What Would Be Your Ultimate Fishing Wish/Goal?
 

In this sport that we all enjoy so much, what would you consider to be the single most gratifying thing that you personally could accomplish whether it be a certain goal, achievement, etc.:confused:

I would say that catching a fish on my own plug that I built was on my list for quite some time and I took great pleasure in achieveing that goal:bounce: I do however have a goal of catching my first 40 pound striper this season......;) but if I had to pick a single plateau that I might only dream about it would have to be catching a striper over 50 pounds...whether it be 50 or 60 or even 70:smash: for that matter, just to be able to catch a striper over 50 pounds from the surf....that would truely be a great achievement for me personally.....(especially if it were on my own plug).:btu:

Next?:happy:

Personal goal - Fifty+ from the beach

Personal Fullfillment - years and years of happy, enjoyable fishing

Long term hope - my son enjoys it as much as I do and that we fish together for many years to follow...

Oh yeh, and that Clammer doesn't catch too many bLoOfIsH

passing the joy i receive from fishing on to another.

This being my 1st real year of striper fishing I've set my goals realisticly.

1. To just improve my knowledge of the overall sport

2. To make sure I get out on there fishing on a pretty regular basis. I've been averaging 3-4 times a week

3. I've set my goal for a fish this season at 20 lbs. I figure I've got so much to learn that I want to enjoy the entire experience right now and not just focus on some unattainable goal.

Would I love to catch a 50.......Hell Yeah but right now I'm just enjoying the ride.

And as JohnR stated I would also hope that my son and I could share the enjoyment of this sport as well.

Thats a very significant question and one that evokes a lot of emotion. I caught my first Bass in the canal when I was six, that would be forty-two years ago fishing with my brothers and my dad from the Scussett Jetty. My oldest Brother and my Dad are gone now and my second oldest brother finds satisfaction on the golf course. I have been lucky and have had a lot of great nights with some really great catches and have fished from Fishers Island New York to Maine for Stripers. I was a commercial bass guy in the early seventies to the mid eighties when my economic standing no longer dictated spending all hours of my "spare" time chasing bass for an extra buck.

I used to think that a fifty or better would be my Holy Grail but after all these years I have come to the realization that no matter how hard you try and how hard you commit yourself to that goal there is a certain amount of luck that plays into the equation no matter how "good" you are.

I would like to be known and remebered as a good bass fisherman who had no problem sharing ideas and methods with all those who would ask and as someone who promoted all that is good about our sport. Maybe my big fish will come and maybe she won't. I don't dwell on that now. My epiphany came in 1993 when I was 37 and was told that in order to live any longer I would need a heart/lung transplant.

I went from healthy as a horse to hours from death in a little over three days that October as a result of a virus. As I laid in the intensive care unit in the hospital it became quite clear to me what was really important and it wasn't fishing, it was my family and I begged God to give me another chance. In the early morning of my birthday as I was lying in that bed, isolated with six IV's and oxygen on me I heard my brothers voice telling me I would be all right.

It was the voice of my brother John, killed in 1969 in Viet Nam. Two days later a number of different doctors came to see me. They tried to explain something they did not know how to, that for some unknown reason I had completely reverted back to normal. Only a Dr. Urbach, whose father was one of Schindlers Jews had a clue. He told me I had received a miracle and that I was saved for a reason. He told me I would spend my life, like his father, searching for the reason God had spared him and like him, might never find the reason why.

I think about this everyday, why? One out of one hundred people survive the viral infection I had to live a normal life. I do know this, when you are out on the beach just don't think of the fish. Think of the beautiful place you are, the sun, the stars and think of the friends you are with and the sum total of it all. The you might see you might that you have caught your prize and you didn't even know it.

Large... Hell yeah!, we all want that.
Knowledge, can't have enough of that.
Quantity isn't bad either, but that comes with time and applied knowledge.

My own personal wish,

MORE TIME!

As well as thoese goals posted above, a materialistic hope of mine is to take a trip to Argentina to fis.. catch one of the 15 to 20 lb sea run browns in the Rio Grande (not sure of the exact spelling) river. My idea of a once in a lifetime trip.

:happy:

Currrently - I just want a keeper.

Long term goal, this was inspired by Big-fish. I would like to wrap my own rod, and make my own plug and catch a 50+. This is a really long term goal. I haven't wrapped a single rod, though after this weekend, I hope to get started. And I haven't had even begun the life of a plug builder. I am just starting to get around to the plugs turned by some of the board members.

I do not want or have kids, but I do take my nephews along on the beach from time to time. But I haven't spent enough time to get fish reliably from the beach, and the kids tend to get get bored. I hope I can pass along a little joy to the kids, and inspire them to fish as they get older.

In the mean time, I enjoy reading and doing. Getting out there and fishing. I am going to a rod building get-together this weekend to get fired up with another aspect of the sport.

thanks for the thread - it makes you think.

-IWK

my goal is to fish Alaska in a river catching salmon, char and greyling and enjoying the land that people forgot . I want to expierence sometime without civilization and in the world before we knew it . when I was in the Army maybe I should have been stationed in greenland .

a 50 from shore would be nice ( I have a 44# ) .


Im glad I have been able to teach my daughters the love of fishing . Maybe they will continue into teens then adult hood . If not atleast they were able to enjoy it with me when they were young .

I would like to ride on top of a ferris wheel and go round and round !

I have been lucky so far and did the 50+ from the shore, now my goal is simple:

1) Win MV derby from the surf with the largest sb caught in the history of the derby.

Does it bother me if I never get there? No, I enjoy the excitement of the sport and just being out there, but that is my objective. I know the odds. But it is doable, not easy, but doable.

Flap, I just read your moving post. God bless you my friend!

Work a school of jumbos with my close fishing compadres

Flaptail,

That was terrific. :btu:

jp i love u

I know. Buy me something pretty.
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a Daiwa Saltiga will do. :D

That was a very nice story Flap....I had no idea! Glad you pulled through to be here with us now!:btu: I guess what I am looking for besides the ultimate goal/achievement is.....what motivates each of us, besides yeah, we love the catching of fish and the hunt......but more than that I am curious about what is each individuals selfish little desire!:eek: What would be the single most guilty pleasure you could realistically imagine!:huh:

sure otay
i still have a 4x8 shhet with rocks glued to it for You to fish the sand on.
I still think You only fish with Me to here Slip and I go at it:laughs:

Don't ya hate it when Slip beats your best fish by 10#s.

Drives me crazy. He's done it to me more than once ( He does it on purpose) - I refuse to fish anywhere near him anymore.


BTW, We gotta stop - we're hijackin' BigFish's thread

I would like to see and catch a couple out of a school of 60-70 pounders.. ya, run across a school of 70 pounders and catch a few..I think that would be my ultimate fishing wish. 70 pounders pushing a big school of pogies.

what he said:D

Flaptail,

Incredible story. Thanks for sharing that with us. I hope you find the reason someday.

I would like to think that I have developed a similar outlook to life and fishing - although certainly from different experience. That is - enjoy everything that you can in every day. The people, the places, the laughs, the sights, the sounds. Work hard to make the world a better place when you leave than when you arrived. Don't hold on to anger, jealousy and vengeance - it only prevents you from enjoying this time now.

That said, most of my affirmation of this outlook is the result of the loss of friends and family. Every funeral reminds me of the finite nature of this life and reinforces my desire to be at peace with the time I do have.

I know this may sound sappy, but it brings me to my point. My most gratifying fishing experience (and thus my wish/goal) involves taking someone, especially kids, on my boat who seldom (or never) get a chance to be on the ocean. My wish is to see them catch a bunch of fish, each catch a little larger than the last, working their way up to a keeper.

There's nothing like the look on a kid's face proudly holding up a big fish for a photo. If they've been real good I even let them steer the boat on the way back in.


Either that or a 50 pounder for me!!

flap, that was special. my dream would have me and my boy on the beach working plugs over hungry giant bass!

:mad: HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!:wall: :whackin: :rocketem: :topic:



Flap, even if you don't find the reason , atleast you got a second chance man. Maybe you can look forward to walking your girls down the isle one day :) You're a good man Steve. God bless you.


Bigfish, I can't answer that so easily but one of my hopes is to catch fish with my kids in the boat I built on plugs I made.

I have a few goals a 50 is definatly one of them, I'd take a 40 in the canal too! I got my one goal this year AOY (angler-of-the-year) in my freshwater bass club. I'll be off to Champlain for the State Fishoffs next month. The next goal would be the top ten for the regionals. Win the regionals and get a seat in the Bassmasters Classic ;) and no not that Bassmaster:laughs:

After going from a compulsive fishaholic who probably wrecked my marriage through fishing (and other things), I have been looking at things in a new light.
Now my brother (who unbenounced to everybody but me, used to need a gun to the head to throw a line in the water up until three years ago) is the maniac, and I just plain out love to fish. I have the ultimate dream every time I have a line in the water.
Strangely enough, I don't catch as many fish as I used to...
But I actually think I like fishing much more now. It's very weird...
If I'm fishing I'm happy. The catching doesn't mean so much anymore.
Still fun to catch a big one, though.
Later,
Rick

My goal for this year is to guide my wife to her first keeper.

I have my 40 from the Canal.

I want a 50 from shore sometime before I die, but I figure if it doesn't happen, I'll be in some pretty good company with guys like Frank Woolner and Bunny DiPetro.

A 25# blue would be nice, too. Right now that's a bigger pipe dream than a 50 :(

Another thing I'd like to have is a shot at a 50+ red drum. One of these years I'll make the trek south.

:eek: Tony, I'm shocked, you haven't got a 40 from the ditch? Wow, I would never have guessed that.


I did accomplished one of my dreams 2 years ago by catching a tarpon. It is true what they say about that gamefish, they kick the crap out of you.

I want to be the best damn fisherman I can be. When I am much mcuh older I would like to be able to say that I fished as hard as I possibly could. I would like to have some of the up comming fisherman look up to me and get excited reading one of my posts as i often do reading many of the posts on here by many of you guys.

I would like to see my father catch "that big bastage" he is always talking about.

I would also like to take the habs award for two years in a row.

I would like to win the canal tournament on plugs alone.

Right now My goal is to teach my soon to be kid about the joys of striped bass fishing and hopefully the seeds will grow into something we can do together untill I die.

Bigfish never asked about fantasy, but I always dream of going back in time to new england before any white folks cacme here.. Of course I would have all my gear with me, and you can imagine the whoopin I would put on those bass, and other fish that 'used' to be in our waters. Shoot, I'd even settle for the 1920's, a bucket of lobster tails and a nice wobboly bas stand:D:

Flaptail... that was very moving:)

Flap, thanks. Great writing. Brings it all home. Much appreciated.

Flaptail, you must have been posting at the same time I did earlier... I've finally read yours... WOW... I think your story gives your reason, you heard your brother, even though he was gone, he was there for you... and I'm not religious at all,or anything, but that's what I get out of it. Great Read, Thanks Steve! And I'm glad you pulled through, miracle, or not.

Slip, your wish will come true, fishing with your kids in the boat you built, catching on plugs you made.... with you, that's an easy one to make come true!

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!!