No one wants to lose a big fish. Not me, yet time and time again I lose fish because the gear is not right for the job, the tackle is faulty or because I wasn’t ready. Last year I lost a monster fluke (summer flounder) under the Jamestown Bridge. I was fishing for that doormat-sized fluke, yet the rig I was using just didn’t have enough muscle. I keep telling myself “You have to be ready, prepare before you drop your hook, before your fishing trip and before the season starts.” So this article focuses on getting your gear ready for the fishing season now so you don’t lose that big fish.
Here’s a guide on what to do to prepare for the season.
Line
Each year, replace most used line. This is a judgment call as to what is meant by “used”. For example I have reels spooled with 40 lb. test monofilament line for fishing live bait. I used them infrequently 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 with new monofilament, braid, lead or wire. Spool tight enough and then stretch the line, the first 100 feet (of monofilament line) to relax its memory to avoid bird’s nest tangles.
Reels
Give your reels a good cleaning, particularly when the line is off. Grease where directed by manufacturer, often times, the reel is marked where to do this. If instructions are long gone 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. Do not place hooks on the eyes or they will eventually create cracks that will cut line as it passes through.
Tackle
I get tackle ready in chronological order when certain species are fished… starting with tautog, striped bass, blue fish, fluke, tuna, etc. I then go through tautog rigs first, then the striped bass, etc. Make sure you have enough rigs to fish the species. Hooks should be clean and sharp (no rust), and strong enough for the size fish you are going after. Often hooks that come with lures are not quality hooks so I replace them with stronger hooks.
Leaders/Circle Hooks
Use wire leaders for blue fish and monofilament or fluorocarbon for striped bass. Blues won’t bite though the wire and striped bass will find it harder to see the monofilament or fluorocarbon leaders. Make sure leaders have no nicks or stress marks from fish pulling. If they do, replace them. I switched most of my leader hooks to circle hooks, I did this so I can safely catch and release undersized or unwanted fish (particularly striped 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
Freshwater fishing: Opening day is Saturday, April 10. Get you gear ready. Kim Bissonnette of Portsmouth, RI reported a healthy largemouth bass bite this weekend. On Saturday Kim landed nine largemouths in about 3 ½ hours of fishing. Kim will be reporting regularly on the freshwater bite this season. throughout the season.
Saltwater fishing regulations and license. DEM director Michael Sullivan is expected to announce 2010 saltwater fishing regulations in the next week or two. Rhode Island will also likely institute its saltwater fishing license requirement this year. If they do not a federal license will be required. Stay tuned for 2010 regulations and details on the license law roll-out.
Tautog. Spring tautog season opens, April 15 (if tautog regulations stay the same). The tautog proposal presented by the RI Fisheries Council was status quo with 2009… a minimum size of 16” with a split season… April 15 to May 31 (three fish/person/day), July 1 to October 16 (three fish/person/day) and October 17 to December 15 (eight fish/person/day).
Striped Bass. We still have holdover striped bass in the upper reaches of rivers and bays. The only other news I heard was from Rich Back of On The Water magazine on line (http://www.onthewater.com/ ). Rich reports
Osprey sightings which traditionally follow the herring up North. And, if the herring are coming north, the striped bass are right behind them. So this is a good sign.
Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association successfully completed their
annual New England Saltwater Fishing show at the Convention Center in RI and is now preparing for their March 29, 7:00 p.m. monthly seminar. The seminar will feature two topics… Light Tackle Fishing in Narragansett Bay with Captain James White (owner of White Ghost Charters) and a discussion of the R.I. ocean Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) which aims to define zones for RI’s ocean waters. David Beutel of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council will speak about RI’s ongoing SAMP initiative.
Here’s a guide on what to do to prepare for the season.
Line
Each year, replace most used line. This is a judgment call as to what is meant by “used”. For example I have reels spooled with 40 lb. test monofilament line for fishing live bait. I used them infrequently 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 with new monofilament, braid, lead or wire. Spool tight enough and then stretch the line, the first 100 feet (of monofilament line) to relax its memory to avoid bird’s nest tangles.
Reels
Give your reels a good cleaning, particularly when the line is off. Grease where directed by manufacturer, often times, the reel is marked where to do this. If instructions are long gone 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. Do not place hooks on the eyes or they will eventually create cracks that will cut line as it passes through.
Tackle
I get tackle ready in chronological order when certain species are fished… starting with tautog, striped bass, blue fish, fluke, tuna, etc. I then go through tautog rigs first, then the striped bass, etc. Make sure you have enough rigs to fish the species. Hooks should be clean and sharp (no rust), and strong enough for the size fish you are going after. Often hooks that come with lures are not quality hooks so I replace them with stronger hooks.
Leaders/Circle Hooks
Use wire leaders for blue fish and monofilament or fluorocarbon for striped bass. Blues won’t bite though the wire and striped bass will find it harder to see the monofilament or fluorocarbon leaders. Make sure leaders have no nicks or stress marks from fish pulling. If they do, replace them. I switched most of my leader hooks to circle hooks, I did this so I can safely catch and release undersized or unwanted fish (particularly striped 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
Freshwater fishing: Opening day is Saturday, April 10. Get you gear ready. Kim Bissonnette of Portsmouth, RI reported a healthy largemouth bass bite this weekend. On Saturday Kim landed nine largemouths in about 3 ½ hours of fishing. Kim will be reporting regularly on the freshwater bite this season. throughout the season.
Saltwater fishing regulations and license. DEM director Michael Sullivan is expected to announce 2010 saltwater fishing regulations in the next week or two. Rhode Island will also likely institute its saltwater fishing license requirement this year. If they do not a federal license will be required. Stay tuned for 2010 regulations and details on the license law roll-out.
Tautog. Spring tautog season opens, April 15 (if tautog regulations stay the same). The tautog proposal presented by the RI Fisheries Council was status quo with 2009… a minimum size of 16” with a split season… April 15 to May 31 (three fish/person/day), July 1 to October 16 (three fish/person/day) and October 17 to December 15 (eight fish/person/day).
Striped Bass. We still have holdover striped bass in the upper reaches of rivers and bays. The only other news I heard was from Rich Back of On The Water magazine on line (http://www.onthewater.com/ ). Rich reports
Osprey sightings which traditionally follow the herring up North. And, if the herring are coming north, the striped bass are right behind them. So this is a good sign.
Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association successfully completed their
annual New England Saltwater Fishing show at the Convention Center in RI and is now preparing for their March 29, 7:00 p.m. monthly seminar. The seminar will feature two topics… Light Tackle Fishing in Narragansett Bay with Captain James White (owner of White Ghost Charters) and a discussion of the R.I. ocean Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) which aims to define zones for RI’s ocean waters. David Beutel of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council will speak about RI’s ongoing SAMP initiative.
How many of you guys use snap swivels for Mirrolure twitch baits or other hard plastic baits? I use them with spoons but not lures that i like to do anything other then cast and retrieve
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