THUNDER BAY – Sports – If your open water fishing season is over for the year, there are some things you should do to make sure your fishing stuff is properly stored. Following are some of those things.
If you have a boat, make sure it’s winterized. For most folks, winterizing should be done by a dealer. If you own an Evinrude E-Tec motor you can winterize it yourself: Simply refer to the Owner’s Manual. It’s a very simple process.
You also need to check the propeller on the outboard and the electric for line and nicks. If the prop has some dings, now is a good time to get those taken care of.
Different people have different thoughts on the boat batteries. Some make sure the batteries have a good charge then simply disconnect them. Some boaters leave them connected. Others take the batteries out of the boat and keep them somewhere warm. I leave them in the boat and check the charge regularly throughout the winter. I’ve had good luck with this method, but check with your dealer for recommendations.
Check the trailer tires for air pressure. Also check the lights on the trailer. If there is a problem, get it fixed now.
If your sonar units aren’t permanently mounted on your boat, store them somewhere warm.
Now for the equipment you fish with. Open your tacklebox and let it air out. This prevents the hooks from rusting.
Also take an inventory of your lures. If you need to replace some, or if there are lures you want to add to your inventory, add them to your Christmas wish-list. A Christmas wish-list is greatly appreciated by an angler’s family members.
Back off on the drags on your reels.
Don’t store your rods in a bent position or up against the wall in a manner that makes them curve. If you have a rod rack, put the rods in the rod rack. If not, store them flat or in a manner where there is no curve in the rod.
Take some line off your reel. If it’s a reel that you mostly cast with or usually have less than one hundred feet of line out, take off about fifty yards.
If it’s a trolling reel, take off about one hundred yards. In the spring, tie on new line. Don’t put the new line on now. Wait until spring to do so so the line is fresh when you start fishing again.
If you use waders, and if you noticed a leak in them, now is the time to fix that leak. If you don’t do it now, you’ll forget and your waders won’t be ready when it’s time to use them again.
Now is also a good time to take some notes from the just-completed fishing season. Record memorable fishing trips and write down what made them memorable. Make a note of productive fishing techniques, time of year, unusual circumstances: Just write some things about the fishing season down and refer back to them at the beginning of the next fishing season.
The things we just talked about should be done now while the thought is still in your mind. If you do these things, the open water fishing season of 2012 will start out much better.
–Bob Jensen
Catch all of Jensen’s newest episodes of Fishing the Midwest Television at www.fishingthemidwest.com or www.MyOutdoorTV.com
Article comes to you courtesy of The Fishing Wire.
