Captain’s Corner for January 29 Dave Zalewski 460-9893
High winds and rough seas kept us in port for 10 straight days doing boat and tackle maintenance. Over 30 years in the charter sport fishing industry has made me realize that there is no fish worth taking the risk of injury from a boat pitching in high seas. Fishing from a charter or private boat should be a relaxing time on the water. Drags were checked for smoothness by tying the mainline to a fixed object and walking away to check for smooth operation. Most reels have several oiling points, which may be researched by going online for the instruction manual for your particular reel. A drop or two of oil is much cheaper than having to replace the entire handle. Guides can appear to be fine to the naked eye, but may have nicks and cracks in them that will cause rapid weakening of the line and loss of a trophy fish. Running a piece of pantyhose through each guide is the best way to check them. If the nylon hangs up and does not pass smoothly, the guide should be replaced.
Now is also the time to check all bait well and bilge pump connections. If corrosion is evident replace the butt connectors with shrink fit new ones. Flare kits and EPIRBS should be checked for expiration dates.
Water temps are near 70 degrees and that is a good indicator that the kingfish that were here before the cold front passed through will still be around any high profile structure that has clean water and is holding bait.