Dennis Foster posted on July 15, 2005 22:40 :: 3944 Views
Spring Inventory
by Dennis Foster
Now as the days are growing longer and the ice fishing gear is neatly stored, our thoughts begin turning to Spring angling. If you are like me, your open water gear was not so painstakingly squirreled away and the inevitable Spring tackle roundup is now upon us.
Begin by searching every nook and cranny of your every nook and cranny for all the goodies that you are just positive you once owned. Once satisfied that none of the previously mentioned items will ever by found, it is now time to accuse all of your friends and even casual acquaintances of being thieves. After the dust has settled from this maneuver, sort what’s left of your tangled crankbaits, rusted hooks and spinner blades, jumbles of jigs, bundles of bouncers, kitten balls of leaders, neglected rods and reels, etc. etc. into carefully constructed piles. Judge the size of the piles and you now have an honest assessment of your situation.
It is now apparent you don’t have nearly enough stuff to even contemplate going on the most bare bones of fishing trips. This knowledge is firmly rooted in the fact that you have just completed a very scientific inventory and the obvious conclusion is that you require more stuff.
What stuff do you need and how much? Hint, do not ask your significant other. I think we all know what the answer will be. Better yet, ask me. I have a very open mind and will gladly listen to your tales of inadequate tackle. You won’t even have come up with drawn out excuses that don’t work anyway. I’ll be more than happy to offer you my standard counsel; buy a large variety of more stuff, in quantity, of course.
Here is a rundown of some items that should help in balancing out your otherwise depleted arsenal.
Crankbaits: It is impossible to have too many and a new one out this year that deserves a serious test is the larger sized Ripshad from Reefrunner. This is simply a slightly upscaled version of their original Ripshad. It has a more aggressive bill and should easily dive beyond 20 feet with Fireline.
Line: If you haven’t done so already, this would be a good time to give Fireline a try. I’ve been using it almost exclusively since its inception and have yet to find an application that it doesn’t excel at. Don’t let the initial price versus mono scare you. Over time you’ll find it to be a much better buy as you don’t need to replace it as often.
Powerbait/Gulp: I know that some of you may still be skeptical as to the effectiveness of scented plastics and old habits die hard. Do yourself a favor and give it an honest test this year. If you do, I think that you will be amazed with the results. Besides that, I’ve never seen it die on a hot day and it’s always ready to use, with no babysitting.
Jigs: I’m going to mention a couple of jigs that many of you may not be familiar with. The first is the Oddball from Baitrigs. It has a uniquely shaped head providing an enhanced hook gap that couples well with plastics. When using livebait, I’ll turn to JB lures Smacker jig. It’s a short shank model that makes a particularly nice package when used with minnows or leeches.
Enjoy the experience
Dennis Foster
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