Is it over? 2020 was a year to remember. Riots, protests, pandemics, despite how you feel about any of the issues we dealt with in the past year, there is no denying that 2020 was a year that many are ready to put behind them. For me, 2020 was busier than I was expecting. The industry my day job is in became swamped, and I had to put somethings on the back burner. The blog and podcast being one of them. I had plans for interviews for the podcast and a lot more content for the blog that had to be put aside for other priorities, which brings up the purpose of this blog and leads right into the first thing on my “wish list” for 2021.
1. More time spent blogging/consistency: I want to put more time and energy into this website and the podcast. Have a consistent blogging schedule and try to get guests on the podcast for more exciting and engaging content. I know it’s hard to build an audience when posting is inconsistent, and the content is repetitive. More consistency will lead to juices flowing as one of my favorite authors, Louis L’Amour, says; “Start writing, no matter what, the water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
2. Learn More about fly fishing: in year two of my fly fishing journey, I learned one thing for sure. I’m not good at catching trout on a fly. I have had success catching panfish and bass on a fly but struggle significantly with trout. I need to spend more time studying entomology and figuring out hatches in my region of the country. I was hoping there would be hatch charts that tell you what to fish and when. I did end up finding some, but apparently, that doesn’t mean you will catch anything.
3. Explore new water: this builds off two and four off three, but I believe part of my problem is fishing high pressure stocked areas. We had success in early 2020, but as the year went on, we struggled. Part of this, I’m sure, is due to pressure on the area. I want to spend more time on different waterways in the region and find places with low pressure. Also, I want to explore water out of state, in neighboring states, and even out west. I was in Colorado this past year but didn’t take advantage due to the circumstances of why I was there. A wedding, I had free time but no form of transportation.
4. Buy a Flycraft Stealth: If you haven’t ever heard of these guys, I recommend checking out their product on YouTube. It’s a drift boat raft hybrid. The product is used, from what I can tell, mostly out west on those rivers. I want one in Iowa, to float smallmouth rivers and to maybe use to hunt. We have a Tracker boat that we can take out on the big rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. The Stealth would give us the ability to go on lakes with motor size limits and smaller rivers. It would open up a lot of new water and opportunities for success.
flycraft Stealth flycraftusa.com
5. More time outdoors: I can’t lie; I did spend a lot of my free time this past year on the water or in the field, but I want to use this time to fish water, hunt harder, and at more optimal times. This year, I was on the water later than ten and only out till 2 or 3. I want to be on the water earlier and spend more time hitting it hard. The same goes for hunting. Also, I want to take more camping trips. I only got one in during turkey season last year. Camping would also help me get in the trout streams and on the water at the times I want. That way, I’m not driving an hour or two to get to where I want to be the same day I want to be there.
Even though some, if not all, of the issues in 2020 will follow us into 2021, my goals are set. A year from now, I will hopefully be able to look back at this and check everything off. I hope everyone reading this will stay for the 2021 journey and follow me on social media. Instagram is the most active. While you are at it, you might as well join the email list. Bring on 2021.