2013's Resolutions

You all made them, even if you didn't tell anyone. Don't lie.

Well, I AM making them, and I will tell you all about SOME of them, especially those pertaining to fishing and survival. I might even throw in some personal ones so that you that know me can keep me honest.

Let's start with fishing. Wow. So, I ASSume that most of you read my 2012 Year in Review. 2012 was an absolute TRAVESTY for catching fish, though there WERE highlights.

The lowlights were:

•  I blanked in the Spro Frog Tourney, the Gambler Tourney, and many others.
•  I didn't catch a fish over 5 pounds all year. Not a one. 
• I went at least 5 straight trips to Guntersville without catching a measuring fish
• Getting strolled by my wife in a fishing trip. She easily out caught me 10-1 and probably caught 20 or so total.

The highlights were:

• Placing 18th in the NATA Open with a solid 18 pound bag. Josh and I made some LATE adjustments and showed some promise as DECENT tournament fishermen
• Weighing in 18+ pounds in a Wilson tournament with a 4.75 pound smallie.
• Placing 5th (I think...) in the Eagle's Wings Tournament....using a jig in 30 feet of water
• Getting strolled by my wife in a fishing trip.

2012 was a year of learning and introspect. I identified some holes in my game and started down the path to becoming a better and more complete fisherman. This solution is a 2-fold process. Learn new lakes. Learn new tactics. But, I learned that I had a lot more holes than I had time to fix in 2012.

So, in 2013, we are going to change some things up and keep some things the same.

• Don't be pressured to fish every big money tournament out there. Fact is, I fished 4 big tournaments last year and cashed a check in only 1....and in all honesty, that was Uncle Tony's doing...not mine.
• Go to the finesse baits earlier. I usually wait too long to throw the finesse baits.
• Don't loose any rods and reels this year. I lost 2 combos this year, totalling in around $500.
• Be adventurous. Try new spots.
• Spend more time using my electronics finding the fish. In late 2012, I started doing this REAL well and it paid off.
• Learn some new methods. Doesn't have to be a lot of new methods. In 2012, I learned to throw the jig, spoon, and shakey head. This year I want to flip. A lot. I want to learn the drop shot.
• Fish with new people. Seriously. Email me. I want to fish with some new folks and learn some new things.
• Find a way to Beta test stuff. I don't know what I have to do to convince bait companies to take a chance on me....
• Do a MUCH better job managing this blog. People take time to read it. I need to do a better job designing and managing. If you have comments, I would love to hear them!
• Weigh in 20+ pounds in a tournament. Sadly, I haven't done this yet. I seem to win on tough days, but I can't compete on good ones.
• Get to fish with my wife and kids more. My oldest and middle are old enough to really start fishing. I need to be less selfish with my time.
• Find ways to get the blog out there more. While I blog because I enjoy it, I also enjoy seeing the post count go up. I'd like to get invites to fish with bait companies and pros.
• Find other people like me with blogs and other social media and share!
• Not get skunked ANY this year
• Get a GoPro and make some webisodes!
• Fish Table Rock this year and do well.
• Fish more NASA tournaments
• Fish more Ditto Wildcats

Ok. Let's talk about some other things, such as the Survivalist side of me that I started blogging about. Like I have said, The Last Man on Earth Studies gets CRAZY traffic! Seems people either really like or really hate what I have to say. But, I would like to become better at both being prepared AND blogging about it.

• Make my garden better this year. Sure, it was So-so. I learned some lessons like....
• I need a rain water collection system for my garden. I learned this year how chlorinated water will KILL your veggies
• Start my own seeds instead of buying pre-grown plants
• Build an AR
• Read more books about gardening, self sufficiency, etc.
• Take a weekend survival camping trip (or a few!)
• Start a EOTWAWKI vehicle build
• Find a way to Beta test stuff. Same as above. Maybe if I get more traffic, I can convince companies to let me review their stuff!
• Continue to accrue the tools I need. Not just for survival, but for around the house. Which also are good for EOTWAWKI....
• Start writing post apocalyptic stuff again!
• Get my fruit trees to produce better
• Kill a deer and eat it at the kill site. Just sounds fun!

I have plenty of other Resolutions not associated with this blog which supersede the rest:

• Loose 20 pounds...or convert to muscle
• Make studying the Bible a priority instead of "what to do when I am bored"
• spend more time with the kids developing their skills. My dad played football and baseball with me almost daily. As a result, I was a fantastic athlete, despite being vertically challenged.
• Spend more time working on our house and landscaping. I did a much better job this last year and it really showed. Turns out, it's pretty fun!
• Start playing bass guitar again
• Get my kids more involved with the outdoors
• Be the person I should be in front of everyone. I do a good job around acquaintances but a terrible job around my close friends.
• Make more friends, especially at Church
• Watch less TV
• Save more money this year. Last year we actually paid down debts and didn't add any new debts. This year I want to actually save some!

I am sure I will think of others, but since this is my Blog, yall surely only care about the blog related stuff anyway!

I'd like to hear yours and any comments you might have!