yup someone has plans 4 you Flap:D
hi ya Karl:wave:

as I sit here reading these posts of things people hope to do or catch, I sit thinking of everthing I've caught an seen while I've been on the water, be it on the beach or boat.

I've seen so many bass in the water at once you could have walked on them an not gotten your feet wet.

fished with some real old cape sharpies.

driven the beach from chatham to pt without nearly a break in between.

fished eels,plugs.jigs.flys,longlines.pots,rubber,livelin ed etc.

been on draggers,scallopers,charters

caught my big one in 96[bass]

a 17* fluke

300* blue

40* cod

caught so many lobsters I'll take a burger now thank you.

seen the eclips from the end of monomoy

fished nantucket from the beach[won the pot 3 years running]

fished in between slip an jp

won two casting contests[they kicked me out] no one would compete anymore.

built more rods then I want to count

plugs

owned more boats then anyone should be aloud.

swam with bass patting them on their backs

there's more, but I can now sit back an fish for fun, whatever size or shape I get to pull in if it doesn't pull me in first.

:D

my dream...alaska...I want one of those big flounders. a 225lber will do.

My goal is to start putting more time on night fishing for stripers and improving my techniques and using my own instincts on what lures are good in condition. I may have the car to Back River or any Haba spot (my sister got in the way:af: ). I want to catch stripers on the lures on the shore and canal. My first keeper from the shore gotta be 20 or 30 for now. If I am confident enough, I will try to pursue for 40 and more.

Flap,Thank you.:)

Close your eyes, just look back, and weigh everything :
I'm 36, got a nice wife, 3 kids I love, a job bringing in enough money to be able to live honestly and spend some of it in leisure at sea...
Been competing in windsurfing (qualified for for the French nationals 4 times, tried wave surfing for the pleasure, then fishing)
I just hope this will continue for a long long time !!!

As far as fishing is concerned, I really enjoy bringing newbies and teach them the basics ("I've been fishing for a year and never caught a single fish..."), and as somebody said, share with kids (even if my daughters HATE eating bass...). I'm not a professionnal, I just try to be on the water as often as possible, and be humble.
Last saturday, went with a friend, his 12 years old daughter, fishing 7 miles away from the shore with live eels. Scarce fishes but a nice 30" 7 pounder (real big in the French standard, keeper size is 14"). You should have seen how proud the young girl looked on the picture ! Made me happy for the rest of the day.

Expecting a really big one, yes, as everybody I suppose, but which leaves you the best memories : the ones you kept or the ones you missed after a long fight ??? Or the released ?

Today, I just wish I were on holiday (soon...), to experience striper, either on a topwater (exposive action?), or on the fly...
And yes, the bigger the better !!!

"Fish hard, live long" : I'll get these stickers for me and my friends, sure

at almost 50years old, my ultimate wish would be fishing when i am 80.with my kids and their kids. as a kid i caught all the large fish anyone could ever ask for, it never meant anything to me, they were just fish. it was always the expierince of being on the water that thrilled me, seeing the unexpected or catching the unexpected. i think big fish are over rated, they are more of an ego thing.

for me , catch a fifity from the shore.

for the sport , do something significant in the area of access to fishing spots.

Flap , been there (death bed) myself as most know 2 years ago. You express the thoughts and feelings eloquently. Like to fish with you sometime and talk.

My goal is to continue to fish as hard as I can without wrecking what I have accomplished so far by fishing too hard, too long and too much (seen it happen to people)
My job keeps me near the coast, but what coast and where when are unknown, so I have a guaranteed 4 years living 2 min from fabled bass grounds and I'd like to make the most of them...

my short term goals; 40 from the beach... 40 from my skiff (39and change and 37 from boat:smash: but no 40)
but as I get to the point of consistenatly catching decent fish, 15-25lbs from shore (not every night, but getting better at finding them) I realize alot of size is luck; dragging an eel/plug past a hungary 50 is luck; hooking and landing that fish is skill;

My other goals; 15lb Tog (ok, really it's 17.5, my old man's mark)
10lb fluke
20lb Blue

As far as exotics go; Tarpon, maybe someday... took my AJ on light tackle last year, so I have experienced their power (very impressive and released her to fight again)

Long term; to continue to fish with people I want to fish with (sometimes that means alone) and to continue to fish with my old man when our schedules allow (mostly blackfishing in the fall)

WOW, this is a GREAT thread.

Firstly, Flaptail you nearly made me cry. God is generous my friend, share your gift with as many who will listen.

Shortly after my father died. I had a dream that I was drifting on the south side of Block Island and the water was as clean as it gets and very calm. Suddenly my dad drifted down from heaven and sat beside me in the boat. He said look at all the beautiful fish. I looked around the boat and there were fish of every species. Dolfins were jumping and sharks were gliding along and it was like being at the aquarium. than I looked back toward my dad and he was gone. I felt such peace after that dream.

Anyway, I'm gonna make you guys mad but my dream isn't a striper. I'm happy with my 40 pounders. I'd love to catch busting school tuna on a popper. I know they do it down south. I'd love to hook into a 50 pound yellowfin on a spinning set up with one of my own poppers. That would be a thrill.

Saving what we can for the future of all children is a goal. Working with other fishermen to make the way for our children to have what we do.

I got the 25 pound blue already MikeP . In fact caught several all the same day. It was the friday or sat after thanksgiving about ten years ago. Broard daylite. Big monsters coming down from Point Judith to Watch Hill. Lots of people along the way got them. Gopt them all on Atom Poppers. Never seen any that big before or since. People worry about a Blue snipping off their finger. these monsters could have bitten off your whole hand!!

I just want to fish somewhere other than Rhody. Maybe in the Keys for multiple days or take a long range charter out of San Diego or maybe get to fish Panama. The last thing could come true. My cousin might possibly have a place down there with her significant other soon. He's from Panama.

Flap, thanks for the perspective.

Flap. As someone else said, you were posting at about the same time I did and I never read your post until now. Your post really meant something special to me. I too went from healthy as a horse to my deathbed in just a few days last year. I was not saved by a miracle, but modern medicine. But I definitely have a different outlook on life. And after reading your post, I realized how superficial my post was. I guess I got caught up in the thoughts of the large fish an not what is really important to me.

As others have posted, I currently live a very happy life. I have a wonderful girlfriend who is going to be my wife. I make a decent living. and I live close enough to the coast to fish regularly. I am a real newbie without a lot of luck so far, but I improve my technique on each trip. And I learn more and more about when to fish and what lures to select reading here.

Thank you Flap - you made me take another look, and reassess my priorities. You think my experience, that wiped out my fishing opportunities for much of last year, would have taught me. But gentle reminders are always welcome.

Again - thanks Flap. I hope I get to meet and fish with you someday.

-IWK

One of those million + dollar homes on the water, with my own private dock with a fully rigged 26' Regulator for fishing, and a Scout 280 Abaco for fishing/family tied to it :). Is that asking for too much???

Iwannakeeper... your post wasn't superficial. The thread was about fishing goals... no need to beat yourself up.

That being said, Flap, that is a great story. Thanks for sharing that.

My year and a half old twins fought some long odds just to be born at just over 2lbs each. Then they fought for 3 months in the NICU at Brigham and Womens. Its amazing to look at them now. They are just normal healthy toddlers. We are blessed. I may complain about being tired, or not having the time on the water or to myself that I need, but its just venting.

I've noticed that my outlook has changed some over the past two seasons since that whole experience. I'm just enjoying the whole process more and taking it less seriously.

I think its actually helped me quite a bit. I'm more relaxed now and spend more time trying different things, not so worried that its going to "cost me fish". So I'm learning more.

My ultimate goals are pretty simple. I don't really have any aspirations of a 50 from the surf. Or on a plug. Or whatever. They may be goals, but they are just minor goals. I have alot of minor goals. Keep learning and get more consistent. Fishing florida more... trying new areas like the gulf coast and the keys. Costa Rica... I've wanted to fish salmon in Alaska since I was a kid. I used to be a big trout fisherman. I don't know, I could go on forever. But those are not my ultimate goals.

My ultimate goals are just to keep my family involved and teach my kids the love and respect of the outdoors. And to be able to spend time fishing with people that share that love... whether it is family or friends. And to be able to do that a long time.

It sounds cheesy, but when I really thought about it, especially after stories like Flaps and Salthearts, that's what I want out of it.

Short term goal:

Be able to fish this weekend without crap from my wife and then have her let me sleep in the next day.

I probably have a better shot at multiple 50lbers from the surf.

OK, here goes...

I caught my biggest fish to date this very morning. A 41" 26lb bass.

But I am not satisfied.


My goal is to fish less

To NOT be so consumed by fishing that it invades every thought in every minute of every day.

To NOT spend a healthy chunk of my work day reading threads (like this one) on this and the other sites I go to.

To NOT continue to allow fishing to dictate my every move, from the route I take home (has to be by water) to the time I eat (or not)

To NOT let this allegedly fun sport continue to eat away at my marriage and my stability.

If there was a 12-step program, I would need at least 24.

What is funny is that to those who do not suffer from this disease I get comments like:
"your are addicted to WHAT?, I can think of a lot of worse things than addiction to fishing"
and
" You are so lucky to have a great passion for fishing"

Am I?
Passion or Poison?

I wonder

Spin

Ultimate wish would be: that there are still enough fish to enjoy catching in twenty years.
Not so much for me, but for my kids. ;)

Somehow this thread turned into a "there is so much more important in life than fishing" thread....not what I was looking for!:rolleyes: Looking for that one guilty desire that is fishing related that I think we all have! I know what is truely important in life.......however I am looking for fish discussion.....not "what is the meaning of life" type stuff. (No offense meant to those who have shared);)

i feel crappy because i am a mama's boy. i need to live on my own and get my own ride. it is going to take a while. my guilyt desire is to take the iszu trooper and ride and fish hard. and also call in sick days and catch big fish. damn, things dont go well as i expected this year. :( :smash: i want a damn fish. and i want to outfish all of you old fart. :laughs: :devil:

Okay BigFish, sorry to mess up your thread. Let me try this. Being that I am human and subject to human desires I think it might go something like " I walked the path down to the bottom of Longnook Beach at sunset and as I was coming down the beach in the last light of day I saw someone else casting away in the distance to the north. I walked closer and was surprised to find it was a woman. She appeared to be in her early to mid thirties, long blond hair in a ponytail around a face of an angel. Piercing blue eyes, tall and a perfect body, evident through her neoprene waders. As I passed she says hello and I respond in kind. I ask how the fishing is and she says she has seen fish breaking right in front of her. We are the only two on the beach and she says that it would be no problem if I wanted to fish with her as she doesn't often get company as most people think it strange that a woman like her likes to surfcast. She tells me she is not married and loves to fish..........." You guys take it from there!!!!!!!:eek: :happy: :happy: :happy: :happy:

I had a feeling things were getting off the track with all the "cumbaya" stuff. I did it too, but I was just answering with my honest opinion.

Specific fishing goals...

40lber... boat or surf, could care less (I've hit 30, so 40 is next logical step)

a big tarpon... got a couple princes, ready to get a silver king

a trip of a lifetime in the next 3 to 5 years... could be costa rica, could be alaska... a week of fishing am/pm with people who want to fish am to pm. The type of trip where you fish and fish and fish, then have a nice meal and a couple beers and relive it that night... then do it again.

The trip would probably be the top goal.

PS... tropical would be nice, sitting by the beach or a pool... but I could seriously do a campfire type thing to. The griz up in Alaska might be an issue, but you only have to be faster than the slowest man.

flap thats my fantasy too just prefer a red head so when the lights are out I can still see .

WOW, Flap. That's not a goal, but a dream I have every night!!:D

by Bigfish;
"more than that I am curious about what is each individuals selfish little desire! What would be the single most guilty pleasure you could realistically imagine!"

okay, a 75 pounder from shore on a polaris popper.
:D

my wish......
 

.....i'd say what it is.....but as you can see by my obvious lack of posts to this fine fishing board......

that i have taken flight.... and have basically lost all faith.

After my kids have grown up to be well adjusted and self sufficient (in about 20 years) and my wife and I are set financially and both healthy enough, I'd like to be able to fish whenever I want rather than when I can.

It wouldn't hurt if I was fishing from the private beach/reef/inlet/cove that wraps directly around the yard that is in front of my humble 4K sq ft beach house with a dock on the cove so I could use my 23' CC when I need a break from surfcasting.

Until then, I'll continue to sneak out once a week to drive a couple hours to harrass schoolies.

I was lucky enough to do the Alaska thing and got my 50# salmon. It would be nice to get a bass that size.

"cumbaya my Lord, cumbaya
send a fifty my Lord, send a fifty
make it sixty my Lord, make it sixty
Oh Lord cumbaya"

:)

I'd love to get on a really big bite and I don't care if they are 50's, I've had a couple of them. What I miss are those few times that everyone who puts in the hours eventually gets, those big bites with one after the other, until your arms are about to fall off. I want a big bite this year of 20-30-40 lbers, one after the other, I love that stuff and it's been too many years since I've lucked into one.

I'm also hoping to save enough money to go after a big Tarpon bite come May, that's something I really want to do. I love large, no matter what species, give me large.

My ultimate goal for now (short term)
Is for the HUGE landing net I ordered yesterday to show up ASAP, so when the next 40 plus lb fish that is 10 ft from my boat and I'm fumbling with the dam gaff trying to get the fish then the fish gives a head shake and gets off and swims away (had some smaller ones in the past 2 days do the same) ends up in the fish box. :smash:
$100.00 per lb. would be nice also!!!
Long term,
Another , but bigger tuna on a cod jig.

Ronnie

Really,,,what a strange story.....:smash: :smash:
I guess news travels fast.,.I got a call from Jim (you know who).
Said he heard about a certain someone losing a BIG fish at the boat....:smash: :smash: