# You can catch a lot of fish in the offseason



## panhandlephinsphan (Aug 25, 2008)

This is my second year at blue water fishing and as much as I don't like the winter and would rather be well out of sight of land, I am finding I am busy as can be. When I used to fish inshore down in Ft Myers my buddy used to always tell me that you catch more fish the night before than you do the day of. at first I thought he was nuts but he was right. The prep work is part of the journey, part of the fun, part of what makes it special when you land "the" fish, and what really positions you to be more successful when you head out of the pass at 4 in the morning all summer. 

Ok- blah blah blah- I am not an expert in blue water, heck, I am about as novice as it gets in blue water- I only managed to get out there a handful of times last year, but I have been talking with people, reading, trying things, and WOW is there a lot of prep work you can do! That string on the spreads, different knives, lures for high speed, etc. was awesome! I have it bronzed hanging in my garage like the ten commandments.

So what is everyone doing to be ready? 

· Here is my list so far:
o Boat in for service- done!
o battery checks
o fix sound system- done! (critical item)
o replace bait well pump- done
o replace aft bilge pump- in process
o acid wash hull from rub rail down and then wax it twice- done- no more yellow crap- looks like new again
o wash and wax from rub rail up and inside
o replace all batteries for any remotes and electronics that do not plug in (SPOT, raymarine autopilot, sound system)
o service lift motors- done
o mount outriggers (20ft bly carbon fiber outriggers ready to run!)
o Rig outriggers
o De-ice the deck (only if fishing on 1/28 and 1/29)
o Learn how to rig your own trolling lures- DONE!
o Get all of the mono, crimpers, parrot beak cutters, wire, crimping barrels, and thimbles- DONE
o Check all lures and re-rig as necessary- wire for high speed, 450lb mono for marlin leader, etc
o Pole maintenance- take apart all rollers on all rods, clean, grease, reassemble and test
o Strip off old line- replaced all with 100#- 950 yds on each reel- DONE
o Reel maintenance
o Add waypoints to electronic chart from paper copies
o Go out in the bay or near shore and do some testing- Test trolling and tight turns, test different lures, test autopilot patterns, test outriggers
o Get licenses, insurance, memberships all up to date and checked- DONE (learned about HMS permit and now have it)
o Wait for May- in process


Well, if you read all of this you are in need of an offshore trip as much as I am- go do prep work so when it gets here there is nothing to do but head out and hook up! It helps the winter go by a little quicker.

Add in anything I am missing as I am sure I will have some time still between now and May

Enjoy the snow for now!

Pan


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## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

Dang you are putting effort into getting everything ready for the upcoming season. A big thumbs up to you!


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Great post!


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