Welcome to Week XXV of 'Fishing Parkland Shorelines'. Like most of us I am a novice fisherman, loving to fish, but far from an expert, In the following weeks I'll attempt to give those anglers who love to fish but just don't have access a boat a look at some of the options in the Yorkton area where you can fish from shore, and hopefully catch some fish for a good summer fry.
The time of shore fishing is likely over thanks to the blanket of snow, although there is still some open water out there for the hearty fisherman.
So as we get ready to store the rods and tack box away for the season it should be the time to give the gear a once over for any repairs that might be needed.
I always wait until spring to change to new line, a near must if you put in a lot of casts. Some line manufacturers suggest changing line after only a couple of outings. That might be a bit much unless you are hauling in some true monster fish, but it is understandable advice from a manufacturer selling line.
That all said line takes a beating. It is wet, dry, wet, dry all summer. Every fish stretches on it, not to mention when you are dragging it through weeds or trying to dislodge a hook hung up in an underwater snag.
So come spring before the first trip out, changing line is almost a must.
But back to the fall look over of your gear.
It never hurts to pop open a reel carefully and pack with some fresh grease. It just keeps everything in good shape.
In my case one of my rods had the plastic guide on the tip missing. It still allowed fishing, although it was harder on line. It happened late enough in the season the line was in need of replacement badly, but I coerced it through to await spring.
A rod tip is rather easy to repair.
You do need to cut off the old tip with a sharp knife. Score the rod as close to the old tip as possible. Make sure it is scored all the way around, and then it should snap off cleanly. Once off take the tip with you to the tackle shop so they can make sure you get one that is the proper diametre to fit the rod.
Then it's pretty simple. Apply a good glue, make sure the new tip is aligned with the rest of the guides, and you are ready to go again.
As I was thinking about storing the gear for winter, I also decided to give my sewing skills a work out.
When I'm out fishing it always seems when I want my pliers to extract
a hook they're in my tackle box 30-feet down the beach where I was fishing earlier.
On a nice sandy beach you can carry a flopping pike on a hook down to the tackle box without too much difficulty.
On a rocky shore the process becomes more of a challenge.
Yes you can put the pliers in the back pocket of your jeans, but experience this summer showed that is not necessarily the best plan either.
I caught the handles on something one day, ripping the pocket.
On another occasion sitting on some rocks the pliers worked their way out of the pocket and I was left fishing my hand in a crevice trying to retrieve them, all the way wondering what might be holed up there in hiding and ready to bite or sting me.
Everything above is repeatable in terms of a tape measure, and critical tool at lakes which have slot size limits anglers must honour.
At a spot such as Lake of the Prairies you have to take a measurement on most walleye to see if they are going home for supper, or back to the lake to reproduce.
Another issue I have come to realize is that between the slime and blood that you manage to get on your hands from caught fish, and the ooze from putting bait such as minnows and earthworms on jigs, your hands get pretty slimy.
The natural tendency was to use the front of my jeans to clean my hands.
Sure it worked, and jeans wash, but it's not so great if you decide to stop for a burger and pop at a restaurant on the way home.
A towel would be the answer, but the question is where do you carry it that it is handy?
So this fall I decided to address the problems by making a 'belt caddy'.
The idea was simple enough. The caddy had to carry pliers, tape measure, a towel, and a knife -- always a handy tool when fishing.
It had to hang from the waist, either on a belt, or potentially a shoulder strap.
The first inkling was to make it from leather. But then I realized the caddy was going to get bloody and fishy over time, and leather might not clean too easily.
Denim is sturdy and can be thrown in a washing machine, so that was
the way I decided to go.
I had thought about drawing something up and have it sewn for me, but the $60 quoted was money I'd rather toss at a new bait cast reel one day.
And then it hit me. I found a worn out pair of jeans. It already had a back pocket, that when glued down the middle, and then stitched too, gave me places for the knife and pliers.
A ring from a local horse tack shop was easy to add for the towel.
The existing belt loops are ideal for attaching to a belt, or shoulder strap.
It took less than an hour to fashion, and should work admirably to carry the select items a fisherman needs with almost every catch.
So if you are looking for a winter project to make fishing a bit easier, this might be one to consider. I know I am looking forward to having my key gear just a bit handier to get too.
And speaking of fishing knives, if you are looking for one to take to the shore, and you haven't made a gear caddy, then you might want to check out the Kombat Kombo.
It is rather neat fishing combination tool.
To look at the KK it looks like a fish club, the kind used to dispatch caught fish, remember it is illegal to move living fish in Manitoba, and it's not the best idea in Saskatchewan either. A club works for that.
But the KK is more than a club, which can be a piece of driftwood in a pinch.
The handle pulls out, and reveals a fish knife otherwise hidden in the club. It's handy in many ways. A little sharpener on the back of the KK is a nice touch in the overall design of the KK as well.
There is a small scoop at the butt of the handle as well, which can also be handy in a number of situations.
The KK is a multi-use fishing tool that is about as handy as you can get, so check it out at www.kombatkombo.com
