Texas SportsGuide has a long history as a premier fishing magazine in Texas, having seen “many a fishin’ season come and go” and remaining a leading publication in the state. Aquired from it’s original publisher in 1990 by professional fishing guide and tournament angler Pat McCarty. The magazine transitioned to the World Wide Web, with its online presence noted as early as 1995.
In 1990, Pat McCarty acquired Texas SportsGuide, whose principal publication was a Bass fishing magazine, Texas SportsGuide. He became actively involved in the creative design of the magazine; and by 1995, his growing interest in technology and the internet, coupled with his awareness of the powerful marketing tool the internet was fast becoming, led him to go online with Texas SportsGuide. The internet was still in it’s infancy; consequently, it was easy to achieve a number one search engine ranking. A search for ‘texas fishing guide’, or even exceedingly general searches, for ‘Texas fishing magazine’, ‘Texas bass fishing’, ‘Texas saltwater fishing’; all returned one website, the Texas SportsGuide. In those days it was easy to have a number one search engine ranking because this magazine was the first, and for awhile, the only online fishing magazine. Today, if you search for ‘texas fishing guide’, although search engines return an astounding 133,000 matching web pages; Texas SportsGuide remains number ONE!
The current Texas Fishing Guide website (Texas Fishing Guide) appears to be a continuation or successor of the print Texas SportsGuide magazine, now serving as a comprehensive online resource for Texas fishing news, guide trips, boats, lodges, and related outdoor information.
While the specific founding date and founder of the original Texas SportsGuide print magazine are not detailed in the available sources, it is clear that the publication has been a mainstay in the Texas fishing community for many decades. The move online was part of a broader trend among outdoor magazines to expand their reach and adapt to digital media, with the website now providing much of the content and services that the print magazine once did.
In summary:
Texas SportsGuide Print Magazine: Established as a leading East Texas fishing publication, with a long history.
Texas Fishing Guide (Texas SportsGuide) Website: Evolved from the Texas SportsGuide print magazine, transitioning to an online platform by at least 1995, and now serves as a central hub for Texas fishing information.