We’ve had a couple of weeks off since the Carolina Swing — two events in South Carolina — and it’s been good to be home with Melissa and the kids here around Paducah. I’ve used the time to recharge and knock out a few projects around the house. I’ve kept up with the lake house on Kentucky Lake and tackled a major mulching project at our home in Paducah.
Even during time off, fishing is never far from my mind. It would be easy to get comfortable at home and put off preparations for the next event until the last minute. When that happens, I get stressed, create tension at home and risk forgetting things I’ll need on the road.
Over the years, I’ve developed a system for getting my boat and tackle ready well ahead of an event. We all have busy lives and plenty of responsibilities, and I’m hoping some of my processes might help you create a routine that allows you to enjoy your fishing time a little more.
I always start with my boat and motor. If my Yamaha SHO is due for service, I hook up my Falcon 21 Predator and take it over to Hitec Marine in Benton, Ky., for fresh fluids and a thorough checkup. In what I do, especially when we’re headed somewhere like the Pasquotank River, I need to know everything is operating smoothly and every bolt is tightened down properly.
I might take care of that on a Tuesday and then spend the next three or four days working through my tackle. I do most of this during the day while Melissa and the kids are busy. That allows me to organize everything in a calm, quiet setting and still be home in the afternoons for family activities and meals.
When it comes to tackle, I start by going through the baits I’ve used recently. I inspect treble hooks on hard baits and check the wires and hooks on my spinnerbaits. My Strike King lures are excellent at generating bites, but if the hooks aren’t sharp, I won’t land every fish that bites. I touch up spinnerbait hooks as needed, and on my crankbaits, jerkbaits and topwaters, I replace worn hooks with fresh Gamakatsu Round Bend Trebles before putting the baits back in their boxes.
Next, I check my inventory of Gamakatsu hooks. I keep them in their original packages and stand them upright in a tackle tray so I can quickly identify sizes when I need them. It saves time compared to sorting through loose hooks in a compartment. If you know me, you know I’m going to be flipping a Rage Craw or a Rage Bug, so I always keep a large supply of 5/0 Gamakatsu Heavy Cover Flipping Hooks on hand. I usually carry 40 to 50 of them in the boat at all times.
For soft plastics, I use a deep 3700-size tackle tray for each of my primary baits. I have separate trays for Rage Craws, Rage Bugs, Game Hawgs and Space Monkeys. I carry six colors of each bait, dedicating a full row to Green Pumpkin and Black/Blue, with four additional colors filling the remaining slots. I remove the baits from their packaging and store them directly in the trays. Then I keep a full gallon-sized storage bag of each bait, still in its original package, in totes in the truck so I can quickly replenish my supply as an event progresses.
Then it’s time for line. Before each event, I strip the line from my Lew’s reels and spool up with fresh Seaguar InvizX. Throughout the tournament, I can trim off a few feet each time I retie to keep things fresh, but I don’t have to completely respool every day as we did in the monofilament era.
Back then, we often had to respool every rod after every day of fishing because monofilament absorbed water and weakened from sun exposure. Quality fluorocarbon lines like Seaguar InvizX don’t absorb water and offer much better abrasion resistance, allowing them to perform throughout an event. Starting with fresh line gives me confidence while also making the entire process more efficient.
As I finish each category, I put everything back in its place, load it into the boat or truck and gradually get ready for the next trip. By the time it’s time to leave, everything is organized and ready to go. The whole process happens in a relaxed environment where I can think, plan and prepare without feeling rushed. It makes it easier to enjoy time with my family and hit the road ready to work when the next tournament arrives.
