Now that most folks have hung that new calendar, the reality of a new year generates a lot of emotions. For me, this is when I have the most excitement for the new fishing season. We haven’t been on the road for a long time, and I can’t wait to get on the water.
I like to spend three to four weeks on the water to get back into fishing shape, both mentally and physically. The good thing about this time of year is that there’s not a lot of pressure on each trip.
It’s like old school fun fishing; I can fish relaxed and experiment with different things. I don’t even have to catch ‘em. I’ll go no matter how cold it is because I have to get myself ready for the new season.
This is definitely a time of change for me, because year after year, this when I transition from deer hunting to fishing. I haven’t been fishing in about three months, so I can’t wait to go.
Honestly, the anticipation is very similar to what I experience toward the end of each fishing season. You wait all year for fall to get here so you can hunt and it really is the same thing with fishing.
That’s why I take off that time after the end of a fishing season. I need to recharge the batteries and get myself back in shape — both physically and mentally — for the New Year.
Now that I’ve spend that down time relaxing and enjoying deer season, I’ve switched over to my fishing mindset. This is when I think about fishing 95 percent of the time and hunting 5 percent of the time.
I start thinking about the lakes we’re going to, what I’ll need for the season and what baits I need to order. We’re a little over a month away from the first Elite Series event on Lake Cherokee and it will be here before we know it.
I know that early season jitters are a real consideration, so I broke the ice at a local New Year’s Day jackpot tournament. I wasn’t nervous, but I was anxious. This was just a little $50 jackpot tournament, and I’m running around like crazy.
It’s like that on a bigger scale at the first Elite tournament of the year, so I wanted to ease into the feeling of having to get out there, put together a game plan and execute. It might not be the same for guys who’ve fished all fall and winter, but I know I need to shake off the rust and get ready to compete.
The reason this transition time is so important is that you want the season to start off well. You don’t want to dig yourself into a hole and have to feel like you’re digging out all season.
The other thing is that with the Classic coming later that normal this year, you want to have some success before we go to Lake Conroe. You don’t want two bombs because you’ll take all that negativity into the Classic.
What I want to take into the Classic and the entire season is a strong mindset and solid organization. This week, I’m working on my truck wrap and my jersey design. Tackle prep is kind of day to day, but we’re supposed to get really cool weather at the end of the week and that’s usually when I slide into the shop to get that done.
At this point, I’m personally done with hunting season, although I’ll probably take my youngest daughter Jaslyn a couple more times so she can use the crossbow I got her for Christmas.
As for me, I’ve taken aim on Lake Cherokee, the Classic and the rest of the 2017 Elite season. I want to have a good year so I can make next year’s Classic.