Some yearly routines from anglers that I have noticed.

[kayaking_kev]

I'm still pretty new to the fishing world, but this year I have noticed a few things that I imagine to be pretty routine for anglers every year that I thought were a little funny.

 

The first one is the 20% BF sale at Tackle Warehouse. It's like waiting for xmas day to get here as a little kid.

 

The 2nd one is the day after xmas, when everyone is out at the ponds and lakes trying out their new gear, no matter how cold it is. I live in Ohio, and it seemed like the busiest day of the year at a few places, and lucky for everyone the ice melted just a few days before so we could fish.

 

And lastly, what has been going and is still going during the winter months as a lot of people can't fish, a lot of us are all selling, buying, trading, basically exchanging gear trying to get ready for the season. Especially reels, those seem to exchange hands a lot.

 

I'm just curious what other yearly routines anglers go through or have noticed from other anglers.

[Dens228]

• You hit my routine spot on, and then add re-organizing my tackle in a seemingly endless cycle. 

[N Florida Mike]

I routinely fish- it don’t get much more complicated than that with me...

[TnRiver46]

1 minute ago, N Florida Mike said:

I routinely fish- it don’t get much more complicated than that with me...

Ditto 

[PhishLI]

1 hour ago, kayaking_kev said:

I'm just curious what other yearly routines anglers go through or have noticed from other anglers.

Everything you said plus a new one. Last Saturday was bitter cold here. I had babysitting duty all by my lonesome. The cutie konked out at 7:00 and she stayed asleep, praise Buddha. Bored and totally tackle organized I found something fishing related to do. I cracked open a bin loaded with torn plastics of every type. I keep them all. Armed with a 1 oz bottle of Mend-it I went to work. 4 hours later I had a huge pile of restored plastic baits. I'm sure I lost some brain cells inhaling that stuff in a closed space, but boy oh boy am I happy about saving those baits and a nice chunk of loot. It's a brand new winter tradition for me.

[lo n slo]

[Harold Scoggins]

5 minutes ago, lo n slo said:

Don't miss that.

[12poundbass]

My yearly routine, I cry when the lakes freeze and celebrate when they thaw. 

[Way north bass guy]

I store my boat about 1/2mile away from my house in a shed at my work property I own. Every year a few weeks before the ice goes, usually mid March or so, I bring it down to the house  and take over my wife’s spot in our garage. Then it’s pretty much a nightly thing to find me out there, loading up things, making adjustments, cleaning, adding any new purchases from the winter and sometimes just sitting out there, enjoying the smell and feeling of the rig again and praying for more warm weather to speed up the end of winter. 

[Paul Roberts]

I think us northerners are more apt to have a seasonal routine. Comes with... the seasons.

 

-There's the rush to get the last open water fishing in.

-The mid-winter tackle binge: buying, selling, upgrading, building rods, modifying, ....

-Cabin fever sets in, which results in more buying, ... And some orneriness begins to set in. Then those dang Floridians chime in about how happy they are.

[DanielG]

I'm on the lake. In early spring I wheel the pier in and lock it down. The water is still ice cold. I bring the boat to the ramp and launch it for the season. The slow 40 minute, electric ride down on the surly mermaid, is nice even though it's still early spring and probably still fairly chilly.. maybe 50 degrees. The water is maybe 36-38 degrees as the ice would have just gone out.

 

In winter... this year... I'm in a heated shop learning how to make baits. Nice off season hobby don'tchathink?

 

Fall's a drag. Pretty leaves, then they're on the ground to have to pick up... then the prolific forest looks like skeleton sticks. But the first blizzard hits and I'm happy.

 

Of course in May this year, it's off with the camper to Hershey Park, and Dollywood for several days of steady roller coaster riding. WooHoo! You can't go wrong with roller coaster... as long as they stay on the rails.

[A-Jay]

My 'off season routine' includes most everything noted above.

 Additionally I include some resistance training.

Helps relieve a bit of stress during hard water

and helps extend the fishing day (& night) during open water.....

Win ~ Win !

A-Jay

 

 

[DitchPanda]

I'm one of the northern guys that is still on lock down... so I fish until ice up for bass..through the ice I switch to bluegill crappie and perch which is cool since I like to eat fresh fish... by now we've had ice for 3 months so I'm kind of over it and I'm just messing with tackle and buying to much crap...um..I mean gear

[TnRiver46]

2 hours ago, lo n slo said:

I’m guessing that’s not hanging on the back of the little Jon boat!!!

1 hour ago, Harold Scoggins said:

Don't miss that.

Easier than a car and 1 quart lasts a year 

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, DanielG said:

I'm on the lake. In early spring I wheel the pier in and lock it down. The water is still ice cold. I bring the boat to the ramp and launch it for the season. The slow 40 minute, electric ride down on the surly mermaid, is nice even though it's still early spring and probably still fairly chilly.. maybe 50 degrees. The water is maybe 36-38 degrees as the ice would have just gone out.

 

In winter... this year... I'm in a heated shop learning how to make baits. Nice off season hobby don'tchathink?

 

Fall's a drag. Pretty leaves, then they're on the ground to have to pick up... then the prolific forest looks like skeleton sticks. But the first blizzard hits and I'm happy.

 

Of course in May this year, it's off with the camper to Hershey Park, and Dollywood for several days of steady roller coaster riding. WooHoo! You can't go wrong with roller coaster... as long as they stay on the rails.

Oh man. Let me know if you need a break from the roller coasters to catch smallmouth. You won’t catch me riding one of those @$$;:” coasters 

[GreenPig]

Yearly routine consists of buying new fishing license & parking/lake passes. No down time for us southern fishermen. We have do handle all the maintenance, cleaning, purchasing, and organizing all while continuing to fish. ?

[Bass Rutten]

10 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

I routinely fish- it don’t get much more complicated than that with me...

I’d like to see you try that up here in Illinois ? 

[Ogandrews]

Pretty much what everyone else said but thankfully in south east mn I can keep fishing for stream trout and river walleye all winter as well as going for pike through the ice. Definitely not my first choice, but it’s a lot better than sitting at home 

[islandbass]

Northerners like me, and worse because I’m shorebound suffer through cabin fever or fish vicariously through our southern brethren.