As is holiday tradition, I’m keeping things brief this New Year’s Day.

Using the magic of social media algorithms, I was provided with these nine images from this past year. Although I shared three big lessons I learned in 2024 earlier this week, I figured I could offer up nine pieces of encouragement as well. Or, if you’re the kind of person that does such things, fodder for fly fishing resolutions.

Here are 9 potential resolutions based upon  9 of last year’s experiences:

• Embrace the fun and the kitsch of fly fishing.  25 years ago, I would have though this sweater was terrible. Now? I think it is a fun garment with an historic story.
• Beauty matters. Art, even fish art, is worth having around. Surround yourself with many or a few things that bring you joy and share something of yourself with others who are in your home or office.
• Explore the unlikely places. Sometimes scouting trips yield nothing. Sometimes they lead to the honey hole. You’ll never know until you just get out there.
• Read more books. Fly fishing, novels, whatever: just read more books. I’ve never met anyone who regretted having a book by his nightstand.  Make a plan to read 4, 12, or more books this year.
• Go back where you came from. This brookie was from a river I hadn’t fished in over 20 years. The last time I fished it was in my earliest days as an angler. The experience was great.
• Do not despise the small fish. What is better: a normal-sized fish in a big river or a small fish in a small creek? I know there are a lot of subjective qualifiers there, but it is a question worth answering.
• Eat your quarry. I know. It is easy to say that when I’m holding a crappie and not a wild trout. But eat a fish every now and again. It tastes good, but it also reinforces that what we’re doing involves blood.
• Change flies when your gut tells you to. This brown was the only fish intermittently sipping spinners when every other trout was pounding streamers. I retied, fought and landed this hefty lad, and then went back to stripping buggers.
• Stay up late. Many a day have I had more excitement in the half hour before and the half hour after sunset than  in the  rest of the afternoon. Push through, get  a little chilly, and reap the rewards.

Happy New Year from Casting Across.