Lake Fork Fishing Tips, Tackle Care

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Tackle Care

Article: September, 2003
Lake Fork Pro Jim Reaneau

This month's article will cover tackle care. We are all creatures of habit. When we get ready to do something off we go with out no thought till it is to late. This is true with our tackle, or our guns. Every year I have a client who gets broke off and gets mad and can’t believe he lost the fish of a life time. My question to him is” When did you change line last?” Usually the answer is well I had it put on last year when we fished with you. I change line every three days as mine is exposed to the elements to often. The key here is to pull the old line down till there is a little left on the spool then add on top of it. This way you don’t pay for line you will never use. How often do you fish the line at the bottom of the spool. What I do is leave a quarter spool of old line. I then take a small piece of black tape and place it over the spool to hold the old line end down. I don’t tie the line to the old line. I use the old line as a spool it self and tie directly to the spool. The other tip is to retie often as the knot and line are the main things between you and your catch. Find a knot and use it all the time. I have people who try new knots and don’t get them right only to lose a good bait or fish. The palamar knot is my favorite and very easy to tie. The next thing is your rod. Again as I watch the clients getting their tackle in the boat or during the day I will usually find a rod with a guide missing the inner ring or the whole guide. If the ring is missing this can fray your line especially if it is the tip guide. A cracked ceramic in a tip can fray your line. Take a cotton swab and run it around your guides and if you find a fiber sticking out you will usually find the crack. This needs to be replaced. The reels now days are hard to take apart so cleaning is minimal. Usually they have a quick down and this will get the job done. If you are not fishing salt water just a little time spent on the reel is all that is needed. I usually spray off the level wind with WD 40 and that is it. WD 40 is not a lubricate but a water dispersant. It will dry and not leave anything on your hands that is a fish deterrent. I know of some who use it as a fish attractant.

As time goes by our hooks get rusty or dull. We need to change them. The new hooks are laser sharpened. Sometimes The baits we buy have some poor hooks on them. I do change the hooks on some baits as soon as I get home from the store. The split rings are another concern. If the split rings are bronze change them. Usually these are very soft and will bend easy.

Don’t put your worms all in the same bag, as they will bleed over to one another. I usually put a couple of drops of fish formula in a new bag of worms. First this will keep you from having to put it on each worm during the day and then it will mask the odor if you smoke, have sun screen on, or got gas on your hand when filling up.

Get you a couple of the jumbo paper clips and use these to clear the hole in your worm weights as they are the same size as the hole. Don’t forget to remember the boat and all of it’s components.

Start the day with a good knot and sharp hook and most of all new line.
Thanks and Good Fishing,
Jim

Fishing Tip by EX Lake Fork Guide Jim Reaneau

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