So How Did You Do With Your 2014 Fishing Goals?

[DanMarino]

Here were my 2014 fishing goals and the results.

Fletchers in the spring. Mission accomplished for shad fishing from shore near Chain Bridge. Lots of fun.
Multiple snakeheads. No snakehead encounters for me. Didn't go to Mattawoman. One trip to Mallows.
Fish with my son as much as possible. Didn't happen enough. He did catch a few monster walleyes at our secret spot!
First blue catfish. Achieved thanks to the help of Turtle135 and the folks at the meet & greet at the Wilson Bridge.
21 inch largemouth bass. 18 incher at Triadelphia was the biggest for me.
20 inch smallie. 16 incher at Seneca Breaks was the biggest for me.
Triadelphia walleye, pike, and striper. One walleye and one pike at Triadelphia. Another pike at Rocky Gorge
Fish Prettyboy Reservoir. Fished it with a geezer buddy from his jon boat. Caught some smallies. Beautiful place to fish.
16 inch smallie on the fly. Nope. Didn't try. Will have to get out the fairy stick in 2015!

[kevinfry]

1) Spend 4 day weekend exploring Eastern Shore. ---accomplished but a complete disaster due to tropical storm Arthur...GRRRR. No fish paddled for my life at hoopers island
2) Keeper Flounder...not even close. see previous goal. Flounder and trout were to be the focus of that trip.
3) Purchase new Kayak....preferrably X-factor or Stealth 14 (an unlikely goal since my oldest Daughter is getting married and $$$$$$ needed)...aaannnnddd, VICTORY!!!! Love my Stealth 14. Thank You Fishtank for the unbelievable deal that made it affordable

[Mark]

Being retired I have a deep aversion to making goals since they were a required and often painful part of my working life.

However, I had hoped to catch a redfish in 2014 and I failed.

But:

I caught specs galore kayak fishing last January in FL including many on a “Fairy Stick” – I’m not sure I like that term! (And within 24 hours of catching my last fish I was shoveling snow here in my driveway.)

I waited impatiently for the white perch and stripers to arrive en masse in the Bay this spring. And when they finally did I had a good time catching them.

I caught my first snakehead this year.

I had a wonderful birthday catching stripers in the Bay in July courtesy of John Veil and Terry Hill (Raptor).

I saw a deer attempt to swim across Whitehall Bay.

I caught a surprise channel cat near Kent Narrows.

I fished one HOW event, thanks to “On the fly” (Harry).

I fished 3 Meet and Greets this year and the CBKA tournament in September and enjoyed meeting new Snaggedliners.

I have fished more cold weather this year than last and I have thoroughly enjoyed it -- thanks to pickerel that remain willing to bite and to John Veil who has shared his knowledge of them with me.

I make no goals (except that I hope a redfish is waiting for me) but I do look forward to 2015.

[perchy]

Catch Walleye Pike and Striper at Rocky Gorge

Two northern pike at Rocky Gorge

[Cowpokey]

Started off easy:
Walleye √ My best day I landed 5, with 2 of them being keepers.
Northern √ Landed two, best was 29".

Then ramped it up:
Fish the Bay √ Did a lot of trips, got salt in my blood now.
Striper √ Lots of them.
Bluefish √ Lots of them.
Speck √ Only caught two, but both were keepers.

I didn't have much for goals this year, since it was my first season back in MD and I had never fished the Bay from a kayak. Next year's goals will be loftier...like getting on the ocean for blue water fish.

[Romo]

My overall goal for 2014 was to just fish more from the kayak and I can say I fished more from it more than I even expected. Joining this site definitely helped push me to do new things like fish the outer wall and CBBT

Achievements: For freshwater I set new PBs this year for largemouth (6~), smallmouth (5) , snakehead (8.5), walleye (8) and bowfin (7). All but the eye and bowfin were caught from my yak. I was able to catch my first 2 DE Bay black drum from the yak (30,25), caught 3 false albacore from my yak and led the kayak division of the MV Derby for False Albacore until the 2nd to last day, had two 50+ NJ flounder days from the yak and finished with 50+ keepers for the year, caught first triggers and togs from my yak at the outer wall in July.

Failures: I struck out on getting my first musky, hooked 2 bull reds at CBBT but didn't land them, got zero weakies from the yak, haven't gotten my 10 lb tog (yet) and didn't win any of the MV derby kayak divisions.

[Raptor]

One goal - Have fun with friends! Completely Accomplished. Same goal net year.