Hunting season has ended, fly fishing is sketchy, boating is hard, and other sports are done for the year. This means that you need to do your homework.
Hopefully you did last years homework on your snowmobiles, skis, and ice fishing gear. If you did, then you had a smooth transition into your Winter playgrounds. If you didn’t, you wasted some time. Wasting work time is one thing but wasting Play Time is a huge sin!
Fly fishermen should be servicing their gear, tackle, and sorting the fly boxes. Go through every fly box and trim any snippets of leaders. Look for damaged flies, hooks, and dull hooks. Some damaged flies may need repair. Complete an inventory on your boxes and see what you need to tie for next year. Primary flies are;
Nymphs Prince, Lightening bugs, midges
Dries Baetis, PMD.s, Caddis, and your local mayflies
Terrestrials Hoppers, beetles, ants
Streamers Sculpins, Madonna’s, Wooly Buggers
There is always a new fly or two that you should add to the mix. How many dozen do you need? How is your tippet? Don’t forget your spin gear and tackle boxes. Other gear and accessories? Make a list and maybe Santa will hook you up.
Your boat, RV, and camping gear should also be on the list. Make sure that they are ready to go when the Montana weather gives you an opportunity. Our outdoor seasons change in a hurry and are often too short to be wasting your time fixing a boat motor, sighting in a gun, repairing the RV heater, or cleaning your gear.
Stay ahead of the curve by doing your homework now!
Montana Grant
For more Montana Grant, find him doing his homework at www.montanagrantfishing.com.
