End of Fishing Season Things to Do

End of Fishing Season Things to Do

By Steve Weisman

How quickly our fishing seasons come and go. Spring and summer are gone, and fall is coming to a close. Sure enough, soon the ice will be on lakes, and we’ll be heading into ice fishing season. However, there are some end of the open water season things we can do that can have huge benefits for both equipment and our fishing when the next open water season rolls around. If nothing else, a written list of what needs to be done by spring is a wise thing to do.

Obviously, taking care of the equipment is paramount. For a long time, this was something I either overlooked or put off as I rushed madly into the late hunting seasons and the early ice fishing season.

This is the time to take a look at all of those fishing rod/reel combinations. Which ones need attention? If you’re like me, you fish many different presentations. For instance, I know that the four combos that I use for walleye live bait rigging need to be checked over. I know that the line is getting frayed where the swivel hooks to the bottom bouncer/sinker. I saw it this summer and made a mental note that it needs to be addressed.

I also have made a note that I am getting low on my plain hook/snells and need to retie several more and wrap them on my snell holders. I use a lot of Northland’s Baitfish spinners and know that I am low on them. I will also make a mental note on whether I need to replace the line on these reels. This is also a good time to take a good look at the rods themselves to see if any eyelets are damaged and the reels to make sure they are going into winter in good working condition.

The same will hold true for your other rod/reel combinations. For me, I have several that I use for panfish, and change the lures/baits as the open water season moves along. It’s time to look at the lures and jigs used. I have tube baits, for instance, that need to be replaced, some spoons I used for panfish that have lost some of their color, etc. I have a couple of slip bobber rigs that need to be re-rigged. Even though I won’t change the lines until spring, I know I need to change the ones with mono. I have a couple where the line comes off the reel in coils. Definitely not a good sign. Since I have lots of wall area in my garage, I will place the rods that need attention in one certain area.

In the old days, I had one huge tackle box. Now, I have several with lures/baits based on the species. I’ll take a look at each of these to see what needs to be removed and replaced, or to simply just straighten everything out.

Open water clothing (hats, shirts, raincoats, etc.) needs to be checked. Some shirts have simply worn out; others have for some reason gotten smaller! How about shoes and boots? How about the sunglasses?

Now is the time to evaluate what might be on the wish list for next year. Nothing better than going to boat/outdoor shows in February or March with the intention of looking for some of those “needed” replacements.

Of course, the fishing rig needs to be winterized. Some anglers have the ability and enjoy taking care of the winterizing projects. Others, like myself, rely on my boating service department to get the winterizing done. Even though it costs money, I feel good knowing someone I trust is taking care of my fishing rig. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, this is also the time to look at the trailer. Check out the lights, the wiring, the condition of the tires and the bearings. Now is the time rather than scrambling in the spring when you want to be on the water. Each spring comes around a little differently each year. If it’s an early spring, the last thing we need is to have a tip the walleyes are biting, and our boat isn’t ready.

The last thing to do as the season winds down is reflect on the fishing season itself. What was the good, the bad and the ugly-was it similar to what happened the year before? Is there a pattern that evolved that you could use next year, to at least give you a good starting point?

Here’s an example of what I mean. I’ve fished bluegills on West Okoboji for over 40 years. Over that time, I’ve found docks that hold really big bluegills. Each year they are good. After all of those years, this past spring, I found 3-4 new ones that were good. Needless to say, I marked them on my locator. Just more ammunition. Plus, as late summer arrived, before I had several edge of deep weed locations in 20-25, maybe 30 feet. I had maybe 10 key spots that I could count on. Not this year. They weren’t there and had moved out in big schools in anywhere from 30-40 feet of water. Trouble is there was no structure to hold them, so they were just wandering around. They’d be there for a day or two and then be gone. I marked those spots to see if that holds true again next summer or if they will be back in their more traditional locations.
Here’s another example of change. For years, perch fishing was best in the basin on Big Spirit. The last three years that changed for me with the best fishing in the weeds and weedlines in 6-12 feet of water. Now this year another change with the better bite out in the basin.
How about lures, bait and presentation? Were there changes from other years or new options that worked better than old ones? Did the bite change as the open water season progressed?

Some anglers just make it a mental note, while others keep their “fishing diary” that includes specifics. If kept long enough, it becomes an excellent history over a lot of years. It actually has become a keepsake for some families.

Any way you look at it, there are things to be done as we wind down the open water season. It just takes a commitment and a little time. Instead of talking about it, I guess I’d better get busy!