With the New Year coming I wanted to share my New Year’s resolution with my readers. This resolution will help me become a better angler and maybe a better person. I am going to try to be more prepared for fishing next year. I will not put things off. Hopefully I can keep it all year.

    How can being better prepared make me a better fisherman. Well, many of these "lucky" anglers that catch all the fish are not really "lucky". They are just more prepared for what ever can happen. A good example was last season at Guadalupe Island. This spot is known for quality tuna and yellowtail. But this last season for short times the island also had wahoo. The first boat that encounter wahoo there last season did not have any cable on board. For the few who brought their own cable they at least had a chance to land wahoo.

    The same kind of fate happened to me last season. As the boat pulled up on a kelp paddy in 71-degree water, I figured maybe dorado or yellowtail. I tossed out bait on straight mono; and I got "hooed". The boat did get 9 wahoo and 6 Dorado off the paddy but I was shutout. So now I will also have a bait rod rigged with cable when I am fishing in waters warmer than 70-degrees.

    Being prepared also means have your tackle ready not the just day before you leave. Have it in your hands long before your trip leaves. I see many people wait until a week or two before they leave on a trip to get their gear ready. You are almost always going to forget something. The more comfortable you are with your tackle the better you will be able to use it on the boat. Please do not use work as an excuse to put things off.

    For long range anglers start getting your gear at least 4 months in advanced. Check your rods and reels to see if they are working correctly. Try to get them repaired months in advance of your trip. Buy your tackle is several small purchases. It does not hurt as much as one large one. Do not forget to get your body ready for your trip. Do a little walking and some light lifting before your trip. Get your body ready for a full day of fishing. I will admit that I am very poor when it comes to this, so I will try to improve on this area in the coming year. Start tying your knots before the trip. You want to be able to tie your knots correctly and quickly. When that hot bite starts your rods and reels should be ready to fish. It is not a good idea to ask a deckhand for help when twenty other anglers are hooked-up.

    For you Baja fisherman start buying your gear and getting organized when you buy your airplane ticket. If you are going to get a passport, do it as soon as you can. Passports can take several weeks so do not "cut it" to close. I will let you in on a little secret; you do not need that much gear to fish Baja. So get it early and it is one less thing to worry about the month before your trip. You know your boss at work will be pushing hard to get the most out of you before you leave. So if your are already "packed" it will be easier on you. You will enjoy your vacation more because you will not be spending the first couple of days recovering from work.

    On a personal note, getting prepared early also help us tackle storeowners. We want you to have a great time and have everything you need. But during peak season items can be very hard to get. Just look back a couple of years when there were not any "Mexican Flag" tuna feathers during albacore season. The guys that had the "Mexican Flag" feather were doing the damage and the guys without were jealous. A little early buying can help you catch more fish.

    It is human nature to put things off. Trying to change old habits is difficult. But why not start the New Year off on the right foot and join me in trying to be more prepared. Let us see how long we can keep our resolution. Hopefully you will try this a couple of times and find out this is a "good thing" and keep doing it. I would like to wish all, a Happy New Year.

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