Our lackluster winter may be Mother Nature’s way of hinting that it's time to shut off the TV and get on with the business of preparing for spring fly fishing. Use the following checklist to guide your preparation through February and March. Details on each of these items will be provided in future posts.
- Make sure you have the appropriate fishing license(s) for the states you plan to fish.
- Check the condition of your waders and boots.
- Clean and wax your rods. Clean and lubricate your reels.
- Clean your fly lines.
- Check all existing knots on your fly line: backing to spool, backing to fly line, fly line to butt section and / or leader.
- Organize your fly boxes and check flies for rusty or dull hooks.
- Go through your accessories: nippers, forceps, leader straightener, thermometer, and landing net.
- Check your terminal tackle: split shot, indicators, leaders and tippet.
- Check your fly fishing clothing: hats, shirts, fleece, vest, wading gear, and sunglasses.
- Spend time reflecting on last year’s successes and failures and set some fly fishing goals. And while you're at it, set up your 2010 fly fishing journal.
All of this preparation may seem a little overwhelming, but the point of this article is to heighten your sense of urgency and prevent last minute sorting of gear the night before the season opener, or worse yet, watching the first fish of the season swim away when a frayed fly line-to-leader butt connection fails.
The best fly fishermen live by the motto, semper paratus: always prepared.
Comments