Bass fishing requires some very specialized and at times expensive equipment. The winter brings about a great time to take a good look at your reels, rod, and tackle. While I live in the south and can fish year round, many in the northern states put their equipment up for the season. Doing a little work now will ensure you are ready when your season begins again.
I use a cold, windy, rainy day that isn’t really suitable for comfortable fishing to go through my reels making sure they work properly and are lubricated properly. Cold can bring out the worst in your equipment, and anything that is dry or binding will break under harsh, cold conditions. Your already cold and probably wet and now your reel quit working, Frustrating!!
Here are a couple links to articles I have published on Ultimate Bass about reel maintenance.
Check your rods by dragging a Q-Tip through the eyelets. If it hangs then you have a crack, groove or bur that can damage line, and it will need to be replaced. Finding it now gives you plenty of time to get it fixed. Check your reel seats to make sure they are tight and that the threads that hold the reel on are clean. After a season of fishing, debris will build up on the reel seat and cause issues.
This is also a good time to go through your tackle. Make sure you don’t have rusty hooks that will inflame the rest of your box over the winter. If you’re like me, you will get cabin fever very easy. When this happens I will grab a box of crankbaits and go through them hook by hook checking for sharpness.
Just a couple quick ideas to first, help with cabin fever when it hits; and second ensure you are ready for the spring bass fishing!
Get the Net it’s a Hawg
Mike Cork
