Getting Your Tackle Ready for the New Season

With spring right around the corner for many anglers, cabin fever has set in for many of us. Some anglers have had the opportunity to already wet a line if their lakes don’t freeze over, but for many anglers like me, our favorite bodies of water turn into ice shanty towns and it’s still a month or so before we can make that first cast of 2012.

All winter anglers spend their time tinkering with tackle and looking at all the hot new baits for the year. There are a few key things that all anglers can do to prepare their tackle for this year’s fishing season.

Tip #1: Evaluate Your Tackle Storage System

Keeping your tackle organized allows you to quickly find that fish-catching lure, but it also helps keep your lures from getting wrecked throughout the year. By properly keeping your tackle in a Plano Waterproof Stowaway, you won’t have any worries about your favorite topwater plug getting wet and rusty. When organizing your tackle, this is also a great time to see what all you have and if there are some lures you haven’t used in years, then put together a grab bag and give it to a young inspiring angler.

Tip #2: Spool Your Reels with Fresh Line

An angler’s fishing line is the key connection between landing that trophy and just having a fish story for your buddies at the dock. Putting new fishing line on your reels is very important and isn’t something that should be put off until you have your line break. Any time I’m spooling my reels up with fresh Seaguar Fluorocarbon line, I’ll always spray the spool of the line and run the line through a rag as it goes on the reel that has the KVD Line & Lure Conditioner on it. Doing this will help you get the maximum performance out of your line.

Tip #3: Put New Treble Hooks on Your Crankbaits

Whether you got a batch of new crankbaits underneath the Christmas tree or a bunch of your favorite cranks need some TLC, putting new treble hooks on these baits can help increase your hooking percentage tremendously! The stock hooks that come on crankbaits out of the box aren’t very good and after a year of fishing your favorite crankbait could let you down when you hook up with that big bass. Using a good split ring plier, I spend a good chunk of my winter making sure I have sharp treble hooks on all my baits, and if I don’t, I’ll put on a pair of the new Trokar Treble Hooks. These treble hooks are super sharp and will help you get more crankbait fish in the boat!

Tip #4: Protect Your Investment

Keeping your expensive fishing gear safe happens on two levels, the first is the immediate impact it has, such as keeping your rods and reels protected from damage and from collecting dust when not in use. Using products such as The Rod Glove to cover your rod will keep your rod blank and guides from getting damaged. The second and larger scale way to protect your investment is to do an in-depth inventory of all your tackle, rods and reels. This list, along with photographs, will help you recoup your loses should you need to make an insurance claim due to an unforeseen incident.

Tip #5: If It Don’t Fit, It Sits

Staying warm, dry and safe on the water is the number one goal every angler should have and this doesn’t start when you arrive at the boat ramp, or even the night before a big fishing trip, it starts now. Take the time to make sure your life jackets fit you and your fishing guests properly and that there are no holes or rips in them. A good rain suit is the key piece of the puzzle to staying dry and warm, especially when fishing in the early spring. All winter I keep my Onyx Pro Tech Jacket and Bibs hanging up so they will be ready for my first trip of the year.

Who knows, maybe by the time you are done reading with this it is time to go make a cast and take advantage of every fishing opportunity you have this year!

To read more fishing tips and see informative videos, check out fishglenn.com.

Glenn Walker

Home: Shakopee, MN

Favorite Bodies of Water:
Pools 9 and 10 Mississippi River, Lake Minnetonka
Fishing Strengths:
Flipping, topwaters and Carolina-rigging
Fishing Weakness:

Glenn began fishing at the young age of two and spent his summers fishing the Mississippi River. In 2001, Glenn fished his first tournament and from that point on he has been fishing tournaments. Some of Glenn’s accomplishments include; back-to-back BFL Big Bass Awards in 2008, back-to-back tournament wins on his home water in 2009 and a 5^th place finish in the MN Silverado Pro-Am TOC.

Even though Glenn has moved to Minnesota, he still remains active in tournaments on the Mississippi River, in addition to fishing tournaments across the state of Minnesota. Besides fishing, Glenn takes pride in helping pass his knowledge and passion of fishing on to others through his articles, videos and seminars. To learn more about Glenn, his promotional efforts and upcoming tournaments visit, fishglenn.com.

Glenn graduated from UW-Stout in 2008 with a degree in Service Management and a minor in Speech Communication. The other passion in Glenn’s life is hockey, which he played at UW-Stout for five seasons and is now involved in coaching. Glenn resides in Shakopee, MN and works in marketing, advertising and public relations in the outdoor industry.