Attainable Goal(s) for 2024

[ne_dan]

2024:

 

LMB over 7lbs in New England.  This year came close at 6lb 11oz

Just catch more decent SMB

Over 200 days of the year fishing.  This year hit around 180 days.

Fish new waters.

 

[TnRiver46]

On 12/14/2023 at 5:30 AM, Pat Brown said:

 

 

Gonna be a meteorologist by the end of the winter. 😂😂😂😂😂

I think you are already several steps ahead of a meteorologist, don’t regress 

[12poundbass]

My goals for 2024 are the same as they were for 2023. 
 

PB LM

PB SM

Fish more

Fish new to me lakes

Fish one tournament 

 

I fished more this year and fished two new lakes. I wasn’t close to my PB LM and didn’t catch a single SM. 

[WaskaCrank12]

Things I will strive towards in 2024 (2023 was my first year fishing) -

 

-continue to have gratitude that I have the health, time and means to get out on the water 

-continue to learn about the basics (what reel goes best with which rod, what line is best for each reel/rod/application, what lures/baits are most appropriate to use on each reel/rod/line/application/weather conditions, how to read and best use the Lowrance, ect....)

-continue to leverage the tremendous library/resources offered by each of you and the Bass Resource site

[Junk Fisherman]

On 12/13/2023 at 9:09 AM, gimruis said:

I thought about this for a day.

 

My goal for 2024 is to go the entire year without making a single tackle purchase.  No hooks, no lures, no line, no plastics, nothing.  That's right.  You heard it here first.  ZERO purchases for 365 days.  I can get by with what I already have.

I laugh because we both know this is a pipe dream!  I give you till the 3rd week of February!  

[JackstrawIII]

On 12/11/2023 at 9:42 PM, ol'crickety said:

I'd like again to have a 100-bass day

I love how this is an "attainable goal" for you, Crickety. You rock. 

[928JLH]

Fish more.  Travel and fish new waters. Learn jigging and flutter spoons, the A-rig, and use spinning gear more. 

[Swamp Girl]

43 minutes ago, JackstrawIII said:

I love how this is an "attainable goal" for you, Crickety. You rock. 

 

My best morning in 2023 was 59. My best evening was 44. I just have to put those two together. In 2023, due to my anemia, I couldn't fish both morning and evening, but it's slowly improving, so fingers crossed for 2024.

[WRB]

15 hour days are long gone for me, pace yourself to who you are not who you were.

Good luck achieving your goals🚣‍♂️

Tom

[Swamp Girl]

32 minutes ago, WRB said:

15 hour days are long gone for me, pace yourself to who you are not who you were.

 

Wisdom.

[WRB]

15 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

Wisdom.

Hard lesson to learn.

Tom

[Swamp Girl]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

Hard lesson to learn.

Tom

 

So many lessons that stick were hard to learn. 

[DaubsNU1]

Continue to dial in the new boat, learn all the features of the electronics, catch more bass, pike, walleye, and panfish. I tend to get really focused on LMB's. 

[Boomstick]

My primary goal for next year is to have no health problems so I can go fishing more.

 

I’d like to also do a few kayak tournaments, which is feasible since I learned there is a local trail I had no idea about until last year.

[Nitro 882]

I tow my boat to Florida every year and fish Jan/Feb/Mar. I spend most of my time at the Harris Chain or the Kissimmee Chain deep in the pads and Kissimmee grass which always look so d**n "fishy". I often catch a good number of bass but, at times, the fish aren't "up in the grass". The heavy weeds are a visual magnet and much easier to relate to than staring out over the vast off-shore expanse of the lake.

In 2024 I'm going to learn to read lake maps and sonar readings to find the offshore "sweet spots" which hold many fish eager to see the inside of my boat. I have tried in the past but run short of patience and the lure of the near-by pads/grass becomes irresistible and the next thing I know I'm chopping up lily pads with my trolling motor. I just need to learn how to identify and make offshore grass, shell beds, brush piles etc. as obvious as shoreline weeds.

[Swamp Girl]

I'm going to fish later in the year in 2024.  I quit on October 25th, not because I wasn't catching bass, but because I was afraid of tipping and dying. With enough protective measures, I can fish later and still be safe. I own a wetsuit already, but I might buy a drysuit too. 

[TnRiver46]

@ol'crickety, I fish off the bank when I think death is a significant possibility when boating 😂 

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

@ol'crickety, I fish off the bank when I think death is a significant possibility when boating 😂 

 

Smart.

[PaulVE64]

A 4# smallie on my flyrod  & a 4.5# smallie on  spinning gear

And preferably with a hand tied fly

[Junk Fisherman]

After thinking about this for several days I have my short list:

1)  Just go!  Too often I make excuses not to go such as:  I don't feel like waking up early, I don't want to wait for that lock, there's going to be too many other fishermen out, ect.. ect... Just go!  I often regret not going but rarely do I ever regret going once the day is over.  And I also want to go at some different times instead of just a daylight to 1-2 PM. 

2)  Work on multiple alternatives to my confidence baits and show fish something different.  My confidence baits simply weren't as effective last year compared to the past and I am wondering if it's because of the immense pressure on many of the lakes I fish.  Most of what I'm using are very popular baits.  Definitely want to zag a little this year.

3)  Try to master my Garmin FFS. I use it every time I go out but I can definitely improve.  Watch more vides, ask questions, really try to take it to another level.  

4)  Fish a couple new places.  

5)  Find easy places to take my 9-year old son.  This needs to become a priority.  

[KSanford33]

I'm a big believer in the 80/20 principle, so here are my attainable goals:

 

1. Thin out the herd. I have roughly 4 types of lures I throw consistently, so it's time to get rid of all of the other ones that I only throw when I'm bored. Keep an eye out on the Flea Market here because I'll be listing a lot.

2. Get more proficient with the 4 types of lures I throw. By getting rid of all of the others, I think this will be easy.

3. Fish in more tournaments. I am a competition addict, so I love fishing in tournaments.

4. Qualify for the KBF National Championship. I rarely make outcome-based goals, since it's difficult to control (I prefer to make process-oriented goals), but this is the one exception.

[Swamp Girl]

16 minutes ago, KSanford33 said:

I'm a big believer in the 80/20 principle, so here are my attainable goals:

 

1. Thin out the herd. I have roughly 4 types of lures I throw consistently, so it's time to get rid of all of the other ones that I only throw when I'm bored. Keep an eye out on the Flea Market here because I'll be listing a lot.

2. Get more proficient with the 4 types of lures I throw. By getting rid of all of the others, I think this will be easy.

3. Fish in more tournaments. I am a competition addict, so I love fishing in tournaments.

4. Qualify for the KBF National Championship. I rarely make outcome-based goals, since it's difficult to control (I prefer to make process-oriented goals), but this is the one exception.

 

I really like 1. and 2. However, I do want to get better at jig fishing and vertical fishing.

[KSanford33]

6 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

I really like 1. and 2. However, I do want to get better at jig fishing and vertical fishing.

Thanks Crickety. Jigs are one of my 4, so I can definitely understand wanting to get better with them. I'm sure you already know this, but there's an excellent thread on here about learning how to use them. I also posted a thread last year or the year before on how I learned. I basically started with a ned rig, then went to a micro finesse jig, then onto a full size jig. It built my confidence slowly so I never doubted being able to use them efficiently.

[Swamp Girl]

52 minutes ago, KSanford33 said:

there's an excellent thread on here about learning how to use them

 

Do you mind giving me a link to it? I'd sure like to read it. Same with your jig thread.

[KSanford33]

17 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

Do you mind giving me a link to it? I'd sure like to read it. Same with your jig thread.

Not in the least, here you go: