by Mike Carey, January 05, 2009

Well, another year in the books here at WL.com. This year saw a full year under the new web site, and we were gratified to watch the community grow and new friendships form. Readers made the Forums a popular place to share ideas and meet each other. I’m impressed to see the site continue to grow beyond what I imagined it could be. A fine example of community was this year’s WL.com picnic, which doubled in participation from the previous year. Special thanks to all who helped organize and run this event, in particular “Fishnislife” and “Bigbass Dez”. Thanks guys!

Thanks go to our core members who have made the site so popular and energized. Too many for me to mention, you know who you are.

I’d also like to thank our Featured Writers – John Kruse, Marc Martyn, Bruce Middleton, and frequent contributor Bob Johansen. Throughout the year they have provided us with interesting articles and stories and deepened the database for anglers here in Washington. Also, thanks to those readers that contributed articles to the Tacklebox Tales section. Remember, this section is for the readers to submit articles and stories of interest so be sure to take advantage of it. And, a new year-end bonus – Audio Files! John Kruse, Anton Jones, and David Graybill have added yet another dimension to the site with their weekly audio reports. I hope you’ve had a chance to check them out.

On the near horizon looms WL.com version 4.0! Aaron, myself, and a secret core of Beta Testers are even as I type working out the bugs so we can launch in the next month or so. We’ve been giving out teasers all year, and now it is almost here. All I can say is, you will be pleased and impressed. Lots of new features, better navigation, powerful search tools. And a premium section that will give you the tools to create something I’ve dreamed of for years – your own personal “website in a website” for fishing. You’ll soon have a Blog space that will give you the power to control your own slice of WL.com. You can get your first glimpse of the new WL.com at the Puyallup Sportsman’s Show January 21-25. Hope to see you there.

Stick around and watch us grow in 2009. We are looking forward to another great year with the members of WL.com!

Mike and Aaron