OK - I am looking to change my game up a bit over last year (spent several stints on the 15day DL) and improve my odds. I plan to fish better times / tides in better places. I also will be able to get back to Block & Cutty this year.

I am also going (late) through a gear strategy revision to carry less and be more mobile.

Season is on, bigger girls coming in - what are you doing to change up?

What are you doing to change things up.

I am going to kidnap my father in law to make sure he opens the house in Eastham, lol. I have some upgrades planned for the canal cruiser. I have added a conventional for drifting congers at the ditch.

Overall I am going to focus more effort on maintaining a log. I am also going to try and carry less hardware and focus on a few lures/patterns that work for me. I am also going to try and finally set up an eel tank.
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Getting a iMplant ><><><><><:soon::drool:

Getting a inplant ><><><><><:soon::drool:

Is that like an ingrown toe nail?:rotf2:

I went all in on the braid thing with both my reels this year. I also learned to direct tie the main line and leader and I am trying to always direct tie my lures if possible. Less terminal tackle is my mode this year. I bought a yak which will be cool to fish from this year. This year I have 2 new rods which I got from guys on this board. One will be dedicated to the schoolie, boat, bridge, and jetty fishing and the other will be for the surf, beach, and canal. I know this is pretty basic but that's the goal to keep it simple.

I'll be trying to learn how to use a spinning reel so that I can toss and work pencils properly.









............maybe

I'll be trying to learn how to use a spinning reel so that I can toss and work pencils properly.
............maybe

I am to lazy to work pencils.... Maybe I will fish more this year.... But then again I do like the kittens....:devil2:

Getting a inplant ><><><><><:soon::drool:

Too much info....but good luck with it! :)
************************************************** ******
I used to try to carry the whole "traveling show" with me. Everything was either carried on me or was in the vehicle.

Its better to plan ahead and bring only what you reasonably thing you will need. Yes you take a risk of not having that one special silver and blue swimmer they are hitting on that day but it sure is nice to just have a rod, reel and small shoulder bag.

Tip....Two rigged eels in plastic baggies take up little room and are almost always enough to keep you "in the game" when all else fails.
************************************************** **************************
Come to think of it , isn't an implant sort of a "rigged eel" ?? :)

OK - I am looking to change my game up a bit over last year (spent several stints on the 15day DL) and improve my odds. I plan to fish better times / tides in better places. I also will be able to get back to Block & Cutty this year.

I am also going (late) through a gear strategy revision to carry less and be more mobile.

Season is on, bigger girls coming in - what are you doing to change up?

What are you doing to change things up.

I think you should keep your "Cow to Trips" ratio the same though. :rotf2::rotf2: Would be an epic season.

Spend less time and gas $$ running around and trying new areas… instead focus more on fishing the right conditions and tides at areas I’m starting to know pretty well…

When possible fish more single hook offerings (eels, riggies, bucktails, rubber…). Not a big fan of trebles for lots of reasons but I do love my darters…

Updated the canal cruiser somewhat so I can carry more than last few years. Still haven't added a second kickstand though. Going to try teasers in the ditch this year. Using more siwash on the rear of every lure I fish. As the olders trebles need replacement I am going to do so with siwash. I have a few more thingies up my sleeve as well.

Spend less time and gas $$ running around and trying new areas… instead focus more on fishing the right conditions and tides at areas I’m starting to know pretty well…

Pretty much what he said. So far I only have one week planned fishing around the NM in July. I only fish a couple spots and only at certain times. Eels by night, plugs at dawn. Might fish around the NM this month and June, but probably won't get out much til September...

Gonna use my 'yak more this year. Had a couple of good trips last year, now have some idea what to do.

Updated the canal cruiser somewhat so I can carry more than last few years. Still haven't added a second kickstand though. Going to try teasers in the ditch this year. Using more siwash on the rear of every lure I fish. As the olders trebles need replacement I am going to do so with siwash. I have a few more thingies up my sleeve as well.
I added a motorcycle style kick stand so far so good
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I plan on learning a little more about the habits of ground fish and try to catch a few out of my own boat this year.

I'm going to curse :fury: less and smile more....:uhuh:

I am hoping to learn to fish this lure properly, so it will turn out to be the schiller killer of 2012.

I plan to do more searching for deeper structure this year, would like to find less pressured haunts for fluke, black sea bass and tog. My focus this year is deep jigging, going to try a few wrinkles and see if changing some presentations works as I think it might. Going to explore some new water, in the hopes of finding closer fishing to keep the gas costs (trailering primarily) down.

Just get out more......barely made it out last year

I went all in on the braid thing with both my reels this year. I also learned to direct tie the main line and leader and I am trying to always direct tie my lures if possible. Less terminal tackle is my mode this year. I bought a yak which will be cool to fish from this year. This year I have 2 new rods which I got from guys on this board. One will be dedicated to the schoolie, boat, bridge, and jetty fishing and the other will be for the surf, beach, and canal. I know this is pretty basic but that's the goal to keep it simple.

A word of caution on the "all in on braid thing". I fished the Block last Nov and found out, the hard way, that braid isn't necessarily good for all things. It doesn't have the abrasion resistance that good tough mono (like Ande Back Country) does. The Block is a lot of rock and rubble and barnacles so I lost fish and plugs due to line breaking, fraying, etc. This was fresh 50# Suffix 832. I have since bought extra spools for my reels and now have one loaded with braid and one loaded with mono for all my reels. Same with the conventionals except it's one reel with mono and one with braid.

A word of caution on the "all in on braid thing". I fished the Block last Nov and found out, the hard way, that braid isn't necessarily good for all things. It doesn't have the abrasion resistance that good tough mono (like Ande Back Country) does. The Block is a lot of rock and rubble and barnacles so I lost fish and plugs due to line breaking, fraying, etc. This was fresh 50# Suffix 832. I have since bought extra spools for my reels and now have one loaded with braid and one loaded with mono for all my reels. Same with the conventionals except it's one reel with mono and one with braid.

I would agree.

-spence

I'm going to teach myself to SW fly fish.

I figure I rarely catch anything when I fish with spin, so I might as well start flinging the fly. Then when I don't catch anything, I can at least blame it on being a flyfishing newb.

found out, the hard way, that braid isn't necessarily good for all things. It doesn't have the abrasion resistance that good tough mono (like Ande Back Country) does.

Not to derail this thread, but I also agree 100%.

Good reasoning there JackK!

I'm gonna experiment a little more instead of always sticking to the tried and true. Gonna try to fish more spots as well, I barely got out of one general area last year, but the fishing was good!

A word of caution on the "all in on braid thing". I fished the Block last Nov and found out, the hard way, that braid isn't necessarily good for all things. It doesn't have the abrasion resistance that good tough mono (like Ande Back Country) does. The Block is a lot of rock and rubble and barnacles so I lost fish and plugs due to line breaking, fraying, etc. This was fresh 50# Suffix 832. I have since bought extra spools for my reels and now have one loaded with braid and one loaded with mono for all my reels. Same with the conventionals except it's one reel with mono and one with braid.

In a situation like that I tie the leader direct and give myself three or four wraps of leader on the spool plus the standard casting length that way when the fish get into the rocks you will generally have enough leader to avoid the abrasion.
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I plan to fish less and enjoy the time I spend on the water more!

When I fish, my target species will be what is around right then. I am no longer wasting a lot of energy, running all over, catching bait, spending an insane amount of time looking for fish that are not there in any number. If I get a first hand report that they are out there ...I know the where and when, but those days of pissing away hour after hour are gone. At my age I only have so many hours left so I want to use them wisely and enjoy each one.
As far as beach fishing...Will cherry pick the "peak" runs and avoid the rest of the season. Becoming less interested in the beach night after night.

I'd like the wife to change her attitude towards me fishing.That is all I want to change this year.Really is a downer for me when I have to get in a fight to go out fishing...every time.It really is depressing.

I'd like the wife to change her attitude towards me fishing.That is all I want to change this year.Really is a downer for me when I have to get in a fight to go out fishing...every time.It really is depressing.

This isn't about her, it's all about you. What don't you understand? :devil2:
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tie more direct to plugs. gd fast clips lol. and have more days when myself and a few friends absolutely tee off on fiesty bass :uhuh: its fun when everything and everyone clicks

I'd like the wife to change her attitude towards me fishing.That is all I want to change this year.Really is a downer for me when I have to get in a fight to go out fishing...every time.It really is depressing.

This is probably going to sound like the worst advice you have ever heard. Go fishing for a longer period of time and don't talk to her while you are fishing. When you return she will have missed you and you can tell her ok next time I will only go for a tide.
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aDAM .........Ya must have known that going in >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> &&&&&&&& you still went with in ........She,s not gonna change / SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO either you give up fishing or give up her >>>>>>>>>>>>>> :soon::buds:

On our very 1st date ... we towed the boat to Westport @ 5.30 AM &&& fished the day & Many ,Many days after ........... She could plug with the best of them & she went large ,when we wanted .40#

Yet , I still got close to losing her because of fishing ............. 7 days aweek & had to real jobs .fished before work ........ put the tie on & played the 8-5 game .then right back out to fish ;;
I quit a real good job to go fishing/digging full time ........................Best & worse thing I ever did ..................................... But we were together alot more //
BACK IN THE DAY ><><:love:

I plan on learning a little more about the habits of ground fish and try to catch a few out of my own boat this year.

Good luck if you are fishing Stellwagen Bank. The sector draggers have completely raped it dry of ground fish.
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I'm going to fish the canal as much as possible from by boat.
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Bluefish and albies on the fly, and a 30# plus bass on the fly. Those are my realistic goals for this year.

A word of caution on the "all in on braid thing". I fished the Block last Nov and found out, the hard way, that braid isn't necessarily good for all things. It doesn't have the abrasion resistance that good tough mono (like Ande Back Country) does. The Block is a lot of rock and rubble and barnacles so I lost fish and plugs due to line breaking, fraying, etc. This was fresh 50# Suffix 832. I have since bought extra spools for my reels and now have one loaded with braid and one loaded with mono for all my reels. Same with the conventionals except it's one reel with mono and one with braid.

This has been my view for years. I totally agree and I had a similar experience using 50lb braid on BI a few years ago.

More time in boats...saved up vacation days to take more 3 day weekends in June. I'm already doing better than last year!

I'd like the wife to change her attitude towards me fishing.That is all I want to change this year.Really is a downer for me when I have to get in a fight to go out fishing...every time.It really is depressing.


Oh my... I hate to say it but you were not engaged long enough. She should be used to this by now. IMO you need to be engaged for 4 years min so she understands exactly what she is getting into.

This is probably going to sound like the worst advice you have ever heard. Go fishing for a longer period of time and don't talk to her while you are fishing. When you return she will have missed you and you can tell her ok next time I will only go for a tide.
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Thats like the Dog in Trunk analogy.....


Who likes you more, your dog or your wife, Lock them both in the trunk for an hour, when you open the trunk see which one is happy to see you :hihi:

i have down sized my work schedule, upgraded my transportation
added a cruiser and changed my mindset. there will be sightings.

I'd like the wife to change her attitude towards me fishing.That is all I want to change this year.Really is a downer for me when I have to get in a fight to go out fishing...every time.It really is depressing.

I married young ( the first time)...my wife had plenty of warning, friends, family , even a former girlfriend all tried to warn her.. I believe, she thought she could change me...night after night, I dissapeard fishing, that year we had a huge school of 20lb class bass roaming joppa flats with lock jaw.. night after night I got skunked ( if I only knew then what I know now).. she confided in a friend that I surely had a girl friend.. word got back to me and I became angry, and more determined... one night( after 27 straight fishless nights) i scored big... 6 fish all between 20- 30 lbs... fired up, sleep depraved,I was filled with emotion and anxiety, upon arriving home I i pulled back the sheets and threw the biggest bass ( 30lbs) into the bed with her and proclaimed here's my #%&*$%&%$#$ girlfriend....we remained married for 7 years before she went crazy .. she now resides in a "home" in santa monica .. true story with a moral... people dont change, not quickly anyway... sometimes, some will try and change us, but what we do makes us who we are.. I wish you the best of luck.. seek compromises, but make her understand that fishing and being on the water is what makes you who you are..

sorry for the hijack
tight lines
Roc

A word of caution on the "all in on braid thing". I fished the Block last Nov and found out, the hard way, that braid isn't necessarily good for all things. It doesn't have the abrasion resistance that good tough mono (like Ande Back Country) does. The Block is a lot of rock and rubble and barnacles so I lost fish and plugs due to line breaking, fraying, etc. This was fresh 50# Suffix 832. I have since bought extra spools for my reels and now have one loaded with braid and one loaded with mono for all my reels. Same with the conventionals except it's one reel with mono and one with braid.

Thanks for this input. I'm going to do this!! This is yet another reason I love this site!!! Thanks so much!!:uhuh:

There are subliminal audio tapes that you can order that can have a
message of your choice installed below the ability to hear it to
brain train your spouse into any desired behavior or attitude.

seek compromises

Those 2 words right there are the key.....

She can't expect you to just give up your passion....but you agreed in a partnership when you said "I Do".....You need to give a little too...

There's things she has passion for too....and...as crazy as it might sound...being with you might be one of them.

My goals this year aren't too crazy because I will be extremely busy this summer between full time work and full time school and social obligations.

However, I have made a few goals I think i can actually accomplish.

1. Take more pictures. I have been saying I would do this, but keep forgetting once the action gets hot or I get distracted. No one is getting younger and it will be great to look back at this stuff even at the end of the year.

2. Make every trip quality. Fish hard and enjoy it.

3. Help new people get into fish, as I was assisted greatly by others, I'd like to return the favor.

All seem doable. Hope I remember them:rotf2:

Those 2 words right there are the key.....

She can't expect you to just give up your passion....but you agreed in a partnership when you said "I Do".....You need to give a little too...

There's things she has passion for too....and...as crazy as it might sound...being with you might be one of them.

those are THE key.. life itself... is nothing more than a series of compromises... we must take what we are given... and give back some of what we have taken....

My only change will be to lower my expectations. Any chance I get to get out will be a win and any fish I catch will be a bonus.

If there is a legit reason to stay home, then stay home so she knows you are listening and you care. If it is whining and nonsense then go chase your passion.All winter you dream of fishing and build up points for such occasions. Also, never put restrictions on her activities and tell her to get some friends.You will only build resentment if you stay home to watch her favorite show together.

Thats like the Dog in Trunk analogy.....


Who likes you more, your dog or your wife, Lock them both in the trunk for an hour, when you open the trunk see which one is happy to see you :hihi:

:rotflmao:
Those 2 words right there are the key.....

She can't expect you to just give up your passion....but you agreed in a partnership when you said "I Do".....You need to give a little too...

There's things she has passion for too....and...as crazy as it might sound...being with you might be one of them.

:btu:

My goals this year aren't too crazy because I will be extremely busy this summer between full time work and full time school and social obligations.

However, I have made a few goals I think i can actually accomplish.

1. Take more pictures. I have been saying I would do this, but keep forgetting once the action gets hot or I get distracted. No one is getting younger and it will be great to look back at this stuff even at the end of the year.

2. Make every trip quality. Fish hard and enjoy it.

3. Help new people get into fish, as I was assisted greatly by others, I'd like to return the favor.

All seem doable. Hope I remember them:rotf2:

You do know you are in your Sophomore season, right? You know what usually happens in the sophomore year? You tank. Ask Andy :rotf2:

If there is a legit reason to stay home, then stay home so she knows you are listening and you care. If it is whining and nonsense then go chase your passion.All winter you dream of fishing and build up points for such occasions. Also, never put restrictions on her activities and tell her to get some friends.You will only build resentment if you stay home to watch her favorite show together.

:btu:

I went through this too. We were both right and both wrong. It took some time and give and take to come to something of an understanding. Be sure to kick her out of the house too so she can have some "me time". Plan in advance when you are going to go so that the night (s) on the calendar. Plan out several nights over a couple weeks and select some for fishing and select some for her.

I fish... a lot, and always have. I am very lucky I get absolutly zero grief for it.

However, two or three times a season she ASKS if I will stay home for the night. No matter how good the fishing is, or how bad my b@ll$ get broken, I happily spend the night at home, with no regrets.


This August will be our 15th anniversary.

I'm going to curse :fury: less and smile more....:uhuh:

When does this go into effect... It certainly wasn't before you called me last night:realmad::cens:

:rotf2::rotf2::rotf2::rotf2:

Next week is our 20th.......she deserves sainthood for putting up with me that long :hihi:

Joe I have read that story at least twice in my years of Internet fishing sites and it never gets old.
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Like you John, I am going to try and reduce my carry to be more mobile and also to become more confident in my go to stuff/colors. I just bought a smaller bag to keep it down to 6plugs and a few tins/bucktails per trip. The rest will stay in the truck.

I also bought a few needlefish lures and plan on giving them a fair shake this year.

Between a poorly timed late spring vacation and other commitments I probably won't have as much time fishing as I had last year, so I plan on trying to make the most of my trips. I'm also going to fish a lot with my son this year. He turned 7 over the winter and keeps bugging me to get him on a keeper bass and some blues. I've taken him 3 times so far and even after getting skunked he wants to go again. I told him he's gonna do all right if he keeps his expectations low and just enjoys doing it and doesn't worry about the results.
I'm also planning on doing some trips with the yakrats since last year was a bust for me with the yak. And after buying a wetsuit this winter, I'll be getting out to some of those rocks that used to be out of reach.

Because of health reasons I missed most of last year. I am not much better this year but plan on more fishing! Not so much on numbers but more on quality, I need to and want to learn more areas as most of mine are fished out:fury: My son has stepped up last year and this driving the boat and gets better each time!
I love just taking friends out and finding them fish, makes me feel good even if I don't fish that day.
I lost my mother this year and my dad is not a well person, and at 75 he isn't getting any younger! He lives in VT. and use to come vist me each year, but has not come the last few for his own issues. But he states he is coming this June and I can't wait til h gets here!

Going to try to make this year and any others count!! As I am not sure how many more we are going to have!!

You do know you are in your Sophomore season, right? You know what usually happens in the sophomore year? You tank. Ask Andy :rotf2:




I don't believe in jinxes so the sophmore jinx need not apply.

already doing better than last year. 3rd season in the salt. Goal is to do better, but enjoy every outting, and get my 12 year old son onto more and bigger fish.:fishin:

Try to get out more often so I don't hear "you should have been here yesterday!" :rotf2: Concentrate on big plugs and big fish :uhuh: I have a few large plugs I made this winter that will stay in the bag and little stuff is going to stay home, and finally try to wrap my 2 favorite rods which still have the guides taped on from last year.

it's funny how the thread slightly turned into a spouse bitch session. i think every married man has those problems to some extent.

this year i want to take things less seriously. i got too irritable last year when fish were not there when i thought they would be.

i'll probably fish 1-2 spots in the same general area this year because of time and money constraints.

and bounce more bucktails off the bottom this year.

:rotflmao:


:btu:



You do know you are in your Sophomore season, right? You know what usually happens in the sophomore year? You tank. Ask Andy :rotf2:



:btu:

I went through this too. We were both right and both wrong. It took some time and give and take to come to something of an understanding. Be sure to kick her out of the house too so she can have some "me time". Plan in advance when you are going to go so that the night (s) on the calendar. Plan out several nights over a couple weeks and select some for fishing and select some for her.

We all went through this. When I first started getting up at 1 or 2 AM she was convinced I had a mistress. Then she thought I was a drug addict on meth or coke. Then she was convinced I was crazy. So we came to an agreement. She would go to the Block in Oct and fish with me EVERY TIME I went out. I bought her waders, had Dave Hammock wrap her a Lami graphite 9' rod and put a 710Z on it.

So off we went. Had a low tide with a SW wind at 1:00 AM. This was when we could drive right down to the SW Point. She lasted 3 hours. Hooked and landed several 20#+ bass, got knocked down by several waves and got soaked.
When we got back to the Manatee Hotel and she had a hot shower and a glass of cognac she told me that was the wildest thing she had ever done, probably wouldn't do it again but she understood completely.

She never complained again about my crazy hours and that was in the mid-70s.:):):)

keep her

I had a leaning post, cooler, various power tools, 7 rods, 2 gaffs, 2 hatches, 4 double depth planos, various electronics, and a gallon of Kiwigrip in the living room all winter long and she's still with me. :hihi:

Sound advice from everyone.Been together 15 years and it's getting progressively worse.Oh well....

As far as fishing this season I hope to get out more , use more bait and less plugs.Maybe dedicate most of the season to eels and one or two plugs. 70/30 ratio with bait being higher.

Do what I did :)

i loved the line from the movie .....Wyatt Earp

"it's time to redefine the nature of our association."

My wife never says anything other than be safe and catch me a big one. With three kids under 13 and both working full time I am very lucky to be able to get out at all. When I do it's nice to know I have the support of my family as well as my fishing buds. Thanks C.S.A.
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I'm seeing how it would feel to be semi retired. Booked a site in a canal campground for nearly a month. Should be able to find a fish or two in that amount of time. :)

As to the spouse thing, I'm pretty lucky there. Mine likes to fish and camp, so she understands even when I leave her behind. You have to compromise though, hard to stay together if you're never together. But that doesn't mean you can't both do things on your own either.

Just trying to get out more and finally use bucktails, I have avoided them like the plague up until this point
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Outside of maybe drag out a few less plugs that I don't use anyway , I'm not changing a damn thing. Worked last year.