Season at an End?
For many of us, the time to park the boat has already come. For others the time to hit the water is just beginning. Crappie and Striper fisherman are getting active and Bass anglers are resting their sore backs and knees. Well if you are getting bored than relax because their is still plenty to do.
I have gathered a top 5 list of things Bass fisherman can do in the off-season to help prepare them for a great season on the water next year.
1) Hit the EXPO - Now is the time of the year than you will see EXPOs and seminars popping up in your area. Take advantage of this. Here you will be able to be the first to get your hands on some new baits that will be hitting the water and have a chance to get some great advice from the pros. In addition you can help network yourself to other local anglers and sponsors.
2) Study your lake maps - If you are like me, than you write down information that you collected from your days on the water last year. You note when and where you caught a fish, the conditions, angles, and so on. Break that information out, organize it and relate it to your maps. Now you can put patterns together and begin to study your maps so you can find other areas that have the same characteristics as your most successful ones.
3) Inventory/Clean Your Equipment - I use the off-season to go back through and replace old broken rods, reels, and baits. I will also clean my reels, shine the blades on my spinner baits, replace any damaged hooks on my crank baits and swap out the batteries on my boat. Make a quantities list of your plastics and keep it updated. This way at the end of the year you can tell what you were and weren’t using. It will help save you money by minimizing what you think you need when you go to the tackle shop.
4) Write Thanks to your Favorite companies - Take a moment to write out an e-mail and send it too some of the companies that you had particular success with throughout the year. Tell them some of your stories and experiences. This is also the time of the year when they are revising their Pro-Staff rosters. With any luck you may even be extended and interest or a prompt to submit your resume. If nothing else may you’ll score a couple of packs of baits and a sticker.
5) Boat Maintenance - Simple, Change the oil in your motor’s lower unit, check the tread on your tires, Re-grease the bearings in your hubs, at a minimal. Update anything else that you managed to put on hold throughout the season.
Doing these few things are just a couple of things that can help you get ready for a great season next year.
If you have any other suggestions than be sure to add a comment to the list.
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POSTED IN: Miscellaneous, Tips/Tactics
1 opinion for Season at an End?
ALDave
Nov 21, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Make sure you keep your line stored in a cool dry place over the winter. A few years ago I put all of my line in a box and forgot I had it sitting under my patio awning. It got rained on and everything else. When I found it next spring the whole bunch of it was ruined. One spool of line broke just by straightening it out. The rest i could snap to easily. I recommend a closet or locker in the garage.
~Alabama Dave
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