Saturday, December 30, 2006
With 2007 only a couple of laps around the clock away, it's time to look ahead and pledge what we'll try to make better in our lives during the next 12 months. And that includes our fishing.
As the clock strikes midnight tomorrow, many will resolve to save money, eat better, be more thoughtful and do various other nice things. We anglers also are thinking up resolutions.
Allow me to make a few suggestions:
Let's resolve to leave the lake as clean as (or cleaner) than it was when we arrived. We need to stow our litter and dispose of it properly when our fishing trip is complete.
How about resolving to respect all who use the water. Let's avoid such discourteous acts as running full-bore through a pack of drifting boats and casting too close to other anglers' lines. Let's drive with barely a ripple when the buoys say "No Wake."
Many ought to resolve to learn the proper tactics for launching and loading boats and to understand the meaning of "courtesy dock." The ramps get overcrowded on many weekends, and just one thoughtless boater can tie up a lane while fetching his tow vehicle. The result is gridlock resembling Boardman's U.S. 224 on a Christmas shopping weekend.
Let's resolve to leave the alcohol at home rather than fall to temptation to stash a few beers in the boat's cooler. It's tough enough to navigate our crowded lakes without adding the danger of impaired drivers out on the waves.
Novice anglers may resolve to expand their fishing experiences in 2007. More experienced anglers may consider adding new tactics and techniques to employ in the upcoming season.
And all of us who know anything about fishing should consider introducing our sport to new folks. What better way to share our passion than to invite others to try it themselves.
Along those same lines, we can resolve to be more patient with the beginners. Teaching them how to tie simple knots and cast accurately takes but a few moments and can save them (and you) from considerable frustration down the road.
Resolve to leave a few fish for the next trip. When the walleyes and crappies are really chomping, it's hard to resist maxing out the limit, but if everyone released a few keepers, the opportunities to catch them again are multiplied.
Do you want a trophy for the wall? How about resolving to order a fiberglass replica from your taxidermist instead of a skin mount? Releasing trophy catches can add to the number of lunker-class fish in your favorite lake.
Maybe it's time to add a new lake to your experiences. Pick a likely candidate and study it this winter to learn how you might be successful there come spring.
And finally, let's resolve to make each fishing trip a quality experience. Define quality however you wish and then seek to fulfill your expectations each time you launch the boat or set up your gear at your favorite spot.
Happy New Year!
jwwollitz@aol.com