From the Rowing Seat                                                                                                                  by Captain Troy Creasy

The holiday season is here and the living is easy, right? Well, perhaps not.                            Although we are into a new year and we now have a new president, tough times will continue for most of us for a long time to come.

Even though tens of thousand of anglers flocked the tributaries of Lake Ontario this past year and sales were up for local businesses, manufacturers are nervous as national sales are down and they continue to put print advertising on the chopping block. Ad sales revenues are not looking good. As you know, this publication is brought to you free of charge and without ad $$ we don't exist.

Selling enough ads to print this issue was probably one of the most difficult things Shelley and I have had to do for a long time. All manufacturers are making huge cuts.

You may have heard that Hunting & Fishing News, (a national magazine) has called it quits. Many other publications are reporting huge sales drops as well. We have tightened our belts and put our nose to the grindstone. We are still here and the ball is rolling. The national popularity of hunting & fishing is down, west coast fisheries are closed, and with poor return of stripers and blues on the Atlantic seaboard, our tributary fishing is at an all time high. The return of steelhead over the last few months has been outstanding! Thankfully we have a strong fishery and that can only help our economy.

The lakeshore counties, small businesses and a few great manufacturers are keeping us going. They have supported us whole heartedly and for that we are grateful. Thank you so much to our loyal advertisers and readers. If you use a product or service that you see in the pages of LOO please let them know.

Suggestions and comments are always welcome.                                                                        Be well, Troy