By Jake Worthington, Jan. 2017
JAKE’S OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
The New Year of 2017 is here. Where did 2016 go? 2016 was a great year for fishing and I hope all of you had a great one like I did. The New Year is a time for resolutions and new beginnings, so now is the time to set personal challenges for yourself in the upcoming fishing year. I do this every year and I find that it helps motivate me to make bigger goals that I can chase and hopefully pass during the year. I set personal goals to challenge myself and give me something to strive for during the year. Sometimes it is to catch my first species of fish, or my first citation species, or to win a tournament. It seems over the last decade, I have four fish on my list of goals and at the end of every year they still sit there unfulfilled. The elusive fish that seem to avoid my tackle every year are the Swordfish, Sailfish, Big Eye Tuna and the Tarpon. Every year I set out looking for these fish and every year they seem to be as elusive as a unicorn or a Sasquatch sighting. I don’t get mad or upset because I know I will just put them back at the top of the list for next year.
The New Year is also the time you want to have all of your reels serviced and repaired and ready for the upcoming season. Servicing reels every year is a proactive approach to ensure you don’t have your equipment malfunction or break down during the heart of the season. When you get your reels back from being serviced, it is time to check the line for its integrity. If the line is mono you need to consider the line’s age and how long it has been on the reel. Although monofilament line is made tougher and more durable these days, consider replacing it when you start to feel chaffing. Braid line is more durable but if I have been fishing and it starts to fade because of ultraviolet light, it may be a good idea to replace it in case the sunlight may have started to break down the line strength. If you don’t want to pay the price for a spool full of pricey braid, then just cut off about 20 to 30 yards to remove the braid that may have been exposed repeatedly to pressure and sunlight. Quite frankly, I don’t take any chances with line. I buy it by the bulk spools and replace it often. There is no worse feeling than reeling in the fish of a lifetime and have a line break because of chaffing or age.
Finally, take inventory of your tackle and stock up on what you are missing. Hopefully I will see you on the water this year! Checkout my Facebook Page Jakes Outdoor Adventures and follow me this year!