cracks - Everyone has had, or will have, a fishing rod break while the are fishing. Sometimes this cannot be avoided, but other times you can find these issues before the next season starts by wiping down your fishing rods and checking the guides for nicks, scratches, or cracks. If you find a crack in the rod, get a new one. I have never met someone who has repaired a graphite rod and been satisfied. If you cut it down it changes the action. If you try and wrap the cracked area it changes the action. If you have a crack in a guide, you can buy replacements and fix it. If you find a nick or scratch in a guide you might be able to polish it out with an emery cloth or diamond bit on a dremel. Check your lures - Look over your lures for paint issues on wooden lures, rusty hooks, dull hooks, bent hooks, etc. All of these things can contribute to problems down the road. Consider upgrading hooks if you have a lot of bent or dull hooks. Some people buy brand new lures and change the hooks to a different brand due to the better quality. Carve a lure - If your feeling adverturous you can purchase a chunk of balsa wood and try your hand at carving a lure. A basic lure is relatively easy to create and you can purchase all the metal hardware from a mailorder fishing catalog. It is quite satisfying to catch a fish on a lure you created yourself. Start a fishing diary - This may sound crazy to some people but it can give you a great insight into what the fish are doing. Get a notebook, buy a computer program, join a website, or whatever other method you can think of, but start logging the weather conditions, lures used, fish caught, etc. This can give you a better handle on what needs to be done to catch fish in similar situations on other lakes, or at other times, and keeps you from forgetting. I hope this has given you a few ideas of things you can do during the winter that are both productive and fun. |
|
||||