Now is the time to get ready

[Saltheart]

This time of year is always busy with getting ready for the season. This is when we would usually pull the reels completely apart , clean and inspect every part and reassemble and lube. I carefully wipe that thin salty scum off everything on the inside under the cover plates. Usually the line from last season is stripped off and replaced. If you are smart and use levelwind conventionals , you throw in a new levelwind pawl whether it needs it or not.

I also empty the whole jig or plug bag out onto a table. I sort out and clean everything and get rid of the little pile of dirt , grass sticks , bugs , sand etc that somehow always gets in the bottom. I look at all the hooks on the plugs and sharpen or replace where needed. I like to give all the hooks a good flex with my thumb and forfinger to see if any have become brittle (some do more than others) . I also check all the jigs to see if any have the gap opening up and if they do , I use the pliers to bend them back down where they belong. On some really beat up ones I actually straighten the very tipidy tip and then resharpen. I bang and wipe off any heavy white lead oxide that has formed on the lead and or hook eye do to corrosion.


One big thing is that not everything goes back in the bag. This is very important for the jig bag since it weighs about 20, pounds by the end of the previous season do to grabbing a handful of jigs everytime I think of it without checking if I already have enough. This time of year I just count out 5 or 6 of each size or type and put them neatly into seperate tubes maded by cutting the tops off water bottles. This usually gets the bag down to the 5 to 7 pound range and that is a big improvement in overall weight. I also rearrage all the teasers and rubber curltial , fin s , shad bodies , etc. I add in a few of every color and lots of black and white 8 inch curltails as they are my bread and butter all year long.
I like to take some line off the big spool of ande 50 pink or 60 green and rewind into a smaller spool then put that into the bag too. I wipe off the pliers and make sure they will move and cut (I have good luck and get a lot of life out of Nickel plated pliers) . I double check the supply of large bait hooks I like to carry in a small envelope because you seldom remember to check them each trip but when you need them they must be there.

This is also the time when I put new batteries in the headlamp and in the waterproof flashlight I have clipped to the jig bag D ring. I make sure the swiss army knife with scissors is in the bag and not all corroded so as to make it hard to open the blades.

I also like to throw a stick of bug repellant in there. I like the very small stick that looks like a small deodorant dispenser. It lasts all season and is better than the airosol spraying around your face.

It a good idea to check the guides on all the rods to be sure there are no cracks. its amasing how hard it is to see some of the small guide cracks but how effectively they cut through the line if they are there. I also like to wipe the whole rod down at this time and look for any heavy rusing of the guide feet where they go into the epoxy.

i then look at the clothing I will wear all season long. I make sure the light and heavy rain jackets are still functional. I look over the hip boots and waders and make sure they are easy to get too and there are no hooks in the waders. I also check to be sure no bugs , mice , etc have taken up residence in the knee high boots i like to wear at the canal for low tide. Most important is my hooded sweatshirt. i wash that all by itself in the washer on the longest cycle that includes a 20 minute soak in the soapy water and then dry it well. Its a super heavy hooded sweatshirt and it is the best piece of fishing clothing I have.


Well that's a faily long rundown of what I like to do this time of year in hopes of being pretty well set for the rest of the season. What does everyone else do?

[Kierran]

I need to tie up some leaders, change some hooks, & re-pack some reels with greese. Good post...

[smokefish]

Picking up my rod from CMS today, had new fuji gudes put on now before the old ones started breaking off and interrupting my season.

[fishaholic18]

Hi Mike..
I started already,I took my reels apart and cleaned and lubed them last fall. Today I respooled a few of my reels with new braid(been a few years), have a few more to do.Looked over a few rods to see what guides and tips need replacing, time to start wrapping again.. I dumped out my mess of lures, hooks, sinkers etc.. and will be sorting and organizing that stuff in the next few days. I pulled back the cover on the boat to start checking what needs to be fixed.. Getting ready is almost as much fun as fishing...

[BIG TIM]

Good post... Thanks.

[Rob Rockcrawler]

I tore down the reels last week for i think the 3rd time since december. Went thru 2 plug bags and cleaned out all sorts of crap. Also, went thru the rubbermaid plug cargo carrier. What a mess. Changed about 40 trebles, tied a bunch of bucktails and feathers. Organized all the swivels and breakaways that i could find, which is probably about 1/10 of the amount i bought last year. I HATE THIS TIME OF YEAR. SO CLOSE BUT SO FAR AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[thortum]

I just throw EVERYTHING away and start fresh!!!

[GonnaCatchABig1]

Originally Posted by thortum

I just throw EVERYTHING away and start fresh!!!

i do a combo of both.. i clean out the boxes/bags.. check the reels and rods.. hooks and everything small.. get tossed and replaced. lures get cleaned and hooks replaced or sharpened... most rubbers get tossed due to melting and stink from not being kept properly during the season. (im a toss this where ever if fish are around but not hitting what i just had on... kinda guy)

i should open up reels and clean em..but i fear i couldnt put em back together... so its time to get a pro to do it.. but i do that all the day before fishing. lol. i cant start it now... or i will be fishing tomorrow.

[BassDawg]

Thanks for the reminder and the elaboration on
yer Springtime Prep List. Gooood stuff, Saltheart.

did the plugs thing a month ago.
am dropping off my 750ssm to Kay this week.
already serviced my 704Z, but have yet to respool.
i usually don't respool until i'm on the way to my first jaunt.

will wait to start tying leaders as well.
does anyone else throw thier stripped down plugs
in the dishwasher before re-attaching new or sharpened trebles?
will begin to rework my waders and still have to upgrade my Korkers
with stainless screws and lock nuts soon.

thanks again, for the reminder. and it cain't come SOON enuff!!

[HESH2]

great prep list Saltheart

[BassDawg]

just thought of something that may relate to
preparing for the coming season..............??

does anyone else do any strength and conditioning,
tai chi-ing, stretching of the cabin fevered bones to get into "surfcasting shape"?
Vic has told me of a Maineiac angler that began sleep deprivation training a month ago!

besides needing to take some air outa the spare tire
(about 20 pounds), just curious if anyone else is doing
any fitness stuff along with "re-conditoning" the gear.

while i do reelize that a daily regimine is far more effective and
i'm not trying to point any fingers, simply taking a regrettable look
in the old mirror at the wasteland that has become my GUTTTT!!!

[Rob Rockcrawler]

I started a diet of sorts this week. Just trying to get a bit healthier and drop maybe 15-20 ponds if im lucky. Im dropping tater chips, i figure thats good for the first 5. I figure the more weight i lose the less studs i will lose on my korkers.

[RIROCKHOUND]

Originally Posted by BassDawg

j
does anyone else do any strength and conditioning,
tai chi-ing, stretching of the cabin fevered bones to get into "surfcasting shape"?

Yup. I'm a gym rat anyways,
I up the time on the stair master; find it mimics rock hopping/sand trudging better than the elliptical machine (running trashes my knees).
I add a lot of stretching to my shoulder workouts I LOVE the workout rubber bands for this kind of work, try it after some free weights. Shun any machine; those do little to get you ready for 'real-world' movements. Do as much as possible standing upright; too many people sit for curls and other upper body work.

I'd like to drop 20 as well, but as I like to tell people, I just look fat and out of shape and looks can be deceiving.

If you are more advanced, try to add a bunch of full body, multi-joint style exercises to stay flexible and mobile; i.e. the hang-clean-overhead press; get some nice lower back work, shoulder work etc, and a lot of work on those big inflatable balls to work on stabilizing and core work. I find it makes a big difference when fishing multiple nights a week, I get less run down.

[BassDawg]

Thanks, Bryan!

some good stuff, indeed. i alos can't take the running, but was thinking of working a jump rope into my routine. the toughest part is sticking with it, and

agreed, Rob Rockcrawler!
Gotta start limiting the caloric intake and
choose more wisely with them calories .

[Bedford Blues]

Walk . i try to walk 2 or 3 miles a day to prepare for the season. Running is out - bad knees.
Gear is constant tweaking , fixing, etc...
Scouting. Checking places for any new parking restrictions.
i have seen access denied in far too many places in my
lifetme.

[jimmy z]

I'm done. I had plenty of snowy days to accomplish this.
Out with the old and in with the new. There are just someplugs, if I don't lose 'em to the toothy critters, that get refurbished and used year after year. I'm gonna hit a spot this afternoon, and try out some I made. There are some holdovers that I want to see about.
But all in all, I'm pretty much done. I have to see my good friend the Cap'tn, hope he is doing better, to get a rod he is holding for me.
I hope everyone is doing well,

[Al in Westport]

Great posting Saltheart,

This will give me something to do today. About the only thing I would add to your list is some fresh sun-block. This should be replaced every year as I think it's shelf life is short. Of course if you fish only at night you have to get moon-block.

Think Spring, Al

[smac]

I am done with everything except one roller bearing in my cabo. I am now busy packing for the big move to the vineyard.

[JamesJet]

I am doing the same, checking reels and putting new hooks on plugs. I also have a whole lot of fishing misc that I have to organize. I basically cleaned out my dads basement and brought all the fishing gear up to my place. It came up in buckets bags and boxes, probably 60% is usable the rest will get the heave-ho. I have to make a list of things to buy - mostly terminal tackle type stuff so when I head out to get spooled up I can also pick up what I need. I always seem seem to be running out of swivels etc during the season only to find the mother load during my spring cleaning so this year I am going to check first before buying.

[snake slinger]

this sucks not much going on today and i pulled out my plugbag opeaned it up to find i left some rubber in there last year and it has melted the inserets