Fishing: During the Off Season

News & Tips: Fishing: During the Off Season

Winter LakeThis is the time of year that you can spend getting all your fishing gear prepared for the next fishing season.

I clean everything out of my boat and bring it inside where I can sort through everything.

I go through all my tackle and re-sort everything back to being organized: All my deep-diving crankbaits go together, spinnerbaits go together, jigs, hooks, weights and so on.

I fix any broken baits or discard them if they're not repairable. I do the same with all my rods and reels, repairing and lubing them.

Then I decide what I need to buy to have for the upcoming season.

Next, I do the same with my boat. I clean everything thoroughly and inspect for any repairs that need to be made and get that done.

Make sure to check wheel bearings on the trailer. They need to be cleaned and lubed at least once a year.

After all this work has been done, then you can start preparing for the upcoming season by studying information on the lakes you will be fishing. I like to watch videos and read books on all the new techniques that come out every year so that I may try new things to be more productive. Going to the sports shows can be a good way to find new things coming out that you might want to try. At www.bassmaster.com, there’s a video series called “Ultimate Tips and Techniques Series” presented by Bassmaster University that includes a separate DVD for each fishing technique. At www.basspro.com, you can also purchase DVDs on different techniques and even different lakes.

If you do all these things, when spring hits you will be ready to hit the water and put your newly organized boat and knowledge to use to fill up those livewells.

Fish Hard & Be Patient,

by Herb Nagy