About the time this article was written, yours truly was sitting at a laptop suffering from the most advanced stages of cabin fever. As a New Yorker, I still find remnants of snow in shady spots that constantly remind me how far off in the fishing season is. Such to the point that I have even resorted to playing fishing simulation games on the computer to ease an impending fishing-induced nervous breakdown. Despite that fact, I have discovered many things one can do in their downtime, depending on how long it is, that will make your time fishing come the long-awaited spring that much more productive.
Here are a few things I do during winter, to my tackle and other fishing accouterments, that keep me occupied and make for better fishing in the spring.
Reel Maintenance
We all own one. It's the reel that no matter what you do to it, it will continue to squeak. Now is the time to get to those trouble reels, oil, clean, and re-spool them in time for spring. Reel oil is available from several sources and manufacturers, all of which are very effective. Check your drag washers; make sure they are working smoothly also. It's much less stress-inducing to find malfunctioning ones now, rather than letting a five-pound smallie find one in May. If you find malfunctioning parts, taking care of it now allows plenty of time to ship in new parts, so they are ready to come game time.
Lure Clean-Up & Care
One of the most tedious aspects of fishing is taking care of the baits that we want the fish to abuse. If you are as bored as I am right now, clipping excess bits of knots and line from split rings and eyelets can provide hours of entertainment that would otherwise be spent thinking about fishing. I like to change hooks, making sure to upgrade all my stock, out-of-the-package hooks, too far more durable and more effective after-market brands. Also, I make any adjustments to the baits that I need to, replacing split rings and any other terminal component. Doing this now saves me the last-minute "flight of the bumblebees" mad rush routine in the hotel room come time to fish those baits in a tournament.
Storage evaluation & adjustment
Though this one sounds somewhat lofty, all it means is to make sure everything is where it's supposed to be. If you already have a set system of organizing your tackle, make sure it is set up the way you would like it, baits and such where they belong. Of course, if you do not have a method of organizing your gear, now would be an excellent time to consider your options. Having such a system, even one as simple as labeled boxes or bags will make life on the water a heck of a lot easier. With the free time now, please take a look at what you have, then determine which would be the most productive method of organizing your tackle to make it both cost-effective and practical at the same time. For more information on this usually fairly uneventful subject, have a look at my article entitled "A Place For Your Stuff."
Gear Replacement
All this free time on your hands, and there's that Bass Pro Shops catalog staring you right in the face, with all 358 pages of angling glory! While I don't suggest going on a spending spree that would put a tiny sovereign nation in debt, I suggest you look at what gear needs replacing and do so now. It's much easier now to take your time and evaluate what you had, what you need, and what you want to try that's new. I say this because there have been times that I have done this in the spring, and it has been a rush job, with fear of getting things shipped in before the next tournament date. So basically, the message here is to take a well-thought-out inventory of what you have and then look at the budget you have to work within and take it from there. No words I can write here can describe the overwhelming "Son of a" feeling that you get when you look for your confidence bait and realize that it's still hung up in lay down 300 miles from your current location on a lake you fished last season.
Boating & Trailer Equipment Check
This is a continuation of what I mentioned above. Ensure you have all the necessities on hand, such as motor oil and lower unit lube, so that you are ready to hit the water come springtime. A bonus here is that boating stores often will put such items on sale as they need to move them in the winter when the demand is lower. So not only do you get prepared, you get the added incentive of saved cash. File under this heading bearing grease, replacement lights, hitch accessories, batteries, and any other item that may go south during the winter or towards the end of the last fishing season. Once again, to make life easier when it all counts.
Tournament Preparation
Granted, not all of us fish tournaments, however for those of us that do, here are some things that can not only give you something to do when the cold stuff hits but can make the competition a little more productive. I like to get a hold of my schedules as soon as possible to begin the scouting and info gathering process. (See yet another one of my articles, "Approaching New Water," for more information on how to go about this) I like to make lodging reservations well in advance before they become unavailable, and I like to plan other engagements such as trade shows and speaking dates around my tournament dates as well. Also, now would be the time to order contour maps of the lakes, so you can familiarize yourself with them and make any mental notes you would like. Many times a clear head without the pressures of what you did wrong last week can make for a far better pattern or plan. Also, on a tournament note, you can go about securing tournament partners if necessary, too, with plenty of time to adjust plans accordingly. Now would also be an excellent time to plan out directions from your location to the actual lake, which makes traveling a breeze rather than a burden, which means you can concentrate on fishing rather than finding your place to fish.
Education
Despite what some anglers, no matter how good they are, or say they are, do not know everything there is to know about the sport. This is where winter and the fact that leaving your house, even to get a Value Meal from the local burger joint, can spell instant hypothermia is a good thing. With all that indoor free time to kill, why not brush up on some tactics or take the time to read (significantly my articles!) and learn something new. I make it a point to stock up on books and magazines that provide good insight into what's going on with tactics and the sport in general. Now, the Internet, which you already know if you are reading this on a computer monitor, can provide an endless source of educational material that will make you a better, if nothing else, a more informed angler. There are several tactics that I have read about that I am looking forward to throwing this season. I don't think I am far off when I say fishing is a perfect example of sports, where knowledge is power. Yes, folks, the pen may be mightier than the flippin' stick here.
With that said, I hope I have provided some insights and suggestions as to what you can do to kill time that would otherwise be spent watching Bill or Roland landing their following catch while you dig into bag number two of Dorito chips! These, of course, are only suggestions. For more, think of anything you rush around doing before your next trip or tournament and do it now!
Catch you on the water...
