Season Opener Preparation –  Tips

The time is nearly upon us. Spring is creeping towards the Midwest and all we can think about is spending time on the water. Between the cold winter months and now COVID-19, there has never been a better time to get out on the water. Spending time in your garage now will pay dividends when you hit the water. You’ll be ready for that first cast on opening day instead of running to the tackle shop or the boat dealer. We’ve all had that moment when we reach into our rod locker to grab a fresh bag of PowerBait® only to realize you left it on the shelf in the garage. To help you out, we’ve pulled together a handy checklist for you to reference before you head out on that maiden Spring bass voyage. 

A clean boat is a happy boat

Ditch the leftover sandwich bags and destroyed salamander plastics. Cleaning off your deck and lockers ensures that no foul smells or strange surprises (oh, here’s that egg sandwich from the September derby). Chances are if you’re gonna fish hard, your boat might look like a warzone at times. Starting with a clean slate and a neat and organized rig means you’ll be ready for the battles to come.

Check the important stuff

Before you put away your boat for the year, it hopefully went to a dealer for its winterization or you dutifully handled it yourself at home. That doesn’t mean that after five months of sitting in your garage, your boat doesn’t need some TLC. Checking your batteries, electrical connections, lubricating moving parts and inspecting your fluid levels will help you spot any red flags before you hit the water. Also, if you’ve upgraded your electronics, now is a perfect time to install a set of DuraSafe E-LOCKs on your fish finders. It doesn’t hurt to take a few trips to the lake before the season opens either. Not only will you have time to get back into the mindset of driving your boat, but it gives you the opportunity to check through all your equipment and do some graphing of your local lakes.

Don’t forget the trailer

The trailer sometimes gets overlooked, but it carries your boat darn it. Inspecting your lights, tie downs, electrical connections and most importantly tires, is nearly as important as your boat. If any of these items are worn or in the case of your tires, cracking or more than five years old, taking the time to replace them now is better than missing out time on the water when the bite is hot. And don’t forget to make sure your registration is up to date. Nothing sours a great day fishing than getting ticketed for something silly like an expired tag. Another thing overlooked is securing your trailer. DuraSafe has keyed-alike locks for your receiver, coupler, swing away tongue and even spare tire and rod pod.

Shop local

COVID-19 is something that anglers across the nation are dealing with. Those hardest hit are small tackle shops that rely heavily on consistent traffic to lakes. As you look to stock up for the season, keep the mom and pop tackle shops in mind. Many are offering curbside pickup and discounts for anglers who order online. You can find a list of small shops across the U.S. to support at www.fishforeachother.com/shop.

Tackle time

Rods, reels, plastics, chatterbaits, braid, fluro, crank baits – do you have the right ones? Latest colors and shapes? Are you going try the neko rig finally? Get all your tackle dialed in before you hit the water. Don’t forget to check line, swap out leaders, examine guides and clean your rods and reels. Not only will it help you stay organized, it’s also a great excuse to hide in the garage for hours on end.