Boogity, Boogity, Boogity, Lets go Fishing Boys!
The days are getting longer and the nights are getting shorter. The daytime temperature is nice and its still a bit nippy at night. The birds have started nesting, Fred and Ethyl are once again nesting on the pillar outside my front door. Yes, spring time has finally arrived! Some people call Christmas the most wonderful time of the year but for me, its spring.
I consider myself lucky to live in a climate where I can go fishing all year round without having to drill a hole in the ice. For those who live in the colder climates there are some things that you need to do to prepare yourself for this time of the year. Servicing your rods and reels and getting the boat ready so you can put it on the water without any worries.
As to serving your rods and reels, if you look back in my archives you will find some helpful tips. Something that I believe I neglected to mention was to check your eye guides on your rods and replace them as needed. One easy way of doing this is to take a Q-tip and run it inside your line guide. If any of the cotton fibers stick to the guide then its time to either replace it yourself or pay someone to do it if you don’t feel comfortable. Some eye guide will pop out easily enough but some will require a re-wrap of the entire guide so it’s up to you if you want to tackle the job yourself or not.
Onto the boat. I’ve got a question for you. Did you remember to drain the gas tank before storing it for the winter or at least put Stay Built or Sea Foam to stabilize the fuel? If not you could be in for a rude awakening if you just attempt to start it up with the old fuel. I suggest draining the fuel and using it in your lawn mower or weed eater or properly disposing of it. Either way I would not suggest running it through your motor as gas breaks down and could cause damage which as anyone who has had to pay for motor damage knows, is very expensive.
Next you want to be sure your impeller is functioning correctly. The impeller is made of hard rubber so over time it will take a “Set” and not flow water as well as it once did. If the water is not flowing the motor will not cool properly and cause it to over heat and blow the power head. Once again, VERY expensive to repair. I personally have my impeller replaced every 2 years as well as the lower end oil. I take mine to a boat shop over at Lake Isabella, my “Home” lake during the winter months because his rates are considerably lower that time of the year.
While there I have the mechanic give my motor a good going over. He checks all of my lines, fuel and oil for leaks or cracks and replaces them as needed. He also removes my prop and cleans out any fishing line that might be in there because if left there could cut into your O-ring and cause water to enter your lower end, which is never good. Yes, it does cost some money but I can promise you that it will cost even more money of you damage the motor. I also like to pull the prop off of my trolling motor and check it for line as well because as mentioned above, it can cut into the O-Ring and allow water into it and cause damage. Be sure your batteries are clean and still work and will hold a charge. If they are dirty clean them up so you will get a good connection.
Some more good practices would be to check your trailers Bearing buddies to be sure they have plenty of grease. I like to press out the old grease by overfilling them until all the old grease comes out and then the new stuff starts to come out. Yes, it is messy but its cheap insurance. Do a visual of your trailer tires. If they appear cracked from sitting, have them replaced. It can be a pain in the back side as well as dangerous to have one of them blow out on you while on the road to the lake, again, cheap insurance. If they are fine then go to the filling station and be sure they are inflated to the proper specifications. If your trailer has brake’s then be sure to check the fluid level, you want to be able to stop when needed.
Yeah, yeah, I know, sound like a lot of work. I’ve heard people call boats” A Hull in the water that you throw money into.” While at time this may be true but think of all the pleasure it has brought you over the years and in my opinion it makes it more than worth it. There are countless other ways to prepare for your initial trip of the year but I believe I have covered some of the basics. Hopefully I was able to give you some pointers of things to look for.
Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon
Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!
