BLOG: Christmas wishlist

HO HO HO!

I'm one excited little beastie. I just love this time of year. There's nothing better than donning the thongs and singlet when getting out on the boat.

I know that for most of us the Christmas holidays are a time when we ditch work guilt free for a few weeks, pack up the car, the kids, the fishing gear and hitch the boat in preparation for the annual trip to some far-off coastal retreat. The pilgrimage out of our capital cities is a quintessential Aussie phenomenon that my family has done since lobbing into this beautiful country over 50 years ago.

For a large majority this is the only chance we get to wet a line throughout the year. Time to dust off those reels and apply some oil. Don't forget to check the health of your fishing line. You don't want to lose your fish of a lifetime to negligence.

I know within myself I like to set little goals when I'm on a fishing sortie. Doesn't really matter where I am going, I like to give myself a very loose game plan. This might be targeting a specific species or trialling a new lure or technique. I'm sure we all have something new we would like to try out or something we would like to achieve. Who knows, we might even be receiving a few fishing-related prezzies from the kids. One can only wish!

So if Santa was to grant you one fishing wish over the summer holidays, what would it be? For me, I would like Santa to give me a 20kg soft plastic caught jewie or a flathead over a metre. I'm asking a lot, I know! Fact is this has been a milestone of mine for quite some time but I figure if I can muster the help of the big man in the red suit, it might just give me the luck I need to achieve at least one of those goals.

So have a Merry Christmas everybody! PLEASE...drive safely this summer. Take breaks, refresh and show patience on the roads. After all, we are all trying to achieve the same thing; to be part of an Aussie tradition of fun-in-the-sun away from our normal hectic schedules.

Also I would like to personally thank everyone who has contributed to this blog throughout the year. I hope to get even more collaboration and response in 2010. We need to build a strong Fishing World community so everybody's input is sincerely welcomed.

What would you like Santa to have in his bag of fishing tricks for you?