Plan now for the new year
By ED OLDHAM Happy New Year! I hope the holiday season was very good to you and now that we have a new year to make plans for our outdoor adventures, what new things do you have on your schedule for 2009? Is there a new adventure you would like to try? Perhaps there is a new species of animal or bird that you want to pursue, or maybe a new technique you’ve heard about. I say every year around this time that you should try something new. I have started my list and at the top of it is to get out on a river for some steelhead angling action. It is a bit early but the winter steelhead run is just starting and will keep getting better in the next few months, and I plan on being on the river to catch a nice winter-run metal head. Who wants to join me? I have been doing all types of research to help me get down some of the steelhead basics. I have done everything from checking out books from the library to watching some of my favorite episodes of Hawg Quest. I think I have a good idea that I would like to try, and suspending a jig under a float sounds interesting. Once the run gets into full swing, though, I am going to take my own advice and get hooked up with some experienced river anglers. I know a few people that love fishing this time of the year and I really want to find out why. With regards to salmon fishing, I have said each year anglers should give at least one new area a try and learn its idiosyncrasies. This year, I am going to give the east and north sides of Orcas Island my attention. My first two years with the boat, I spent a lot of time out on the banks and then I moved to Lopez and Decatur islands. This year, Orcas and even Guemes islands will be my learning playgrounds. You probably have a few friends that are absolutely in love with a particular type of fishing that you would like to try. If you do not have friends like that, then I would get involved with one of the local hunting or fishing clubs. The local chapter of the Puget Sound Anglers is a great place to start. You will find some very knowledgeable anglers who are eager to share their secrets with you. They might not share all of their closely-guarded secrets, but they will share enough to get you going. If all else fails, I would hire a guide. I have done it before and will probably do it again. A guide should be an open book for you to research a particular type of fishery. Before I moved out to the banks, I went on a guided trip out of Victoria, B.C. I did my research and my guide was a very good teacher. I learned a lot and I use most of the knowledge I picked up to this day. I hope that you give something new a try in 2009. I know I am going to explore a few new outdoor possibilities and I hope to see you out there. We ask that all participants own their words by registering for an account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and drive-by commenters. As a community site, we ask that the community help by using the "Flag" button on each comment if they feel the comment has violated the rules. You can also use the up and down arrows on each comment to voice your opinion about that particular comment. Want to tell us something but you don't want it to be public? Talk to us privately.
Jan 06 2009
