Goals For the New Year

2015 came and went in a blur but its a year we'll never forget! At the start of the year we made a post about setting goals. We know that an angler without goals will continue to fish the same places, the same techniques, and rarely sees true success. We challenged each of you to set goals as well. Now that the year has passed we want to look back at those goals and see what we learned.

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Did you accomplish your goals? What did you do right? What did you do wrong? And what are you going to do in 2016 to continue moving forward? As an example let's look at Tim and my goals to see how we stacked up. Keep in mind, goals need to be lofty. They need to stretch you and cause you to develop as an angler. If your goals aren't a challenge that takes constant drive, you're shooting too low!

In 2015 both Tim and I set what we considered outrageous goals. We really stretched ourselves and were specific about what we wanted. I'll start by saying, we didn't accomplish all of them. But to my own amazement, we accomplished most of them! There is not a doubt in my mind that if we hadn't publicly committed ourselves to this, our year would have been very different!  Here is what we committed to for 2015...

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Tim:

• Help at least 3 friends break their "personal best" while fishing together
• Catch (another) 13+ lb largemouth
• Break a bass fishing world record

Matt:

• Help a minimum of 1 client catch a 10+ lb largemouth
• Catch a world record of any species (but I'd prefer an 11 lb Spotted Bass)
• Catch a 15 lb largemouth in Clearlake

Those goals were crazy right?! World records?! You've got to be kidding me!! On January 12th, 2015 Tim broke the WORLD RECORD for Spotted Bass with a GIANT 10 lb 6 oz beauty! Several weeks later Matt broke not one, but two Channel Cat World Records! Now isn't that interesting? Tim's goal specifically stated that he wanted a BASS world record and Matt's wasn't as specific, settling for a world record of any species. Here we are, a year later looking back, and both of those goals came to fruition exactly as we had set out to accomplish them. 

Additionally, Tim was successful in helping his friends catch new personal bests just as he had planned. He fell short on the 13 lb largemouth but that's what 2016 is for! Matt successfully guided his clients to fish over 10 lbs and as a kicker, guided a client to a bonus world record catfish! He too fell short of his goal for a giant largemouth but will to continue pursuing that 15 lb Clearlake bass in 2016!

This goes to show that no matter how outrageous the goal, once you commit it to paper and have that accountability, you can accomplish virtually anything! We challenge you again to set lofty goals for 2016! What will you do this year? Will you stay the same or will you catch that personal best? Will you catch a new species? Perhaps break a record? This is your year and we look forward to being a part of it!

To see our goals for 2016 join us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tacticalbassin/ and share in the conversation.

Allen Rated #1 in "California Top 40"

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Every Fall California anglers wait anxiously for Kramer's "Top 40"; a list of the top 40 fisherman in the state based on their performance that year. Once its released the list is hotly debated amongst fishing circles. What began as Kramer's personal opinion has morphed over the years. The list has moved from one man's view to the most respected West coast angler ranking. As such, a position on the list is now highly sought after by many anglers.

This year I'd like to congratulate both Matt and Tim for their placement on the list! For the first time, Matt headed the list in the #1 position. Tim wasn't far behind in the #11 position. These two anglers worked feverishly this year to pursue their fishing passion while sharing videos and how-to's in an effort to inspire other anglers to do the same.

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Matt's passion for fishing has changed over the years. He first gained notoriety as a trophy largemouth fisherman. Matt still pursues trophy largemouth every year (and catches quite a few) but in recent years has expanded in many other directions, aiding his placement on the list. He is beginning to excel as a multi-species angler, targeting trophy smallmouth, spotted bass, even reaching as far as trophy catfish on occasion. Additionally, he became a fishing guide a few years ago and now thrives on teaching other anglers how to catch giant bass.

Tim, as many now know, is a warden for the Department of Fish and Wildlife. His recent exploits captured national media attention during the Valley Fire. Between work and his young family, Tim's time is extremely limited but he still manages to get out on the water. When he does, he's a machine. From trophy largemouth to trophy spots (including the California State Record Spotted Bass back in January) this guy catches them! Since becoming a partner in Tactical Bassin he spends more time behind the camera than in front but don't let that fool you. When he steps out from behind the camera he is a force to be reckoned with!

38 other anglers made the list as well, all of whom have exceptional talent on the water. Congratulations to all the anglers that made Kramer's Top 40 this year! We look forward to seeing what 2016 holds. Good luck out there!

Tim's Service During Fires Gains National Recognition

Most of you know Tim Little (Co-Owner of Tacticalbassin.com) as an awesome angler and video editor. Until this week however, very few of you had any idea what he does for work. Tim generally stays quiet about his job, choosing instead to let everyone assume that he's just out fishing every day. In reality, Tim works harder than anyone else I know and rarely makes it out on the water. He's not out fishing every day, in fact he's rarely fishing every month (Its just that when he does hit the water, he's a hammer). 

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As a California Fish and Wildlife Warden he works incredibly long hours. I mean LONG HOURS... I can't begin to explain how many times I've stayed at his house while at Clearlake and not even seen him. He's out responding to call after call and doesn't get to break for sleep or family time, let alone fishing or fun.

During the first day of the Valley Fire in Lake County, Tim did what he always does; he responded to a need. While evacuating people from their homes near Cobb Mountain a call came in that a grandmother and young child were trapped in an area that would soon burn. He wasn't the first to receive the call but he was the only responder with a vehicle that might make it in. Without hesitation, he went in and successfully saved those two lives. Later that day he did the same with another elderly woman trapped in a different home.

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When Tim told me about the experience the next morning (He hadn't slept or been home yet) it didn't even register in my mind as being extraordinary, because frankly that's just Tim. That's what my friend does when people need help. Somewhere in the story telling I heard him say "I'm not sure it was smart to be up there, it was really bad" but that wasn't even a factor in his decision making at the time.

Tim's heroics while helping evacuate families garnered national attention this week. Its been amazing to see the story ripple across the nation! He's the last person who would ever want this sort of attention but that's exactly the kind of person who deserves to get it. 

He wasn't the only responder on that mountain. His partner Ryan Stephenson and several other individuals from local departments were also up there "just doing their job" being hero's as well. When you see these guys, please thank them, though they'll probably be embarrassed to hear it.

Please forgive us for not having a fresh bass fishing video for you to watch this week. As you are now aware, Tim is a very busy man. While he pours his heart into every video he edits for this site, it is a very small part of the responsibilities he carries. Thank you so much for your support of Tacticalbassin and of Tim!

What's New With Tactical?

2015 has already been an amazing year for the TacticalBassin family! Starting with Tim's state record spotted bass and moving on to dozens of trophy largemouth, this was a spring we'll never forget!

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With such amazing fishing under our belts we felt it was time to take a break for a few weeks and create a game plan for the future of Tactical Bassin. Looking toward the future, we decided to step up our equipment. Tim headed down to Las Vegas for the NAB 2015 conference to see what's new in the camera/electronics world and came home with some awesome new equipment that will allow us to stay on the forefront of bass fishing video!

We look forward to fine tuning these new tools to capture fishing from new angles, heights, and depths. Keep an eye out for even more amazing footage during the later part of 2015!