December 29, 2015

2015: A Troutrageous! Year In Review

Not gonna lie, 2015 was not a banner year in either the fishing or blogging categories for myself or this website. I probably fished the least of any year in a while, and I know I blogged the least (108 posts vs. 2014's prior low of 138). But that doesn't mean one can't pick up a spoon and dig deep through the proverbial carton of vanilla ice cream to find the motherlode of cookie dough goodness sneakily hidden somewhere beneath the surface.

Cookie dough ice cream is pretty much the jam. You can even buy ghetto, store-brand
cookie dough ice cream and it's guaranteed to be awesome, and that's gospel.
Oh, and chocolate chips.

So with that said, here are the posts that I thought represented the blog well in 2015, and due to my erratic blogging cadence, you probably missed.

 Fly Fishing The Florida Shad Run


Pretty much the most fun fishing excursion of the year. Big props to Captain Rich Santos for taking this noob out on your skiff - your extreme patience and good humor is commendable. Might also mention, this was one of the few times I actually used a reel while fly fishing in 2015. Crazy, right?!?


Exploring Florida - Kennedy Space Center


Nothing to do with fishing, everything to do with Lilly. Got to play chaperone (& hooky from work) on her big 3rd-grade end of year field trip to Kennedy Space Center. As Lilly's gotten older, I don't blog about her as much (for privacy reasons), but this one was too good not to share. We both acted like 9-year-olds that day!


Adventures in Bad Photoshop


This isn't one post specifically, but a few that share a common thread of misguided forays into the world of amateur Photoshoppery. From poking fun at Amazon, to Bigfoot hunting, creating lightsaber-buddies, giving a helping hand, or even checking in on John Adams & Clark Griswold, there was a little bit of fictional nonsense spread across the calendar year.


Tenkara For Everyone!


For being the "simple" form of fly fishing, I sure write an awful lot about tenkara. Too much for my own taste even, but these days I'm addicted, so it's what I do. Two of my most enjoyable fishing "road trips" involved a flight to Wisconsin for the 2015 Midwest Tenkara Fest & a 7-hour drive to North Georgia to enjoy some Comfort Food & Trout Streams. There were about a dozen Tenkara Tuesday posts as well. Finally, I also started a tenkara-themed emagazine named "Tenkara Angler" that's been received well enough to carry it into 2016.
ICAST/IFTD 2015


Probably the most "work" I've done this year on the blog was a six-pack of  ICAST/IFTD recap posts hastily thrown together after spending a day at the show in July. As a matter of fact, the Fishing Kayak/SUP post was the most popular post of the year in terms of overall visitors; lesson learned, everyone loves gear posts!

So there it is, 2015 in review. Thanks for stopping by for another year of mostly self-centered frivolity. I never expected this blog to have as many readers as it does, and I can't thank you enough for taking an interest in the content shared here.

Also, if you are a fellow blogger and haven't, why don't you write a year-end post? I'd welcome a link to yours in the comments below; I mean who can say no to an opportunity for cross-promotion, right?
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13 comments:

  1. troutnspoonsDecember 29, 2015 at 3:10 AM

    Hey,you forgot the highlight of a post from the infamous Spurky.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael AgnetaDecember 29, 2015 at 3:44 PM

      You're right, I did. That was clearly the highlight of 2015, ha!

      Delete
  2. UnknownDecember 29, 2015 at 8:03 AM

    First of all, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream is the STUFF.

    Second, fly fishing with reels is pretty cool sometimes. Glad you tried it :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael AgnetaDecember 29, 2015 at 3:44 PM

      Reels, right?
      Shame on me for not using one more, I've got a few.
      I particularly love the sound of a sweet click n' pawl.

      Delete
  3. Mark KautzDecember 29, 2015 at 10:25 AM

    I have to agree that 2015 was rather slow. Good thing 2016 is almost here and we can start again.

    ReplyDelete
  4. CARFDecember 29, 2015 at 3:13 PM

    Those were some of the best photo edits I seen this year in our blog-iverse. You do some solid work, and I admire your writing style, Mike. I really enjoyed your post about the Space Center. Who cares if it wasn't fishing related....it was awesome! I hope to visit there one day, too.

    Cheers to a year well done, Mike!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael AgnetaDecember 29, 2015 at 3:46 PM

      Thanks Carf, and I'm an admirer of your blog as well, and a bit envious of some of the species of freshwater fish you have access to. Thanks for being a supporter throughout the year, with all the likes, shares, & re-tweets.

      Delete
    2. CARFDecember 30, 2015 at 9:55 AM

      Thanks, Mike!! Always a supporter of your work. You keep it things interesting! If I purchase a Tenkara rod, it's going to be because of you. ha

      Delete
  5. flyanglergirlDecember 29, 2015 at 11:16 PM

    Just stumbled upon your blog. Good stuff. Looking forward to reading more in 2016. I've got you added to my "Sites I Like" section if that's okay with you?
    My season was over in October. I did a review in pictures because sometimes I'm lazy. http://flyanglergirl.blogspot.com/2015_10_01_archive.html

    Best of luck in 2016!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael AgnetaDecember 31, 2015 at 12:03 AM

      Thanks for stopping by Kelly.
      Enjoyed your review in pictures, thanks for sharing it!

      Delete
  6. cofisherDecember 30, 2015 at 6:24 PM

    Mike, you have been a great friend to me over the past few years and I always enjoy the posts. So, let's say you throw a few reels my way. I'll be happy to send you some of my Kribaria flies. Happy New Year to you and the girls.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael AgnetaDecember 31, 2015 at 12:04 AM

      Sounds like a plan Howard. Love a nicely tied Kribaria.

      Delete

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