Your 2017 Fishing Goals

[Glenn]

At the end of each fall I look back on the past year and look ahead on the next spring. I started making fishing goals about three years ago and my fishing has improved exponentially. I always try to list 10 goals.

The number one thing to do when setting these goals is write them down in large print and stick them someplace where you will see them every day or every time you get in the boat.

So let this thread be the first draft of your 2017 Fishing Goals.

Mine are...

1. Become one with my electronics

2. Give swimbaits the attention they require to be productive

3. Catch a double-digit bass.

4. Keep better records. (I slacked off last year)

5. Become confident and experienced with spybaiting.

6. Concentrate on catching winter fish

7. Go fishing with my dad, sister, and mother.

8. Improve my jig skipping skills

9. Shoot more videos.

10. Never quit!!!!

[whitwolf]

In years past I tried to be quite detailed In what I wanted to do.

The past two years there have been many changes In my life and many commitments that took precedence over fishing. I don't regret any of this as these things were Important.

The above being said my goals for 2017 are simple.

 

1. I will finally get a new boat (maybe my last one)....My wife and I have decided what will best fit our needs and surprisingly enough she was solidly on board with the boat I really wanted.

2. I want to learn my boat and all that goes with that, fish as much as I can, and as much as anything I want to fish, have fun, and spend some great quality time on the boat with my wife. 

That's It.

 

 

[A-Jay]

Cool Thread ~

Going to keep My 2017 fishing "Goals " simple.

1. Stay Safe & Have Fun

2. Remember to look around and appreciate the truly fantastic Beauty of the places I get to fish.

3. Fish & Learn two more big water lakes.

4. Continue to learn & use my electronics effectively, especially the new 360 imaging.

5. Fish at night a bit more this coming Summer.

6. Not planning to take on any "New" techniques in 2017, but hope to fish a jig a lot more.  I kind of got away from it last season and I don't really know why.

A-Jay

[Darren.]

1) Get out more than I did this year

2) Add saltwater to my repertoire seeing how
I'm surrounded by it, and my boys have a lot
of success.

3) Use my depth finder more, don't think I used
it at all in 2016

4) See #1 !!!

[Gundog]

1. Go fishing more than I did this year.
2. Get to upstate NY to do some fishing.
3. Go to Maryland or Virginia to fish.
4. Catch a striper or hybrid striper.
5. Get out earlier in the year and fish later in the year.

[Onvacation]

1. Make the move to competitive kayak fishing

2. Continue practicing my ambidextrous casting

3. Catch a DD....hopefully in Florida in February

4. Share any knowledge I have with anyone who will listen

5. Build a website to do the above. I'd love to interview average Joe type anglers so that the world can see you don't have to be a sponsored pro to be successful at fishing. 

6. Learn, learn, and learn.  

[ww2farmer]

I think I post in a thread about the same topic every year, and every year my answer stays pretty much the same. In no particular order:

Don't break anything expensive

Don't fall of the boat and/or drown

Be nicer to people

Take my kids out as often as I can

Help as many younger guys just getting started as I can

Have fun

Learn from my mistakes

The fishing always takes care of itself. I have a lot of good days, a few bad ones, but in the end if I can check the above things off my list, it was a good season.

 

[Mike L]

For me it's...

1) Fish less tournament's and "fun" fish a lot more.

2) Go somewhere, anywhere and catch my first smallmouth.

3) Learn how to fly fish.

4) Only carry what I think I may need for a particular outing instead of bringing everything I own every time.

5) Fight the temptation to stick with a few proven baits and try to force feed the fish instead of trying other things a lot faster.

 

Mike 

[AC870]

1. Catch a new PB (looking for 6 lbs or better). 

2. Fish my first ever tournaments. 

3. Learn some new techniques. (I like squarebills and traps, but need to learn the jig).  

4. Go to a different lake or two. (I live 4 miles from a ramp on Guntersville; it's hard to drive by it.)

5. Take some people fishing who don't get to go much. 

6. Start working on my captains license, maybe. 

7. Go crappie fishing. I never go crappie fishing.

8. Have fun. Maybe that should be No. 1.   

["hamma"]

great thread Glenn!

 1) fish more than I did this year,..6 times just didnt cut it

2) fish the dozens of keitech swimbaits I bought this year

3) try and meet some of the local guys from on here, I did meet je1946,.(great guy) this year, and Derek to, another good guy.

4) learn my new humminbird helix 9, and ulterra's I-pilot link options, and use them

5) fish a new lake

6) lol, cut my posts to shorter versions

[scaleface]

Fish more . 

[j bab]

Get better at finding productive areas.

Catch a DD.

[burrows]

Spend more time fishing than I do buying tackle. And more importantly focus on my health and family.

[fullcoupe]

More time on the water! (x1,000)

Throw things I've never thrown before and determine if they're worthwhile or not (in moderation of course - we all know how expensive that can get...).

I'd also like to do some more fishing during the winter and hone those slow, cold water fishing techniques...

[.ghoti.]

It will only take one thing to make 2017 better than 2016. More fishing time. This year has been my worst year, in terms of fishing time, in decades.

[Mumbly]

Mine will be somewhat simple. Fish more, buy a kayak and try to get my Dad out more.

[bchase44]

1. Fish more

2. Enhance rigging on kayak, more than 2 rod holders, better anchor line (twine doesn't cut it), tool holsters, etc.

3. Catch FIRST fish in offshore structure.

4. Learn how to use depth finder and brains to find #3

5. STOP trying every technique and presentation I've learned about haphazardly and focusing on one

6. Get better at not getting hung up on wood/sticks/logs/trees

7. Wear my PFD always and not just sometimes

8. Start logging my fishing trips

That's about all I got right now

[Bluebasser86]

I had a pretty good year this year. Lots of big fish, but nothing spectacular. I'd really like to commit and concentrate on bigger fish more, particularly with large swimbaits. 

Another highlight was my son catching his first fish by himself with no help other than me casting for him. He'll be 3 next month and at least a couple times a week asks if I will take him fishing. It's getting too cold for him to go anymore this year, but I was busy stocking our pond all summer with big bluegill and small bass, which I want to help him take full advantage of that luxury that I never had growing up (a pond in the backyard). 

I want to fish with my dad more. We both work shift work, so getting our schedules to line up can be difficult, but I need to stop using that as the easy excuse for not inviting my dad more often, even if it means I have to fish for walleye like he likes to do. 

[dwh4784]

2016 was such a step up for me it's exciting to think about next year. I probably hadn't bass fished in 5 years, but in 2015 my family booked a lake cabin and it got the juices flowing. This year I retired a couple of old tired setups, upgraded equipment, got a kayak, and started exploring local lakes I'd never fished. I got a PB smallmouth by several pounds, and some nice largies as well. And I didn't even wet a line until late June since I was new to the kayak and didn't want to risk tipping it into frigid water.

For 2017 I want to catch some spinnerbait/chatterbait fish. I don't know why but I give up on these way too easily.

A PB largemouth from the kayak would be great.

Explore a couple more lakes I haven't fished yet.

Get more friends into kayak fishing, I already got one guy hooked and he hasn't even caught anything yet.

[MassYak85]

- Gain confidence fishing deeper (anything over 15ft usually has me uncomfortable)

- Get a new PB (and not end up tying it for the third time...hopefully one over 6lbs)

- Continue to explore swimbait techniques

- Focus more on the patterns of the fish and less on tackle specifics (saying no to that third color of the same lure at checkout)

 

 

[hoosierbass07]

For me: 

1.  Catch my first fish with a fly rod.  Be it blue gill, crappie or bass. 

2.  Fish deeper for bass.  Around 20 to 30 feet deep, with heavy Texas rigged soft plastics.  

3.  Don't use the "hot" lures everybody is using on the net and keep using my favorite lure - Texas rigged soft stick baits and plastic worms and lizards.  

3.  Use plastic lizards more. 

4. A contradiction to item 3: pick a day and use all those Japanese crank baits I have bought and have never touched the water.  At least try all of them once.  

5. Keep wearing my life jacket when I go kayak fishing alone.  

 

[AMC7]

Expand into more species. Simply largemouth now. 

[clh121787]

Catch a teener.  and if I do  its not going to tpwd for the sal program. 

[DogBone_384]

I had a good '16, with a new PB for LMB, SMB, and Yellow Perch (I don't keep weights for perch, but I caught a really nice fatty recently).

For '17 I'm focusing on learning to read my Lowrance and hit my targets better and catch fish with jigs.  I've caught just a single rainbow trout with jigs and reading so many success stories with them, I'd like to figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Other than that, keep working, keep fishing, and keep working.....

ADD: Fish with more members.  

[CrustyMono]

17 hours ago, "hamma" said:

1) fish the dozens of keitech swimbaits I bought this year

2) try and meet some of the local guys from on here, I did meet je1946,.(great guy) this year, and Derek to, another good guy.

I Agree, Hamma, I really like those Keitechs. During he recent Tacklewarehouse sale, I stocked up on some swimbaits. hopefully they will produce this coming season too. I find some of the people closest to me, in regards of location, to be the most helpful. Not only are they knowledgable about local waters, they just know what they're doing. 

1.  Be safe

2. Enjoy the beauty of the outdoors

3. Learn to fish a bottom contact style jig

4. Learn to fish a spinnerbait

5. Assemble an arsenal of 5 baitcasting and 2 spinning combos

6. Catch an 8 pound bass

7. Do more SUP fishing

8. Do more pond hopping when I get a my full license in August

9. Find more kids that fish at my high school