A sure way to shed those winter blues is to get your fishing gear ready for the fishing season. It gives me great joy to organize my tackle, respool reels and get everything ready for freshwater opening day in April, saltwater spring tautog, and striped bass fishing. As I prepare, I dream about the big fish coming my way and it gets me thinking about early summer mornings and a warm welcoming sun.

To get ready I replace line, repair line guides on rods and perform reel maintenance. I perform line, rod and reel maintenance twice a season on those rigs that get a lot of use. Here are some tips and the ritual I start and complete in March to make sure I am ready when the fish are here.

Line

Each year, examine line wear and replace used line. Braid line spooled at the end of the last season with a respectable amount of line still on reels are inspected and left alone for the start of the season. However, I do take off line at the beginning of the reel that shows 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 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 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. New reel designs, like Penn’s Battle reels, have a rubber band on the center of the spool to prevent braid line from slipping so backing is not necessary when spooling these reels.

Reel maintenance

Grease your reels 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, and if you do, it will not work. I also give my reels a good cleaning, including the spool, when line is off.

There is nothing like a professional reel cleaning. I often take mine to my local bait & tackle shop or to an expert cleaner. Often times moving parts of dissimilar metals in reels will create galvanic corrosion and it takes special techniques to make sure they get cleaned. Experts like Mike Bucko of Bucko’s Tackle Service, Fall River, take the entire real apart, clean all pieces and then reassemble the reel. You can drop reels off there or send them in the mail. Visit www.buckoparts.com for details.

Tackle

I get tackle ready in chronological order when certain species are fished… for me that’s fresh water gear for opening day in April, then spring tautog and striped bass gear, then bluefish, summer flounder and black sea bass, tuna, 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. If using treble hooks to catch spring bass on lures, I snap off the barbs on the hooks to aid with catch and release efforts.

Circle Hooks and leaders

Use wire leaders for bluefish 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 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.

Trout Unlimited March meeting

Mike Brucato, fly tier and angler will hold a seminar titled “Why Should You Use a Soft-Hackle Wet Fly?” at the Narragansett Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU 225) on Wednesday, March 25, 6:30 p.m. at the Coventry/West Greenwich Elks, 42 Nooseneck Hill Road (Rte. 3, Exit 6 off of Rte. 95), West Greenwich. Brucato will discuss what soft-hackle wet flies suggest to trout, why trout are so routinely fooled by them, and how an angler fishes a soft-hackle wet fly. Members and guests are welcome. For information contact Ron Marafioti at 401/463-6162.

White water fishing for striped bass and blues

Capt. Rene Letourneau of On the Rocks Charters will talk about fly fishing for striped bass and bluefish in the white water and heavy structure from Narragansett to the Sakonnet River at a Rhody Fly Rodders meeting Tuesday, March 17, 6:30 p.m. at the Riverside Sportsmen’s Association, East Providence. Capt. Letourneau will show where to find the fish off Ocean Drive in Newport and Brenton Reef and how to fish them safely.  For information contact Peter Nilsen at pdfish@fullchannel.net or 401/245-7172.

Annual banquet at Fireman’s Club

The Narragansett Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU225) will host its 2015 Annual Banquet on Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 3 p.m. at the East Greenwich Veterans Fireman’s Hall, East Greenwich. The TU225 Annual Banquet represents the beginning of the upcoming season’s activities and presents a key opportunity to network with members. Members and guests are welcomed. Please contact Banquet Chair Dick Diamond at 401/ 500-0402, or chapter president, Ron Marafioti, at 401/463-6162, with any questions.

Captain Dave Monti has been fishing and shellfishing on Narragansett Bay for over 40 years. He holds a captain’s master license and a charter fishing license. Contact or forward fishing news and photos to Capt. Dave at dmontifish@verizon.net or visit his website at noflukefishing.com.