Fair enough. My opinion, as someone who was on staff with another national fishing related website that went through this exact same issue with their "Off Topic" board...

Yes, this is absolutely 100% a fishing website...but killing the "Off Topic" board is the absolute quickest way to set your whole forum back about 100 years. Putting too many rules in place will yield the same result.

Leave it be, expect folks to abide by the simple rules already in place, and use common sense. You guys are exactly right that it's a business, and a business takes work. That means a commitment to moderating. It takes a lot of time and babysitting - Trust me, I know exactly what you're dealing with. The good news is that this site has some of the best Moderators I've seen - I mean that sincerely.

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(1) You want people to come here for Fishing information....your clients, people who find the place on search engines, see ads, etc. It generates traffic, sells ads, keeps the page ranking up. Of course, you don't want them offended by a bonehead post about something crazy. That's why you have moderators.

(2) For those new visitors to get good information, there needs to be a lot of people here posting good fishing information and answering folks questions...sharing their experiences. You have that now.

(3) THE KICKER. Those good people posting good information and answering questions get BORED hashing out the same things over and over again. That's just a fact. They will still do it, because after all they are anglers and we like to talk...but if there is not a place where the old timers can get together and jaw with each other about life and the general state of things in a mildly restrictive manner (like it sits now), they will not participate as much...and will eventually leave.

I would almost guarantee that the Off Topic board now gets the most traffic, but the fewest unique visitors. It's the back room of the baitshop where the old timers hang out. Leave it be, but it won't police/run itself...there will be infractions, no matter how hard you try to preach common sense...so ya gotta moderate it. The answer is not taking it away, I promise you.

Just my opinion.

Thanks to all for their work with the site.