Goals For This Fishing Season

The last few days have had me anticipating some fishing. I have spent a lot of time visiting the river and prospecting for good holes for the upcoming trout season. I also spent time visiting tackle shops to pick up new line, and inevitably pick up some new lures. Then today we spent some time cleaning up the boat and started to get it ready to hit the water.

All of these activities have had me thinking even more about the upcoming season and I realized that I have quite a few goals for this year:

1. Learn to fly fish – I received a fly rod for Christmas and although I’ve practiced casting I really haven’t had the chance to use it. I know very little about fly fishing but it’s something I’m eager to learn. Discovering the Outdoor Blogger Network has opened the door to a wealth of blogs with information about fly fishing and I’ve spent the winter reading as much as I could. I can’t wait to take my fly rod down to the river and cast for brook trout in two weeks. I think I’ll invest in a lesson at some point too, it’s always good to lay down a solid foundation.

2. Launch the boat – Last year I found myself standing around and watching as Darrell did all the work launching the boat. Now don’t get me wrong, sometimes it’s really nice to not have to do anything, but I’d like to be able to help. Even better, I’d like to be able to launch the boat myself for those days when Darrell’s stuck at work and I’m off early!

3. Drive the boat competently – My boat driving last year involved a crash course in which I was told to sit behind the wheel and drive straight. This year I want to learn the ins-and-outs of handling the boat and feel comfortable doing so. Learning how to handle different weather conditions would make me feel safer when in the boat – either as driver or passenger.

4. Get out on the big water – I made it out on Lake Ontario just once last year. I was really unprepared for the trip and didn’t handle it too well. I felt overwhelmed by the vast amount of water and the conditions that day were pretty choppy which didn’t help, especially in a smaller boat. This year I think I can face it better and I’m really eager to catch some big fish.

5. Catch some ‘eyes – I have not once gone out for walleye. I haven’t even hooked one while fishing for something else. I’ve heard and read so much about how great these fish are to catch and I really feel like I’m missing out. I plan to rectify that this year.

6. Go for musky – I know they’re the fish of a 1,000 casts and I would absolutely love to catch one of these magnificent creatures. There’s some alluring quality about these fish. The colour, the size, the look. It’s my dream photo-op. Luckily we’re planning a musky trip for this year and I hope it becomes something we can do more often.

7. Improve my casting – It’s something I’m always working on but I really want to put more effort into improving both my distance and accuracy. It would be nice to know that more often than not I will hit my mark.

With these goals in mind I cannot wait to hit the water. The ice looked almost done for at each of the local lakes yesterday. Belwood Lake is almost open, by the bridge is completely clear. Watching trout eating the hatch has been almost taunting…I need to get my Panther Martin spinner in there and get a bite! Serious fishing is about to start and I, for one, can’t wait!

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argosgirl

Sporadic blogger and sometimes podcaster who loves fishing, the outdoors, hanging with her animals, gardening, and reading manga.

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