To keep your resolutions, try to make them a lot of fun

Some say resolutions are made to be broken, which is easy to understand when the pledges revolve around managing the tougher things in life.

It’s not easy to stick to a resolution about losing weight or any of a slew of other promises, and the result for backsliders is they gain more notches in their guilty consciences.

Maybe that’s why anglers are such a smiling bunch. They can resolve to do things in the new year that actually are fun and achievable.

It may be a drag to hit the gym three times a week for workouts, but who among us wouldn’t want to fulfill a resolution to fish three more times a week in 2008?

With the spirit of commitment bubbling over, I have created my own list of New Year’s resolutions.

I resolve to return to the Ohio River to enjoy its latest rebirth. The river is a fickle place where anglers either enjoy a fishing feast or endure famine. After several years of very difficult fishing, particularly for bass, the Ohio showed signs of new life in the fall of 2007.

Projections for 2008 are excellent. The smallmouth, spotted and largemouth bass populations should provide loads of action.

I also resolve to take better advantage of the terrific early season walleye action in Northeast Ohio. Back in the days when I was pretty much limited to fishing wherever my feet could take me, I learned how to catch nice walleyes at Berlin and Mosquito reservoirs.

Our local walleyes quickly migrate to within casting distance of shore-bound anglers immediately after ice-out. Before I had the mobility provided by my boat and motor, I learned the details about how to catch those early-season walleyes. I’ll be back after them this March, before the boat comes out of storage, as my own ice-breaker for the 2008 fishing season.

I resolve to learn how to use my electronics to improve my deep-water fishing success. I love shallow-water angling, working the cover with close-quarters tactics. But there’s another world out behind my boat, and some of it holds the fish that I can turn to when the skinny-water bite is off.

Anglers who have really mastered their sonar use it to tell them much more than simply how far down the bottom rests. They learn everything that digital screen can tell them, including picking out the fishy arcs that are most likely to respond to their lures.

I resolve to pay even closer attention to all of the little details that contribute to fishing success — knots and hooks especially. I’ll make sure my rods are knick-free and my reels are well-lubed. No sense leaving to chance those details that can be controlled.

I also resolve to stay focused on my personal safety, and the well-being of my guests and others who are using the water around me. The water is a friendly place that can turn deadly in an instant.

Even during my “fun” outings, I adhere to the rule enforced during bass tournaments: Always wear the life jacket — zipped and/or buckled — when the big engine is running. Accidents happen and there’s no time to look for the PFD when the boat is out of control.

And most of all, I resolve in 2008 to continue having as much fun as possible during each and every fishing trip. It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

jwwollitz@aol.com