What are your fishing goals for 2019?

[soflabasser]

47 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

All downhill from here!!

 

 

 

LOL! I live in a big bass paradise so the bass I mentioned earlier are regular catches for me. Biggest largemouth bass I caught last month was 25 inches long with a 18 inch girth. Caught a 46.5 inch carp on the last day of the year which was a nice surprise since I was fishing for cichlids.  I am sure I am going to catch lots of bass over 23.75 inches this year and my goal is to catch a couple over 24 inches. Got 12 months to do it so I will be ok if I fish hard and focus on techniques that have worked well for me.

[MIbassyaker]

1 minute ago, soflabasser said:

LOL! I live in a big bass paradise so the bass I mentioned earlier are regular catches for me. Biggest largemouth bass I caught last month was 25 inches long with a 18 inch girth. Caught a 46.5 inch carp on the last day of the year which was a nice surprise since I was fishing for cichlids. 

Lol, I know -- the sheer absurdity of the difference in size potential is hilarious. A 5lb largemouth up here is about 10 years old.

 

However: I'm going to finally catch a musky this year. I can feel it.

[soflabasser]

4 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

Lol, I know -- the sheer absurdity of the difference in size potential is hilarious. A 5lb largemouth up here is about 10 years old.

 

However: I'm going to finally catch a musky this year. I can feel it.

A 5 pound largemouth bass is a nice catch especially for a northern strain largemouth bass. Have caught 4 muskies in my travels up north they are a fun species to target. Make sure to use a leader since they have many sharp teeth. Muskies remind me of barracuda and they share similar behavior traits when it comes to how they hunt their prey. You live in a beautiful state with awesome freshwater fishing and I will consider visiting it in a future vacation.

[MIbassyaker]

1 hour ago, soflabasser said:

A 5 pound largemouth bass is a nice catch especially for a northern strain largemouth bass. Have caught 4 muskies in my travels up north they are a fun species to target. Make sure to use a leader since they have many sharp teeth. Muskies remind me of barracuda and they share similar behavior traits when it comes to how they hunt their prey. You live in a beautiful state with awesome freshwater fishing and I will consider visiting it in a future vacation.

 

I have lived here 10 years. The main reason I haven't caught a musky is I haven't spent much of my time fishing Musky waters. Most of the river systems in my area have them, but the inland lakes with musky populations overwhelmingly tend toward heavy recreational use, which I avoid. So the game is basically to spend more time where they are present.

[kenmitch]

I'm going to add to my goals rather that edit my last post.

 

Target the DD's that roam the waters of my local lake. The largest I've witnessed being caught was a 10.69lb'r.  I know the exact area she was caught. There was a 13lb'r caught very close to the same area. There's some pretty good structure all around the general area and I feel that the big girls may haunt it. Shallow, deep, rock piles, trees , flooded timber, deep water access, giant rocks, it's all there. The downside is the lake level was raised some 25ft or so in the last year. I'm still thinking that it may take a while for the fish to adjust to their new surrounding, environment. Maybe thru this season they may stay closer to their normal haunts and venture out into the newly flooded areas. 

 

Whenever I get back onto the water I'll be heading towards the above and be throwing big baits a lot more often than in the past. 

[Carolina Rig]

Buy boat.

Use boat.

Don’t destroy boat.

Catch fish with boat.

[geo g]

The goal is the same as the last 40 years.  Have as much fun as possible with friends, and do it as much as possible.

[Crow Horse]

Fish with more focus yet have an open mind. Try new techniques and master them. Hopefully, all my recent surgeries  (foot & bilateral full knee replacements) are in the past and nothing will interfere with the upcoming season.

[Bossofthemoss]

My goal for 2019 is to spend more time fishing than 2018. Fish new water. 

[Tizi]

1. spend time fishing lakes with known big bass populations

2. use my fishing kayak on evenings after work

3. update my 12 foot smokercraft to accommodate bass fishing

4. have fun

[Hollada]

1. Catch a PB smallmouth 

2. Gain confidence in the spybait 

3. Figure out where LSC smallies go in October

4. Explore new areas of LSC and the St Clair river

5. Catch a bass on an A-Rig 

6. Find lake menderchuck.....

[EGbassing]

On 12/25/2018 at 12:36 AM, hoosierbass07 said:

1. Don't waste my time using jigs.  

2. Don't waste my time using crank baits.  

3. Don't waist my time using top water.  

4. Don't wast my time using my baitcasters. 

5. Don't wast my time using ten inch plastic worms.  

6. Do stick to what works: Yum-Dingers/Stick baits.

7. Do stick to what works: Berkley PowerBaits in seven inch. 

8.  Do stick to what works: lizards.  

9.  Don't use any line above eight pounds.  Eight and six pound is plenty for large bass. 

10. Do make lots and lots of casts to increase the odds of catching a big one.  

You just eliminated a lot of really effective lures.

[96ecss]

My goal for 2019 is to just go fishing again, especially with my 15 year old son and my brother.

 

After some serious health problems and 2 heart surgeries, I haven't fished at all for about 2 years. I'm just starting to feel ok again, so hopefully 2019 will be a good year.

 

Dave

[Sam]

Fishing more on weekdays when you all are at work or school!

[Junk Fisherman]

Fish smarter and harder.  For years my goal was always just to have fun and use fishing as a source of relaxation from the grind of everyday life.  But recently I have decided to really up my game and become more analytical of my fishing.  Too often I go out and fish based on my past history and if  the fish are not that active I will go through the motions until it is time to leave.  So one of my major goals is to work harder while fishing.  Make more adjustments, try different depths and patterns, try different colors, work baits differently, pay attention to small details, and investigate and fish new spots.  All of these are things I know I should do but often I just keep chucking and grinding if the conditions are tough.  And because we all like lists here are some other goals:

1)  Fish with my dad more.  

2)  Get my 8-year old daughter into fishing and get her her first smallie out of the boat.

3)  Fish with my club more and reconnect with people I have fished with in the past.

4)  Go more even when the conditions are not ideal

5)  Go to less pressured waters in my kayak to avoid frustration when the local tournament lakes are crazy busy

6)  Investigate new water every time out.

7)  Fish deeper and use mapping and electronics more effectively.

8)) Fish bigger swimbaits

9)  Catch a smallie on a hair jig and an A-Rig

 

[YaknBassn]

1. Fish more.

2. Catch more.

3.  Not skunk on tournament day.

4. Fish even when the weather isn't nice.

5. Learn that jigs aren't topwater lures.  (I'm not good at fishing slow)

[redmeansdistortion]

On 1/5/2019 at 11:49 PM, MIbassyaker said:

Lol, I know -- the sheer absurdity of the difference in size potential is hilarious. A 5lb largemouth up here is about 10 years old.

 

However: I'm going to finally catch a musky this year. I can feel it.

Come visit Lake St Clair, you'll get one :).  I catch them in the Clinton River spillway in early spring right from shore.

[jbsoonerfan]

Lofty goals for me. A DD Largemouth and a 6lb Smallmouth

[Chunk_Chaser]

I really enjoy catching bass in ways that are out of my normal comfort zone. So I plan on spending a lot more time finding fish that are deeper with new methods. 

[Junk Fisherman]

On 12/14/2018 at 10:32 PM, Dirtyeggroll said:

 

- Continue to work on compartmentalizing fishing: I am obsessed, as it is part of my personality. I daydream of fishing constantly. I want to continue to get better at being present in the moment with other aspects of my life and continue to learn to suppress my urge to obsess about everything surrounding putting fish in the boat.

 

-

Very good goal. 

 

[redmeansdistortion]

On 2/11/2019 at 11:49 PM, Hollada said:

3. Figure out where LSC smallies go in October

 

Try the South Channel

[The Shipley]

1. Take a kid fishing and help him build memories. 
2. Fish more with old friends
3. Join a local fishing club
4. Fish in a tournament
5. Fish more on Lakes and not Ponds
6. Catch more small mouth bass
7. Fish at least three times a week
8. Work on making my own lures

 

[Jleebesaw]

The only goal I have in mind is to work on my offshore tactics. Last year I learned to basics of finding deeper water structure and catching fish there. This year I want to do a lot more of it. While learning this  I unintentionally discovered how awsome smallmouths are. I have lived 30 minutes from the St Lawrence river my whole life and just started fishing it last summer.

[Clinton john]

Main goal is to fish with dad more this year.

 

After that work on my deep water game.

 

Finally break free of the 9 pound area in get one over 10 pounds in the boat.

 

And make more tourney guys mad as heck when I pull up behind them and catch more fish then them. And gave a blast doing it.

 

That's about it.

[.ghoti.]

Fish when I can, and don't worry about it if I can't.

Catch fish when I can, and don't worry about it when I can't

Fish with friends as often as I can

Fish with family as often as I can

Fish with kids as often as I can

Throw away the scales

Throw away the log book

Forget about records

Stop taking fish selfies

Take pics of friends, family and kids with their fish

Fish no tournaments

Replace all my factory rods with custom rods

organize my tackle

 

All of that is doable.

 

Except the last one