1. reacquaint myself with all the old friends i spent numerous days on the water with, but have had to shift priorities in the last 2 years away from. im really looking forward to seeing them again, this year will be much easier.

2. its time for a gear upgrade, and tackle reeboot. ive neglected a lot of my equipment in the last few years; no time, and a cold-warm-cold snap last winter built up condensation on a lot of my lures, which then somehow rusted beyond repair. lost a few hundred dollars worth of baits, really stunk. its time for me to organize, consolidate and have permanent bags of lures in each boat and the truck for travel. the same assortment in each one, the same selection. no more patching it together...that takes time away from fishing.

3. save more time and make fishing more efficient. no more last minute prep- its time to get back into form. pre planned food, gear, and game plan going into a trip makes for much less travel and packing time, and easier focus on the water. thats a big part of 2017- turning my 10 hour fishing trips into 9 solid hours of fishing, as opposed to 2 hours prep the morning of, and hour in the boat finding what i need, and another hour break for lunch and....well...often times a quick nap... 5 hours fishing in a ten hour time slot is not how you get it done.

4. maine- EVERY MONTH. beginning in may, i have plans to hit selected waters in Maine each month, sometimes twice a month. there is nothing like it, and its where my brain goes way too often.

5. can i get a day on the water with Tod/Gus Osier and Matt Turner in 2017? thats just for my own enjoyment, but im really hoping to pull that off.