Breaking down your year

[badbass]

So this will differ for everyone being that we're all from different places and whatnot. But how does your year of fishing breakdown?

How do you prepare for openers? Do you gear up long before the opener? Last minute? Improvise during the season?

During the season, how often are you out on the water? If you're in the north like me, do you go icefishing? How do you prep for that?

Any rituals or traditions you have each year?

What do you do off season to satisfy that fishing itch? Or how do you transition between season?

[Nick]

I had a decent year in FLW, my first year.  Made it to the championships and made the cut there. I'm just on the co-angler side.  Pretty low pressure here.  No real decisions to make, and fun to see how some of the pro's make their decisions. I get to fish places that I would probably never go to on my own.

Also qualified for the championship in both the Buddy and Pro divisions of Heartland Tournaments, a big organization in the Ozarks. Didn't really win much there, however. I wrote over 20 tournament articles in Heartland's magazine, and always enjoying talking to the anglers who were on fish. Had some neat free time fun fishing in streams, but never made it to Wisconsin or Minnesota to beat the heat. Thankfully, it stayed pretty cool here in the lower Midwest.

Next year I'll probably return to the FLW and also fish and cover Heartland Tournaments. I plan to prefish the FLW's as opposed to most of them last year where I just hopped in the boat on the first day of the tournament.  I might fish more aggressively, but it's possible to tick off the pro if you push him (her)down a bank.  I also think I may ditch the finesse stuff at times and go for the bigger bite. Most tournaments will not be pure spawn tournaments so I should have plenty of opportunities from the back deck. My goal is to make at least one top ten cut. If anyone would like a synopsis of my view of the FLW's I would be glad to share.  Let me know.

I'm pretty lucky because I'm retired and get to do those fishy things that I used to dream about.  

[Chris]

How do you prepare for openers? Do you gear up long before the opener? Last minute? Improvise during the season?

Most of the time i gear up during the winter so i can catch the sales. I might buy stuff during the year or just before a tournament if an oddball lure is required or if a ran out. If i am out on the water and i am unable to use a lure because i am out or if tackle shops don't carry what i need i will improvise or build it myself.

During the season, how often are you out on the water? If you're in the north like me, do you go icefishing? How do you prep for that?

On average i fish 240 days a year sometimes more or less. I am not a fair weather fishermen so during the year i go rain or shine.

Any rituals or traditions you have each year?

Repair, oil, and  clean my reels once a year. Replace broken line guides on my rods. Get rid of lures that didn't catch fish and clean out my tackle box. Retune all my lures. Mark on all my lures what depths they go. Go though my boat to make sure everything is in working order.

What do you do off season to satisfy that fishing itch? Or how do you transition between season?

I am lucky if it gets cold i have a few warm water lakes that i can fish.

[badbass]

Just to clarify, I'm wondering year to year how your year breaks down in relation to your fishing life. Not specifically how this past year went for you (however that could be a good thread on its own).

[Nick]

I'll probably miss the main ideas again, but here goes. I fish all 12 months. In January, I chase Missouri largemouth with a jerkbait on large lakes from 44-38 degrees. Usually I end up on Okeechobee in late January for a tourney.  Senko's, spinnerbaits, heavy matt flipping with craws and braided line.  If I'm lucky, I'll squeeze in some smallie trips on streams back here.  I'll go light line hair jig fishing the deeper slower pools for the big ones.

In Feb. I'll probably be in central FL or South LA to fish another tourney, or do the same thing in MO as in January.

In March, as temps begin to warm, I'll move to the jig and tube bite in the Ozarks along with the jerkbait.

In April, the spawn will begin in our Ozarks lakes.  I'll be at Beaver Lake in AR to do that deal. Time for soft plastics, jigs, and spinnerbait for late spawners.  Night time is hog time, but I'm usually tied into daytime tourneys so I don't get out much at night. Streams can muddy in spring for prolonged periods so don't count on them.

May gets us to the end of the spawn and lots of topwater action for bass still guarding the nests. Lots of ways to catch may bass now.  I like the fluke, C-Rig, walking topwaters, and always keep a jig, creature bait, and a plastic worm tied on.

By June, night fishing is far superior to day fishing usually. Smallmouth in streams are quite good all summer in day time on topwater, or just about anything. On the big lakes, most fishing done on points and brush piles in 10-25 feet of water. That's the first part of the year.

[njvbass]

Before I begin I like to say to Nick you have it made.

Anyways My year is usually only on hold for about 6 weeks even then I'm fishing running watertill the lakes thaw.I usually spend them 6 weeks at fishin expos or taking long drives to Bass pro shops or cabelas.

I usually give my reels to a local tackle shop to lube and maintence.(Try to keep the guy in business)I checked my license Last year it was issued on feb. 3.I usually get my biggest fish in march when the water is right near 55 Degrees,They have been coming on jigs,and super flukes around these parts in then early spring.

I really Don't know what else to say. I'll end with all i do is fish and if I'm not fishing I'm working.

[Nick]

I doubt I've got it made, but I planned   long ago to retire early, and I did. Funny, I almost decided to turn into a pro angler in '75 just out of college, but I thought the tournament scene was going downhill at the time. Several pretty good sized organizations were shutting down, boat manufacturers were going broke, and Dad said that I'd better use that education that he helped pay for to get  a real job. I did, but made a promise that I'd fish full time in 25 years. I doubt that I fish as much as Chris, but I did go today!  ;D

[badbass]

Where are you from, Nick?

[Maineiac]

I am just plain living in the wrong place and for the next 3 years, 6 months and I think 14 days I am cursed to have to balance fishing with the need to earn a living or as the case is right now being on active duty.

But a normal year finds me starting fishing (open water) on or about April 1st. The state says we can try starting one April but it is mother nature that really will decide the issue. I'll be fishing from shore in water opened by streams and such entering local lakes and ponds. As soon as some of the launches are free of ice (about the middle or a little later in April) my Tracker aluminum becomes a some times ice breaker and we go at it in ernest.

I then fish through the summer and fall and try and get at least one day a week on the water plus a week or two of vacation or leave time all here in the state. I fish right up until the state or mother nature closes the open water fishing world at the end of November yet once again playing ice breaker at least a little.

December can be hard to take as it often doesn't provide safe ice to fish through and one can only sort, clean and store their gear so many times. I have even taken to spreading the process out over the winter so as to keep my sanity. We have one local river that is fishable at times in the winter and that helps as does the ice fishing trips through March then it is back to April 1st.

Thrown in for spice in the winter are a handfull of sportsman/boat shows. Bass club meetings, various chat and forum groups, a little fly tying, some jig making and a pile of reading about the sport.

[L.D.]

My season will start in March where I have a booth at a couple of the outdoor sport shows. Most of my dates are filled by then, but I also take along the next years calender for the guys who want to make sure they get the dates they want. I also will put the boat on the river if it will let me.

April to Dec. I charter 5 to 6 days a week. December to March, it's pouring jigs , I seem to go through about 1800 a season, many reasons why.

Clean reels and replace rod eyelets, put new hooks on the crank baits, run my fishing tackle shop, my wife needs a break.

[SirKevin]

Hmmm, well, let's see. I'm only 14 (this is my first post here BTW, hello everyone!) so my fishing isn't quite as extensive as some of yours, but I guarantee one day I will be like Nick!  ;D

Anyways. Preparing for openers? Nothing too intense. Tackle cleaning with my dad, buying more of whatever lures worked the past year, and a few extra lures to try as well. Usually I don't set the rods up until we're up north at the cottage (because that's where we do most of our fishing), so that doesn't require too much time. Right now I'm getting ready to do some local lake & river fishing next summer though, so that's going to require some preparation I'm sure as I find more out about what I'll need equipment-wise.

Do I improvise during the season? Kind of...really given my age I'm only really learning fishing as an art right now. Before whenI was a little kid we did a lot (almost exclsuively) fishing with live minnows & worms, but now I'm learning about using spinnerbaits, crankbaits etc...hopefully soft plastics this year as well.

How often am I on the water? Owch, not enough! Generously perhaps 30 times a year? As I said though, this coming summer I plan on doing a lot of river fishing and just off the shore of Lake Ontario, so hopefully that'll bump my number of days up a lot.

Usually the actual fishing breaks down to whenever we're up north at the cottage we get out 2 or 3 times a weekend..sometimes we'll move around to different spots and still fish or we'll just troll the perimeter of the lake for a few hours. Once or twice we'll go further north to Lake Nipissing and take a guide out and fish for big bass or pickeral...hopefully we'll do that twice this year, we did it once last year.

We do ice fishing, usually only once per winter though because we live in the city so its like a 4-hr drive to get to somewhere where we know we'll catch fish...I suppose we could drive an hour or so to Barrie & do Lake Simcoe...hmm...something to think about. We've booked a date up north for early Feb this year...hoping for a handful of pickeral.

Usually we're in Florida once a year on average for a holiday..anywhere from 4 days to 9 days depending on how the school schedule & whatnot works...there's a nice river nearby I fish for catfish in while we're there and I fish off the shore, or a pier if one is nearby quite a lot while we're down there.

Which leads me to talking about the *big* trip of the year! Yay! We're gonna be going down to Fl. for about 5 days in early April & booked a guide for Lake Tarpon..I can't wait, I'm hoping for some huge bass! It'll be my first time seriously going after southern bass (which are quite famous here in Canada!) and I absolutely cannot wait...should be awesome.

What do I do during the offseason? Heh...this, I guess. Gonna try to frequent message boards (fishing ones) this winter...also going to read about lakes in our area up north to try to fish next summer (because the one the cottage is on isn't very productive anymore)...also hopefully the ice fishing will help cuz I do miss fishing already! It's still a 2 month wait until that though ..gah.

[squid]

Wll my season starts in September(not fishing) trying to get sponsors for the NBAA Youth Anglers, that I helped get started 4yrs ago.  I hunt during the off season, for I too am in the north, and NO i do not get into the cold weather to sit on the ice and pull a fish through a tiny hole...lol.  Use to love it when I was a kid though.  

Hit all the Fishing shows in Michigan.  

Buy up everything we used up the past season, and also will try new items, if something didn't work.

Get my poles and reels out and check the eyelets, change the line, buy new hooks, oil up the reels.  

Before an event...lol.. Tritonman and I listen to Bass Aholic...lol.

We arange everything on the boat so we are not running or stepping on anything of value.  

The very first event is when we flip to see who is up front fist, then we take turns the rest of the season.  

[roadwarrior]

So far, so good. I have been able to fish every Saturday this year exclusively for smallmouth on the Tennessee River. As of last Saturday, my partner and I have caught 57 smallmouth, exactly ten over 5 lbs including the two pictured on my avatar (1/15/05). We focus on bronzebacks until late March and then switch to giant stripers until September when we switch back. Throughout the year I fish during the week at local ponds for largemouth bass. We mix in a couple of trips to Bull Shoals and the White River and a trip or two to the Gulf of Mexico, targeting yellowfin tuna usually, but this year marlin. I'm trying to get my boys jazzed for a trip next year to Brazil to hunt some P-bass, we'll see.

[scbassin]

I fish on Santee Cooper in South Carolina & can do so all year long. Lures & presentation change just like any other lake. I try to fish 3 to 4 days a week. Like Nick I retired to go fishing.  I don't tx. fish anymore because I threw my alarm clock away. I get up when I wake up. I don't have a train to catch. I fish for Largemouth all year & in late summer early fall chase stripers some.