I LOVE MARCH MADNESS
I’m a big college basketball fan. I love March Madness time and filling out my bracket with great hopes for the teams I pick. I don’t miss very many games. If I am going to be gone I watch them on my smart phone or set up my TV to record and watch later.
March Madness time is also when I start getting ready for Spring Fishing Madness. As I watch the games I check for bent or broken guides on my rods and repair if I can. Each reel is cleaned, inspected and line replaced.
I get out all my tackle boxes and empty them. I do make sure to put something down on the carpet this time. Don’t want my wife yelling at me again. I cleaned the carpet stains and fixed the hook snags the first time I did this and I think she finally forgave me.
Out goes old line, candy bar wrappers and dried up sandwiches. I take out stuff I don’t use and note things I need to buy like a good hook sharpener. Don’t want to lose a big fish because of dull hooks.
Next I check the condition of lures and touch them up if needed and replace bent and rusty hooks. There’s usually a few plastic tubes or worms melted into a useless glob so I scrape them out and give the box a good cleaning.
Before I start putting things back I look at the list of things I might need and head to my local fishing tackle store. As I stroll the aisles and fill my list I watch the games on my phone. Of course there are always great sale prices on things not on my list that I just have to have. Sometimes people stare at me when I get excited about a game winning shot.
Back home I watch more March Madness as I organize everything by color, size and species of fish. It all really looks good when I’m done and actually stays that way until at least my second spring fishing trip.
BIG FISH
Keep returning to the spot where you have caught a big fish. Sooner or later another big fish will move in. Whatever attracted the first big fish whether it was a combination of safe cover, comfortable water temperature or plenty of food will almost always attract other big fish.
MESSENGERS OF SPRING
Goldfinches are spring messengers. In late March and early April, the male finches shed their dull, greenish winter coats and blossom into yellow, black and white summer plumage. Their noisy gatherings in the budding and blooming bushes and low trees make the woods appear to be filled with yellow ornamented trees.
AND NOW YOU KNOW
Black bears excrete no waste during their denning period. They consume pine needles and similar matter just prior to denning to form an anal plug. Come spring though, they’ll grab a good magazine and you better get out of their way.
And now you know what you might not have known.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
“The best thing about spring is that it comes when it is most needed.”
– Author Unknown
