Things to do during the winter shutdown

By Bobby Peoples

My new 2010 Bass Pro Shops master catalogue should be arriving in a few days. It always arrives around Christmas and it serves to jog my memory and get me motivated to get ready for the upcoming spring fishing season. I begin by laying out my outdoor calendar for the coming year in anticipation of all the upcoming outdoor activities and obligations. Once I have my calendar filled in, I begin what I refer to as my getting-ready-for-spring-fishing activities.

I fish throughout the year but I have to admit that as I have gotten older, the winter weather has somewhat dampened my desire to brave the cold temperatures, wind and rain and venture out on the lake. If ever there was a year when my enthusiasm has been dampened, then it would surely be this year. It seems like the rains started in October and just refuse to stop. Now the rain has been joined by cold weather and that combination can challenge even the most dedicated angler.

I now find myself watching and waiting for those warm winter days with that gentle southern breeze when those winter fish are more likely to bite and my body can better endure the weather. But this is one year when I keep looking and hoping and the rains and cold weather just refuse to let up. I keep saying, well maybe next week and another week comes and goes and there is no change in the bad weather.

I have decided that the current rainy and cold weather seem much better for sitting by the fire and reading a fishing magazine or watching an outdoors program on TV or putting new line on my reels or reorganizing my tackle box or doing those some of those other getting-ready-for-spring-fishing activities.

As I said earlier, I have already begun organizing my new 2010 outdoor calendar by adding planned outdoor events and my outdoor calendar began to fill quickly. I have my own personal calendar but I always make sure I put everything on my wife’s calendar so that she is aware of my planned outdoor activities. We then add all the planned family and church activities to both calendars and looked at conflicts so we can resolve them ahead of time.

Now back to where I began with this article and I believe it was by the fire enjoying the new Bass Pro Shops catalogue and preparing my thoughts for the upcoming spring. If you’re one of those who waits for the first hint of spring before you begin stirring to go outside, there are some things you can do to prepare for that first spring outing on the lake and you do not have to leave the comfort of the fireplace and your easy chair.

I mentioned spooling new line on your fishing reels but you might also want to check, clean and adjust all your reels and rods. Do not let that first nice fish of the spring break the line that was left on your reel from last year. Trying to spool new line on a reel while out on the lake with the fish biting just is not a good thing to do. I also mentioned reorganizing your tackle box to insure you can find things when you need them.

You can also take inventory of what you have and what you might need to replenish in your tackle box. Make a list of items you need and go ahead to your local tackle shop and buy what you need. Usually after a year of fishing, an angler will need additional hooks, sinkers, corks and a mirage of other fishing accessories. Also a bunch of new fishing lures will be announced around Christmas so make sure to get a few of those. Receiving gift cards at Christmas is always nice for that type of shopping.

With your rod and reels cleaned and spooled with new line and your tackle box organized, you can now devote your spare time to sitting by the fire reading all the how-to fishing books or looking at all the new fishing catalogues. That is unless you have a boat and trailer that needs your attention outside the house. A dead battery, a boat motor that will not crank, a bad trailer wheel bearing or a flat trailer tire has ruined many first time spring fishing trips.

I use my boat throughout the year so those things are ongoing considerations for me throughout the year but I know some folks who just wait for problems to occur and invariably that will happen just when you’re ready for a good day of spring fishing on the lake. I have just never understood how folks can invest good money in boats and motors and do no preventative maintenance.

I have run out of space for this article but maybe I have given you a few thoughts of things you might do while you sit by the fire and await spring. If you are not a sit-by-the-fire type, then get ready for one of those warm winter days that usually (not so far this year) seem to come about every two weeks, bundle up and go catch some fish. Good fishing and see you next week.



Outdoor columnist Bobby Peoples can be reached via e-mail at brpeoples@windstream.net.

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