or hiring someone who does it often
to do for you if you haven’t done it or
timid to) • Storing your rods in a rack of some sort, not
just leaned against a wall. • Using Rod Gloves and tip
protectors is also recom-
mended especially dur-
ing travel.
JIGS
One of my favorite ways to extend the life of my tackle is working with jigs. Jigs are so versatile; you can replace and/or change the skirt, sharpen the hook, customize the weed- guard (if applicable), hand-tie for different flaring of the skirt or use a rubber collar if in a time crunch. In the video accompanying, I have demonstrated how to replace the skirt using a rubber collar.
SWIMBAITS
Swimbaits can be the most expensive and valued tackle in your arsenal. With so many types such as
wood, plastic, hollow and jointed just to name a few you can see how customization and organization is endless. There are two tricks that I have learned over the years and still use to this day.
• Use a drinking straw of appropriate size to in-
sert into nose of a line through plastic swimbait
to protect plastic from fishing line.
• When it comes
to organization, espe-
cially for soft plastic
swimbaits, getting a
plastic tote with a re-
movable lid and trans-
forming it into a swimbait
tackle box you can easily
take with you anywhere.
This keeps the swimbaits
stored in a neutral position,
which is especially crucial
for soft plastic swimbaits.
BOAT
Let’s take care of our dreams come true… regular maintenance, cleaning after trips, rinsing and checking constantly as to not aid in the transfer of invasive
hitchhikers. It is easier
and cheaper to maintain
what you have instead
of continuing to buy
replacements.
In my opinion, doing a little extra work to care for my tackle and equipment is worth saving an extra buck or two in the long run. It also forces me to learn little tricks that have helped me on occasion during tournaments to make my gear get me through the day or even that extra fish, when all I have is what’s in my possession. I like to call it the MacGyver method.
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