Soon after the water freezes on your favorite lake, a delusional form of dreaming begins. Fueled by an onslaught of fishing related television shows, you convince yourself that walleyes can be had working that new stick bait in a bathtub.
If you are like most anglers, July 4th rolls around and the boat is still up on blocks. Don’t deny it. Just look in the mirror and say:
“Hello. I am (Insert your name here) and I have a planning problem. I don’t get out fishing as much as I would like!”
Get a grip or history will repeat itself.
Fear not my fellow planning-challenged dreamers. A simple solution is at hand. Quit checking the bathtub for green weeds and take control of your fishing life. Together we will successfully plan a jam-packed fishing schedule.
Take the following steps: 1. Find last years’ family calendar; 2. Find this years’ family calendar; 3. Hide in a secret place; 4. Identify and list open dates on the calendar by referencing to last years’ calendar; 5. Jot down extra dates, so cancellations during negotiations will give an impression of concession; 5. Schedule day trips, weekend trips and extended trips to the open dates; 6. Transpose the planned trips to the new calendar; 7. Secretly return both calendars to their respective places; 8. Stick to the plan and repeat annually.
These 8 steps are simple, but attention to detail can make planning more effective.
Knowledge is a key factor during negotiations with forces that oppose a planned fishing trip. Use the original trip list to secretly track trips cancelled. As the season progresses, use the cancelled trips to combat any attempts to cancel additional trips.
Here is a sample of my planned schedule.
April includes the Fox River at De Pere and the Menomonie River at Marinette; May includes Lake Winnebago and Green Bay out of Bayshore; June includes Winnebago and the Turtle Flowage; July means as many Green Bay launches as possible; August includes the St. Croix River near Danbury and the Wisconsin River above Merrimac; September finds me back in Green Bay out of Door County and Lake Winnebago; October is faux trips to keep my options open for hot bites; November is set for Little Bay de Noc.
There is one last factor that cannot be ignored. Keep these planning techniques to yourself. If security is compromised, this planning method will never work for you again. Commit this article to memory and destroy any evidence of these techniques. If you fail, your boat will be back on blocks and you will be hanging around the bathtub looking for green weeds – again.
by John Lindeman, Owner
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