Journal of a Minnesota Angler

Welcome to 2011!

As I mentioned last year, I prefer to do goals rather than resolutions. And this year, it happens to fall right into the Writing Prompt that the Outdoor Blogger Network posted earlier this week.

Last year, most of my goals focused on the size of the fish I wanted to catch. But as with most things in life, it’s the journey, not the destination, that makes the adventure worthwhile. In keeping with that theme, my goals for 2011 are much more about trying to catch the fish rather than the fish themselves:

• Fish at least twice a month during open water bass season
• Float tube at least once a month during open water season
• Find a float tube buddy
• Catch a bass on 4 different plastic lures (color doesn’t count)
• Catch a bass on 6 different lures (plastic lures count)
• Catch my limit of walleye on Lake Mille Lacs or the Gunflint Trail Secret Lake
• Fish 10 new bodies of water
• Return to Colorado to fish with my brother
• Fish with a fellow blogger
• Catch a keeper ice Walleye or ice Northern
• Qualify for Master Angler in Minnesota

I didn’t have any specific goals for my blog last year because it was just a documentation of my adventures. But with it taking off like it did this year, I want to keep the ball rolling. So I have some goals for my blog this year as well:

• Issue 4 Avid Angler Challenges
• Review 6 products
• Write 3 How Tos
• Double 2010 traffic

Plus a few goals for my online presence in general:

• Write 3 guest posts
• Hit 1000 Twitter followers (currently at 663)
• Get 200 Likes on my Facebook page (currently at 104) without a PR gimmick

I wish you all the best in 2011. Happy New Year!