By CAPTAIN DAVE MONTI

Fishing is a lot like being a firefighter in that you have to be prepared all the time. The last thing you want to do is lose a fish to faulty equipment or material. That’s why anglers should take the time to have their gear and gear in top working order.

Experts suggest checking all reels, rods, lines and tackle before the start of the season and performing regular maintenance throughout the season.

Reel maintenance

Clean your reels well, especially when the line is off. Grease where directed by the manufacturer, often the coil is marked where to do this. If the instructions are long gone, feel free to stop by your local bait or tackle store to ask where to grease. Do not grease the brake, it is not meant to be greased, if you do it will not work.

Every two years (or as needed), I have my reels thoroughly cleaned by a bait and gear store or a rod and reel repair expert. The coils are disassembled, cleaned, the broken or worn parts are replaced and then everything is reassembled.

Dave Morton of Beavertail Rod & Reel (www.beavertailrodandreel.com has been repairing reels for almost twenty years. He is a trained toolmaker and toolmaker, so he has the unique ability to offer machining services to his customers through his workshop. fully equipped machining. Morton said, “Why buy an inferior new reel when you can bring that old reliable reel back to a new one cheaply.” Beavertail Rod & Reel repairs all makes and models and can get parts for most older reels without any problems.

Line

Every year, replace the used line. This is a judgment on what is meant by “used”. The braid line can still be left on the spool, however, I usually remove the line at the start of the spool which shows signs of wear. Experts say to cross the braid line when winding on conventional reels to prevent the line from sinking into the spool when a large fish is fired.

I often fish with a lead lead line designed to sink into the water column when trolling striped bass and bluefish in 20-35 feet of water in Narragansett Bay. I rewind the main line putting the used part on the reel first, that way you are using a new line as most anglers rarely use more than three to four color (90-120 feet) of line.

Replace all monofilament lines on the spools at the start of the season. The monofilament line has memory, so it creates tangles of bird nests when it is old or has been kept cold for a while. Also stretch the line, the first 100 feet (of monofilament line) to relax his memory and avoid tangles.

When changing any type of thread, it is important to wind it properly, otherwise the thread may slip off the spool. To prevent the braided wire from slipping on the reel, start by winding monofilament on the reel as it will not slip, tie the braided wire to the monofilament, then wind the braided wire on the reel.

Rods

Examine the rods for cracks and stress marks. Examine the eyes carefully for any chips or cuts on the ceramic rings inside the eyes. These cracks could cause the line to snag, rub or break. Do not place hooks over the eyes or they will eventually create cracks that will cut the line as it passes. Place all lures at the base of the reel as those hooked on an eyelet will strike the rod and could cause microscopic cracks in the rod blank that could lead to a broken rod.

Start working on

I prepare the material in chronological order when certain species are fished… in this region, that is to say starting with tautog, then striped bass, blue fish, fluke, bass, etc. Make sure you have enough rigs to fish the species. The hooks should be clean and sharp (no rust) and strong enough for the size of the fish you are looking for. Often the hooks that come with the lures are not quality hooks, so I replace them with stronger hooks.

A few years ago, I took four of my brothers-in-law fishing. We really hit the summer plaice and bass hard, nonstop action for three to four hours, so much so that we started using some of the lower fluke rings in my tackle box. One of my brothers-in-law got hooked on a freak stroke of luck. He brought it to the boat, luck saw the net, ran and straightened the hook and the fish was gone. I should have made sure we had a lot of quality tackling in the tackle.

Leaders / Hooks

Use leaders for blue fish and monofilament or fluorocarbon for striped bass, fluke, bass, etc. As a rule, I replace all the leaders used at the start of the season. During the season, make sure the leaders do not have nicks or stress marks caused by the pulling of the fish. If so, replace them.

I replaced most of my hooks with circle or wide hooks, I did this so that I could safely catch and release undersized or unwanted fish (especially striped bass and small summer flounder) . Circle hooks are designed to hang fish in the corner of the mouth, not in the belly. This year the use of circle hooks is mandatory in Massachusetts when bait fishing for striped bass, they will be mandatory in Rhode Island for striped bass bait fishing in 2021.

Where’s the bite

Fresh water. Neil Hayes of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown said, “Customers buy minnows for the large and smallmouth bass fishing. They seem to be doing well. At the time of going to press, still no word on how Rhode Island plans to handle the trout opening day and freshwater fishing season. DEM said the season will open on Saturday April 11, but we still don’t know if there will be any restrictions on fishing, as opening day typically draws many people to the shores of Rhode Island’s waterways. .

Saltwater cod fishing on party boats in Rhode Island is over. The Frances and Seven B fleet have suspended cod fishing due to coronavirus guidelines. The Island Current left Rhode Island and returned to New York about three weeks ago. Lorraine Danti of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren said: “One of our clients said he caught the scup.” In Rhode Island the scup season is open with a limit of 30 fish / person / day, a minimum size of 9 inches, in special coastal areas the minimum size is 8 inches. Visit www.eregulations.com for special coastal areas. Neil Hayes of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle said: “With the cancellation of the New England Saltwater Fishing Show, many anglers are coming to buy what they could have bought at the show.”

Dave Monti is a Charter Captain, Member of the American Saltwater Guides Association, RISAA, RIPCBA, Vice President of RIMFC and Marketing Communications Practitioner. Send fishing news and photos to [email protected], visit www.noflukefishing.com or www.noflukefishing.blogspot.com.

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15 “escutcheon – Photo D

Lennox Moore with the 15 inch scup he caught in the summer north of the Jamestown Bridge. Anglers are now catching the seal in the Eastern Passage, much earlier than ever.

sent from my Iphone