Get Ready for Open Water

by Bob Jensen

Get Ready For Open Water

Early River Eyes Anglers start to think about going fishing at different times. Anglers who live near rivers often regard March as the opening of fishing season, while other anglers consider early May to be the opener. It just depends on where the individual angler lives or how far that angler is willing to travel to go fishing. Many anglers travel to the Mississippi, Wisconsin, Missouri, or Rainy rivers in the late winter and early spring to get a head start on their fishing. If you're one of those anglers, you're thinking about going fishing very soon. In fact, maybe you have already been fishing in open water this year. Here are some things you will want to keep in mind if you are an early season angler.

Be sure to start the season with fresh line. If you put your rod/reel away last fall with old line, that line is older now. If it had any twist in it, it is still twisted. Every new fishing season should be started with new line. The line is the only thing between you and the fish. New line will give you a much better chance of landing that fish.

Which line should you choose? If sensitivity and hook setting are your only considerations, a superline would be a good choice. An example of a superline would be FireLine. This stuff has no stretch, which enhances feel and allows solid hooksets with just a flick of the wrist.

If you prefer a little forgiveness in your line, monofilament is the route you should go. Monofilament is still very good for most fishing applications. In fact, Trilene XT in six-pound test is the choice of many, many jigging anglers, and jigging is probably the most popular technique this time of year. It's really hard to beat fresh monofilament for fishing.

Take a few minutes to put a point on your hooks. Some hooks are dull right out of the box; others get dull after being fished with. Dull hooks don't catch fish nearly as well as sharp hooks. A few minutes with a hook hone can up your catches substantially.

Do a quick inventory of your lures. Make sure that you have at least two of your favorite baits, more if those baits are jigs. Many anglers, myself included, often don't realize they are missing necessary lures until we're on the water and wanting to use that favored lure. Make a mental checklist of the lures you will likely be using in the upcoming fishing season, then make sure you have them. If you don't, a trip to the tackle shop is in order.

There are a number of other things that should be checked before that first open water trip: If you fish from a boat, make sure the tire pressure is good, the batteries are charged, and the lights are working on the trailer.

Performing these small tasks now will help to insure that the first fishing trip of the year will be smooth and enjoyable.