Once the holiday season is over, we will be looking for something to do in our spare time. Of course, if you are married with a couple head of small kids, you have your spare time all taken care of. Those of us who have the little darlings out of the house and on their own may have some free time to fill during the cold, dark days from now until the flounder arrive in the spring.
The first thing I do is clean up my tackle. I have a series of plastic tackle boxes that hold various types of tackle from metal lures to soft plastics. I can put whatever I may need for whatever I plan to fish for on that day in my soft tackle bag and not have to carry around tackle that I probably won’t need or use.
It also makes it easy to pull out each box and examine the contents for rust, broken hooks or other damage. Earlier this year I removed all the treble hooks on my metal lures and replaced them with singles. I believe a single hook sets in the fish much better than a treble, and it’s certainly easier to remove from the fish and from the angler.
If the box contains metal hooks or lures, I will give everything a good spray of WD-40. I don’t spray plastic lures or soft plastics with the stuff, but anything else gets a good dousing. It only takes a few drops of saltwater to turn a pile of hooks into a pile of rust.
I do carry a pretty decent collection of fishing tools in my tackle bag. These too require a periodic inspection and a good dose of WD-40. I have found scissors tend to rust faster than anything else in my tackle bag, so they get a bit of grease on the hinge as well as a good overall spray of WD-40.
Next is my somewhat extensive (according to my wife) collection of rods and reels. The ones I use frequently are examined very closely, looking for any damage to the guides on the rods by rubbing a cotton swab around the guides and looking to see if any small fibers are left behind. If so, those guides must be replaced.
There was a time when I replaced them myself. That passed a long time ago. Now I take my damaged rods to PC Rods in Milton, where Pat does a great job fixing what I break.
Then come the reels. I check them for any outward damage and make sure are the screws are tight. We know the operator has a few loose screws; no need for the machinery having some as well.
Most of my reels hold braided line. This stuff is good, but not indestructible. I check the first few yards for any sign of abrasion. I want to be sure the Albright knot is still good. If not, I will retie the braid to the monofilament shock leader.
The reels that hold monofilament line also get a close examination. Mono line does not last as long as braid. It is weakened by the sun and the water, so I replace it on my reels every year. Fortunately, it is much less expensive than braid and comes in a wide variation of styles to fit a variety of fishing situations.
Once I am satisfied that the rods and reels are in top shape, everything gets a good soaking of WD-40. Then I wipe off the excess before putting them away until spring. Where possible, I store the rods and reels inside a closet, out of the sun.
Fishing report
It has not been easy collecting a fishing report over the past few weeks. Between the weather, and deer and waterfowl seasons, not a lot of folks are going out into the ocean or bay. I have had my trip on the Angler out of Ocean City canceled twice due to the weather.
When the boats do get out, they do catch fish. The ones that make it to ocean structure find very good sea bass action. Alan Rosenberger and three friends had a boat limit of sea bass over ocean structure. Alan said it was rough and they took a beating, but the results were worth the aggravation.
Delaware Bay has seen decent tog fishing. Most of the action has been around the Outer Wall and the Ice Breakers. According to the reports I have received, there are a lot of shorts, but once you cull out the little ones, there are enough keepers to make the trip worthwhile.
Tog are also the story at Indian River Inlet. Here too, shorts outnumber the keepers. Keeper rockfish have been caught on black or purple Bombers or SP Minnows at night.
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Eric Burnley is a Delaware native who has fished and hunted the state from an early age. Since 1978 he has written countless articles about hunting and fishing in Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. He has been the regional editor for several publications and was the founding editor of the Mid-Atlantic Fisherman magazine. Eric is the author of three books: Surf Fishing the Atlantic Coast, The Ultimate Guide to Striped Bass Fishing and Fishing Saltwater Baits. He and his wife Barbara live near Milton, Delaware. Eric can be reached at Eburnle@aol.com.
