The start of a new year is always a great time to reflect and reset. Taking stock and writing tangible objectives is an essential tool we can use to help us achieve our goals. We asked our conventional spinning and casting Douglas family to share their fishing goals with us and you for the coming year.
Buzz Ramsey: Douglas Ambassador:
The Pacific Northwest offers many opportunities to catch fish big and small, which are all fun to catch and delicious to eat. While much of my fishing efforts will focus on spring, summer and fall chinook, coho, and steelhead returning to the Columbia River, its tributaries and coastal streams, my 2024 goal will be to not overlook trout (in both lowland and high mountain lakes) kokanee, walleye, and whitefish. Of course, I’ll need to prepare different gear for these fisheries. I’m currently switching out my fishing rods to the Douglas Outdoor brand as I’ve found their rods to be of excellent quality. It’s no secret that I’ve been working with Douglas Outdoors for the last six months to develop a Douglas/Buzz Ramsey branded fishing rod series. The first introduction (not sure exactly when they’ll hit the market) will include four different 360 trolling rod actions measuring 9’6″ to 10’6″ in length. If successful, our plan is to add additional rod actions to the salmon rod series along with a full array of the right lengths and actions for steelhead. Until then my favorite Douglas rod for all around salmon trolling is the XMatrix, 9’6″ DXC C9652MF, for steelhead float fishing it’s the 9’6″ LRS S9632M, for steelhead bobber doggin’ it’s the slightly heavier LRS S9842F. My favorite spinning rod for trout, whitefish, walleye and kokanee is the XMatrix, 7’10” DXS 7103MF. Using this longer trout rod provides me with increased casting ability and more hook setting power.
@ramseybuzz
Kyle Patrick: Bass Pro, Elite Series Angler
My goals for 2024 are straight forward. Continue to learn as much as possible in the fishing industry to better myself as an angler. This goes for both on and off the water. I want to be able to continue to grow the companies that I work with in turn helping my brand. I want to make the 2025 Bassmaster Classic as well as win ROY on the Bassmaster Elite Series. That goal is a tall task as this year’s rookies are unbelievably talented. As always, my rod of choice is the XMatrix, DXC 745F due to its versatility and how accurate I can be with it. The beauty of this rod is the sensitivity is unmatched while the backbone is stout for boat flipping six pounders. Overall, I am just excited to get to work and make moves in 2024!
@kgpfishing
Oliver Ngy: Douglas Ambassador
2024 is lining up to be another exciting year! I am looking to spend more time chasing trophy largemouth in California in the first quarter of the year with heavy emphasis on big bait techniques highlighting the new detachable handle model rods in the 4 to 6 power range from both the Douglas LRS and XMatrix series.
I’ll also be exploring the California coastline for the first time as a new U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain in my new Pathfinder 2600 center console fishing boat. Applying freshwater big fish tactics and philosophy to a fishery I’ve been a part of my whole life. Now I get to try it on my own terms and with my own ideas. It should be a fun testing ground to see what I can bend some Douglas rods on. Up to this point, I haven’t seen anybody targeting our epic calico bass, spotted bay bass, California halibut, white seabass, and hopefully some yellowtail! I’ll continue to travel throughout the country with my amazing partner Riley and our furball, Phife. We will target big smallmouth, musky, and everything else we can cast at. The summer will be spent chasing big bluefin tuna on the California coast through our training sessions as we teach people how to cast artificials at what we term “foaming tuna.”
I’m excited to kick off the year with the New England Fishing Expo and Chicagoland Fishing Expo, while fishing my way through 2024 with my Douglas rods playing a big role in the adventures.
@oliverngy
Martin Villa: Douglas Bass Pro MLF Series Angler
As a new Bass Pro Tour angler, I have multiple goals for the upcoming 2024 season. The first is to qualify for the Championship, which is the bar for a successful season. My hopes are to catch multitudes of high-quality scorable bass across the country. We will fish a lot of trophy waters this year, so the thought of flexing XMatrix rods into some absolute giants has me excited. I am blessed to lean on great rods like the XMatrix, DXC 744F. There are very few rods in the world that are as versatile as that one. Also, the tidal fishermen in me can’t wait to dot some i’s with the XMatrix, DXC 765F full grip. What an exceptional Kermit stick. In between my tour events, I plan to cast my SKY G, 11wt. to cruising cobia. The SKY G, 8wt. will be my other wand of choice for some dry fly fishing in the Maritimes. This is where the true king of freshwater lives, Salmo Salar! Please don’t pinch me for I may wake up from this dream.
@martinvillafishing