My wife laughs when I say “big fish are caught in the winter”. The saying has its roots in a football quote form Vince Lombardi (I think?)… something like… football games are not won in the fall or winter but in the off season when all the preparation occurs. I guess my wife is amused at how excited I get over the sport. But it is true, you have to prepare in advance to catch big fish, in the winter or early spring. Who wants to loose a big fish due to faulty tackle? Not me... I have leaned my lesson… lost too many fish this way in the past.
So, if you haven’t already done so, get your gear in order now so when the bite is on you are fishing your tackle box with confidence. The last thing you want to do is reach for your tackle and not have the proper bait, rod or reel available in good working order.
Here’s what I do in the winter and early spring to prepare for the season:
Line
Each year I replace most line that has been used. This is a judgment call as to what is meant by “used”. For example I have a couple of reels spooled with 40 lb. test monofilament line for fishing live bait (Menhaden for stripers). I used them three or four times last year. So I checked the line, it looked good… no nicks, snags or apparent stress so I did not change it. However, I changed just about every other rig I own with new monofilament, braid, lead or wire. Spool tight enough and then stretch the line… maybe the first 100 feet (of monofilament line) to relax its memory to avoid those nasty bird’s nest tangles.
Reels
Give your reels a good cleaning, particularly when the line is off. Grease where directed by manufacturer, often times where to do this is marked right on the reel or with the instructions that came with the reel. If you’re like me the instructions are long gone so do not hesitate to stop by your local bait or tackle shop to ask where to grease. Do not be afraid to ask questions, that is what they are there for, and they want your business. By the way, do not grease the drag it is not meant to be greased, if you do it will not work.
Rods
Examine the rods for cracks and stress marks. Closely examine the eyes for chips or cuts that could cause line to snag, rub or break. By the way, do not place hooks on the eyes or they will eventually create cracks that will cut line as it passes through.
Tackle
Here’s how I approach my tackle. I think about getting tackle ready in chronological order when certain species are fished… starting with winter… tautog, striped bass, blue fish, fluke, tuna, etc. I then go through all by tautog rigs first, then the striped bass, etc. I make sure I have enough rigs to fish the species. All hooks are clean and sharp (no rust), and strong enough for the size fish I am going after. Often hooks that come with lures are not strong/quality hooks. For example I use surface plugs and swimmers for striped bass (and blue fish) in the spring and early summer so I have replaced all lure hooks with treble hooks that are 4 times stronger to make sure they will hold bigger, stronger fish.
Leaders/Circle Hooks
Use wire leaders for blue fish and monofilament or fluorocarbon for striped bass. Blues won’t bite though the wire and stripped bass will find it harder to see the monofilament or fluorocarbon leaders. Make sure lures have no nicks or stress marks from fish pulling. If they do, replace them. This year I plan to switch most of my leader hooks to circle hooks to safely catch and release undersized or unwanted fish (particularly stripped bass). Circle hooks are designed to hook the fish at the corner of the mouth and not down in the belly.
Where’s the Bite
Opening Day/Weekend. In spite of bad weather and a holiday weekend opening day/weekend was OK. Most anglers caught fish, maybe not their limit, but they caught fish. Good reports from Silver Spring in North Kingstown, Carbuncle Pond in Coventry and Ken Ferrara Jr.’s dad related he caught two nice fish at J.L. Curran Reservoir in Cranston. Don at John’s Bait & Tackle related they already had several entries to their in-house trout contest. Angler Melanie Carr and her partner Joe fished several ponds and caught two fish at Barber Pond in South Kingstown. Craig Mancini of Continental Bait & Tackle in Cranston said that by 11 a.m. Saturday a customer had called to relate that trout would be on the dinner table Saturday night.
Tautog. Spring season opens their week, April 15. Some good sized fish have been reported in traps and lobster pots. So all seem cautiously optimistic. We will know by week’s end.
Striped Bass. Gary Leatherberry of Ericson’s Bait & Tackle related the Herring were in Little Gordon Pond next to the shop (good sign). Ken Ferrara reported school bass were caught in East Greenwich Cove (bait reported to be seen in cove, but when I fished it last week I had no luck, but things can change quickly). Seals spotted in Greenwich Bay last week (they fish better than we do, hope they leave soon). Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle (Bristol/Coventry/Providence) reported school bass taken in Sothern Rhode Island at mouth of rivers and near power plant in Providence.
We Want Your Fish
Do not hesitate to forward electronic photos of fish you caught with a brief caption description of the fish, trip and who is in the photo. Send images to Caption Dave at dmontifish@verizon.net .Visit our Web site to view the images as we get the on-line version of the No Fluke column rolling.
Caption Dave Monti has been fishing and shell fishing on Narragansett Bay for over 40 years. He holds a captain’s master license. Your fishing stories, comments and questions are welcome… there’s more than one way to catch a fish so e-mail Captain Dave at dmontifish@verizon.net .
So, if you haven’t already done so, get your gear in order now so when the bite is on you are fishing your tackle box with confidence. The last thing you want to do is reach for your tackle and not have the proper bait, rod or reel available in good working order.
Here’s what I do in the winter and early spring to prepare for the season:
Line
Each year I replace most line that has been used. This is a judgment call as to what is meant by “used”. For example I have a couple of reels spooled with 40 lb. test monofilament line for fishing live bait (Menhaden for stripers). I used them three or four times last year. So I checked the line, it looked good… no nicks, snags or apparent stress so I did not change it. However, I changed just about every other rig I own with new monofilament, braid, lead or wire. Spool tight enough and then stretch the line… maybe the first 100 feet (of monofilament line) to relax its memory to avoid those nasty bird’s nest tangles.
Reels
Give your reels a good cleaning, particularly when the line is off. Grease where directed by manufacturer, often times where to do this is marked right on the reel or with the instructions that came with the reel. If you’re like me the instructions are long gone so do not hesitate to stop by your local bait or tackle shop to ask where to grease. Do not be afraid to ask questions, that is what they are there for, and they want your business. By the way, do not grease the drag it is not meant to be greased, if you do it will not work.
Rods
Examine the rods for cracks and stress marks. Closely examine the eyes for chips or cuts that could cause line to snag, rub or break. By the way, do not place hooks on the eyes or they will eventually create cracks that will cut line as it passes through.
Tackle
Here’s how I approach my tackle. I think about getting tackle ready in chronological order when certain species are fished… starting with winter… tautog, striped bass, blue fish, fluke, tuna, etc. I then go through all by tautog rigs first, then the striped bass, etc. I make sure I have enough rigs to fish the species. All hooks are clean and sharp (no rust), and strong enough for the size fish I am going after. Often hooks that come with lures are not strong/quality hooks. For example I use surface plugs and swimmers for striped bass (and blue fish) in the spring and early summer so I have replaced all lure hooks with treble hooks that are 4 times stronger to make sure they will hold bigger, stronger fish.
Leaders/Circle Hooks
Use wire leaders for blue fish and monofilament or fluorocarbon for striped bass. Blues won’t bite though the wire and stripped bass will find it harder to see the monofilament or fluorocarbon leaders. Make sure lures have no nicks or stress marks from fish pulling. If they do, replace them. This year I plan to switch most of my leader hooks to circle hooks to safely catch and release undersized or unwanted fish (particularly stripped bass). Circle hooks are designed to hook the fish at the corner of the mouth and not down in the belly.
Where’s the Bite
Opening Day/Weekend. In spite of bad weather and a holiday weekend opening day/weekend was OK. Most anglers caught fish, maybe not their limit, but they caught fish. Good reports from Silver Spring in North Kingstown, Carbuncle Pond in Coventry and Ken Ferrara Jr.’s dad related he caught two nice fish at J.L. Curran Reservoir in Cranston. Don at John’s Bait & Tackle related they already had several entries to their in-house trout contest. Angler Melanie Carr and her partner Joe fished several ponds and caught two fish at Barber Pond in South Kingstown. Craig Mancini of Continental Bait & Tackle in Cranston said that by 11 a.m. Saturday a customer had called to relate that trout would be on the dinner table Saturday night.
Tautog. Spring season opens their week, April 15. Some good sized fish have been reported in traps and lobster pots. So all seem cautiously optimistic. We will know by week’s end.
Striped Bass. Gary Leatherberry of Ericson’s Bait & Tackle related the Herring were in Little Gordon Pond next to the shop (good sign). Ken Ferrara reported school bass were caught in East Greenwich Cove (bait reported to be seen in cove, but when I fished it last week I had no luck, but things can change quickly). Seals spotted in Greenwich Bay last week (they fish better than we do, hope they leave soon). Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle (Bristol/Coventry/Providence) reported school bass taken in Sothern Rhode Island at mouth of rivers and near power plant in Providence.
We Want Your Fish
Do not hesitate to forward electronic photos of fish you caught with a brief caption description of the fish, trip and who is in the photo. Send images to Caption Dave at dmontifish@verizon.net .Visit our Web site to view the images as we get the on-line version of the No Fluke column rolling.
Caption Dave Monti has been fishing and shell fishing on Narragansett Bay for over 40 years. He holds a captain’s master license. Your fishing stories, comments and questions are welcome… there’s more than one way to catch a fish so e-mail Captain Dave at dmontifish@verizon.net .
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