A Beneficial Cure To Cabin Fever!

Well here it is January, and the weather man is forecasting a real cold arctic front headed our way, and depending on where you live in the U.S., more than likely headed your way too.Now even though winter fishing is fun and can be very rewarding, even the most extreme die hard bass fishermen are getting tired of freezing and enduring the extremes of the harsh winter weather.

Now speaking for my self , I will probably retire to the homestead , to endure the harsher part of the winter ahead. I know that I will probably go stair crazy and suffer from cabin fever. But, there is a solution to cabin fever and stair crazy! I am not talking about becoming a couch potato or chasing the wife around the house, though that does give food for thought! ;-)

You can only watch so many fishing and hunting shows, before you multiply the effects of cabin fever. I get really bored watching fishing shows when I am stuck in the house and can't fish myself. So let me make a suggestion , that not only gives you something to pass the cold days ahead, but will benefit you more than going crazy!

We can all prepare our boat, rods and reels , and tackle and get ready for SPRING fishing! Yes , we can get ready for spring and at the same time, quite possibly avoid problems when we are able to hit the waterways again. I will briefly go over a few things and maybe you can think of a few to add to your list of things to do.

Tackle- lures and boxes

Inspect all lures and organize your boxes. Check lures for hooks that need replaced or maybe even sharpened. Check for loose bills on crank baits or cracks. Take an inventory of lures and make a list of those that need replaced or maybe even restocked. You may have lost your favorite shad rap or something. Cleaning and inspecting your tackle will take up most of the next cold front coming your way, and will ensure that Mr. Bass doesn't have the advantage over you next time out. Maybe even touch up some paint on some lures that are worn. Wipe out all your boxes and replace the boxes that are no longer good or broken.

Rods and reels

Check each rod and inspect each eye and see if they are loose or have grooves worn in the eyes, If so replace eyes or take them to a rod repair service center. I prefer to replace my own. Check the reel seats and look for cracks or anything that isn't right. Replace any rods that can,t be fixed. Take your reels and clean and lube them real good and respool them with new line. This ensures that you have the advantage over Mr. Bass, and a bad place or old line doesn,t give Mr. Bass the advantage.

Boat and trailer

Your boat and trailer should already be ready for Spring fishing if you did your pre winter maintenance. If not here are just a few pointers on the subject. Make sure lower unit is serviced. Check the fluid level in your power trim and tilt. Check your plug to see if it needs replaced and make sure you have a spare plug. A leaky plug can make a bad day, especially if your bilge isn,t working. You should check that too. Check out your wiring to make sure mice haven,t chewed and damaged the wiring. I know you don,t have any mice in your garage , but check anyways. Your trailer is pretty easy too. Just check out the wiring and bulbs and make sure all lights work.

Batteries

Last but not least check your cranking and trolling motor batteries for charge and have them check to ensure they are full capacity and have no dead cells. Faulty or weak batteries can ruin if not end your trip rather suddenly if they fail. Also check and replace all fuses and make sure you have several spares.

I am sure there are more things to check and inspect , to ensure that you have a safe, and uneventful outing. Feel free to comment if you have some ideas yourself. I love feed back. And one more thing, if you are really bored and you have all your gear and boat spring ready, go thru my archives here on "Kennys Great Outdoors" and you can fill any idle time you have left over before your next fishing trip. ;-) I am sure you can put some of my tips and articles to good use.

If you have an article or tip you would like to share with me and the readers here, then email me and I will post your article and or photos for all to enjoy. I challenge all the readers here on "Kennys Great Outdoors" to send me a fishing article, photos, fishing humor, I will be glad to post and share. Don,t be shy or stingy. You can send them to > kenny54@wildblue.net <

So until next time Keep your hooks wet, and get ready for Spring fishing , Which is right around the corner! See ya out there, and I am looking forward to hearing from you, send me all your articles and photos. Oh yeah , remember to enjoy the "Great Outdoors"