End of the Year Review Part 1 Goals Reached/ Goals not reached

It is the time of the year again where we all look back at the year that passed by much too quickly and look ahead to the New Year and wonder what it has in store for us. For me, writing this post is one of my favorite things to write. It is my way to remember highs and lows from my year. That said, I am a pretty positive person, so I quickly wash away bad memories and look back on the good ones fondly. Maybe more than I should, I look back as much as look forward. That is why I keep a journal, take a lot of pictures and write some boring posts on this blog.

All that said, looking back is part of who I am. I enjoy checking to see if I achieved my goals and reliving old adventures through writing. So part one of my end of the year review just like last year will be a recap of my goals I set for myself last year and if I reached them. Below is the original list I wrote last year around January 1, 2013

1 Go to the Museum of Fine Arts.

2. Catch a tatoug. I don’t think I have ever caught one. I am pretty sure I fished for them once when I was 5 years old. I think about giving it a try but never do.

3. Fish Beach Pond for walleye at least once.

4. Fish for bowfin. Apparently a couple places in Massachusetts have them. I’d like to give them a try.

5. Go to New Hampshire as often as I can (reoccurring goal)

6. Catch 50 winter stripers (Dec 1-March 1). If I reach this goal try catch 50 from Jan1-March 1.

7. Hike to and fish Ethan Pond for wild trout.

8. Continue to help fund my fishing habit by writing fishing articles. (Reoccurring goal)

9. Try for lakers at Wachusetts Reservoir in April. Stay away from Wachusetts in the fall. (Fish for stripers in the fall) (Reoccurring goal)

10. Try to do tons of trout fishing in March and April so I can concentrate on stripers, smallmouth, and carp in May.

11. Either go surfing or paddle boarding at least once.

12. Catch a 40 inch striper.

13. Sleep outside once during the winter. Shawme Crowell Campground is open year round.

Here is how I did. I reached 10 of the 13 Goals. As you will see below, I didn't sleep outside, surf, or

 

1.      I did go to the MFA on February 20. I love that place, there are just so many cool things to see.

2.      I did catch one tatoug about 12-14 inches at Fort Whetherill. I have no idea how it found my bait with all the cunner around.

3.      I tried for walleye at Beach Pond but was unsuccessful in my bid to catch one.

4.      Fish for bowfin- I not only fished for them but actually caught one. This is one of my favorite memories this year. I wonder how many people in MA caught a bowfin. I bet it’s less than a handful.

5.       I went to New Hampshire 5 times. This seems to be about the average number of times I can go in a year.

6.      Catch 50 Wintertime stripers from Dec 2012-March 1 2013. If I reach 50, try to get 50 in the first two months of 2013.  I caught about 100 in those three months. In January I caught 61 and Feb I caught 9. I would have caught a lot more in Dec 2012, but I was laid up with an injury for the first two weeks while guys were catching 10-30 a night. Still I achieved both goals so I am very satisfied.

7.      Hike to Ethan Pond for wild trout. I finally made it to Ethan Pond. The bad news was the wind was howling at 30+ mph so casting a fly rod was near impossible. Nice hike, I will be back again.

8.      Fund my fishing habit by writing articles. I wrote quite a few articles for “The Fisherman”. I enjoy writing the money is just icing on the cake.

9.       I only went to Wachusetts a couple times this year. I never catch much of anything but the place draws me like a moth to a flame. I always think “what if” or “next time”. I always see eagles or loons.

10.  Try to do a lot of trout fishing in the early spring. Although it didn't feel like I went trout fishing a lot, I went the exact same number of times as last year. Early spring was far colder this year than in 2012, so I caught less trout. The point of fishing for trout early in the year was so I could carp fish more in the later spring. In that case this goal was a success. I didn't do much smallie fishing this spring but that was due to success with carp as opposed to fishing for trout.

11.  Either go surfing or paddle boarding. Nope I looked into rental for paddle boards. It was way more than I was willing to spend. I also wasn’t willing to spend $400-600 to buy one with a perfectly good kayak at home.



Released without a measurement
Around 40 inches

12.  Catch a 40 inch striper- I caught one really big striper this fall. I didn’t measure it; it could have been 40 inches or just shy. Either way I’m calling this one a win for a couple reasons. I caught a 40 inch striper a few years ago I had weighed that went 22 pounds. The fish I caught this year was closer to 30 pounds. So it was bigger by at least 6-8 pounds if not longer. Also it is the largest striper I have ever let swim away, a fact for which I am very proud.

13.  Sleep outside during the winter- It didn’t happen, no excuses.