KEIZER

Where do fishermen meet? Online, of course

By Rick Walter

Tacoma Weekly
rwalter@tacomaweekly.com
Published on: July 03, 2008

From the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Columbia River, it is hard to talk about fishing in the Pacific Northwest any longer. Conversations predictably turn to who is allowed to fish where, rather than how to get to the fish you can catch – and how to catch them when you get there.

The sport of fishing is producing a kind of illiteracy among all but the most avid and experienced anglers, leaving novices and casual fishermen somewhat disoriented by all the squabbling, and ultimately disinterested, and leaving even experienced anglers frustrated. Not only are fish populations in need of rejuvenation, so ultimately, will be the population of new fishermen.

Putting aside the politics (economic and environmental), what should an educated sports fisherman know?

It is a tribute to a man named Capt. John Keizer that practically all the answers generated by that ubiquitous question are not only available to the expert sports fisherman but to the emerging enthusiasts as well.

Keizer is the founder of perhaps the most forward-looking enterprise in the industry: a virtual fishing lodge called Fish Frontiers. It is found all over the world at www.fishfrontiers.com.

The captain, who with his wife Noreen in University Place, is well-known in these parts not only as an accomplished angler and boatman, but as an outdoor writer and lecturer (at events such as the Seattle International Boat Show, Northwest fishing clubs, international sportsmen’s shows, and as a host of local salmon fishing classes and seminars from Canada to Oregon).

At the age of 14, he began his fishing career on the Westport charter fleet. Years on the ocean fisheries sparked his love of big game sport fishing. While serving in the Navy he pursued billfish in exotic locations such as Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Midway Island, Tonga, Hawaii and other locations around the South Pacific.

After returning to Washington, Keizer devoted his time to fishing the waters of the Northwest, Alaska and British Columbia. His love of the sport and his concern for its preservation led him to become a founding member of the Gig Harbor Puget Sound Anglers Chapter, where he also served on the Puget Sound Angler State Board.

His passion for introducing new anglers to the sport led to his co-founding of Salmon University. This annual seminar and its accompanying website grew in population over several years. Anticipated changes to the salmon fishery prompted Capt. John to sell his interests in Salmon University and develop a new, all-encompassing project aptly named Fish Frontiers.

Keizer thinks he is onto something with his new website, and a survey of sports-fishing blogs and commercial sites would indicate he is, in fact, establishing something of a beachhead for Internet fishing information, equipment and instruction.

“It includes the most useful sports-fishing features found on the Internet – and add some,” he said in a recent interview.

In anticipation of the sweeping changes now affecting the fishing industry Keizer assembled a team of fishing experts, Capt. Rob Endsley, Joel Shangle, Matt Orr and Paul Castillo, to provide information and resources on a wide variety of species in both national and international fisheries. These species include salt and freshwater fisheries, international destinations as well as classifieds and online forums. Using lessons learned from his earlier websites and charter business, Keizer created a company that promotes education and safety and offers a wealth of resources.

Endsley, Shangle and Keizer are experienced guides, outdoor writers and television/radio personalities. This core group provides a variety of content, with other contributors adding in-depth articles, videos, podcasts and blogs.

As a salmon fishing instructor in the early 1990s, Keizer identified a gap in the traditional passing of fishing knowledge from past generations to the current generation of Puget Sound Salmon Anglers.

“This gap was created by years of diminished fishing opportunities in the Puget Sound area,” said Keizer.

“While most in the fishing industry lamented the decline in sportfishing enthusiasts, they failed to recognize that the same generation was reaping the rewards of the technology boom that is taking place up and down the West Coast.”

There was now a growing population of wealthy consumers buying boats, trucks and waterfront homes who wanted in on all the Northwest had to offer to sportsmen.

With the diminishing returns of salmon, climate changes and improvements in satellite technologies, it was time strike out in a new direction.

Starting with boats: aluminum boats powered by fuel-efficient four-stroke motors could run farther and faster with less fuel than their predecessors. New satellite subscription sites could be used to target a new and exciting fishery.

The fish: tuna, which were being pursued in nearly every region around the world, were now within reach of Northwest anglers. Keizer would be the man to help anglers start catching this new and exciting gamefish.

Keizer and his crew, armed with their know-how, began to provide seminars to growing numbers of eager fishermen on many fish species.

“The whole point is to look for opportunities to maintain and grow sport fishing, not spend so much time fighting lost opportunities,” said Keizer.

One of the website’s innovations Keizer makes a particular effort to note (created by webmaster Matt Orr) is a fishing-trip logging software, which allows anglers to chart the most productive fishing opportunities to target on a monthly basis. Fish Frontiers also offers online training videos covering the top techniques for each fishery.

“We are making the website a great place to get any information you need, get any kind of fishing conversation started,” Keizer said. And he hopes it is a conversation a new generation of sportsmen will be having as well.

Where do fishermen meet? Online, of course

By Rick Walter

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