Boat trailer – Have the wheel bearings repacked & brakes checked, check that all the lights, winch strap, tie downs and rollers are in good condition.

Boat motor—Have lower unit oil change, grease all grease fittings, check prop for nicks or bent blades, when doing so remove prop to check for fishing line rap around the shaft, new spark plus, and oil level on power trim.

The boat itself –Foremost make sure the drain plug is in and tightened (every year it will never fail, someone will forget), check water levels in batteries, charge them and make sure they still will hold a charge, clean and grease all batteries posts and any other battery connections to keep them from corroding, check all lights and pumps, clean and disinfect all live and bait wells, have fresh gas in the boat and check fuel lines for leaks or cracks and have the proper mix of oil or your oil reserve full, most important of all make sure you have enough good and proper size lift Jackets for everyone the boat, also boats 16ft. or longer need a throw able floating device.

We need a fishing pole to catch some fish to fry. The reels should be clean to remove dirt and grime for smooth operation, next new line should be added to the spool. Spools that real deep and require a lot line, I like to take only about 150 ft. of old line leaving the rest for backing and replace with fresh line. You usually don’t use more then the first 50ft. and if you break off and run short you remove what’s left and add another 150ft. and your back with new line for another day. Check your rod eye guides for ruff spots; use a Q-tip to run on the insides of the eye guides if it catches some cotton. You have a ruff spot that will weaken your line. Use a fine emery cloth to smooth it out. Line size, I like 6lb. to 8lb. test for pan fish to walleyes.

Now that we got you all equipt for a fun day on the water. All you have to do is choose a lake out of the 1,000 lake this area has to offer. If you have the opportunity take a kid fishing. Remember that kids don’t need to always have to catch walleyes. They just like some thing to bend their pole and tug on the line.