One of the very best ways to get better acquainted with your fishing lures is to work with them in your down time.
That’s partly what I’ve been talking about in my last two columns. I’ve detailed how some of the changes I made to a couple of my Stan’s Spin spinnerbaits paid off by hooking big bass. I’ve made similar changes with some of my other lures.
Perhaps you’ve decided to try this sort of thing yourself. So how should you go about it and how should you start? Let’s look at some of the steps that help make it easier to work with your tackle.
First off, find a place where you can set up a place to work. During our 66 years together, my wife and I have had several different sized homes. I’ve managed to scrounge up space for a tackle workshop in every darn one of them.
My tackle workshop space in the small homes we lived in early in our marriage was very small. Once all the space I could talk my wife into letting me have was a small wooden desk in one corner of a bedroom.
In our second home I was able to set up shop in what you’d generally regard as an attic. The only place I could stand up straight was right in the middle of the room and even then I had to bend a bit. But what the heck, I wasn’t up there to stand up anyhow. The time I spent there was while I was sitting down at my tackle work bench.
One of the good things about both of those places was that everything I needed was right there in one spot. I could set up everything from my fly tying vise to an assortment of tools. It didn’t take long to discover that having pegboard over my work bench was a good idea. The board provided immediate and easy access to scissors, pliers, tweezers and similar necessities.
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Working with your tackle is a great way to relax. It can also help you learn more about the lures you want to show the fish when you head for lake or stream.
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Most of the time I spend working with tackle is after the regular day’s work is done. If I don’t have time to complete a project before it’s time to hit the sack, I can just leave things as they are. Everything will be right where I left it when I have time to finish up.
A tackle work bench doesn’t have to be anything fancy. The one I have now was a gift from our oldest son and it’s a dandy. Most of those I’ve owned in the past were anything but. I usually wound up with a metal or wooden desk that could also be used as a work bench.
One thing that bench had to have was adequate drawer space. That way I could more easily store things like fly tying materials, beads, wire, paints, etc., that I couldn’t hang from my pegboard hooks.
In my past two columns I talked about changes I’d made in a couple of my Mack’s Lure Stan’s Spin spinnerbaits. If you decide to do something similar, by all means get yourself a copy of the current Mack’s Lure catalog. Once you have the catalog it’s so easy to pick out the items you’ll need.
You can do much the same thing using the Internet, but I find it a good bit easier to use the catalog. If you’re an experienced angler I don’t have to tell you how effective the Mack’s Lure Wedding Ring spinner has been for trout. It’s simply one of the best.
But let me share a thought I this regard. It ties right in with working with your tackle. It’s that glittering little fish-attracting band that makes the Wedding Ring such a killer. Have you ever considered adding one of those rings to some of your other lures?
I have. One place I’ve used them is on the arm of a couple of the Stan’s Spin spinnerbaits that I throw for bass. Now and then I get hits on those baits when I can’t buy a strike on anything else.
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Trout fishermen don't have to be told how well a Macks Lure Wedding Ring spinner puts fish in the boat. Have you considered making up some of your own rigs and using Wedding Rings or Smile Blades to do it? All of the ingredients are available to do so. You'll find them shown at this web site or in the company's new catalog.
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Once you eyeball that Mack’s Lure catalog you’ll find it has everything from Wedding Ring components to clevises, beads in a variety of styles, shapes and colors, silicone skirts and snaps as well as surgical tubing and swivels.
Incidentally, if you don’t have a copy of the new 2010 Mack’s Lure catalog, you’ll be wise to get one. It’s easy. You can do it by calling the toll free number 1 800 525-8737 or by writing to Mack’s Lure, inc. at 2514 Easy Street, Wenatchee, WA 98801.
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Fish often respond to one color better than they do to another. Do you have a variety of bead colors? It would be well to do so if you haven't..
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And here’s more good news. The new catalog normally sells for $3. If you’ll simply mention my name when you write or call---there will be no charge. How are you gonna beat that kind of a deal?
As far as I’m concerned the next best thing to fishing is getting involved in those things associated with the sport. Working with tackle is one such. Give it a whirl. Once you get started you’re never going to quit.
My own experience indicates it also result in catching more fish.
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