Carp Fishing Goals for 2014

As I reflect back on my carp fishing progress in 2013 I am satisfied. I went from never having fished for carp; to catching a carp here and there for a couple of months; to catching multiple fish during several of my last few sessions.

I learned a lot in the last 6 months of 2013, but as I look forward to 2014 I find myself with a few goals in mind. Here are some of them:

• I would like to help someone else who has never fished for carp get started. Someone helped me, and now I would like to pay it forward.
• I hope to catch 50 or more carp in 2014 (o.k. you caught me, I'd really like to shoot for 100+).
• I hope to catch multiple fish weighing more than 20 pounds, which would give me a new personal best.
• Dare I saw it out loud, but I would also like to catch a fish tipping the scales at more than 30 pounds.
• I would like to fish at least 4 times per month starting in March and ending in November. That's 36 chances at a 30+ pound fish.
• I hope to develop the blog to the point that people enjoy reading what I write, looking at the pictures I post and just hanging out reading about carp fishing.
• I hope to raise awareness and some money for the Lupus Foundation.

I am guessing that those goals might be adjusted a few times before my first day of fishing in 2014, but you know what they say, "Unless a goal is written down it's just a dream."

So there you have it...I've written them down. Now I have a framework for building some monthly, weekly and even daily goals to progress to the point of achieving them.

2015 Carp Fishing Goals

Last year I made out a list of 2014 goals for my carp fishing exploits. I've been thinking through my 2015 goals today and have included the list below. Most people probably don't care about them like I do, but posting them here will keep me accountable for doing my best to achieve them.

• I would like to help two or three new folks learn how to carp fish. I'd like to continue paying it forward. 
• I hope to catch 175 or more carp in 2015. (I need to average 5 fish per session to do it, which is a significant increase in last year's catch rate. Otherwise I need to fish a few more times.)
• I hope to catch multiple fish weighing more than 30 pounds, which would give me a new personal best.
• I'd like to catch a small mouth buffalo.
• I'd like to catch a koi or goldfish.
• I'd like to catch a fish from the Raisin River in Dundee and spend a few sessions fishing the river in Monroe.
• I'd like to catch multiple carp from Belleville Lake. I live with 2 miles of the lake, but can't seem to catch a carp from there to save my life. :-)
• I would like to fish at least 4 times per month starting in March and ending in November. That's 36 chances at a 30+ pound fish.
• I hope to continue developing the blog. I wrote 153 posts so far. I'd like to add another 150 posts this season with lots and lots of pictures with a few videos sprinkled in to make things a little more interesting and to add variety.
• I really hope people enjoy reading what I write, looking at the pictures I post and just hanging out reading about carp fishing. I do it to share what I've learned because someone was kind enough to share it with me about 18 months ago and I now love carp fishing. I am hopelessly addicted in fact!

What goals do you have for 2015? I'd love to read a few of them. Feel free to post them in the comments below.

My 299th Post on Blog About Carp Fishing in Michigan

I noticed today that my blog is nearing 300 posts. Not every single post is related specifically to catch and release carp fishing, but 95% or more of them probably are. And my plan is to keep it that way in the future.

Releasing a mid-teens fish earlier this spring

When I started the blog around the Christmas Holidays in late 2013 and early 2014 I had high hopes. I had visions that my site would become a popular spot for new comers to learn about and ask questions about carp fishing in Michigan. I had plans to include guest interviews, guest posts and that the blog would become a vehicle to improve the social aspects of fishing for carp in Michigan.

I have made more headway toward some of those goals compared to others. I will leave it up to the few regular readers who read my articles to draw their own conclusions about the good, the bad and the ugly in the blog's content. I write about my experiences with carp fishing and include my personal thoughts about it. I share tips that might help others shorten their learning curve and begin to enjoy more catches and reduce dreaded "blanks" and "skunks" aka "days with zero carp caught".

In the beginning my excitement for carp fishing was fueled by a local group of carp anglers who target common and mirror carp exclusively when they fish. Large catfish are greeted with disdain when they are hooked instead of carp; because they are not the fish being targeted (and because they do not fight like a big carp does).

I used to post about specific venues with pictures of my spots with excitement. My goal was to share my enjoyment for catch and release carp fishing with anyone who would listen. Some felt I was too generous with the information being shared and told me so. I received messages on Facebook and read references on other carp fishing sites about "freely" sharing fishing information, so I have dialed it back a little to maintain harmony. But I do still share information with those who ask me for help and I do still post pictures of my fish without blurring the backgrounds or using a photo editing software to completely change the backgrounds (yes, people actually do this). And in the interest of promoting catch and release carp fishing in Michigan; and encouraging others to do the same I will continue to do so in the future.



The morning view from a local venue

I don't fish for money, fame or sponsorships, but if any of the three came my way I would gladly accept it. However, I will not change my outlook about fishing. It's for everyone and not just a select few who "are in the know".

I fish for enjoyment. It's therapeutic in a way because I can get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors away from the internet, Facebook, discussion forms...and this time of year...away from all the negative "he said" / "she said" of the political election process.

I write for enjoyment and to help others learn. Along the way I hope a few people decide to give carp fishing a try because that is the only way negative attitudes about common carp, which have been naturalized in the United States for almost 150 years, will change.

For me carp fishing is a social experience and I plan to keep it that way.

To paraphrase novelist James Lee Burke:

If a person [fishes] for money or success, he will probably have neither. If he [fishes] for the love of his art and the world and humanity, money and success will find him down the line. In the meantime he must work everyday at his craft, either at his [fishing spot] or in his mind and sometimes in his sleep.