Wax, Knots, Donate, Clean

Organize Tackle, Check Line and Other Fishing Day Prep

®

Spring 2020

R T tha I A t M pa I y E N o - f S f Y U D CK A S Y

By Pete Robbins

page

10

W

e all know that bass often bite better under

overcast or rainy conditions, so referring to

downtime as “rainy days” is something of a misnomer. Still, at some point during the season you are

going to have some time around the house to get drudge

work done.

It might be

because the

water gets hard

where you live.

Or, typhoon-class

winds are buffeting

the boat ramp. Or,

you have to wait

around the house

for the plumber or

electrician (or even

the UPS or FedEx

guy bringing a

critical boat part or

tackle order).

We all have

downtime, and we

all have endless

lists of non-fishing

chores to get done.

If you try to get the

fishing drudgery

accomplished

in one shot,

you’re likely to be

interrupted; but, if you bite off only what you can chew at a

given time, not only will you feel a sense of accomplishment,

but you’re more likely to make progress.

Some of the more mechanically-minded among you can

add to the following list, but here’s a bunch of “crap work”

that anyone can do, with varying time commitments to allow

for the other demands of your life.

REPLACE TREBLES

Get out all of your hard bait boxes and, after culling out those you’re all but positive you’ll never use again, or only in specific circumstances, check the treble hooks. If they’re bent or dull or there are no feathers where there should be, replace them. Check the split rings, too, and replace

them liberally. This is an easy project you can

complete in front of the TV. Just be sure to

keep the dog and the kids away, and be certain

to replace any dwindling sizes/models upon

completion of the task.

CONSOLIDATE SOFT PLASTICS

Just about every time I get in the boat, I throw in a bag of green pumpkin Senkos or junebug Baby Brush Hogs. What does that leave me at the end of the year? A boat full of packages with just a couple of soft plastics apiece. You probably do the same with your own personal favorites. Consolidate those partial bags into more complete sets, and