Last year at this time, I wrote a column outlining a series of outdoors goals I hoped to achieve in 2016.
I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions, which in my opinion are doomed to failure nine times out of 10, but the goals I set out to achieve in 2016 involved having a good time in the process, so I decided to give it a shot.
Looking back on the year, I'd probably give myself a C-plus if I was grading my efforts. Extenuating circumstances caused me to fall short on a few of those goals, but I had a good time in the process of trying to achieve them, and that's worth something, too. Here's a look at how I did:
_Ice a walleye: A certain small river that shall remain nameless is a consistent producer of pike and the occasional walleye throughout the open water season. Try as I might, I'd never iced a walleye on the small river and I hoped to catch one last winter. That didn't happen, but only because I never got a chance. Outcome: Goal missed.
_Use the snowshoes: I made a vow in 2016 to use my wooden, Michigan-style snowshoes. They'd been showing signs of severe wear and tear, but several coats of varnish had them looking good as new so there were no excuses. Last winter was a dud for snow, but all things considered, I was satisfied with the number of outings I was able to make on the shoes during trips to the getaway up north. Outcome: Goal achieved.
_Beat 40 miles: The Winter That Wasn't in 2015 didn't provide many snowmobiling opportunities, and The Winter That Wasn't in 2016 was every bit as bad. My goal for 2016 was to put at least a couple of hundred miles on my snowmobile, or at least top the paltry 40 miles I logged in the winter of 2015. I don't think I hit the 200-mile mark, but I got in a couple of good rides before winter came to a screeching halt in early March, melting what little snow there was in the areas I ride. Outcome: This one could go either way, but considering the winter, I'm going to give myself a goal achieved.
_Go 12 for 12: In 2015, I landed a walleye every month of the year except July and December. A trip to Alaska kept me from walleye fishing in July _ I had to "settle" for salmon and halibut _ and timing and a late freeze-up kept me from fishing in December that year. I hoped to go 12 for 12 in 2016, but again, I came up two months short, thanks to a premature end to the ice fishing season that kept me from catching a walleye in March. I didn't fish anything but catfish in September, and the great walleye fishing I enjoyed Oct. 1 put me one day short. The other 10 months were stellar on the walleye front, but I still fell short. Outcome: Goal missed.
_Fish the big lake more: Last year at this time, I said I was almost embarrassed to admit I only fished Lake of the Woods three times in 2015 and vowed to do better in 2016. I did do better, but not by much. I was part of a crew that spent two very enjoyable days in mid-February fishing out of Walsh's Bay Store Camp on Oak Island. The first two days of the walleye opener kept us confined to the Rainy River, where we managed to scratch out enough walleyes for fish fries both days, but we didn't get on the lake until that Monday. I also fished Four-Mile Bay in November and got out on the ice for an excursion out of Ballard's Resort before Christmas. By my count, that's two more days than 2015. Outcome: Goal achieved (barely).
_Relive history: In 2001, a friend's son who was a skinny, blond-haired kid at the time struggled to reel in a big lake trout on Whitefish Bay of Lake of the Woods that I had the privilege of netting. He's an adult now, and I hoped to repeat history in July and net another lake trout for him on a fly-in fishing trip we made to northern Ontario. The tables turned, and he netted a lake trout for me, and I was in a neighboring boat watching when he landed two lake trout of his own. Outcome: Technically, I suppose it's goal missed, but I did get to watch him land two nice lakers.
_Learn to tie spinners: I don't think I even fished with spinners in 2016, much less learn to tie them, despite a couple of generous readers who offered to teach me. Outcome: Goal missed.
_Top 31 { inches: Catching a walleye that tops my personal best of 31 { inches is going to be a tall order, but it's one of those quests that keep anglers everywhere coming back for more. My biggest walleye of the year measured 27 { inches, and I didn't catch it until mid-November on the Red River in Manitoba. Outcome: Goal missed.
I'm going to refrain from setting goals in 2017, in part because of an upcoming medical procedure that will limit my ability to get outdoors for several weeks. But when I'm able to get back "out there," I vow to have every bit as much fun as I did in 2016.
That goal certainly is in reach.
