Open water fishing season begins every April 1, and for many anglers, it turns into an April Fool’s day. Spring weather and freshet conditions are fickle, and even when there’s open water, good access can be limited.
But sometimes it’s not the weather that ruins a trip.
A good many years ago, a call out of the blue from an angling buddy had me scrambling for gear to meet in an hour for a spring trolling trip. We hadn’t been dragging tandem streamers for 30 minutes when a powerful strike doubled my rod over. A salmon, easily over 4 pounds, leaped and cartwheeled three times near the boat, then made a line-sizzling run that took all of my fly line and into the backing.
I lifted the rod tip to slow the run. The silver torpedo jumped again, rolled once more, then was gone.
So was my fly line.
Back then, many anglers used small metal eyelets at the ends of their fly lines to attach leaders and backing. After a few seasons of use and exposure to water, wear and rust could cause those eyelets to fail. Since that frustrating lesson, I check all my equipment before the season begins. I didn’t lose that fish because of luck — I lost it because I wasn’t prepared.
That lesson has stuck with me ever since.
And it’s not a one-time thing.
My incentive for regular reel maintenance came from an Atlantic Salmon trip to Quebec’s Matapedia River. A canoe partner hooked into a heavy fish that turned acrobatic and made several long, hard runs. About 10 minutes into the fight, his Pfluger 1498 reel went from sounding smooth to something like a handful of marbles in a blender. Then it froze. There was a snap, and the internal line spool fell onto the canoe deck.
He had no salmon, no spare reel and my yearly reel overhaul suddenly took on new meaning.
That’s the kind of thing that turns a long-awaited first outing into a frustrating one — and it happens more often than people think.
Over the years, I’ve seen it in all kinds of ways. Someone shows up and can’t find half their gear. Another has line so old it coils like a spring and won’t cast. Hooks are dull. Knots fail. Reels stick. Rod guides are worn enough to damage line. Then he buzzes around like a hummingbird with a tailwind trying to fix things that should’ve been done already. None of it seems like a big deal until it costs you a fish — or a full day on the water.
That’s why, in the days leading up to ice-out, I spend a little time here and there going through everything.
It doesn’t take long. A quick look at rods to make sure guides are smooth and secure. Fresh line if the old stuff is cracked or weakened. Leaders and knots checked. Reels cleaned and running the way they should. Flies and lures sharpened and in good shape.
A few proven streamer patterns — like gray ghost, black-nosed dace and other Maine staples — and a basic, reliable setup are more than enough to get started.
Nothing is more frustrating than wasting good fishing time looking for misplaced items — or repairing a piece of gear along the stream while others are catching fish.
That first outing is just around the corner, so get ready.
