Get your gear ready for that
big fish
The last thing you want to do is
loose a big fish (any fish for that matter) due to faulty gear or tackle. Experts
suggest checking all reels, rods and line before the season starts and to
perform regular maintenance throughout the season. Replace line, repair line guides on rods and
perform reel maintenance twice a season if necessary, particularly on those
rigs that get a lot of action.
Reel maintenance
Give your reels a good cleaning, particularly when the line is off.
Grease where directed by manufacturer, often times this is marked on the reel. If instructions are long gone, ask your local
bait shop where to grease. Do not grease
the drag, it is not meant to be greased, if you do, it will not work.
“Today’s fishing reels have more moving parts
than ever… more parts with dissimilar metals, and this is how galvanic
corrosion sets in.” said Mike Bucko of Bucko’s Tackle Service, Fall River,
MA. Anglers should wash reels with soapy
water after each use, rinse and dry them… but this is not enough to prevent
galvanized corrosion. Bucko said, “Only
an internal cleaning can prevent corrosion.” His company totally dismantles reels, puts all
parts through an extensive cleaning process and then reassembles the reels for
use. Visit them at www.buckoparts.com.
Line
Each year, replace used line.
This is a judgment call as to what is meant by “used”. Braid line I spooled on two reels at the
end of last the season was still OK, however, I took line off line at the
beginning of the reel that was showing wear.
Cross braid line when spooling onto conventional reels to prevent the
line from digging into the spool when a big fish is on. Another tip is to
re-spool lead line putting the used portion on the reel first, this way you use
line that is new as most anglers rarely use more than three to four colors (90’
to 120’) of line. Replace monofilament
line on reels at the start of the season. Monofilament line has memory so it
tangles easily and creates bird nest tangles when it is old or has been sitting
in the cold. Also stretch the line, the
first 100 feet (of monofilament line) to relax its memory and avoid tangles. When you change line spool tight or the line may slip on the spool.
To prevent braided line from slipping first spool some monofilament backing to
the reel, tie line together, then spool the braided line onto the reel.
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.
Place baits at the base of the reel when traveling to avoid banging and microscopic
cracks in the rod blank that could lead to a broken rod.
Tackle
I get tackle ready in chronological order when certain species are
fished… in this region that means starting with tautog, then striped bass, fluke,
bluefish, sea bass, etc. Make sure you
have enough rigs to fish the species.
Often hooks that come with lures are not quality hooks so I replace them
with stronger hooks.
Leaders/Hooks
Use wire leaders for blue fish and monofilament or fluorocarbon for
striped bass, fluke, sea bass, etc. Blues won’t bite though the wire and other
species will find it harder to see the monofilament or fluorocarbon
leaders. During the season make sure
leaders have no nicks or stress marks from fish pulling. If they do, replace them. All hooks should be sharp and rust free.
Free fishing weekend… fish stocking suspended at Carolina Trout Pond
“Free fishing weekend
(this weekend, May 3rd and 4th) is a terrific incentive
to get outdoors and try something new, especially after the long, cold winter
we’ve endured this year,” said DEM Director Janet Coit. For the fifth
year, DEM fish hatcheries are offering anglers the chance to catch a coveted
golden rainbow trout. Ponds receiving the golden trout include Brickyard Pond
in Barrington, Peck Pond in Burrillville, Browning
Mill Pond in Exeter, and Silver Spring Lake in North Kingstown.
Instead of holding a central event this year, they will be stocking these fish
in several ponds across the state so that more Rhode Islanders will have an
opportunity to fish for the golden trout.
Lucky anglers who catch a golden
trout during the free fishing weekend and throughout the season will be given a
free golden trout pin. Take a picture of your catch and send it to Kimberly
Sullivan of DEM’s Aquatic Resource Education program at Kimberly.Sullivan@dem.ri.gov.
DEM announced that the stocking of
trout will be suspended at the Carolina Trout Pond, Richmond, until dam repairs
can be made. Anglers are being asked to
stay off the dam.
Saltwater fishing regulations final
At press time, the Department of
Environmental Management’s Marine Fisheries Division, was just about to announce
final 2014 fishing regulations approved by director Janet Coit. The final
regulations are a reflection of what was approved by the Marine Fisheries
Council in April. Complete regulations
for all species can soon be found on www.dem.ri.gov
or on the RI Saltwater Anglers website at www.risaa.org. Highlights on five popular species are noted
below.
Striped bass: Status quo
with last year’s regulations, 28” minimum size, a possession limit of two
fish/person/day. No closed season.
Summer flounder (or fluke):
Status quo with last year’s regulations, 18” minimum size, a possession
limit of eight fish/person/day. May 1 to
December 31 season.
Black sea bass: The minimum size is 13” with a shorter season for
the first sub-period due to a needed 7% reduction by the ASMFC. Season runs from June 29 to August 31 with a
three fish/person/day limit. The second
sub-period would run from September 1 to December 31 with a seven
fish/person/day limit.
Scup: 10” minimum size with
the 30 fish/person/day limit with a May 1 to December 31 season. The bag limit
for party and charter boats from September 1 to October 31 will increase to 45
fish and then back down to 30 fish/person/day from November 1 to December 31.
The 9” minimum size Special Area Provision for shore anglers that was engaged
last year for the first time has been expanded to include all of the 2013
areas… India Point Park, Providence; Conimicut Point, Warwick; and Stonebridge, Tiverton as well as new
areas including Fort Adams, Newport;
Fort Wetherill, Jamestown; the East
and West Walls at the Harbor of Refuge, Pt. Judith/Narragansett; and Rocky
Point, Warwick.
Tautog: The spring season
ends May 31 so now is the time to fish for tautog as they are illegal to fish
June 1 to July 31 during spawning season. Fish have to be sixteen inches. The
catch limit for private recreational anglers from April 15 to May 31 and then
August 1 to October 17 is three fish/person/day, which jumps to six fish/person/day on October 18 to
December 15 . There is a ten fish per
boat per day limit in all periods. The
boat limit does not apply to charter and party boats.
