Friday, April 9, 2010

Getting ready for the fishing season!

It seems as spring nears we get the urge to get back out on the water and do some fishing again. However for some of us we find that in the last winters rush to get the boat out of the water and everything stored...
Sometimes we just grab all of our rods & reels,nets,baits,etc. off the boat in a rush and simply toss them in the garage or basement and don't think much about them until they are needed again.
Well now it is time to go through everything.The big mess for some!
I like to put everything away neatly so i can take an inventory of what needs attention or fixing. I too though don't give it much thought until spring.
I now have to strip all my reels of their old sun battered line and reline them with all new line to start the season. While i am doing that i like to make all new fresh leaders and only keep the good ones as back ups! I like to clean and inspect the reels to make sure that they are working properly (drag,clickers,Etc) and oil them up a bit.
Now that our rods & reels are all set I look over the net and see a few holes that must have gotten away from me the previous year. If the bag isn't in to bad of shape i will mend the holes with a few zip ties, gotta love those things! Otherwise i will just put a new bag on to start the season off fresh.
On to that over stuffed box of tangled baits... Who put those away like that? Not I!
It is a good idea to go through the baits and check the hooks, make sure they have them and that they are sharp. I like to put them back in some order even though they won't stay that way for long. It is a good way to see what you have and what may need to be replaced, repainted or repaired.
Well that will get things ready to go back onto the boat.. Which is another story in itself. I guess instead of writing about this i better get doing it while it's fresh in my mind!