What are your 2015 fishing goals ?

  Just WOW........

  I had no idea this thread would take off like it has, over a 1000 views and now 70 replies in 48 hours.

  There is some incredible insite to be gained from reading folks responses. I'm learning about different peoples experience levels, or lack of same . Learning about dreams unfulfilled and yet an anxiousness to get out there and make them a fact. And perhaps most important to me....what a great collective bunch of people we have as members of NWKA. More specifically----the desire to share with other, perhaps newer participants in this great endeavor and wanting to help others grow in their own experiences. To get out and develop the growth in our children and other family members as well as friends. All the while looking to go out with people we haven't even met yet. Just to share that special time together.

  Keep your thoughts coming folks. This is a very entertaining and educational.
  And we all have dreams

  Here's to "making it happen"

           Mark

You tapped into something that drove us all to start fishing from a kayak.  The desire to challenge the way everyone else does things.  If we were to put hours on the water per pound of meat, we are down on the powerboats...but that's not what this is about.  It is about stripping away everything that is not essential and getting to the purity of the sport. "what are your goals?" hits a primal nerve in all of us...we want to go as far as we can and push the limits of what we can do.  "What's next?" will always be in the back of all our minds.  Its why we got into this in the first place.  This needs to be a sticky thread.

  "We are down on the powerboats"

  I have to strongly disagree with you newprincipal. I have had  a lot of powered craft in my 60 years. While you can get to far-away spots quicker....My catch ratio has always been higher in kayaks. Maybe because of the more limited range -- we choose our fishing areas more carefully. And we fish more thoroughly in the water we do choose. Whatever.. eh
 I will certainly agree with "the purity of the sport" and about "pushing the limits". We all want and really need to do that for growth.
  Not sure about a "sticky" for this subject. But it is always good to reflect on what has gone by and dream and plan for what is to come. And what better time than the end of the year. Hence the timing...

  I sincerely hope all of us had a great year fishing and being out on the water. We lost some members but we have gained so many more. May we all have a stellar 2015.

            Mark

There were many times this year that I outfished powerboats in my kayak. In fact I couldn't hardly connect with a fall salmon from a powerboat in the St Helens this year and nearly always hooked up in the yak. Also had similar experiences with kokanee up at Merwin. I strongly believe there really is an advantage to not having the motor noise.

Well, I am one of those that is looking forward to the goal of my first successful surf launch in a kayak - and of course the return after catching my first bottom fish (plural) from a kayak.

Another goal - more devious - is to get one of my kids hooked on kayak fishing, so that they are asking me if I'd like to go fishing...

 And my third goal is to get enough posts on this site so at least it lists some type of fish under my tag.   

 

There were many times this year that I outfished powerboats in my kayak. In fact I couldn't hardly connect with a fall salmon from a powerboat in the St Helens this year and nearly always hooked up in the yak. Also had similar experiences with kokanee up at Merwin. I strongly believe there really is an advantage to not having the motor noise.

amen to that! at least that has always been the case for me and my former fellow anglers in the lake michigan salmon fishery, where the fall action is all about keeping it as slow and erratic as possible 

My 1st  goal is to get out in the yak more often after halibut--and to catch one!
2nd is to finish my kayak trailer so can do some camping trips in pursuit of goal #1.
T2 

There were many times this year that I outfished powerboats in my kayak. In fact I couldn't hardly connect with a fall salmon from a powerboat in the St Helens this year and nearly always hooked up in the yak. Also had similar experiences with kokanee up at Merwin. I strongly believe there really is an advantage to not having the motor noise.

Actually...now that I think about it....I think you are right.  I have been way more successful per hour on water this year in my kayak then every before...hmmm....

Springer from my kayak.
Lingcod forn my Kayak.---after I get good at surf launch/landing.

I'd be happy to accompany you on a surf launch for lings at Pacific City. There are several times of year where we get a nw swell < 3' that make launching and landing in the surf very easy. Always nice to have a buddy there to help you out.

 
Would love that...just need to be ok with eating that out of state Oregon
 license.

   I'm sure I'll be fishing the Westport jetty when it opens up for ling cod. If you want to try an easy surf launch and get some salt under your belt (with a Washington license) let me know. Quite a few people have busted their "salt cherry" there. And it's about the same distance as PC.
   Maybe I can start giving lessons

Edit: Opening day of Ling cod season at the Westport jetty.... Open invitation to all NWKA members or friends to come on out and get salty. Meet at the tower at Westhaven State Park about daylight and go catch some fish. Come on out and let's bust some cherries out there. Of course, old salts are welcome. The more the merrier.

Tiger muskie.

30lb salmon

40" ling

Any size Steelhead and halibut

Flyfish for rockfish out of PC or Depoe Bay in the Ms. Salma...

Fred "True" Trujillo

To fish!!!!!! 

To fish!!!!!! 

...hope ya get a boat before springers!

While I did get to catch my first kayak Halibut in 2014, overall fishing was limited for me with having our first child in the spring.

My 2015 goals are:
To catch my first salmon from the Kayak.  I've struck out two years in a row now.
Fish around Destruction Island for Lings and Rockfish
Catch a bigger Halibut (Neah Bay might be part of this goal)
Get my son his first PFD and take him out for a short ride on a warm summer day

1. Catch 10 species AOTY. (Caught 9 so far but only seven counted due to crappy pics)
2.  Purchase a camera that doesn't take crappy pics
3. Catch first legal ling
4. Catch mystery fish (ling) from Last June's neah bay adventue(see June post)
5. Catch first lake trout from yak
6.  World peace