Kenai Alaska Resort & Fishing Guide

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Spring is about change. Longer hours, more sunlight, a general feeling of freshness and new energies. Spring is the ideal time to get organized for the busy summer ahead. For most people, it’s about house cleaning, putting away winter clothing, planting a garden, tapping the maple trees, or riding a bike for the first time since last October.

Not for me. 

Spring is the time when I get prepared that for the fishing season. New rods, new reels, new tackle, new waders, new, new, new…..

However, it’s also the time I go through my very serviceable old gear. Here are 6 things I do to make my fishing season more successful. 

Organize Tackle

  • It’s important to have all your lures, swivels, sinkers, hooks, beads, and leaders sorted by size, color and weight. Knowing where all your gear is, is key. There’s nothing worse than losing a hot lure and not being able to find a replacement. Especially, when you know you have several of them. 
  • Create separate tackle boxes for different species. No reason to haul around silver salmon gear when you’re fishing for king salmon.  

Pre Tie Leaders

  • Often, there is a small window when fish will bite. Having a pre tied leader ready to go can make the difference between catching fish and not catching fish.
  • A great holder for the pre tied leaders is a swimming pool foam noodle cut into a 12” section. Wrap your leader around the noodle, and push the business end of the hook into the foam. 

Clean Tackle

  • If you forgot to do it in the fall, spring is a good time to scrub off the salmon egg goo and sardine residue on your lures. Rancid odors rarely attract a salmon to bite. I recommend hot water, a brush, and Lemon Joy dish soap.

Inspect/Clean Fishing Rods

  • Salmon egg goo and sardine oil can make a mess of your cork handles and rod shafts. Warm water, Lemon Joy, and a scrub sponge will do the trick. Make sure the abrasive side of scrub sponge is only used on the cork handle.
  • Check for wear and tear of the rod eyes. Use cotton and run it through the eye. If any cotton snags on the eye, replace it. A groove or a nick in the ceramic part of the eye will fray and weaken your fishing line. 

Clean Reels and Replace Line

  • Lubricate gears with oil and grease.
  • If dirty from salmon egg goo and sardine oil, wipe down with warm water, and Lemon Joy.
  • If monofilament line is on the reel, replace it. Fishing line is relatively cheap compared to losing a fish of a lifetime. If it is braided line, inspect for excessive wear. Replace if necessary.

Inspect Waders/Hip Boots

  • Nothing is more frustrating than wading into an ice cold Alaska river for the first trip of the year and finding a leak in your waders/hip boots.
  • Check the seams and creases of your hip boots. Other than an obvious tear, this is where leaks often occur. Use Aqua Seal or a patch to fix the leaks.
  • Turn your chest waders inside out and apply rubbing alcohol on suspected spots. If there are holes, the rubbing alcohol will turn the fabric dark. Use Aqua Seal to fix the leaks.

I titled this blogpost Six Tips For A Better Fishing Season. Clearly, there are more than six tasks I need to complete before my season starts. However, I hope these six will get you thinking about your own fishing season. Good luck!