Pre-Season Ritual

[papajoe222]

In Boston, Truck Day is a Pre-Season ritual for baseball fans. For me, that day stirs more than just thoughts of baseball. I get worked up some by the The 'truck day' thing, but more so because it's also the day I start getting my fishing equipment in order.   As I've been doing for many, many years, I have a progression of tasks I do prior to launching the boat for the first outing of the season. For me, that's the first week-end in March and pairing up my reels and rods is my first project. It's the first time I've held a rod since I put them up at the end of October and it really pumps up my anticipation a notch or two.

For you guys and gals that deal with an off season, do you have a ritual that you follow that not only gets everything ready to go, but has you totally worked by the time when you can finally get out?

 

[Sam]

Pappa, when I was in high school we dressed out for our basketball games in a specific ritual manner. This was for good luck. My teammates would wear the same clothes for every game until we lost. Of course they were clean items and thank goodness, did not smell bad.

 

Now, if we lost the game we would do something different and continue doing this new ritual until we lost another game and we made another change to getting dressed out.

 

I almost ran out of ways to get dressed for the games in high school. 

 

Now, my fishing ritual consists of going to the garage and start putting the baits together in April for my fun fishing and tournaments.

 

I do not have any ritual to load or launch the boat.

 

My Cajun grandmother was very superstitious and passed that quality along to me and I am very superstitious during LSU football and baseball games. If the Fighting Tigers are doing well I continue to wear the same outfit and have all of the furniture and quilts in the the same position until they lose and then I change things around.

 

As long as you have confidence in your rituals you will do great!

[crypt]

my "offseason" is Monday through Friday...........then I JUST GO..........my ritual is get gas, food,drinks.........say a prayer then smile..........Florida is a great place to live. I really feel bad for those of you that can't go year round.

[A-Jay]

Although initially penned a few seasons back, much of what I do remains very much the same.

It's relayed here ~ 

A-Jay

[Bankbeater]

No ritual except going through the checklist and making sure that I have everything done before I head out on a trip.

[new2BC4bass]

On 2/6/2020 at 9:06 PM, crypt said:

my "offseason" is Monday through Friday...........then I JUST GO..........my ritual is get gas, food,drinks.........say a prayer then smile..........Florida is a great place to live. I really feel bad for those of you that can't go year round.

Sure.  Rub it in why don't you. 

 

Joe, I don't have a ritual.  This year I need to spend some time pairing up rods and reels.  I've purchased several of both the past 2 years and need to figure out my best options for starting out the new season.  My fishing last year was almost non-existent.  I hope to change that this year.  First by getting a vehicle I can carry my Porta-Bote on.

 

Actually I'd like to go over all my pairings to see if I am satisfied with them or want to change things around a bit.

[A-Jay]

On 2/6/2020 at 9:06 PM, crypt said:

my "offseason" is Monday through Friday...........then I JUST GO..........my ritual is get gas, food,drinks.........say a prayer then smile..........Florida is a great place to live. I really feel bad for those of you that can't go year round.

Every Rose has it's thorn ~

A-Jay

 

[Bird]

I need to implement an off season ritual......my winter season fishing was pathetic. 

Another words, I need an off season. 

[flyfisher]

I don't have an offseason so no rituals for me.  I have been tying more flies though and am thinking the itch to catch more largemouth on the fly rod this year is gonna be strong

[DitchPanda]

I do the typical things go through tackle and order stuff I need\want..oil reels... re spool combos that need fresh line...one thing I usually do once or twice starting in February until ice out is heading up to the Berkley outlet in spirit lake Iowa and look for deals...just bought another previous generation shock 7ft medium heavy there a few days ago for $27

[crypt]

16 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Every Rose has it's thorn ~

A-Jay

 

don't remind me...........LOL.....

[Preytorien]

I clean everything, but my one single ritual each year is that I clean all the reels and rods on the last week of February as we start to get some fishing days in March. 

 

In January I do the deep cleaning of the man-cave (garage). While that's not just fishing gear, it's just a general thorough cleaning of the areas I work on gear and store tackle. 

[TnRiver46]

Before spring, I like to mentally prepare myself to watch all the fair weather fishermen launch their boats for the one and only time all year. I’ve been fishing all winter so I can take a break. First warm Saturday of March, Get some ice cold beer into a cooler and a lawn chair and sit in the ramp parking lot until late evening and just laugh and enjoy!! This guy jackknifed, that guy launched his boat and it wouldn’t start and floated 500 yards down river. Oh wait? What’s that red thing under water?

But of course! An f250! 
 

[Jermination]

maybe i'll flip a jig through the camper window, what ramp was this at?

[TnRiver46]

3 minutes ago, Jermination said:

maybe i'll flip a jig through the camper window, what ramp was this at?

my home away from home, gov Ned mcwherter park . Here’s his boat.......

[tander]

On 2/6/2020 at 2:05 PM, Sam said:

 

 

My Cajun grandmother was very superstitious and passed that quality along to me and I am very superstitious during LSU football and baseball games. If the Fighting Tigers are doing well I continue to wear the same outfit and have all of the furniture and quilts in the the same position until they lose and then I change things around.

You must have wore that outfit out completely this football season!!! Didn't have to move any furniture or quilts either!!

[Trox]

When I first got married, arguments with my wife quickly became my boat launching ritual. Fortunately, she's found that it's one fight that she will never win, so things have chilled out a ton over the last few years... It's very closely related to her "I bought another pair of shoes, aren't they great?" every Friday ritual

 

Very hard to complain when you realize that new pair of shoes costs roughly the same as a fishing trip... Ever since we put the "pro" in compromise, things have been great!

 

needless to say, paying off debt is my new launching ritual

[Paul Roberts]

My ritual never really ends, bc ice cover is a fairly short period here; Except this year! Still in the teens overnight here. I usually modify lures and may build a rod or two when we're iced up.

 

I've come to prepare for the next coming seasonal window before it hits, as if I can feel 'em coming. And I go ahead and make the rotations, whether I have an outing imminent or not. I base my tackle on rods-reels-line and they are in a rack with current ones stacked in a corner in seasonal order; That is, the previous seasons get buried behind the current season. Despite the cold winter weather sitting on us, I've been getting my Early Spring stuff together: Fresh lines or leaders, trip boxes put together. My boats are a float tube and a yak, so... not all that much maintenance there. I try to be pretty much ready to roll ahead of time.