My 2017 Elite season resolutions

This is a time when a lot of people start outlining their resolutions for the New Year, and I agree with that concept. To me, setting goals is one of the most important things you can do because it gives you a place to focus your attention and efforts. More importantly, it gives you a guide to monitor the productivity of what you are doing.

With this in mind, I’ve come up with my resolutions for each event on the 2017 Bassmaster Elite Series, including the Bassmaster Classic:

LAKE CHEROKEE — I’ve never been to this Tennessee lake, so I resolve to make a scouting trip before the cutoff because. Things probably will not change that much on Lake Cherokee from the cutoff to the tournament. Therefore, I want to go as close as I can to the actual tournament dates.

That’s probably the only event where you can go a month ahead, find some fish and stand a chance of them still being there during the tournament.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE — I have a lot of history on this Florida powerhouse, and I know it’s a lake where I can fish my strengths. So, I resolve to stick with what I do well; by that I mean a heavy dose of soft plastics, including my favorite, the YUM dinger. I’ll be ready for some sight fishing if conditions allow.

LAKE CONROE (Bassmaster Classic) — One of my mantras will be to not get distracted by peripheral hype like media, public appearances, etc. I want to make the most of my time for fishing and make sure every stone is overturned. I especially want to model that for Little Alton. I’ve fished enough Classics to know how to do that, but I really want to help him stay focused on the task at hand.

TOLEDO BEND — There’s a reason Bassmaster ranked this the Nation’s No. 1 bass lake for two consecutive years, and I resolve to only target fish 4 pounds or bigger. We’ll be there in April and that time of year, if you weigh many fish under 4 pounds you’re not going to win.

I believe the winner will have a 7-pounder every day and you’ll see some double-digit fish brought in. It’ll be easy to get bites, but you don’t want to get drawn in by 2- and 3-pounders.

ROSS BARNETT — On this Mississippi lake, I resolve to stay shallow no matter what. I won’t fish any deeper than 5 feet because that just narrows down my search. It’s a dirty water lake and it’s a place where you can’t necessarily put your eggs in one basket, but there are a lot of baskets where you don’t have to look.

SAM RAYBURN — When comes to this legendary Texas lake, that’s going to be another one where I’ll have to focus on that quality bite; something 4 pounds or bigger.

One of the keys on Rayburn will be to catching a really big fish like an 8- to 10-pounder somewhere along the way. On those big-fish lakes, you usually don’t catch those big fish unless you’re shooting for them; so I resolve to spend my entire time fishing for the big bite and hopefully get a limit of quality fish along the way.

DARDANELLE — When we visit this Arkansas river system, I resolve to be motivated by past disappointments. I’ve done well there, but the last time we fished there, I felt like in practice I was on a solid deal. But I finished far enough down in the standings that I don’t care to remember it. This lake will really fish my style, so I’ll be looking for a little revenge.

ST. LAWRENCE RIVER — I finished second here in 2015, so my 2017 resolution will be to expand on what I’ve found and to build on past strengths. I’ve learned a lot about the personality of this river, both the shallow and the deep fishing and I want to gain a stronger feel for that river and hopefully, move up.

LAKE CHAMPLAIN — I have a lot of history on this lake and I’ve notched some very high finishes there — I’ve even weighed big bass multiple times. So, my resolution will be to reacquaint myself with an old friend. The big decision there that I have to figure out early is to learn on the first day of practice if I need to be targeting largemouth or smallmouth.

LAKE ST. CLAIR — This is one of the places I’m always excited to go because the fishing can be phenomenal. My overriding resolution will be: Fish fast until you find the mother lode. It’s not one of those places where you just have to fish slowly because you know you’re around them and eventually one will bite. Smallmouth show themselves, especially the big ones, so if you’re not catching them and bearing down on them hard, you’re not doing the right thing in the right place.

Now, on a personal level, I’ve resolved myself to enjoy fishing my first pro season with my son by my side. We’ll be competitors, but it will be special to share this experience with him.

From a fishing standpoint, I always start each season with the goal of winning AOY. I have to take every event one at a time and keep this as my overarching theme to guide my thought process through practice and through the event.

I also resolve to prepare well and avoid the big bomb. You can look back at those seasons where you came close and there’s always one or two glitches that could have been erased by making one better decision or having a little better execution at some point during the event.

I want to avoid those mistakes that lead to bad finishes and make 2017 a successful year.