Preparation will pay off #64

The Northern Maine winter seems to be releasing its grip on us as the snow continues to melt, albeit slowly. Soon, the lakes and ponds will be free of ice and the roads leading into those ponds will be passable, and that means fishing season 2015 will begin. For many, it seems as though we just get our poles out and put them in the truck, drive to the water’s edge and cast our lines in. However, there is a whole other side to that, where early preparation will set you up for a much better season. If you have done your homework as far back as when you put the rods away, you will be in much better shape.

Ok, so at the end of September, making sure that your fly line is well cared for is a top priority. Some say that you should remove it from the spool and wrap it around something like a gallon milk jug. Doing so will ensure that your line will not take the shape of the reel over the long winter and it will make it last longer. I must confess that I seldom do this, choosing to keep it on the reel for the winter. I do however, wipe it down thoroughly taking away all the grime and sediment that is on it. I also make sure that my reel is clean and the moving parts are well lubricated. Wiping down your rods is also a good practice, again taking away the dirt. All of these practices will ensure that your equipment lasts and that it will be ready to go come April.

So now that the snow is gone and the roads are clear, it is time to break out the equipment for another year. It is always a good thing to check that your lines are all still tied together well. Make sure that the backing is tied with a nail knot to your fly line. From there, it is a good practice to remove old leaders and tie in a new one. For floating lines, I use a nine foot leader and as it gets smaller from use, I tie on a piece of tippet material. Many leaders now come with a loop which makes it easier to attach it to your fly line. If you still prefer the leader without a loop, make sure that you tie it in with another nail knot, and use a surgeons knot when you attach a leader to tippet material. Remember that there are different sizes of leaders and tippet material. I tend to use a 3X and 4X, depending on my needs. As for a sinking line, leaders tend to be much smaller, and depending on your preference, I tend to tie on a 3ft leader at the end of my fly line. Doing so will make your fly sink at a faster rate.

Now that you have your pole and line ready to go, the most important piece of equipment, even more important than your rod and reel is a survival pack. You should have this above all things in your vehicle; make sure it is well stocked and easily accessible. Your pack should include items such as bandages, gauze, tape, sugar packs, waterproof matches, flagging tape, compass, hard candy, latex gloves, a space blanket and any other items that would help in the event of an emergency. One of the more common injuries, unfortunately, is getting a hook embedded in your skin or eye. TC and I always wear sunglasses on the water to prevent this from happening. Not that we are prone to it, but prevention is the key. Do you know what you should do if a hook gets caught in your eye? My answer is, do not remove it, cover the eye and get medical attention immediately. Removing it will do far greater damage. I did write an earlier blog on the removal of a hook from your skin. You might want to look back to that for details. It is different than in your eye.

Ok, so now you have pretty much everything ready to go. I tend to bring a few extra things just in case. My truck is equipped with ten ply tires to help combat the shale that is on the road of the North Maine Woods. I also have a spare that I bring on top of the spare already on the truck, as well as a floor jack and a piece of plywood to put the jack on. I recall one year driving out of the woods with my older son, and all of a sudden one of my tires went flat. Unfortunately, it was early mud season, and it was also raining and there was not an area in sight that was dry. It was nice to pull out the floor jack, put it on top of the piece of plywood and jack away with no worries about the jack sinking into the mud. I also carry a patch kit and portable air pump that runs off my vehicle's cigarette lighter. You just never know when you might get a flat 60 or 70 miles deep in the woods. Also, I have come across other folks that don’t have these items and they are really glad when you pull them out, fix them up and get them back on their way. Would you know how to remove a flat tire from your truck if it was stuck to the hub? Often times, you remove the lug nuts and try to pull the wheel off and it will not budge. No matter how hard you kick it or try to pry it away, it will not budge. The answer came to me from my dad who spent many years in the woods. He said all you have to do is loosen the lug nuts just a bit and drive the truck a very short distance. Nine times out of ten the wheel will loosen up and you can get it off. Believe me, it does work.

The truck is now packed and you are off. Hopefully you are going to have a great day of fishing. If nothing else, you are prepared for most anything you encounter. Remember, cell phones don’t work in the deep woods and you are virtually all alone unless you have a satellite phone or the new Delorme In-Reach technology. So, make your trip a safe one, enjoy your surroundings and remember keep the area safe and clean. The land belongs to people who graciously give us access. Let’s make sure we do everything we can to keep it that way.