Setting Realistic New Year Targets
Ian Poole runs through his 2022 plans and how he sets himself up to remain positive for the next 12 months
Are you someone who makes plans—or New Year’s Fishing Resolutions as it were?
“No, not really, but if there was something for this year it would simply be to get out onto the bank a bit more. For various reasons, I did next to nothing in 2021 so will hopefully put that right soon.”
How do you prep for the new year ahead?
“If I know where I am heading for then I will always make sure I have the right kit ready for the venue in question, so there’s no messing about when I do get the opportunity to go. In regards to bait, you never know for sure what you’ll need, but as I make the vast majority of my own hookbaits I will always be well stocked on those. Rig-wise, unless I’m in a match of some sort I tend to make them up on the bank when I know what’s in front of me.”
When will you start walking your target venue, early spring? What are the first things you do?
"If it’s local enough then time spent walking a venue is never wasted. However, with nearly all of the waters I’ve fished over the last 20 years being an hour or more from home, I’ve rarely travelled just to look around and will always have the kit with me. The thing is, these days, that doesn’t mean you can’t get more familiar with your chosen venue. Google Earth Pro is a great learning aid and it’s amazing how much you can do on it. Wind direction, swim angles, distance to visible underwater features, etc. It can all be plotted out and more, and makes a massive difference if, like me, you can’t visit your target venue regularly between sessions.”
How do you set yourself targets and work out what’s achievable to you personally?
“I do like to set myself little goals in my angling as it helps to keep me keen when on the bank. It may just be something like trying to catch one off the top on a tricky venue, but whatever it is, I never compare my results to anyone else. Lots of anglers do, however, and for me it’s not a good route to go down. I generally know if I am fishing well and try and give myself a kick up the backside if I start getting lazy. Just being honest with yourself is a good start and when the bites dry up it’s easy to fall into the mindset of thinking the bait is rubbish or the fish just weren’t feeding when you really knew you took a few too many casts to get the rods in or maybe didn’t move in the night after you heard some fish down the other end of the lake.”
Are you someone who reflects on each passing year and thinks how you could improve for the following year or do you just go with the flow?
“Definitely the latter. Of course we all make mistakes on the bank that cost us fish but for me, personally, they are reflected upon on the way home from the session in-question and then forgotten about. There is no point storing stuff up to think about at a later date because you can’t change what’s happened. Learn from mistakes made and be ready to go again the next week.”
Many anglers make New Year’s Resolutions—have you any advice on how people can stick to them—and, more importantly, achieve them?
“12 months is a long time and every year I see anglers go out of the starting blocks at 100mph but then burn out before they even get to the best part of the season. The first quarter of the year can be tough going on lots of venues so targeting the right water at the right time of the year is a very important part for me, as is having at least one other back-up water for a change of scenery.
“If you are a target angler looking for one particular carp then you’ll know many have quite predictable patterns as to when they get caught, so use this to your advantage. There’s no point fishing a venue all spring for a carp that only ever seems to do autumn captures or vice versa. By looking at previous captures you can zone in on the times when you are in with the best chance of success. Good luck for this year.”
