"Take time to clean out your
tackle box."
Author - John E. Brady, Hanover PA-USA
Copyright 2001
e-mail - jeb@jebswebsite.com
Do you know what's in your tackle box? When you ask most fisherman this question, they say "Oh, I've got everything". If that's so, then why are we always looking for something that we don't have, or isn't there anymore?
I think you know what I mean. I'm talking about the favorite crankbait that got hung up and lost that was meant to be replaced. The pack of worms that a friend borrowed. And the pack of hooks that we used the last one of several trips prior, and couldn't find on the last fishing trip.
We all do it. We loose baits, use all the hooks, sinkers, bobbers, etc. then plan on replacing them before we go out again. Then we forget to do it.
Now that the fishing season is over, and while the tackle box sits in the corner, is the best time to sort through and repair old baits, and to take stock in what we have and need to buy before starting out next spring.
How you do this will depend on how committed you want to be to the task. Just opening and perusing inside the box won't quite do it. If you want to do it right, it will take some time and effort to get the best results.
The first thing to do is simple, start day dreaming. Think about your fishing trips you made in the past year. This will be easy since most of us do it anyway. What you need to do while your reminiscing about those trips is think about the tackle you used. Make a note of the baits that were successful, what stuff you lost on a snag, or on a lost fish. What hooks, bobbers, and sinkers do you remember running out of? If you have a poor memory like I do, do your day dreaming while your sorting through your tackle box. This will help trigger the memories.
Make a list of those things you remember losing and those you used and caught fish with. Add to that list the baits your partner used, that you wish you had at the time. Now check you list against what you actually have in your tackle box.
Check your box for size ranges of hooks, sinkers, and other terminal tackle. Check for color selection in baits. You want to be sure you have the variety necessary. If you carry extra line, get rid of the spool, and buy a new one. If it's been in your box all year, it was probably subject extreme temperatures all season, and should be replaced. Check soft plastic baits for those that the colors have bled together and discard them.
As you go through your tackle box, you want to check crankbaits for bad hooks that need sharped or replaced. Check spinnerbaits for worn skirts. If the baits is in good shape except for the skirt, you can buy replacement skirts. Then sharpen the hook, and polish the blades.
Go through your box and look for baits you didn't use all year. Pull those out. Take a good look at them, then put them back in. (You thought I was going to say leave them out didn't you - well we always think about doing that, but we put them back in anyway). Seriously though if your really committed, decide whether you really need those baits you haven't used for years. Look at it this way, if you get rid of some, you'll have room for what you need.
If you really feel energetic, take everything out of your tackle box, and clean it inside and out. It will help your baits stay looking better longer inside, and make you feel better when you look at the outside.
If you replace what's missing, get rid of what you don't need, and add some of the newest style of baits, it will put you on the right track to be a more successful fisherman next season. And you might just catch more fish.
After all..."They call it fishing, but the goal is catching!"